The dog runs away and can no longer be found – a nightmare for every dog owner. There is now a large market for GPS tracking tools that can track down your darling in such a situation.
There are different variants, many dog owners would like to have a dog GPS tracker without a subscription so as not to have any running costs or obligations. Sometimes, however, savings are made in the wrong place, at the expense of the four-legged friend.
In this article, I will introduce you to subscription-free GPS trackers and explain the advantages and disadvantages they have. Then you can form your own opinion.
My favorite GPS trackers
The big dog GPS tracker without subscription test
Test winner: Tractive GPS DOG 4
This GPS tracker transmits the position of your four-legged friend in real time. So you can always see where your dog is and where he is going. With this device, too, it is possible to set a “permitted area” that your dog is not allowed to leave. If he moves away from this area, you will receive a message immediately and can react quickly.
The product also allows you to document your dog’s activity throughout the day. It records when he runs, sleeps, eats and even how many calories are burned during exercise.
You also benefit from the possibility of locating your dog worldwide. The GPS tracker works without any problems in over 150 countries, so you don’t have to worry when you’re on vacation. You can even share tracker access with family or friends, so your dog is never left unsupervised.
However, a subscription is required to operate the Tractive GPS DOG 4. You can purchase the associated SIM card for different periods of time. If the term is long enough, it will cost you an average of €4.17 per month.
Pawfit 2 dog GPS tracker
The Pawfit GPS tracker is operated with a SIM card. This allows the device to use not only GPS, but also WiFi and mobile communications to determine the location of your dog as precisely as possible and in real time.
You can also use the activity monitor, which shows the steps taken, calories burned and the hours in motion and at rest, similar to a fitness bracelet for humans.
The tracker alerts you when the ambient temperature is dangerously high or low. You will also get a message if the tracker is removed or your pet leaves the allowed area.
The device is waterproof, dustproof, drop and bite resistant and equipped with a 700mAh battery. This lasts about 6 days with daily use, depending on the signal strength.
Please note that you have to install the associated app to use the tracker. This is compatible with iOS 9.0 and above and Android 5.0 and above.
North Point GPS Tracker
Northpoint’s GPS tracker works with a SIM card, but no subscription is required. You are free to choose the provider and the data volume included in the SIM card. The manufacturer points out that around 100mb of consumption should be taken into account every day.
Once the device is installed, you can track your animal live. The possibility of marking a «permitted area» on a map in which your dog is allowed to stay is particularly practical. If your four-legged friend leaves this area, you will automatically receive a message.
You can easily attach the battery-powered device to your pet’s collar or harness. The bracket is included in the scope of delivery. The GPS tracker is small and also very light at 38 grams, so it doesn’t bother your dog.
Purchase advice: GPS tracker dog without subscription
Does a GPS tracker make sense for my dog?
There are many situations in which a GPS tracker makes sense. Classically, this is the case, for example, when your dog breaks out and runs away more often. In this case, it is of course very important that you break this behavior from your four-legged friend quickly, but until that happens, a solution must be found so that you can find your darling again.
A GPS tracker alerts you when your dog is out of bounds, ideally allowing you to intervene before your dog is out of the woods. But even if he manages to disappear from your field of vision, you can track him via the tracking device and bring him back home safely.
Your dog is not a runaway and therefore you do not need a tracker? Many people have this attitude, but for me there are a few other situations in which a GPS tracker makes sense.
For example, I am personally always afraid that my dog will get lost on vacation. You don’t know the local conditions, maybe you even have to fly and leave your dog for the duration of the flight, etc. In these cases, I just feel safer if I have a GPS tracker with me and can always make sure where my dog is stops.
In addition, there is always a certain risk that someone will take your dog with them. If your four-legged friend is not exactly a dangerous attack dog, you are never immune to theft. Of course, valuable breeds, pregnant bitches or rare colors are more at risk, but «normal» dogs have also been stolen. In this case, too, a GPS tracker is a good starting point so that you can have your four-legged friend with you again quickly.
Pros and cons GPS tracker dog without subscription
As already described, a GPS tracker has the advantage that you can find your four-legged friend again at any time. Some devices offer additional options such as activity monitoring or similar. So you can also use the tracker at home as a kind of fitness tracker.
However, there are also some disadvantages. Of course, even with a GPS tracker, you are not immune to your dog running away. It can also happen that your four-legged friend removes the tracker himself if it gets stuck somewhere. A thief will also not shy away from getting rid of the tracker as soon as possible. Then the message that the tracker has been removed will only help you to a limited extent.
In addition, almost all trackers only work with a SIM card, which incurs additional costs and makes you dependent on a good network. So you won’t find your dog in a dead spot either.
GPS tracker with SIM card – what does that mean?
Most GPS trackers work with a SIM card. This allows the device to use GPS and sometimes even the WiFi and mobile network to determine the most exact location of your pet.
A SIM card also enables real-time tracking. The position of your four-legged friend is updated about every 10 seconds, so that you can also track him when he moves. With SIM card-free alternatives, this is usually not possible or only possible to a very limited extent.
The location is not limited to a certain distance thanks to the SIM card. As long as the map has a signal, the location of your four-legged friend will be transmitted to your mobile phone. So you can even benefit from your GPS tracker on vacation.
It remains to be said that the functionality of a GPS tracker can only be guaranteed with a functioning SIM card. That is why buying a SIM card is a real must in my opinion.
You may find a SIM card tariff that works without a subscription. You buy a card once with a credit of the desired amount and simply top up the credit again if necessary. This is how you avoid running costs. With regular use, however, subscription offers are often cheaper.
GPS tracker dog without subscription – yes or no?
If you insist on having a GPS tracker without a subscription and you don’t want to keep recharging a SIM card, there are some free alternatives available, but they have their limitations.
1. GPS tracker dog without subscription with Lora and Sigfox
The Lora and Sigfox networks are open frequencies, which means that anyone can dial into the networks. The use is very data and energy-saving and thus at first glance an attractive alternative to the use of classic mobile phone networks. You can also use the networks for free.
As is so often the case, the overall package is too good to be true, as there are some downsides as well. Because the networks are public, only a limited amount of data can be transmitted per hour. This is to ensure that individual users cannot use up a large part of the network capacity and that nothing is left for others.
The limited data transmission ensures that only a limited number of positions can be transmitted when locating your four-legged friend. Real-time tracking is not possible under this condition. If your four-legged friend moves, even the information from a minute ago can no longer be correct if you don’t have a live location transmission.
If your data volume in the open networks is used up, it can even happen that you can no longer access new location data for hours. This makes the search for your four-legged friend very complicated.
2. Keychain as a GPS tracker dog without a subscription
A simple keychain is equipped with a mini GPS tracker that has a long battery life. They often work via Bluetooth, but this has the disadvantage that the key fobs only have a range of up to 50m around the connected mobile phone.
This is where the problem becomes apparent, because with the short range you can hardly track your animal. Within a radius of 50m you can usually find your four-legged friend quickly without technical aids, the key ring no longer works further away.
To get around this problem, a GPS community was founded. In this are all people who have the same…