Three ways a tracker finds your pet
"GPS tracker" covers three different technologies. Which one a tracker uses decides how far away it can find your pet, whether you pay a plan, and how often you charge it.
Cellular GPS
Anywhere with mobile coverage
- How it works
- A GPS chip works out where the pet is; a built-in SIM sends that position over the mobile network to your phone.
- Where it shines
- Works at any distance, as long as both the tracker and your phone have mobile signal. Live tracking updates every few seconds on most.
- What it costs
- Needs a plan for the SIM. That plan is usually the biggest part of the cost.
- The catch
- Battery is days to weeks, not months, and no signal means no update.
15 on sale on this site, 14 of them need a plan to see location
Fi Mini 2 months
Fi Series 3+ Smart Collar 3 months
Halo Collar 5 2 days
Invoxia Biotracker (2026 Edition) 15 days
Jiobit Smart Tag 7 days
Kippy DOG and CAT 12 days
Life360 Pet GPS 14 days
PAJ PET Finder 4G 10 days
Pawfit 3S 30 days
Petcube GPS Tracker 30 days
PitPat GPS 42 days
SpotOn GPS Fence (Nova Edition) 1.4 days
Tractive CAT 6 Mini 7 days
Tractive GPS DOG 6 14 days
Weenect XS 7 days
Radio
A few km to a handheld or base
- How it works
- The collar talks directly to a handheld or a base station by radio. No phone network is involved.
- Where it shines
- Works in the woods and hills far from any mast. Most need no subscription.
- What it costs
- Hardware costs more, and the handheld is part of the price.
- The catch
- Only works within radio range of the handheld or base, from a few hundred metres to about 15 km.
3 on sale on this site, 1 of them need a plan to see location
Bluetooth tag
Only near other people's phones
- How it works
- The tag has no GPS. It sends a Bluetooth signal that strangers' phones (Apple Find My, Samsung SmartThings Find) report anonymously.
- Where it shines
- Cheap, light, and the battery lasts many months.
- What it costs
- No subscription for the basic network.
- The catch
- You only learn where a phone last heard it. In fields, woods or quiet streets there may be no phone nearby, and there's no live tracking. Apple says AirTag is meant for items, not pets.
Can I just use an AirTag?
You can clip one to a collar, and in a busy city it often reports a position. But an AirTag has no GPS and no mobile connection: it only shows where an Apple device last passed it. In a field, a wood or at night there may be no one nearby, and there is no live tracking. Apple designs AirTag for items, not pets.
If your pet stays close and you mainly want to find it in the neighbourhood, a Bluetooth tag is a cheap first step. If it runs off across open country, look at cellular GPS or, far from any signal, radio.
Battery figures are the makers' own claims in normal use. Live tracking drains a battery much faster: check "Battery in live mode" on each profile where the maker states it.