It can be a heart-stopping question for parents: "Where is my child?" In parks, at beaches or in any public setting, your kid can wander out of view in an instant. But technology can provide some peace of mind in the form of a lightweight GPS tracker that can last a day or two on a charge, and offers frequent and reliable updates on your child's whereabouts. Some of these trackers are watches, some are meant to blend in with your child's backpack and work in the background, and some even give you the power to detect possible danger in your child's vicinity.
Of the five kid-friendly GPS
trackers we tested, the Letstrak Personal GPS tracker emerged as the winner,
and even bested regular GPS trackers when it came to keeping tabs on a child.
While all of the devices we tested have their share of short comings, we liked
how the Letstrak combined accurate location info with a powerful,
feature-filled app and site that makes tracking your kids less like a chore.
That said, Letstrak connects to
AT&T's 2G network, which will be phased out by the end of 2016. Letstrak
says it's working on an updated version, so you may want to wait for that
3G-capable model to arrive. But if you want the best GPS tracker for your child
right now, this is the device to get.
Kid-Friendly Trackers vs. Regular Trackers
After comparing generic GPS
trackers to ones geared specifically to kids, I determined that kid-friendly
trackers are better for keeping tabs on your child. For one, kid-friendly
trackers' compact size let them fit neatly in backpacks or on smaller wrists.
And many offer features that put parents' minds at ease, like geofencing
capabilities and SOS buttons that can ping multiple contacts. Not every
mass-market tracker offers these kinds of kid-focused capabilities, so turning
to a device built specifically for kids will be money well spent for moms and
dads.
The Letstrak GPS locator for kids (£49) offers
pinpoint accuracy in a durable device, but younger kids would have a hard time
knowing which button was which — including an emergency button that sends
location data to rescue personnel. Likewise, the Letstrak (£49) has an
appealing data plan and a useful geofencing feature, but it's simply too much
for a young child to master.
How We Tested
We tested five kid-friendly GPS trackers
alongside a trio of generic GPS trackers. I spent two weeks visiting spots in
the San Francisco Peninsula with my 22-month-old son, who loves to wear his new
backpack even when it's carrying several GPS trackers at once; sometimes, I
tracked him from afar, and other times, I used the trackers to help me find him
in a crowd.
To see what each tracker offered,
I enabled all push notifications and tested all voice features, except for ones
that would trigger 911 emergency calls. I also kept an eye on how the batteries
in each device held up as we traveled from spot to spot.
Here are the criteria I considered when determining which kid-friendly
GPS tracker was the best.
Features: In addition to tracking location, many GPS devices offer
a multitude of features, including one- and two-way calling and the ability to
set up zones that alert you when your child has left a designated
area. I looked at which devices went beyond the basics and how those features
were implemented.
Performance: You want a GPS tracker that accurately displays a
person's location, with frequent updates when he or she is on the move. I took
note of how accurately each device pinpointed our location.
Design: I considered the size of the GPS tracker and whether it was
something a child could easily carry around. I also looked at durability: Could
the device with stand rough-and-tumble trips to the playground?
Ease of use: I wanted to find devices that were easy enough for a
small child to use, certainly, but also ones that wouldn't give mom or dad fits
during the setup and activation process. Here's one universal tip: Make sure to
activate your GPS tracker in as wide of an open space as possible — not from
inside a building. Trackers hate being enclosed, especially at the beginning.
Price: In addition to paying up front for a GPS tracker, there are
monthly service fees. I considered what each GPS tracker will cost you on a
monthly basis and whether you're required to sign a service contract. I also
noted when GPS trackers included the cost of service in the initial price tag,
such as offering the first year of service for free.
