Child Tracking Device Jewelry
Performance: You want a GPS tracker that accurately displays a person's location, with frequent updates when he or she is on the move. We took note of how accurately each device pinpointed our location. We've found that generally trackers work better in wide-open locations, with less accurate signals when we tested in dense downtown areas.
Even better, you aren't notified when your child arrives at or leaves a trusted place with you. After all, you don't need a push notification to tell you that you just picked up your kid from school. But you do want a notification if she leaves school alone or with someone else. Trusted Places are easy to set up in the app, and you can choose to be notified when the tracker enters, leaves or both.
This is not so much a tracker as a means of contacting the parent or guardian of a lost child. It's essentially a colourful silicone wristband with a printed QR code that contains the contact details of the child's parent or guardian. FlashMe works on the principal that most strangers are honest and that whoever finds the child will hopefully know what a QR code is.
If your focus is on safety, you'll be happy to know the watch has 3G connectivity, provided through Tata Communications' built-in SIM card, tracking the wearer's location through GPS, Wi-Fi hotspots and cellular networks. And importantly, none of this data can be compromised, Omate and Tata say, thanks to end-to-end encryption.
The Jiobit is small and light, about 2 x 1.5 x 0.5 inches and 0.6 ounces, with a loop that lets you attach it to a backpack, shoe, belt loop, keychain or necklace. After I tucked it inside an organizer pocket in my son's backpack, I had to fish it out only every five days or so to charge it in the USB charging dock.
Omate has teamed up with Japanese toymaker Diablock and Tata Communications on a wearable that turns the kids tracker itself into a plaything. They use nanoblock straps that lets your child design the strap how they see fit with don't-call-them-Lego blocks.
The best part for parents is how the Jiobit app for iOS and Android lets you know not only where your child is but also who she's with. If your child has multiple caregivers and they all use the Jiobit app, the tracker and the caregiver's phone will connect with Bluetooth whenever they're in range. That way, you can see in the app that your son left school at 3 p.m., accompanied by his dad, or his stepmom, or his babysitter, or whoever was supposed to pick him up.
The LG KizON not only allows for child tracking, but also doubles as a way for parents and their children to communicate. A "One Step Direct Call" button will connect a parent's phone call, and a built-in microphone can let them know what's going on if they are unable to reach their children. The price for the KizON has not yet been announced.