About a month ago my new friends over at Trax sent me one of their GPS Trackers to test out. Now if you’ve been reading my blog for quite some time, then you might know that I’ve had my eye on GPS Trackers for quite some time.

Paired with the free Trax app (available for apple and android users) using the Trax Tracker can help you keep a watchful eye on your pets and other loved ones.

My mom never quite pulled the trigger on getting me one because she hadn’t found just the right one – that is until Trax popped onto the market. Trax has a whole slew of features that make it stand out above the others that are available.

Trax comes with all the items you see here, which includes a handy case to attach to clothing and one to attach to your dog’s collar depending on how you plan to use it.

The usb cord charger plugs into a slot on the tracker and can be charged by plugging into any usb port you might have (computer, car charger that has a usb converter, etc).

Trax is water resistant, shockproof, stain resistant, and functions in weather -10 °C to +40 °C – but you can help protect it further from the elements by placing a piece of tape over the usb port to help keep out water.

Since I am a dog, I opted to slip mine into the dog collar silicone case, which then easily slides onto any dog collar. One of the things I like about Trax (above a lot of other trackers out there) is the size (approximately 2.2in x 1.5in x 0.4in), it’s one of the smallest on the market – which makes it perfect for even small dogs like me to wear.

Once turned on the Trax Tracker takes a few seconds to locate satellites in your area – especially the first time you start it up. The company does note that it’s quicker to locate them in a more rural setting then in a city setting (because of the tall buildings). For me it took no time at all to connect since I tested it out on the farm for the first time.

You can also share your Trax Tracker between multiple smart phones, so both mom and dad can be tracking me at all times.

One of the features my mom loved about Trax is the ability to set up Geofences. A Geofence is essentially a virtual safe zone for your dog. With Trax you can set up as many geofences as you like (while many of their competitors only offer the option for 1), and they can be any size and even any shape (doesn’t have to be a square or a circle even). With geofences enabled you can receive a text alert on your smart phone whenever your pet enters or exits those areas. You can even set up a schedule for when you want the geofences to be active (for example during the hours you are at work monday through friday).

Trax location updates depend on how fast the tracker is moving and they can be as frequent as every 3 second.

Trax is also working on adding proximity geofences where you can surround yourself with a dynamic digital fence that moves when you do. This would be great for when you walk your dog off leash as you’ll get a notification when he strays too far.

While tracking your dog you can open up the Trax app at anytime to get an idea of where your pet is. In fact one day while I was testing out Trax on the farm my mom heard me faintly barking in the distance. She popped open the Trax app and quickly located me near one of the horses’ pastures. She used the app to track me and found me lying on the ground with my legs caught inside of one of my jackets (the perils of short legs!). We had quite a good laugh after mom set me free, but I can tell you I was super thankful for Trax after that!

While I’ve always had free reign of the 20 acre farm, Trax has been great for my freedom – because now my mom doesn’t have to worry about where I am or what I’m getting into, because my location is always right at her fingertips.

Now while I always liked to keep my whereabouts on the farm a bit elusive – things are a little different now because with the Trax history view my mom can view my travels at any certain time throughout the day. My groundhog hunting trails are no longer a secret, drat.

Another neat feature in the Trax app is augmented reality view (AR), with this feature enabled you can use your smartphone’s built-in camera to locate and show the distance to your tracker. It will appear in the image on your phone once it’s pointed in the right direction of your tracker.

My mom also found a special use for the Trax Tracker when I’m out running errands with her. Trax has the ability to set up speed alerts. So if your dog were to start traveling over the speed limit you set, you would be notified via text alert on your phone. Mom tested out this feature while I was sitting outside in the parking lot during a quick errand – but not to worry, no one tried to kidnap me – and if they ever did my mom would HUNT THEM DOWN.

But it is nice to know I’m a little safer with speed alerts set up on my Trax Tracker. Although my mom did want to note it would be helpful if the text alerts displayed in miles instead of km.

When you purchase Trax, two years of data and service are included, therefore during these first two years there will be no monthly fee! After these two years, you will have the option to continue your usage on a monthly basis for a fee of $5.00 or 3.95 EUR per month. Compared to the other comprable GPS Trackers I investigated, Trax is able to offer the most affordable monthly rates out of any of them.

Battery life is also important when you are looking into GPS Trackers for your dog, and Trax comes with a rechargeable battery lasting 1 day depending on how active your child/dog is. Trax is constantly enhancing those figures in every firmware update. My battery has been lasting up to about 2 weeks when I use it 3 -5 times a week for about 3-4 hours at a time.

Now while I can’t say I’ve personally tried any of the other trackers on the market, I can say that I’m not sure how I’ll ever go back to not having one. I feel like I’ve entered the future! I highly recommend checking out the Trax GPS Tracker for your dog, you can fetch one for $249 from Trax. 

Disclaimer: I received a Trax GPS Tracker in exchange for a review, but all opinions are entirely my own!

P.S. Don’t forget today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a Sleepypod Clickit Sport Harness & Yummy bowl!