Child Monitoring and Security Information Archive 2019 - 14.50.08
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Child Tracking Device Jewelry
PocketFinder+ measures 3 x 1.6 x 0.6 inches and weighs 1.7 ounces. With the attached keychain, you can hook the finder to a bag or belt loop. It's a little larger than the Jiobit, but the PocketFinder+ also has an SOS button on the front, which the Jiobit lacks. Press and hold that button to send an SOS alert to email addresses and SMS phone numbers specified in the app. You can add as many contacts as you'd like.
For the kids, there's a hopscotch tracker and a voice changing mode to make things a little more fun. And yes, there's a basic step tracker and inactivity reminders too. Just keep in mind you'll need to be a Verizon customer, and you'll have a $30 activation fee and need a $5 per month plan.
Child Tracking Device Watch
The worst part about the PocketFinder is its smartphone app. The interface looks very dated, with an iOS 6-era design and a letterboxed layout. Menus display features that aren't available yet, like one that will alert you when the PocketFinder exceeds a certain speed limit. Other tools are buried; for instance, you set up SOS Alerts in the Power Management section but add the contact details for those alerts in the Account section. The iOS app also crashed every time I tried to add an email address or a phone number from my device's built-in contacts, forcing me to type those in manually.
Features: In addition to tracking location, many GPS devices offer a multitude of features, including one- and two-way calling and the ability to set up geofenced zones that alert you when your child has left a designated area. We look at which devices went beyond the basics and how those features were implemented.
Even if the tracker is asleep, you can always press Track Mode in the app's Power Management menu to wake and start locating the tracker within 2 minutes. You can also save battery life by having the tracker take 20-minute breaks between "locates." Or you can locate more frequently, including every 4 minutes or even constantly, which is a nice option to have in an emergency.
Child Phone Monitoring App For Parents
The Lil Tracker watch is passable — and affordable — but the app is disappointing and hampers the experience. It's too bad, because with an all-new app, the Lil Tracker would be a contender. The one-way calling, which lets you listen in on what's happening around your child, is a compelling feature for parents who want to know more than the kid's location. Lil Tracker is working on new watches that will be released in September, so stay tuned for those reviews. — Susie Ochs
Child Monitoring Technology
The watch runs on the 2G network, which means it's using GPRS in the U.S. because 2G networks are being shut down. (The company plans to release a 3G version of the watch soon.) For a SIM card, any GSM/GPRS network should work. Cheap SIM cards from US Mobile, Ting, or SpeedTalk are a good bet, but Lil Tracker leaves the research and purchase entirely up to you; the company doesn't offer a package that includes a SIM card or service. (However, our review unit came with a SIM installed and pre-activated.)