GPS options/devices for personal use?
 

Anyone have experiences with using personal tracking devices? Looks like battery life is a concern (corelates with how many times it pings), service area(depending on cell service?), some are long distance tracking and others are not.....?

I am looking to use in many ways...Luggage when traveling, my car, boat, family members...etc.

Whats best option out there? Thanks!

A lot of hikers I know use Spot. https://www.findmespot.ca/en/

Not sure if it works in the US?

I've used the Spot trackers a lot in N. America and Australia. The one thing to remember about them is they require a good line of sight to the sky as the ping reports a sent by the unit to satellites, rather than cell network, WiFi, etc. So inside luggage, buildings and such they are useless.

There is a monthly charge to keep the device going and an additional charge to use real-time tracking.

I have one of the original Spot units and battery life was good when using good quality Lithium batteries. No idea if the newer units have better life or not.

https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/products-services/coverage-maps

For family there is an app on iPhones called find my friends that will show them on a map. They need to agree to this tracking but I know lots of parents who track their kids this way.

Fortunately the ones depicted in movies and TV shows that are tiny and can track you anywhere for months on end are just fiction. They all require a battery, and enough power to transmit the location.

Of course the movies show them injected under the skin and and the size of a grain of rice and they work for years.

For my kids cars I use linxup - used to be motosafety

Life360 app on Android and iPhone works great. We've been using it for years now.

I use "Tile" (tile.com)..........Small, battery lasts a year and no monthly fees.....Down side is that if out of range from you phone, it has to be out in the open where it can pick up gps satellites....