Tagg The Pet Tracker (GPS tracker)

sandrat888

I have had this product for almost a month now, but never had time to write up a review myself. However, I found a 3rd party review online today and thought I would pass it on here.
http://pawcurious.com/2011/11/product-review-tagg-the-pet-tracker/

I will be able to answer questions of the product based on my experience so far. If you are interested in getting one of this GPS tracker for your beloved pet and have questions that are not covered by either the review or the company's website http://www.pettracker.com/ . Feel free to ask here. I will do my best to share what I know.

I only have one pet tracker on Koji now as it is an experiment purchase. When the product was first launched, they only have the bundle package (docking station + the tracker) ready for shipping and the standalone tracker (for multi-pet household) was on back order. I have not got one yet for Maluko and was constantly teased by people that I love Koji more to put the tracker on him. I always laughed and said I love them both, but Koji is more likely to get lost. I may get an additional tracker for Maluko, but for now, only the boy gets the GPS treatment.

haxan

That does seem pretty neat. Thanks for sharing. What does the service cost after the first year?

sandrat888

It's $60/year after the first year. You can also check out this thread on the Shiba side for more information. http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/8812/tagg-the-pet-tracker-gps-tracker#Item_21

sandrat888

Just want to post an update based on our recent experience so anyone that is considering the product is made aware of the situation and take this into consideration when deciding whether to purchase this product.

I went out with Koji on an errand this Monday morning and forgot to set the tracker into "Trip" mode (this basically lets the tracker know you are going out of your home zone, so it will not alert you and thus save battery.). The tracker usually will alert you within 3-10 minutes of you going out of the home zone, but I got no alert after 15 minutes out of the house. I then manually started the locate and track command on my Android phone and it just kept telling me Koji is near the home docking station and a locate/track is not necessary.

The tracker was definitely not working as it should. I called Tagg customer support and was told that there may be a syncing issue between the tracker and the docking station. After a painful trouble-shooting session that involves unpluging/plugging the docking station, turning /on the tracker, changing the home zone etc, the tracker still would not work. I was told the case will be escalated and someone will follow up with me within 48 hours. I turned off the tracker and the docking station yesterday for a couple hours and the turn them back on and the tracker is working again.

The problem I have right now is I want to know what makes the tracker not working in the first place. If the product will randomly stop functioning, then I really can't trust the product to provide me the safety net in case my dog gets lost. I have called Tagg support again and was told they are still trying to figure it out what happened and I will keep everyone here updated on this too.

haxan

Thanks for the update and for keeping us abreast of the situation. That's kind of a big "oops" moment for Tagg as it essentially fails the exact purpose for which it was designed.

bluemouse

Whilst I have no experience with Tagg specifically I have tried a couple of other systems and on the whole have been disappointed. These smaller firms (although Tagg is part of Qualcomm) seem to follow the same pattern - take another company's idea - modify it a little and add a clever name - rush it to market without sufficient testing - show up on a morning network talk show to promote the product (as if that is a guaranteed of quality control) - get a vet to write a review - sell it to hopeful consumer in essence almost in Beta form - lower the initial price - and then work out the bugs and kinks of a very tempermental device through the trial and error of the consumer.

A few years ago I tried Global Pet Finder which was a disaster and the company went out of business - then tried another model which was the same story - all sorts of teething problems. All followed exactly the game plan mentioned above. Hopefully Tagg may work out great but I am skeptical until I see plenty of satisfactory actual REAL user reviews (such as yours).

More and more of these products are coming to market each year. I would venture to guess that one of the Garmin products must be more reliable (and not tied to just Verizon) - albeit different technology and price points. Also they have bought Tri-Tronics this year (a company involved in electronic dog collars and training stuff) so I am hopeful they will have something interesting and dependable soon.

carlikai

What I'd like to know is will the tracker work if you are traveling? The most risky time is when I'm driving to a new area and I worry someone will bolt from the car. and also I have a place up north. there are places that don't get cell phone reception and I think some trackers will do the tracking for you if you can't do it. Does this one track for you if you lose them? I don't want to get a new cell phone just for this if it's not really working.

sandrat888

@carlikai

The Pet Tracker would work if you are traveling (like to a different area within the US, a vacation home etc). It uses Verizon's cellular network, so anywhere Verizon has coverage, it should work.

What do you mean by "some trackers will do the tracker for you if you can't do it? Does this one track for you if you lose them?". You set up a home zone and if your dog gets out of the zone defined, you will get notification (email and/or text msg). Why would you need to get a new cell phone to use The Tagg Pet Tracker?

WrylyBrindle

That's important information! Thanks!
Conclusion:
Since cell coverage where I live and roam (VT) is extremely spotty and unreliable, this would not be a good product for us. My garmin works great here, however, so if I were to get a dog tracker, Id get a garmin astro, which is a different-functioning product, I realize, but the method of info transport is really key to where you are working.

carlikai

I'm looking at LoveMyPets GPS which must be a satellite. It you cannot get a read on your lost pet you call them and they can do it for you. I don't have an iphone or android and it's my understanding you need that to follow them on your phone or else you need your laptop. I don't have a fancy phone and didn't really want to get one because it doubles my monthy cost in addition to the gps.

sandrat888

I have no personal experience with LoveMyPets GPS, so I would comment on what I do have, the Tagg Pet Tracker.

Tagg uses both GPS technology and cellular network. You do not need to have a smartphone to use it because it works with text msgs. You also don't need line of sight of the sky to get a location as it uses the cellular network. You can locate and track your pet using text msg commands and you will get the results back in text msg.

There is a subscription fee for the service (Tagg tracker itself) though, and it is about $8/month and about $1/month for each additional tracker for another pet in the house. The subscription is a little bit cheaper if you prepaid - quarterly, bi-annually or annually.

Just based on what I found on LoveMyPets GPS's website, I would still choose Tagg over LoveMyPets GPS because

1) Tagg is lighter (1.16 oz vs. 2.65 oz) and possibility smaller (LoveMePets GPS does not list the actual dimensions of its product, but based on weight and photos on the site, I would say Tagg is smaller in size) ,

2) Tagg uses a home docking station and through it, can put the tracker in a power saving mode when on the home turf. LoveMyPets seems to be a more bare-bone product.

3) You can track your pet through SMS, smartphone app, computer with Tagg and with LoveMyPets, your option is computer or call their rep on the phone. There is a convenience charge of $4.99 for this phone service.

4) Tagg has more advanced features like Trip mode (when you go out on an errand), can receive software update through the docking station, have the tracking feature (locate a pet every 3 minutes up to 30 minutes before you initiate another tracking command and it will show you on a map later on your computer the dog's trial during the tracking session).

5) Monthly subscription: Tagg is very straightforward. You pay either monthly or prepaid a certain amount and you can track, locate your pets however many times you want. LoveMyPets seems to limit your ability to locate your pet to 100 locates/year and you have to buy more locates should you need more. See below from their FAQ. It's useless to have only 100 locates and be charged for additional locates.

Q: What are locates?
A: Locates are the number of times you can retrieve the GPS unit’s current location. Each time you receive the location of your pet, one locate is used. You receive 100 locates for the year when you sign up for an account, and additional locates can be purchased in quantities of 50 or 100 at www.lovemypetsgps.com. Any unused locates will roll over to the next year.

6) Battery life: Tagg's website claim 30 days in normal usage situation vs. LoveMyPets says 2 weeks.

7) Tagg is a subsidiary of Qualcomm and I can't seem to find much info on LoveMyPets's website. I would say Tagg has more resources to stay afloat long term.

shibamistress

Thanks for that write up! It really helps me think about it too!

shibamistress

Has anyone used this one? http://www.backcountryk9.com/288/Products.aspx

Just curious how it compares. I'm starting to think pretty seriously about getting one of these for my Kai Ken pup and wondered if anyone had tried this and could compare.

Leo doesn't show any desire to be apart from us, but I've seen him get nervous in new, overly stimulating areas, and I worry he could bolt. The tracking collar seems like a good safe guard.

Sure like the Garmin, but can't afford it....

InuRyuu

@shibamistress, I considered it before I got the tagg tracker. On the positive side the roameo does not use a subscription service but its battery life is short. One dayof tracking I believe.

With tagg you will need verizon cellular service in your area to be able to track the dog. If you don't have it then its a no brainer. When I was researching Roameo user reviews it left me less than impressed. Many users reccommended Garmin radio tracking devices over the Roameo as being more reliable. But Garmin is more expensive.

carlikai

Well, I have now done a bunch of research and money spending on the GPS systems. Most people leaning to the tagg system. I read a lot of reviews that were not put out by tagg at how unhappy people were with it, not locating. So anyway I went with pocketfinder.com which locates anything, kids, elderly, dogs,cars whatever. It costs more but you can do unlimited "locates". It had some excellent reviews. However, it's battery life was short and after I signed up for it and plugged it in I discovered I couldn't even get it to charge %100 and by the end of the day it was depleted to about %25. It is recommended it be charged everyday like your cell phone. I found this totally unsatisfactory. That said the website and map that you get after activating it are excellent. What I found out is that this system is totally live. It's like if you left your cell phone on and talked all day long. I could practically tell what room my dog was in and the satellite picture was crystal clear. I could see my house and recognize trees and the neighborhood...it wasn't just a blob of green. I would be able to find my dog easily...if I had the battery power to do it. So after 4 days of testing I took it back to the Apple store (they carry Tagg too). And I dropped my account and got the tagg unit. Powered it up. Then went to the website to make an account. I couldn't do it so I had to call them and we still had a lot of trouble. When it finally went thru I was so diappointed to see the arial map of my house was a green grey blob and because we had some new houses behind me built last year I could tell the satelite view was about 5 years old and the resolution was terrible. I was expecting a "live" map but you don't see your dog/dot moving around. While talking to the agent helping me what I discovered was if it was live, like pocketfinder, it would last about a day...the same as them. So their claim for 30 dys battery life is deceiving. The battery doesn't get used unless if your dog goes out of the boundary and then essentially you are turning it on when you ask for a "locate". This is what you pay extra for, the locates. The collar is sturdier than the other brand and my dog wasn't aware of either altho the pocketfinder battery was on a rubber cup-like thing that a dog might decide was a toy. My dog was ok with both but the pocketfinder one was a little trickier to get off and charge; getting it off and putting it back on. All in all, I preferred the pocketfinder better. It's up to date. Too bad the battery doesn't last longer. So then after I finshed my tagg account and hung up I called pocketfinder back and told them I'd just cancelled their product and went with tagg because of the battery life. They were very sympathetic and told me they were working on a new battery and expected one with a 3 week life to be out in 3-4 months; they were testing it now. I asked to be a tester even but they said they had all they needed. I asked about the battery life and why it was that way and they told me it's because it's live all the time every time your dog moves...like except when he's sleeping, it's getting an automatic read on the location and that's what chews up your battery life. So the tagg unit isn't really any better at all...it's shut off essentially until your dog goes AWAL and pocketfinder is showing you on your computer and cell phone anytime you care to look, what your dog is up to. So I asked if there was a way to minimize the locations and she said you tweek the locates by how often in minutes you want the satellite to check. I had it set at 10 minute intervals which is what they recommended. I told them to notify me when this better unit comes out because when it does it will be WAY better than tagg and I'm not sure it still isn't better anyway. I've got tagg now but I'm not sure how to test it but I've got 14 dys to do it. I think we are not there yet in terms of technology but close....I really want the other unit.and I might be switching back in a week!

sandrat888

Disclaimer: I have used Tagg for both of my Shibas for almost 10 months now and I was the one that was very critical of them on one of the review sites. The problem I had experienced when I first got the system never happened again. I have also used the Garmin Astro 320 and found it to be a great product for certain use scenarios, but for average pet owners who want a way to keep track of their dog in case they get lost, I would recommend Tagg.

My understanding and knowledge of the PocketFinder is based on what they have on their website. The product is being sold at Apple store and has an Apple App, but is not designed or created by Apple. I have never owned the product, but based on what I can find on the product, I would choose Tagg over it because 1) longer battery life (the company claims 30 days, and most actual customers claim it works about a week for sure, but personally, I charge my Tagg every night to ensure it is fully charged in case my dog does get lost. I would much rather it is wearing a fully-charged Tagg than not)., 2) better value for multiple pets home (about $8/month for first dog, and about $1 for each additional dog. Pocketfinder is charing close to $14/month for each device), 3) longer-term prospect of the company and the product (Tagg is backed by Qualcomm and has some pretty good market momentum. I have seen several firmware/software updates delivered over-the-air over the period I have the product.

For Tagg, the battery does get used even if your dog is in the Tagg zone (home zone) you define. It just puts itself in power-saving mode. It is NEVER turn-off when it is in power-saving mode. Once the dog leaves the zone, you will get notification either by email and/or by SMS based on your preference. You can either do a single locate or a track where the device will report its location every 3 minutes up to 30 minutes. You can do another track if you need to afterwards and you can watch the dog's trail on the map later to see the dots of all the tracking results. For average pet owners, you really don't need a system that actively checks the dog's location every couple seconds. For a real "live" system, Garmin Astro can track every 5 seconds up to every 120 seconds, but the battery is only good for 17-48 hours depending on how often you set the system to check on your dog's location. Garmin Astro is very useful and accurate when it is working in a hiking in the wilderness or hunting in the field scenario, but not too practical for a pet dog who occasionally get lost.

One thing I do like about the PocketFinder is that it has international coverage, but other than that, I do not see much benefits of PocketFinder over Tagg.

Also on a Facebook group that many of the doggie sports people frequent, one of the members have both systems and recently traveled to Europe with her dog to compete in European Agility Open and this is what she said "Pocketfinder does not update continually like Tagg does. I find their website not very user friendly. It has no "off button" so to go on an airplane I had to put it in airplane mode on the website and then it can't get turned back on without docking it. I just did not like the whole Pocketfinder experience." This is just another user opinion, but from someone who travels a lot with their dogs to compete and actually own both systems.

Saki

I bought the RoamEO GPS a while back. It was pretty new back then and I got it just in time before they stop delivering in Canada. It worked pretty well. I could create with the GPS an area where my dog is allow to go and as soon as Saki cross the limit an alert comes on. The bad side of it is I would loose the signal when saki was going underneath branches. Unfortunately, the day I wanted to test it out in the woods, I lost my GPS, probably when I bent down to pass under a low branch it came out from my coat pocket ... I was so sad and mad, I never found it. Overall, for the few times I tested it out, it wasn't that bad. The great thing about it is that there's no fee for the satellite signal.

Afterwards, I never looked for an other one .... loosing $500 once was enought, I still have the collar ... maybe I should try to sell it.

Hinata23

@sandrat888 I'm not sure if this would apply to the Tagg, but the more you charge a devise the faster the internal battery will waste, which will lead to less battery life (even though the it's fully charged). Just a thought... I know this applies to laptops and cellphones.