Wednesday, August 7, 2013

A $19 Terrier Locator... or a $90 One?

In the past, the crack research team at Terrierman.com has tracked down the schematic diagram to the original Deben locator Mark I locator collar and helped pioneer the idea that avalanche locators could be used for terrier work. We have even noted the terrific developments made in micro-wildlife trackers used for birds, burrowing animals and even insects.

So what's the latest blip on the terrier locator horizon?

Smart phones. 

The latest locator to take the world by storm is the "find phone" application available for iPhones. If you happen to lose your iPhone or iPad at office, home, airplane, restaurant, in taxicab, or in parts unknown, all you have to do is go online to locate it thanks to its internal "pinger." Marvelous!

Now the folks at "Tile" have created a matchbook-sized, Bluetooth-enabled low-energy tracking device, based on similar technology, which can be used to help people locate keys, wallets, purses, TV remote controls, or any other thing that a "Tile" is attached to --  including a dog





So what's the down side to this "Tile" locator? 

It's not cost -- a "Tile" only costs $19. The downside is that the Tile is only good for 50-150 feet, which is not very far. The good news is that in the world of working terriers that might be enough, and so I have ordered one (they are still in pre-production development) to see how they work outdoors and underground with the dogs.  I will let you know.

The Tile is not a perfect thing.  Along with limited range, each Tile is only good for one year, as the internal battery is sealed inside and eventually runs out and cannot be recharged.  Finally, the Tile only works with iOS (i.e. devices that run on the Apple operating system) and that support Bluetooth 4.0.  These devices include the iPhone 5 and 4S, the iPad Mini, the 3rd and 4th generation iPads, and the 5th generation iPod Touch.

The Tile, it should be said, already has competitors in hipKey and StickNFind stickers which will run on Android phones.

 



While progress in locator technology is clearly being made, these very low-cost "throw away" products are not quite the right fit for what we needed in the world of working dogs.

What we need is something with a bigger range, which can be recharged, and which will stay powered for two weeks or more.

The Good News is that what we want will soon be available -- it's already been designed, made, and patented.  All that's needed now is official approval from the Federal Communication Commission, which is reported to come any day now.

The device in question is called "BluTracker," and it's made by the same folks who make StickNFind (See video above). What they appear to have done is take the very simple, low-power, short-range StickNFind and improve it by adding GPS (for long distance telemetry) and more rechargeable power.

The company that makes the BluTracker claims a range of more than half a mile outdoors in line-of-sight conditions, or a few hundred feet if there are walls and trees between your cell phone and the rechargeable tracking device. The battery can reportedly power the tracker nonstop for at least two months, and it takes only an hour to recharge. Sounds pretty great!

The BluTracker is not yet available, but when it is for sale, in a month or two, it will retail for just shy of $90 and will, no doubt be popular with those who have wide-ranging bird dogs. Will it work for terriers too?  Time will tell!

 

 
.

No comments:

Post a Comment