All parents are more or less worried about their child and try to protect him from possible troubles. Children's GPS trackers for remote monitoring of movements, which are most often made in the form of a wristwatch or bracelet, are designed to help them solve this problem. They are much more practical than a smartphone, because young children often strive to break or lose a mobile phone, and also do not burden the child with excess weight. In addition, the basic protection of wrist GPS beacons usually includes preventing dust and moisture from getting inside the device case.

Most tracker models monitor the child's location using a combination of two different technologies:

  • in an open area, GPS or GLONASS satellites are responsible for determining the position of Chad, which happens with an accuracy of 5-10 m;
  • indoors, the location is determined by LBS technology, which uses signals from the base stations of the mobile operator and the Wi-Fi network for its purposes — positioning is carried out with an accuracy of 50-100 m (depending on the density of the base stations and the availability of a wireless network connection).

It would seem, what do mobile operators have to do with the gadget? The most direct thing is that advanced models of children's wristwatches with a GPS beacon have a SIM card slot, a microphone and a conversational speaker in their arsenal. That is, it becomes possible to use the watch as a "dialer": parents can contact the child by dialing a mobile phone number tied to the gadget or sending it to him SMS message, and the child can call them by holding the corresponding key on the watch case for a couple of seconds.

But that's not all, in the event of an emergency situation or any threat, it is provided to send the current coordinates and an alarm message to all linked contacts through the main attribute of such devices — a special "SOS" button. Subscriber numbers are linked in the corresponding application installed on the parent smartphone. Without it, it is usually not possible to make a call to a GPS beacon from an unknown number.

The level of functionality of the application depends on the specific manufacturer of the children's GPS tracker. It often includes the following features:

  • tracking your current location;
  • displaying the route (by waypoints or a drawn line);
  • viewing the history of events for a specific period (tracks of the child's movement are stored in memory on average from 2 weeks to 2-3 months);
  • creation of safe zones (for example, "Home", "School", "Swimming"), upon violation of the cordons of which the gadget automatically sends a notification to the parent smartphone;
  • the aforementioned binding to the tracker of phone numbers (from 3 to 60 subscribers, depending on the model).

For a child, a GPS beacon is an ordinary watch with the function of communicating with parents in difficult times. He does not have any additional features in order not to distract the child once again in class or when moving around the city and not to attract the attention of others to him.

The comparative table shows the TOP 3 models of GPS beacons. And by clicking on the following link, a full catalog of beacons for children available on the market will open in front of you.

 
The ability to track the child's location and install safe zones, durable housing, bright design.
 
 
The use of eSIM limits the functionality of the watch in certain regions.
 

Xiaomi Mi Bunny MiTu

The bright pink and blue Mi Rabbit watches (also found under the name Mi Bunny) from the Chinese company Xiaomi serve as a GPS tracker for remote monitoring of the child's movements when he is out of sight of his parents.

The full functionality of the gadget is revealed in its homeland, in other regions it is somewhat reduced due to the use of an integrated eSIM card in the design. And since east european mobile operators do not yet support working with this type of SIM cards, voice calls and SMS messages are unavailable. In case of the start of support, the watch will be able to keep 6 phone numbers in its memory, which can be contacted via a two-way voice call or by sending an SOS signal.

GPS, GLONASS and Wi-Fi modules are housed in a lightweight and durable watch case. With their help, the location of the child is determined with an accuracy of up to 10 m, and the latest technology also opens access to the gadget's connection with Android smartphones. In addition to drawing the child's movement paths stored in the memory of the linked application for three months, the geo-positioning modules allow you to outline the boundaries of the safe zone and quickly plot a route to the child in case of an emergency.

The data on the watch screen is displayed in the form of icons that display not only the current time, but also various emotions. This will help the kid to intuitively understand the meaning of a particular icon. The built-in 300 mAh battery keeps the gadget working for 2-6 days (depending on the intensity of use of all functions). The charging process is carried out using a branded creddle.

Despite the reduced functionality, Xiaomi Mi Rabbit still remains an attractive accessory for a child and at the same time serves as a tool for controlling the child from the parents.
 
A functional application, the ability to track the child's location, send SMS and make calls, protection according to the IP65 standard, a stylish microUSB cable with backlight.
 
 
Short-term battery life.
 

Gator Caref Watch

The miniature case of the Gator Caref Watch for children hides remarkable features: a GPS module, a microSIM card slot, a speaker, a microphone are hidden in it, and the front panel is occupied by an OLED display with a diagonal of 0.94".

By design, the brainchild of Gator is not much different from the classic wristwatches for children. Because of this, children over the age of 10 consider the GPS beacon too childish. But the functionality of the device is able to compete even with adult smartwatches. For the device to work properly, you will need to get a SIM card and install the Caref application on the parent phone, which is available for download to owners of smartphones based on Android or iOS OS.

The gadget is configured through the aforementioned application. When the watch is turned on for the first time, it is necessary to register and enter into their memory the phone numbers to which the dial will be made in case of an emergency. You can also specify the allowed numbers there to be able to receive a call signal directly from the watch. In addition, the device is able to receive SMS messages (including Cyrillic), the text of which is displayed on the screen.

The main function of the watch is to track the current location of the child (every 5 or 10 minutes, depending on the selected parameters in the settings). When the SOS mode is activated, the GPS beacon sends coordinates to the parent phone every 10 seconds. within 5 min. The track of the child's movement is recorded in the application's memory and can be viewed for each separately selected date. A broader functionality is revealed in the ability to set the radii of safe zones (home, school, clubs, etc.), upon leaving which the clock automatically sends a notification to parents.

In addition to everything, the application settings allow you to set a ban on turning off the gadget or make a secret call to the watch for the purpose of listening. With all the functions included, the built-in 350 mAh battery provides 1-2 days of full-fledged operation of the device. Its charging is carried out through the microUSB slot, and the complete cord is distinguished by the presence of a stylish LED backlight, which the kids really like. Let's add here another protection from moisture according to the IP65 standard — and at the output we get a useful accessory that does not attract much attention for both children and their caring parents.
 
Created based on the cartoon "Fixies", a functional application, the ability to track the child's location, sending SMS and making calls, long-term battery life.
 
 
There are no significant disadvantages.
 

FixiTime FT-201

A functional gadget for children with built-in location sensors and the ability to make voice calls was created based on the popular educational animated series "Fixiki".

It will be possible to suspect a smart device in a watch, except for a 1-inch colour screen with touch input. It displays the time, the text of incoming messages, the name of the contact on an incoming call, and there is a special item in the menu for pairing the gadget with their own kind. To connect the watch, children need to be within a radius of 10 m from each other, simultaneously start the appropriate setting and shake their wrist, after which it becomes possible to talk to friends as if on a walkie-talkie. Otherwise, the functionality of the device has nothing superfluous so as not to distract the child.

Both parents can track the child's location at once (each from their smartphone). When a child moves along the street, his geolocation is determined using GPS satellites, and in the case of being indoors — by Wi-Fi and LBS-tracking (at the base stations of the mobile operator). The latter method is less accurate than positioning based on GPS data. The proprietary application also allows you to set certain zones, at the intersection of which the watch sends a special notification to the parent smartphone.

The phone book of the gadget accommodates up to 60 contacts, and calls from extraneous numbers are not accepted for hours. In case of danger, it is enough for the child to hold down the "SOS" key on the device body for 3 seconds. and the gadget will send an audio alert paired with an alarm to all family members. In active use mode (receiving calls, SMS messages and GPS tracking), the built-in battery with a capacity of 600 mAh is enough for a whole week of use.

The stylish, comfortable and easy-to-use FixiTime FT-201 watches receive only positive feedback from children and parents. After all, in addition to excellent functionality, they can also be flexibly adjusted to personal priorities. As an example, you can give the possibility of disabling the tracker during lessons, which will significantly increase the operating time of the gadget on a single battery charge.
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