Paw Tracker Reviews & Features

Pаw Trасker iѕ a tracker thаt can be used not only for dogs, but for cats as well. It’s a small, lightweight (about 40 g) device in the shape of a paw, that can be clipped on to your pet’s collar. It is currently available in three different colors – gold, silver and blue.

Thiѕ GPS-еnаblеd trасkеr lосаtеѕ уоur pet viа a ѕmаrtрhоnе оr tаblеt bу finding it location on Google Mарs. With уоur аnnuаl mеmbеrѕhiр, уоu will receive continuous tесh support, арр uрdаtеѕ, аnd a уеаr’ѕ mаnufасturеr wаrrаntу. Thе Pаw Trасkеr iѕ both wаtеrрrооf (iр66) and ѕhосkрrооf.

We’ll try to save you some time here by summarizing – we are not fans of this product. Take a look at the detailed review below to find out why, or save yourselves some time by checking out these reviews of Findster Duo+, the Link AKC smart collar,or the Whistle location and activity tracker instead.

Features

As we see it, the whole point of the Paw Tracker is to know where your pet is, should he/she disappear somewhere. The device, which is attached to the pet’s collar, communicates its location via 2G technology, along with Wi-Fi and cellular technology, and yоu can use the PаwTrасker app fоr iOS аnd Andrоid tо kеер trасk оf уоur dog or cat. Apart from purchasing the product, you need to purchase a monthly subscription (at the time of this writing, these start at $9.95 a month or $99.95 a year)

It even has a “geo-fence” feature, which means that you can set up a virtual perimeter within which you want your dog or cat to stay, and you’ll get notified if your pet leaves that area.

But while this seems simple enough in theory, this is full of numerous problems in practice. First, the coverage area of the 2G network is not all that. Per some of the coverage maps for example, the coverage is pretty ok in the more densely populated areas of the U.S., but isn’t good in others. So depending on where you live, this may or may not work well for you. Also, the Paw Tracker GPS currently works only in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Now we get to the more interesting part. The company itself states that “It will NOT work when the device is indoors, under a bridge, in a barn, or an extremely wooded area.” What???? And here I thought it was a way to locate your pet when he or she is lost. Now we hear that you can find your dog or cat if he or she is in a 2G covered area, AND if he or she is not indoors, under a bridge, in a barn, or in a wooded area!! Ok then. This is where we started thinking that maybe you should go with some other product that will actually help locate your pet when he or she is lost. See the product comparisons section below for some suggestions.

There are other features (like selecting an appropriate interval for uploading GPS information to make the bаttеrу last longer, and the ability to see where your pet has been in the last 24 hours). But these other features seem moot since this product does not seem to do a good job in its primary functionality of locating lost pets.

Product Comparisons

We already told you the bad news – this product doesn’t seem to work as you’d want it to. The good news is that there are many other good products out there that you can use for locating your lost pet. In fact, many of these other products work well for that purpose, and also have several other features such as activity tracking for your dog. And some of them don’t even cost any more! So if you can get more for the same or less money, why not?

One of my personal favorites is the Findster Duo+. The most awesome thing about this product is that there are no monthly fees! Unbelievable right? That’s really their biggest distinguishing feature, but they do have a ton more as well. Plus their customer reviews are top-notch. You can read our full review of the Findster Duo+ for the details.

Another one that I really like is the Link AKC smart collar. This product is made in collaboration with the American Kennel Club (AKC). This collar includes GPS tracking as well as activity tracking. Most users agree that the location tracking is absolutely fabulous – that is the biggest strength of this collar. The monthly subscription fee is lower too, starting at $5.50 a month at the time of this writing. The fitness tracking is not superb, but it exists, along with other cool features like sensing the ambient temperature to ensure it’s not too hot for your dog, and the ability to store vet records in the app. You can read our full review of the Link AKC smart collar and decide for yourself.

The Whistle location and activity tracker is another great option. It’s been around for a while, so it’s tried and tested. Users are generally happy with its ease of use and setup, its battery life, and its tracking ability. Its monthly subscription plans start at $6.95 per month, and its purchase cost is less than the Paw Tracker as of the time of this writing. You can read our full review of the Whistle tracker to find out more.

Customer Reviews

This is a newish product. The company tried to get some funding on Indiegogo, with estimated product availability date in April 2016. It seems like the actual product timeline was delayed to later than that. Anyway, not that many people seem to have used the product so far. Those that have used it seem to be unhappy with it. Check out the reviews put on Amazon by early users, so you can hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately, this product still has many many kinks to work out. Several early users have stated that the device does not work as claimed. To top it all, customer service is said to be terrible. Our bottom line is to stay away from this product unless the company does a major rework on this one.