What type of tracking technology is practical for young children?
Many people have had the fear of losing their child in a busy place or perhaps having their child kidnapped. What type of technology can I use to locate my child if they get lost or kidnapped? I'm not necessarily looking for a specific product, but rather a summary and comparison of the types of tracking products that can be used.
The factors that I would consider important are safety, cost, practicality for children ranging from infant age until 6-7 years old, and ease of use for the parent.
Update: I took out 'GPS' from the title to make the question more generic.
Update 2: Another factor that is important is concealability. How easy can the device be hidden on the child without others knowing about it (perhaps including the child themselves).
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The best possible device that can keep an eye on our kids is us only. We need to be very conscious about where they are moving and what they intend to do since no device in the world can take our position to know the whereabouts of our children.
If I were to get such a device, it would have the following characteristics:
It should be useful for something else.
It should look like another device, maybe a watch, stopwatch, jewelry, etc.
Someone with malicious intent will remove/destroy/jam the device.
Someone with good intent will make sure it is working properly.
Thus, doing something like that gives bad guys the ability to track your child's movements when they are safe, meanwhile you aren't likely to have recourse if they are taken.
It seems like a net loss in security to me.
That said, if you must get such a device, make it a cell phone. GPS tracking, triangulation by tower reception in the absence of a satellite fix, connection (from which to transmit location) anywhere there is a cell tower, and the ability to call out in an emergency.
Features I would look at:
Small and discreet, toy looking watch or some small zippo-lighter sized device
Obviously battery operated, and at least 24 hr backup
Connects to cell network, preferably CDMA or WCDMA network, this mean you will need a monthly subscription
If in US, the device should meet E911 spec (No dependence on GPS)
The device should be tough for kids to remove (if under 4 yrs old)
Good security, i.e. only parents can track it
Preferable that its sealed (i.e. no SIM slot or Battery cover) and water proof
Reasonable device cost and monthly fee
As technology improves, so do possible answers to questions like this.
New products are on the market that allow you to have Bluetooth tracking via a sticker.
The first "Bluetooth tracking sticker" that comes up on a Google search at this time is StickNFind.
Pros:
It's about the size of a watch battery (which is the kind of battery it uses).
The battery lasts up to a year.
It has about 100 ft line of sight range.
You can use the product's app to track the device when in range, or use the app to get notified when the sticker is out of your desired range.
It's currently USD for a 2 pack.
Cons:
It only has 100 ft line of sight range, which might reduce it's effectiveness for older children that are allowed to roam more.
It requires a smartphone, or certain tablets.
You need to have the app, and Bluetooth, running on your smartphone, reducing your device's battery life.
Children lose small things, so you have to find a way to "secure" it to them.
Because the device is so small, it can easily be tucked into a child's pocket or hidden beneath their watch (or some other jewelry with a large face). If desired, it wouldn't be difficult to sew special patches into younger children's clothes to keep the item from falling out. Personally, I'd go for making a pendant they could comfortably wear around their neck and under their shirt, and design it to disguise the device.
I'm a heavy reader of tech-related news, and when I heard about products like this my first thought was to tracking children, not objects. Normally, our son is never far enough away from one of us that we fear for his safety, let alone fear him being abducted. However, if we were to ever take him on a family trip to somewhere crowded (especially if we we going on the trip with others), then something like this could definitely provide peace of mind. It takes half a second for a young one to run off. When you're in a big crowd, and you have other friends and family with you, you're going to get distracted for half a second at some point. While most times your child will be perfectly fine, there's a wide variety of things that can happen between losing and finding a child, not just abduction.
I would add, though, that this suggestion, like the others, is more about easing the parents' worries than increasing the safety of the child.
When we were at a festival with large but not particularly dense crowds, I just tied a three metre long piece of paracord to my wrist and my three-year-old's clothing. She could wander a little way, but can't get lost, and preferred being able to run about a bit to having to hold hands all the time.
I've been thinking about such a device for years now, but there are still many practical problems that prevent me from designing it. It needs to be:
small enough to be concealed
large enough that it isn't easily lost even when the battery is dead
long lasting - at least 16 hours to a single charge, but ideally 72+ hours
easy to recharge
functional indoors, inside vehicles, basements, parking garages
waterproof, washable
useful and fun for the child so they don't lose it
secure, with encryption so only the parents can track (ideally so not even the company can get the location data, nevermind attackers)
inexpensive both in initial cost and recurring cost
simple to use
Right now most solutions on the market fail in most of the above ways, but creating a device that meets all these objectives may not be possible. Hopefully this list provides you with some guidance on what to compare across the available devices.
Such devices already exist, though mainly to locate and recover stolen cars. They're about the size of a cell phone and work by a combination of GPS and cell triangulation.
Look for "carfinder." In Austria, the local automobile club offer these ad rentals if you're driving to Eastern countries: www.oeamtc.at/carfinder/?id=2500%2C1142696%2C%2C http://www.oeamtc.at/carfinder/?id=2500%2C1114220%2C%2C
(German)
Also, here's an English link to the manufacturer: www.dolphin-technologies.com/&sprache=en
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