Pet Monitoring/Tracking and Locating System

I am an experienced "dog tracker". I have many, big, ill-behaved mutts who live in the country. I like to give them space to run...but sometimes they disappear.Previously, I have tried GPS systems. They work great when they work but the companies that "support" them have been TERRIBLE. I was going to get a new one, but couldn't find one that anybody likes. So, I tried the Marco Polo.Radio frequency units like Marco Polo have limited range unlike GPS. But my current dogs don't go far. I had a dog that would run 20 miles away in a thunderstorm but he is old now. So the short range seems enough.GPS units also come with monthly cell fees.So...back to Marco Polo...The Good.......It sort of works like it is supposed to... the battery lasts for awhile (not sure how long...but quite a few days)... you get better at it the more you use it. So practice a few times.The Bad...... the display is terrible. Looks like 1993 technology. I was out looking the other night with a flashlight and reading glasses so I could see it.... the signal can get blocked easily. My dog was sleeping in the yard and the alarm went off because the unit couldn't get a signal from the unit. It had slipped under her and she was asleep blocking the signal. She saw me, lifted her head and I got 99%... range is highly variable so you have no idea how far away the dog is. Depends on obstacles, hill buildings, etc... One day, I just got random signals. I would get 37% and over there...then 29% and that way. Then 66% and north. Then 33% and south. I finally found the dog and the unit said 37% and pointed away from the dog. I rebooted and it worked the next day.... the charger is unlike any other...so you need YET ANOTHER CHARGER. And it is very fragile. We bent one.

I was very excited to get this unit because it does a great job of locating the animal fairly quickly -- as long as you have a general idea that they are within 2 miles of where you are with the locator. My issue and I would have given this a 5 rating if the equipment was better quality for the price. On the first model, the female socket --the place where the male AC Adapter plugs into the locator, came loose and eventually so loose that it stopped charging the unit and I sent it back. No problem.The second one came and now the cover that goes over the antenna fell off and exposed the "spring" antenna (which is a little sharp). They are sending me another Tag and I simply taped up the antenna until I am ready to send it back. I had it for less than two weeks in both instances but here's the thing, it really does serve the utility of finding your dog and possibly saving their life. I just wish it was not so expensive for the setup and have had these issues. The company is very responsive and that has been awesome. I hope they continue to develop it and I will be a fan if they make the right adaptations. Some improvements can be made to the buttons and the screen display. They are both difficult for me to be able to see the mnemonics on a dark background with dark (or same color) fonts, etc. Perhaps if the little side lights were brighter might help or having light cast onto the display makes it perfect but I do not always have a flashlight with me to do that...in the car, I have to turn on my dome lights and to be candid is probably about as safe as using a cell phone while driving...you can place it under your seat and listen for the increased beeps, but sometimes you just need to see it.Overall the item does do the job. I have 2 Great Pyrenees and 5 puppies that we whelped in this last litter and I had written a recommendation to our clients about the product and its use as an additional containment device for dogs. I also wrote a previous review on Amazon and it was a but harsh and after speaking to the company decided to get a little more specific and not accusatory.For the price, it would be great to be able to send the alarm to a louder source or to a phone or something that ensures it wakes me up in the middle of the night or if in the other room. Perhaps the next generation will have more features and better display. I am always just thankful to have it so I can get my Sire back when he gets the urge to go. One time he was hiding behind a tree thinking I could not see him... that was funny. One thing to keep in mind, once you do find them, it is not always easy to negotiate with the dog to get them back in the car -- so remember to have some treats with you to change the subject.

I wanted to love this device.When I visit my parents who have about 5 acres, I take my dogs with me, but I have one who likes to wander and won't always come right away when I call him. I try to watch him, but he's sneaky. For my last visit, I purchased this Marco Polo device. I put the tracker on his collar. When he wandered away, I would turn the tracker on and sometimes the dog would come when he heard the annoying beeping.Using this locator is like playing the child's game Hotter and Colder. For the times when I had to use the tracker to point me toward him, I sometimes felt like I was walking in circles. It'd point me in one direction, and then another, and then in the opposite direction. All you get is arrows telling you approximately which direction to head and a percentage of how close you are. The percentage would also jump all over the place, so I really didn't know exactly how far away he was.When I left the Marco Polo in monitoring mode, the battery would drain after a couple days.Generally I felt like the Marco Polo could get me started in a direction when my dog wandered off, but definitely wasn't a cure-all to tell me how far away my dog was and to take me right to him.

It's a bit large for cats but not heavy. I attach it on cat's harness instead of the collar, and I would say it's okay to use on the collar although look bulky. Let me share some experience with you and hope it to be helpful for cat owners especially those who let cats out.I have two kitties about 4.5 kg each, still growing up. I let each of them carry several things: A GPS and cellular based "Pod Tracker" about 25g at the bottom the collar, along with city cat tag and bell. The "Pod Tracker" is a bit smaller than the Marco Polo, in about the same shape. Also attached on the collar usually sitting on the side of his neck is a "TabCat" radio tracker about 10g in weight, in the shape like a larger version of a button. The cat wears a harness. A harness usually has a "beam" (ridge) at the back connecting the neck ring and the belly ring. I attach the Marco Polo at this "beam", and because of its weight it causes the harness to turn side way so the "beam" with the Marco Polo drops on either left or right hand side. I change the side every two days to balance the cat's muscle development.Why I let cats carry three trackers? I travel with cat and usually spend the afternoon in a city park where them can roam free for hours and I stay in the car. I will usually turn on the Marco Polo in "Monitor" mode so if it shows something over 85% that means the cats have come back to the parking lot where it's the most dangerous place so I can start to get nervous and pay attention to every car coming and going and make sure cats are not resting in an unsafe place. If the Marco Polo shows 99% then the cat is inside my car; 95% usually means under my car. The Marco Polo will lose signal at about 200 meters with trees and terrain, but cats don't usually go very far and they know the way to come back to the car if they have the opportunities to learn in this going out pattern regularly. The "TabCat" is like Marco Polo, with shorter range but it can help pinpoint the cat if you know him to be somewhere down to a small scope but don't know him hiding on which branch of the tree or inside which car's engine block (which he can get into from underneath). It can be used as key finder too. Last is the "Pod Tracker" which offers no range limit. Think about you cat may jump onto someone's pick-up truck and travel away. And it's also good to allow me to check on the map from time to time where cars are.The only thing I wish the Marco Polo to improve is that it should also show the direction not just the percentage, when in "Monitor" mode.My cats carrying all these still look happy, running, jumping and climbing trees with no problem. And they are still skillful in hunting mice. The only concern attaching the Marco Polo on the harness is that, not like a collar, a harness usually does not have the "safety break" design, so if the cat is stuck at something on the harness he is stuck. I found none of the products to be perfect or at least no one product is capable enough to replace another. Having several trackers offering different characteristics may make me feel much confident to get cats out daily, nevertheless serious care and attention are still needed to be given when travelling with pets and getting them out in public place. I am happy if my little experience can help and if you find in need to exchange some thoughts feel free to send me mail message at adrianfcc, it's at hotmail d ot com.

This is a great system for both keeping track of dogs/pets and also RC aircraft. No cell contract or internet access is needed to use, it works like the tracking collars and antennas that are use on wildlife by radio location. We have a cabin far back off the road and sometimes our wee dogs wander into the woods sniffing something interesting, but between coyotes, bears and fishers, we want to know where they are and keep them under watch. It works with two modes, tracking and perimeter alert so you can set the unit to beep if they are past a set distance.If your pet wanders a distance, you can hop on an ATV or car and use the handset to ascertain which direction they are headed and then narrow down the search.

We live in the country where there are no fences and not easy to put one up. This lets our little dogs run free while being monitored. Love that they can go a certain distance before the alarm sounds. Big expense to start but no monthly gps fees or cost there after. It changed our lives, we no longer worry for our dogs being lost and the dogs can spend a lot more time outside because we no longer have to watch them continuously. Highly recommend.

Works really great! My dog is learning how far she can stray from me without needing to be called back with my whistle. She is reinforced to stay in the preset area by periodic treats. When she strays beyond the alarm area I can call her back and if she does not respond the hand held tracker shows her direction and approximate distance. I am in my 60's and cannot hear the high pitched alarm horn but the hand held tracker also flashes alarm. A lower frequency alarm horn would be helpful for older owners, an aux alarm is available that may over come the only drawback to this great dog tracker.

Just got the Marco Polo tracker. I live in a remote mountain town where cell service is limited so a RF tracker was our best option. I have a unfixed lab who was born and bred in the mountains, who loves chasing rabbits, deer, moose and pretty much everything else wild that moves. So as you imagine daily walks were pretty much the most stressful part of my day. He would run away for hours at a time chasing a moose. So we got the tracker. Now, not expecting much from it I'm pretty impressed with it. If you are reasonable about what you expect from a tracking device in the mountains, you'll be very happy with this tracker. It doesn't help much when he is far away in the bush but by keeping it in tracking mode the whole walk I can usually determine his direction then track him till he is out of range. The nice thing is when he comes back into transmit range but I still can't see him, I know he's there. And more often, he is back in the trees close enough to detect but I just can't see him. By knowing that, it takes the stress off. Most of the times he is just in the trees and I just can't see him. It is very helpful when he is running on the same path as I'm walking but out of view. Instead of not knowing, I can follow his direction without being able to see him. Also, he tends to run away then eventually make his way home. Instead of spending hours searching the trails only to come home and find him waiting at the door, I can make my way home and see if he is somewhere in town. Tracks great in town, even with the houses and buildings. All in all, I'm happy with the tracker. Takes a lot of stress off not having to constantly wonder where my dog is when he is out of view.