According to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), 814,957 persons were reported missing in 2007. About 80% of those were juveniles (persons under 18 years of age), the overwhelming majority of which were girls.
While most missing persons return home safely, that statistic shows that over 2,000 times per day, parents or primary care givers felt the disappearance was serious enough to warrant calling law enforcement. Even more troubling, the number of missing persons reported to law enforcement has increased almost 500% in the past 20 years.
What if, instead of sitting at home in a terrified panic that harm has come to your child, you could instantly locate him or her on a map, pinpointing their exact whereabouts?
GPS tracking technology continues to improve, and for the first time in years, I can enthusiastically recommend several devices as viable solutions that will help parents keep their children safe.
I thoroughly tested 12 different tracking devices in various real-world scenarios. Prices range from the inexpensive to the extravagant. Interestingly, price doesn't always equate to better performance.
Here they are, ranked in order from the best to the worst:
Continue reading "GPSmagazine's 2010 Child Tracking GPS Buyer's Guide" »
Is it possible for you to tell me if you were out of range of the required T Mobile network causing the Num8 not to acquire GPS or if you think more technical issues were at play, thank you. Garreth
I definitely think T-Mobile coverage is spotty at best in my local area. But I did drive to major areas where T-Mobile's service works well, and the watch still performed poorly (taking a long time to respond to "Where R U" requests, and the web portal never seemed to register the device's last known location.
Honestly it was just a mess all around. Suggest you consider a different solution for your tracking needs.
Hi,
What exactly was the problem with the watch device?
I have had an Amber Alert device in my daughters backpack for the past two years, and it also has a T-Mobile SIM in it - do all these companies use the same cell network? That AAGPS unit died on us a few days ago, and I was going to purchase the new model, but the achilles heel of that approach is that it isn't attached to my daughter - a while ago one of her classmates took the device out of her backpack and took it home.
So, I like the idea of a watch or similar, and I'd like to know if your experience is cell network related or device performance related. Thanks.
Henry
In my research I found some wrist watches that have GPS locators in them (ChildGuard GPS Wristwatch: "Powered by GPS" Personal Locator for Children...www.911ToGo.com). They look like a childs watch and seem much easier to keep on a child than a device you put in their backpack.
Do you have any input on these? How effective are these devices?
Thank you,
Laurie
Hey Laurie,
since my first start-up company GPSit.com there has been many companies fail to make a GPS watch that actually works. The kid watches in the 911ToGo are bhogus trust me. Its weak Radio Frequency RF no GPS at all. They have not even started shipping yet because they don't work. Don't wast your time or money. The only affordable GPS watch I have tested and it is accurate and works even indoors in all of North America and Mexico is the IContain ICU10 GPS watch. www.i-contain.com
I bought mine from a guy named Jeff here is his email:
jeff@i-contain.com
Good luck
GPSit.com
The main problem I see here is the physical size of the unit. If a child is abducted, the first thing the abducter will look for is any form of tracking device. What we need is the device to be smaller or less conspicuous. In these days of 'micro' electronics I fail to see why it is impossible to build such units. Another problem is cost, with families of 2, 3 or more children, to kit out each child could be very pricy, but then so is the searching for the child once he/she has been abducted. The worst price to pay is to find the child has been molested and murdered.
Hi - I just wanted to say thank you for writing this article - it was exactly what I needed and had been searching for. YOu saved me from buying the wrong thinf. My child is autistic and I really need one of these. MANY THANKS> L. Thompson
Have you heard of the CECT STL201 GPS CHILD Locator PET TRACKER CAR TRACKING ? I found it on an internet search and the claims it makes seem too good to be true. That's a sign right there i know.
Hi and thank you for this excellent review!
Since it was done in 2010, is there any new GPS portable device with smaller size than the PT-10 (which is already Ok), extended autonomy, some indoor localization (with GSM triangulation if this helps) which could be discrete enough in case of child kidnapping ?
Best Regards
I have learned that the Insignia device with no monthly service will no longer be active after April of 2012. Anyone that has that service for the LittleBuddy ones will need to find another service.