1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Portable GPS Trackers for Kids

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Gareth Halfacree, 30 Mar 2018.

  1. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,085
    Likes Received:
    6,635
    So, ahead of a seaside holiday I fancy getting a pair of GPS trackers for the kids - six and two. I've had a look, and I can get a 'smart' watch for anything from £20 to £200, all of which get extremely mixed reviews. I can also get the Vodafone V-Bag, which is a rebranded Alcatel tracker, for £59 with a £3-a-month data-only SIM, and that gets better reviews from what I can see (and has four-day battery life, and is waterproofish.)

    Only snag: for some reason the V-Bag, which is a small puck-shaped object that comes with a silicone case for attaching it to your bag, doesn't come with nor have the option to buy a wriststrap. Yeah, I thought that was a bit of an oversight, too, especially as Vodafone's pushing the "keep your kids safe" angle.

    Does anyone have any experience of kid-tracking GPS stuff? Any recommendations?
     
  2. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

    Joined:
    25 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    19,737
    Likes Received:
    5,502
    Parents GPS track their kids? Not passing judgement, this has just surprised the bejangles out of me.
     
  3. spolsh

    spolsh Multimodder

    Joined:
    4 Feb 2012
    Posts:
    1,559
    Likes Received:
    821
    I think it's an age thing, young kids can be a nightmare to keep track of, and the easier you can find them the better. Gareth wouldn't be tracking teenage kids (they'd have phones that could be tracked anyway !).

    I'm much more surprised that Gareth hasn't just built something to do this.
     
  4. Mister_Tad

    Mister_Tad Will work for nuts Super Moderator

    Joined:
    27 Dec 2002
    Posts:
    14,070
    Likes Received:
    2,428
  5. pete*

    pete* Something witty here.

    Joined:
    29 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    1,034
    Likes Received:
    63
    Hahaha, i'm a "trained" microchipper, want a quote? :p
    Those aren't GPS tracked chips.
    Can get one that is GPS though, I believe. Not sure where from and I can't see it being cheap.
    And highly unlikely for humans... haha
     
  6. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,085
    Likes Received:
    6,635
    Wot 'e says. I've got a six year old and a two year old, and when they're running around having fun it's all too easy for 'em to slip out of sight - the eldest one, at least. Have 'em carry a GPS tracker, you can grant them a little more freedom than would otherwise be the case and easily find 'em when it's time to go. I've 'lost' the six-year-old when she wandered off from a playground in a wooded area before, and it's bloody terrifying - a GPS tracker would have meant considerably less wandering around in a panic shouting her name.

    I got lost on some sand dunes when I was a wee kid, too. My mother was frantic, asking everyone she saw "have you seen a fat kid in orange shorts?!" Charming, that.
    It's pretty easy to receive GPS and send the coordinates off somewhere, but somewhat harder to do it in a package that's got good battery life, is waterproofish, and won't weigh the kid down...
     
  7. Mister_Tad

    Mister_Tad Will work for nuts Super Moderator

    Joined:
    27 Dec 2002
    Posts:
    14,070
    Likes Received:
    2,428
    I feel like I'd get preoccupied with checking it... probably to the extent that if she ever did get lost I'd be out of battery to track her down anyway.

    I didn't get a video monitor (or one of those horrific "check they're still breathing" mats) when she was a baby for just that reason.

    Yeah I got that, all it really needs it a return address though. I'd write it on her forehead but there's always a chance of it washing off :lol:
     
    MLyons and pete* like this.
  8. Corky42

    Corky42 Where's walle?

    Joined:
    30 Oct 2012
    Posts:
    9,648
    Likes Received:
    388
    That's what tattoos were invented for ;)

    On a more serious note, would a bluetooth based tracker be to short a range (60-100ft)?
     
  9. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

    Joined:
    26 Mar 2006
    Posts:
    4,919
    Likes Received:
    724
    Get a pack of walkie talkies, they enjoy playing with them and you can always get old if them.

    You will have to listen to their garbage but the novelty wears off and they end up just wearing them and answering eventually when you call.

    On GPS side a friend of mine sells a few things that seem to work well, I use for car/caravan tracking but he has pet and wearable that would work

    https://www.evolve-innovations.co.uk/
     
  10. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,085
    Likes Received:
    6,635
    We already use those with the older one, but they don't do a lot of good if they don't know where they are.

    Sounds like I'm going to be picking up the Vodafone V-Bags, then!
     
  11. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

    Joined:
    25 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    19,737
    Likes Received:
    5,502
    I guess people do what they see fit.

    I'm glad they weren't about when I was a kid, some of my favourite memories are from getting out of sight of my parents.

    Helped with my sense of independence and self reliability.
     
  12. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,085
    Likes Received:
    6,635
    What, when you were six? On holiday? In an unfamiliar town? Really?

    Trot on.
     
  13. VipersGratitude

    VipersGratitude Multimodder

    Joined:
    4 Mar 2008
    Posts:
    3,535
    Likes Received:
    837
    A baboon in Portugal tried to adopt me when I was 4. True story. To be totally safe, you should also consider that possibility... :worried:
     
  14. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

    Joined:
    25 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    19,737
    Likes Received:
    5,502
    No 4 and 5. And yes. Use to 'lose' myself alot. Drove my parents mental. That wasn't the half of it.

    Trot on yourself. I find your tone rude.
     
  15. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,085
    Likes Received:
    6,635
    And you're proud of this, yes?
    And I find your tone snide and judgemental.
     
  16. yuusou

    yuusou Multimodder

    Joined:
    5 Nov 2006
    Posts:
    2,852
    Likes Received:
    916
    Lets stop it right there, peeps. However people choose to raise their kids is up to them as long as no one's getting hurt. If you've got nothing on topic to say, say nothing at all.
     
    Mister_Tad, pete* and Sentinel-R1 like this.
  17. Sentinel-R1

    Sentinel-R1 Chaircrew

    Joined:
    13 Oct 2010
    Posts:
    2,379
    Likes Received:
    404
    Our friends use AngelSense for their kids as their youngest boy has a habit of legging it to 'explore'. The thinks he's a pirate at the moment....

    Anyhoo, they wouldn't be without it and wish they'd used them for the oldest when he was a sprog.

    Here's a quick video of how the attachment works:
     
  18. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    17,085
    Likes Received:
    6,635
    That looks good, but it's not available in the UK yet (says the website, anyway.) I just can't believe that the V-Bag thing doesn't have a wrist strap option - if it did, I'd never have made this post. I'd have just bought a pair.

    Might see if I can knock something together with a V-Bag, a kids bracelet, and some Sugru...

    EDIT: Looking quickly at the video, it looks a bit V-Bag-esque too: a clip that'll work on the straps of a bag or a belt, but kids don't often wear belts or bags, especially at the beach. Hence my desire for something wrist-borne, which does exist but is universally panned as being rubbish.
     
  19. Sentinel-R1

    Sentinel-R1 Chaircrew

    Joined:
    13 Oct 2010
    Posts:
    2,379
    Likes Received:
    404
    That makes sense, they're Americans. I just assumed it'd be a globally available product. Seems there's a market for it!
     
  20. VipersGratitude

    VipersGratitude Multimodder

    Joined:
    4 Mar 2008
    Posts:
    3,535
    Likes Received:
    837
    I remember seeing what you're describing in a documentary about Shenzhen...after googling for a while I think this is it. Cheaper than the v-bag and seems to be reviewed pretty well
     

Share This Page