[Review] Tractive GPS 2, the GPS beacon that adapts to all your animals smart health innovation

We are not the only ones needing physical exercise! Our four-legged friends must also stretch them regularly to be in good health. As soon as we can feel the need to be helped by technology in our personal practice of sport, it is justified to need the same type of product for dogs or cats. The Tractive GPS 2 is designed to track the activity of your best friend, and much more.

Mark : TractiveCategory: GPS beacon for animalsRelease date : AvailableMarketing price: 129.99 eurosTested on: Wiko Rainbow 4G

Buy the Tractive GPS 2:

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Unboxing of Tractive GPS 2

The Tractive GPS 2 GPS arrives in a small square box on the front, a transparent cover allows you to see the beacon. We also see a photo of a dog and the indication that this object makes it possible to locate his animal in real time. The back of the box offers a not very attractive but clear visual of the possibilities of this device.

When opening the package, a protection only reveals the tracker. By removing it, you can see the device that serves as a load support and two adapters that are used to attach the tag to the dog's collar. Finally, just take it all up to discover that a user manual is below.

Design and ergonomics of the Tractive GPS 2

The tag of the Tractive GPS 2 is black and blue, quite small and light, it adapts to any type of dog. A single button on the edge is used to turn the device on and off. No difficulty there, however, the installation on the collar is more laborious.

Two different fasteners are available, one is marked "S", the other is "L". Even using the larger attachment system, it’s completely impossible to attach the Tractive GPS 2 to a large dog collar, barely thick.

For the rest, a diode is present on the front of the beacon. It allows to know the status of the device without difficulty. It is also possible to turn it on from the application to spot the animal in the dark.

The installation of the Tractive application

To activate the Tractive GPS 2, before downloading the application, you must go to the brand's website. This allows you to create your account and activate the device by entering its ID, written on the back of the device. It only remains to choose the subscription plan : basic or premium, which do not offer the same advantages. Here, the Review was carried out in a premium version.

The Tractive pets finder application can be found and installed very quickly. When you open it, four pages appear. The first one thanks you for downloading. The second explains the usefulness of GPS: recording the position of your animal in more than 80 countries. The third gives you the utilities of the application. Finally, the last one asks you to connect your tracker to the application.

To do this, simply enter your first name, last name, email address and password. The application will then load, after a few seconds, you will be asked to choose a photo and a name for your animal. Then, it is necessary to determine if it is a cat, a dog, a horse or another animal. All you have to do is activate your device by providing the ID marked on the back of the Tractive GPS 2.

Nothing complicated and not very long, the installation goes smoothly and it is quickly possible to take advantage of the device.

Application possibilities

The application is easy to use, a map appears on the health home screen with the position of the animal indicated by a dog. On the right edge we find the altitude of the animal, its speed and the number of meters that separates us from it. It is possible to refocus the plotter on its position and understand the usefulness of the buttons thanks to a question mark to ask on unknown elements.

In blue and red tones, the application is quite pleasant to use. It makes it possible to receive the position of several GPS plotters without difficulty. For the rest, it offers many possibilities that here.

Compass

At the bottom right of the screen, discreet but present, a compass indicates the distance between the smartphone and the animal and the direction to follow to reach it. Easy to use in the countryside when the animal is close, we can deplore the lack of a proposed route to find his animal in town for example.

Live mode

It allows real-time tracking of your dog's position. Ideal for monitoring it without looking like it, but much more energy-consuming. If the signal is good, the accuracy is incredible.

LED lighting and vibrations

Your animal is nearby but you cannot distinguish it? Nothing's easier, with a single click you can turn on the LED of the Tractive GPS 2 and ring the device. This is about having a great help in the dark.

Virtual reality mode

Like Pokémon Go, the button triggers the camera on your smartphone and allows you to locate the animal using the arrow on the screen to navigate. Simple and above all quite fun, this search method is out of the ordinary.

Historical

It allows you to have access to all the information of the day from the website. All positions throughout the day and over the days are drawn on the screen. You then have an idea of ​​the habits of your animal during the day.

Areas

It is possible to create a perimeter. This allows you to be notified as soon as the animal enters or leaves it. For this, nothing could be simpler, in the tab of the tracker you must press the information button and go to the functions. We then suggest the creation of a security zone to be set manually in terms of location and extent. It is very effective and allows you to create a virtual fence wherever you want.

Activity tracking

The Tractive GPS 2 connects with the Tractive Motion app to monitoring your pet's activity on a daily basis. Since then, like an activity tracker intended for a sportsman, your animal has objectives to fulfill, badges to gain, or even comparisons to be made with other quadrupeds. The main interest of this application is on the side of the owner of the animal concerned that his dog has a regular physical activity. He can thus compensate for the laziness of the animal in his absence by a nice walk in the evening.

However, to use it, you must choose a Tractive GPS 2 activated but not assigned to an animal … it is very laborious to operate Tractive Motion, but, once it works, we do not understand anymore why the scores of the day have not been recorded…

The other possibilities

It is possible to share the position of your animal with your contacts with a click. There are also plans to adjust the metric system and Review the notifications to avoid any unpleasant surprises later.

The ehealth made here was in the countryside, in a place where, in all likelihood, the GPS signal is bad, hence the terrible differences in distance. In town, the precision is only a few meters away.

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Using the Tractive GPS 2

The device itself is hardly manipulated. It has a single button that allows you to turn it on, off and control its operation thanks to the color of the diode when pressed quickly.

Nothing complicated except that it is difficult to link to the application and the satellite system in a small village in the Var. It indicates that the signal is weak and that accuracy drops to within 1000 meters. Suffice to say that its effectiveness becomes very relative and that a walk in the countryside is unthinkable without staying with your animal within sight. In town, on the other hand, the accuracy is much better.

Additional advantage: if the Tractive GPS 2 detaches from its support, a message is immediately sent to the smartphone.

Battery life

The battery is supposed to hold between two and five days depending on the quality of reception, obviously, in the village, it’s two, three days on average, not much more. Charging takes two hours if you plug the base into the mains, it takes much longer if you use a USB port on a computer for example.

Tractive GPS 2 versus Weenect?

Aesthetic level, the Tractive GPS 2 is much smaller, much more pleasant to look at with its black and blue colors which, in addition bring out the central diode better.

Level taken in hand, the Tractive is as easy to use as the Weenect Cats, much easier to handle than the Weenect pets however. For the rest, the installation and the application are relatively good.

Utility level, in town, it lacks the possibility of obtaining a route on the Tractive and that of lighting the diode on a Weenect. In the countryside, the Tractive GPS 2 absolutely does not take the distance since it becomes precise to the nearest kilometer while the Weenect is to about twenty meters. However, note that the Tractive can be worn by any type of animal. Conversely, the Weenect, due to the dimensions, is available in dogs (medium minimum size) and cats.

In conclusion, the Tractive is more advantageous in town, but be careful not to lose the animal in a maze of streets otherwise the compass may be difficult to handle. Hence the interest in the Google Maps route proposed by Weenect. In the countryside, Tractive loses much of its usefulness since looking for a cat on 1 km² is like looking for a needle in a haystack…

Conclusion

This device is particularly pleasant in that it adapts to any type of animal. Very reliable in the city, it allows you to permanently locate your pet, to follow the history of its days and to be notified if it exceeds a perimeter that you have set. It becomes an essential asset so as not to lose your roaming cat or to no longer fear running away from your dog. On the other hand, in the middle of the countryside, its usefulness is more than reduced since, with a weak GPS signal, it is only more precise than one kilometer away. Suffice to say that it becomes impossible to find an animal in these conditions.

Good points

Negative points

Use / handling

Overview

Design and finishes: The tag is pretty and smallFeatures: : in the village, the accuracy is very poor which removes any usefulness to the device, in town however, the accuracy is superb and the product becomes very useful.Use / handling: : Easy to install and use thanks to the manual but difficult to connect to the GPS signal in the village.Application : : Nice to look at and use. Everything is clear thanks to the "?" Button which explains everything, simply.Value for money: : In the countryside, paying 129.99 euros plus the monthly subscription is not profitable since the accuracy is non-existent, at one kilometer difference, the animal is not found. In town, however, this tag deserves its price.

3.3

 3.3 out of 5 

In the average

(Review) Tractive GPS 2, the GPS beacon that adapts to all your animals 

Reviewed by Belinda  

we 2017-01-16

   Design and finishes: The tag is pretty and smallFeatures: : in the village, the accuracy is very poor which removes any usefulness to the device, in town however, the accuracy is superb and the product becomes very useful.Use / handling: : Easy to install and use thanks to the manual but difficult to connect to the GPS signal in the village.Application : : Nice to look at and use. Everything is clear thanks to the "?" Button which explains everything, simply.Value for money: : In the countryside, paying 129.99 euros plus the monthly subscription is not profitable since the accuracy is non-existent, at one kilometer difference, the animal is not found. In town, however, this tag deserves its price.

Rating: 3.3 

AB SMART HEALTH REVIEW