For extra reassurance with your pets, the Tractive GPS is one of the best trackers since it's loaded with handy features. Even though it's a GPS tracker, it can switch to short-range Bluetooth tracking for some valuable redundancy if you ever find yourself somewhere with no reception. With a unique anchoring system, you can loop this tracker around any existing collar thanks to the stretchy rubber clips.
Considering how precise the Tractive GPS is, you'll always have a strong sense of where your keys are with this tracker attached. As long as your keys are left behind somewhere that has cell coverage, the tracker's unlimited GPS range means you can locate them across the world and then switch to Bluetooth to get an even tighter search radius. Once you're close enough, you can turn on the noise and sound features for a little extra help identifying exactly where you left your keys.
Outside the GPS accuracy, attaching this chunky tracker to keys feels impractical since its shape better suits pet collars. In my testing, I couldn't find a way to attach the Tractive GPS to my keys without it feeling awkward and clunky. Even if you have your keys on a lanyard, adding this tracker to that loop adds significant weight and bulk. Using this tracker feels like overkill oftentimes since I usually leave my keys behind in a familiar place and not across the country. If you leave your keys behind somewhere noisy, like a gym or cafe, for example, the beeps might have a hard time cutting through most ambient noise.
While the Tractive GPS mostly caters to pet tracking, the same features can translate to finding bags and luggage. With the tracker's unlimited range, you don't have to worry about your luggage getting lost on international flights or slipping out of Bluetooth range. The tracker's light feature is nifty for me since sometimes this tracker can get lost amongst the mess of things at the bottom of my backpack. As accurate as the GPS tracking is, the ability to switch to Bluetooth with the tracker's Radar mode helps guide you towards your lost bag by letting you know if you're getting closer or farther.
Depending on what you keep in your bag, paying the hefty base price along with subscription fees for the Tractive GPS feels hard to justify. Consider that you're paying for features like health monitoring and sleep tracking, which are completely wasted if you're simply tracking a bag. It's not impossible to attach this tracker to a backpack's strap but it's awkward finding somewhere to use the anchoring system on luggage. It may be easier to throw this GPS tracker inside a bag or luggage but this knocks down the sound function's effectiveness since it becomes muffled. In the scenario where you're using this tracker for your lost luggage, remember that you only have a few days to locate it before the battery runs out.
The Tractive GPS is unmatched as our favorite pet tracker thanks to its many useful features. An unlimited GPS range means you can rest assured that the tracker knows where your dog is at any given time. In my testing, the tracker can pinpoint the location of any lost dog since it even manages to identify which side of a building I was in. On top of the accuracy, the tracker can switch to Bluetooth, as well as its sound and light functions, to help spot exactly where your pet is. Besides finding a lost pet, this tracker has preventative measures like setting up safe and dangerous zones that alert you whenever your dog wanders off. Along with all the security measures, this tracker can manage your pet's well-being with sleep and activity monitoring. For me, the tracker's universal anchor system was quick and easy to slot onto an existing collar.
Despite the many features the Tractive GPS has, there are some downsides to consider. If your cat or dog ever runs off into the woods or any remote area with sparse cell coverage, you will run into some reliability issues locating them. The light and noise functions are solid additions, but the light can be somewhat dim unless you're in pitch-black conditions. When testing the decibel level of the ringtone, it's quiet enough to be drowned out by background noise. Tractive advertises its GPS tracker with a battery life of up to 10 days but that's within a power-saving zone. If your dog is lost in an unfamiliar area, that battery life instead feels more like a scary countdown timer of only a handful of days.
Just like with a lost pet that's constantly in motion, the Tractive GPS does a great job of tracking a stolen vehicle or bicycle. In cases where the basic tracking function isn't enough, the tracker has a location history that gives you a better idea of where your lost vehicle has been or is going. The tracker's consistent accuracy means you'll have an easy time following a lost bike or work van and the GPS range means you won't ever be out of range. The stretchy anchoring system can find a home on multiple spots of a bicycle frame and the tracker's waterproofing means it can stay on even during rainy commutes.
Like using this tracker for luggage, you're paying a premium price tag for the Tractive GPS and its pet-specific features that feel useless for a vehicle or bicycle. It's a lot easier to wrap this tracker around a bike but there's no ideal spot inside or outside a car to take advantage of the anchoring system. If you're instead planning to stuff this tracker into a vehicle's glove compartment, the sound and light functions lose a lot of usefulness.
Since the Tractive GPS runs off AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile's LTE networks, I never ran into connectivity issues when using this tracker. On top of the basic tracking functions, this tracker offers sleep and activity monitoring that are crucial for making sure your cat or dog stays healthy. There's a long list of features but they all serve a purpose for overprotective pet owners. When setting this tracker up, the anchoring system unhooks and attaches to any collar you're already using, making the physical setup process a breeze. While the tracker does add some bulk to your pet's collar, it's light enough that my dog didn't seem bothered.
Throwing the Tractive GPS onto a dog's collar isn't a problem, but the setup process is more involved. Considering it's meant to track pets, there's an understandable burden of entering all of your dog's details for accuracy with the health tracking features. During the setup, you have to designate a Power Saving Zone and connect the tracker to Wi-Fi to finalize the process. The tracker's light and sound functions are nice additions, but I want to see Tractive make these brighter and louder to be more useful. Don't forget that you have to pay subscription fees for this tracker since it uses GPS that constantly updates your pet's position. Most importantly, if you're in an area with zero or limited cell coverage, you won't be able to rely on GPS tracking.
If you're in the market for a reliable and comprehensive pet tracker, look no further than the Tractive GPS. I don't recommend this for tracking smaller items like your keys, but it's packed with well-thought-out features that can help you locate your lost dog or keep tabs on your cat's health. If you already have a collar that's a large part of your pet's personality, you won't have to replace it since this tracker has a nifty anchoring system that's easy to use.
When looking at other trackers specifically designed for pets, there are some cases where the Fi Series 3 trumps the Tractive. If you're looking for a tracker that's more suited towards community aspects like your pet's steps ranking or sharing photos and videos, the Fi tracker heavily promotes these aspects on its app. If you don't have a collar yet, it's worth noting that the Fi tracker comes with one, unlike the Tractive GPS.
