According to recent statistics in Italy, about 40% of families have a dog or a cat. Hosting and having a friendship with an animal entails duties and responsibilities, one of these is taking care of it in everyday life, not only giving it food and affection but also making sure it is always safe. A concern that, especially in this summer period, also involves doing everything possible so that he does not get lost, perhaps because he is at home alone or because he accompanied us on vacation and is out of his environment. For this purpose, we are met by technology such as that contained in Tractive, a GPS for animals (49.99 euros on Amazon) that we have put to the test in recent days.
- What is Tractive
- GPS
- Cellular network
- Why is it different from Airbag
- How Tractive is made
- Tractive how works
- The essential subscription
- Activating Tractive
- The Application
- How Tractive follows your pet
- Default mode
- Live Mode
- Virtual Fence Mode
- The battery life
- The field test
- In conclusion
- Pros
- Cons
- Price and availability
What is Tractive
Tractive is a tracker, in Italian a locator, that is a system that allows us to find something to which it has been applied. The concept should be familiar to those who read us: Airtags is indeed a tracker. Like an Airtag, Tractive once connected to a smartphone (iPhone or Android) via an app helps us never lose sight of what we care about. lost. In the face of similarity in operation and purpose, however, the Tractive also presents substantial differences compared to an Airbag.
Otto familiarizes himself with the packaging of the Tractive
The GPS
While Airtag does not have a GPS but uses that of the iPhone, Tractive has an internal GPS receiver. This will allow us to locate the dog or cat that we will have joined our tracker wherever it is, also thousands of km from our smartphone because it will be the device and not the phone that will understand where the animal is moving. Tractive leverages positioning detection also using cellular network tower triangulation to increase accuracy or to replace the GPS network when there is not enough satellite insight of the device.
The cellular network
In addition to a GPS, Tractive also integrates a SIM chip with cellular connectivity. The telephone network is essentially used to send the data collected by the GPS to our telephone, always keeping it in communication. The integrated cellular network of Tractive is universal, it works practically anywhere in the world (150 countries) without the need for configuration or special settings or contracts with specific operators. However, it requires a subscription, as we will explain below.
Why it is different from AirTag
Said of the operation, those who know the Airtag, will have already understood what the difference is between the Apple product and Tractive. AirTag, which, moreover, is formally advised by Cupertino to “track animals and people”, provides a position based entirely on the presence of an iPhone which detects its position and communicates it to iCloud. In practice Until an iPhone is approached an Airtag we will never know where that Airtag is; when the Airtag moves away from an iPhone we will only know its previous location until it comes across a new iPhone. Tractive, on the other hand, can follow the dog or cat wherever they are, even if they are in a desert or on the top of a mountain with no phone around. Many other advantages, which we will discuss later, in terms of using Tractive compared to Airtag as a tracker for animals, make the two devices not comparable.
How it’s all done
From the design point of view, we are talking about a parallelepiped of 71 x 28 x 17 mm for a weight of about 30 grams. anatomically structured with a slight curvature to adapt to the animal’s body. Although it is not too big, it cannot be defined as small either. Tractive recommends it for pets weighing 4 kg and up and in fact realistically it becomes difficult to imagine it on the neck of a puppy or a very small dog. Much will also depend on your pet’s tolerance to a device. this type. In our case, Otto the dachshund of the house was equipped with a harness that allows you to hold the tracker in position more easily, giving little discomfort to our dog that weighs about 8 kg.
The size of the Tractive is adequate for a small to medium sized dog
The Tractive also has other interesting and useful features for a system like this. For example, it is IPX7 certified, can therefore be submerged in water up to a depth of one meter for half an hour. In addition, it has the possibility to emit a sound or turn on an LED to find the animal more easily, which could be useful for a cat that tends to hide in the house or for night research. In our case, we must say that the use of sound must be discarded a priori because, even if it is of a particularly high volume, it has a disconcerting effect on Otto, but this obviously (as in the case of the weight of the Tractive) is decidedly subjective.
The application of the tracker takes place through an elastic mesh that is applied between the collar and the locator. It is a system that guarantees a solid grip even if in some cases it requires a somewhat laborious process because the elastic resists a lot of traction. Since, as we will see, recharging the battery will be an almost daily process, this must be taken into account.
Speaking of battery recharging, this takes place through a USB cable (two hours the time needed to restore) which, however, on the opposite side has a proprietary system with two pins, a magnet, and a plastic “tooth” for hooking the cable. The connection takes place efficiently and without the possibility of errors, plus it is completely moisture-proof even if we allow ourselves to advance some reservations on the choice of using a plastic crab. This makes the grip very dependent on the strength of this protrusion.
Here are the contents of the package 
The connector is proprietary 
The Tractive without the elastic mesh 
The power button and the plastic tooth that guarantees the attachment of the charger
Tractive how it works
Activating the Tractive requires on the one hand that the device is charged, on the other an application on the smartphone. Technically it is actually possible to activate and manage the tracker even with a web app, but it is a less functional and more inconvenient solution for many easily understood reasons. In any case, it is an extra option that increases the possibility of finding your pet even when we do not have our phone with us. In addition to these two fundamental elements, there is an even more important third: the subscription to Tractive services.
To access the Tractive services it is necessary to register and then insert the serial number of the tracker
The essential subscription
Tractive’s system is entirely subscription-based. In practice, the tracker works only if through the app we will enter into a usage contract with which we will be entitled to use the cellular network without data consumption limits or geographical coverage. Only with this subscription will we be able to find our pet and use other services. There are two types of subscription, Basic and Premium, with different costs also based on the duration of the contract. The lowest cost for a single month is 9.99 euros with the possibility of canceling when you want; you can pay as little as 3.75 euros for a month if you sign a five-year contract.
Activate Tractive
Activation is very simple. You load the Tractive, download the app, and follow the guided procedure, passing through the stipulation of the subscription which in the case of those who use an iPhone passes through the purchase in the app. At that point, with the collar and tracker in place, the system is ready to work.
The Application
The Tractive app is the heart of it all. From it, the entire system and the various preferences are configured. We can not only define the various modalities but also have information on monitoring the activity. Using an accelerometer we will measure the time our friend is on the move, the calories consumed, set goals, and even awarded medals, just like in the Apple Fitness app.
How Tractive follows your animal
Tractive has essentially two modes: the one called default and the Live mode. These are two different systems that meet different needs including the optimization of battery consumption. Each of these modes then has different options that allow you to optimize both the consumption and the accuracy of localization.
Default mode
In the default mode, the position of the Tractive is detected between two minutes and an hour depending on the activity of the animal. For example, when it is at rest, updates are infrequent, otherwise, they are closer together. This saves battery because the GPS network is activated only when needed. It is also possible to establish a fixed frequency of sending the position every 10 minutes by activating the energy-saving mode. In the LTE version of the Tractive it would also be possible to create a so-called Power Saving Zone, i.e. to establish that when the Tractive is in an area covered by Wifi, the GPS is switched off. As mentioned, the latter system turns off the GPS when a Wifi network is active (from 2.4 GHz excluding the 5 GHz network) where we are going to register the Tractive. In this case, we will not see the position detected constantly but we will only have the confirmation that our dog or cat is in the Power Saving Zone, the one covered by that Wifi network. All this allows us to keep an eye on our dog or our cat without affecting the battery. In our case, however, despite having purchased the latest generation Tractive, we did not see the Power Saving Zone option appear.
Live mode
Live mode allows you to find the position of the animal and follow its path in real-time. Like a GPS, the Tractive sends a signal every two seconds in this case. This is the typical function for finding dogs and cats when they are lost; in Live mode, it is also possible to activate an augmented reality function (the surrounding environment is seen by the camera and the tracker position indicated on the screen), turn on the LED or make the device ring and also search with Bluetooth using the Find function. If you use Bluetooth, the Tractive works a bit like Airtag’s proximity search; we will know how far we are from the animal and we will have the possibility to know if we are approaching or moving away from it, as long as it is close to our phone. Obviously Live mode, with cellular network and GPS network constantly active, consumes a huge amount of energy and for this reason, it is deactivated after five minutes, even if we can obviously extend it.
King mode virtual belt
The Tractive also has an area mode which in English is called “Fence”. In practical terms, it is a system that will alert us when the tracker leaves a certain area that we will define on the basis of what we will consider a safety margin, typically a courtyard. This is a useful system if we have an animal that has a habit of finding a way out of a safe area to venture where there may be a danger. This is to alert us immediately and arrange a quick intervention to prevent the dog not so much from getting lost (since with Live mode we will always know where it is) but for quick action.
Battery life
Tractive claims that its device’s battery lasts for two to five days. In reality, in our experience, we can expect a maximum of 36 hours of battery life using all possible precautions for saving battery and with the excellent coverage of the cellular network and GPS of our home. We reached the two (scarce) days by activating the battery saving option (the tracker sends its position at a fixed rate: every ten minutes). On balance, assuming not to use Live tracking which however only makes sense if we have lost the animal) s I must imagine having to recharge the Tractive once a day. In our case when we put Otto to rest for the night, we also put the tracker on charge and put it on the next morning.
The field test
In addition to battery life, we tested the main function of the Tractive: its functioning in the case of a lost animal, and we must say that the system works very well. With the default mode and a virtual fence, the device remained silent and signaled the presence of the dog in the safety zone. We then took the tracker out of the virtual fence. The alarm came after about thirty seconds. At that point, we activated Live Tracking and started following the route which is updated very quickly. If Otto had been really lost, it would have been very easy to find him. However, we do not tire of repeating that in Live mode tracking is possible for no more than twenty minutes, provided the Tractive is charged.
If you look at the ergonomics of the device, we never got the impression that the dog was somehow bothered. In any case, since we are talking about a living being with all its load of character aspects, it is not certain that the same thing happens with other individuals. One thing is certain: for a dog smaller than a dachshund the tracker starts to get quite challenging. Impossible to apply to a puppy, it is very complicated to use it, for example, to a Pomeranian, a Maltese, a Silky Terrier, or a Chihuahua. The cat version includes a collar but also here we imagine that the cat to be traced must be on the one hand used to the collar and on the other hand have a certain size.
In conclusion
Tractive keeps what it promises: it is a valid way to never lose sight of your pet. The technology is functional and the tracking precise, the various options allow you to make the tracker very flexible by adapting to the vast majority of needs that can be imagined. Even the dimensions and weight, all in all, are adequate; difficult to imagine that they can be reduced further, considering the battery must necessarily have a certain capacity and therefore occupy a certain volume. The cost of the subscription is in line with the functions and purpose: even 9.99 euros per month in the most expensive option to have an emergency net around your dog or cat must be considered adequate.
A word of praise we must also spend on the Tractive website which is very detailed and has a complete support system (even if only in English). Difficult to find a question that is not answered in the help section. The parent company, Austrian, also maintains a Facebook page where it answers questions and doubts.
The real limit to take into account when buying the Tractive is its charge. The producer also talks about seven days but it is a threshold that we consider simply impossible to reach outside a laboratory; realistically in our experience, while taking advantage of all possible energy saving options without affecting the purpose of the device, the 24 hours will not be exceeded, which can become 36 if the animal is not very active. In this scenario, the tracker becomes useful during a walk or for those who leave their “furry friend” at home only for a day. In other situations that involve, for example, going away from home for longer, it will always be necessary to have someone who not only looks after and cares for the dog or cat but also takes care of recharging the Tractive’s batteries.
Pro
- Precise location
- Numerous tracking options
- Adequate subscription cost
Cons
- Reduced battery life
- Dimensions of some importance
- Proprietary connector
Price and availability
The Tractive can be purchased on the manufacturer’s website or on Amazon, where it is presented with a specific showcase. The cost is 49.99 euros both in the dog or cat version. The subscription price starts at 3.75 euros per month and goes up to 9.99 euros per month depending on the duration of the contract and the features.
