Cat Tracking Collars Can be Hard to Locate
Cat tracking collars
seem a smart choice to keep an eye on a stray cat. Add a collar followed by a global positioning device that knows its current location at any time. The GPS can then periodically send its longitude and latitude position at certain base stations by simply transmitted over the cellular phone network. Once received, the location information is uploaded to a website that allows you to monitor the location of your cat. Not only is this GPS tracking system a good idea, it is already used in a variety of ways – from car navigation systems to locate lost hikers.
However, the GPS tracking system typical cat is hard to find – at least in the United States. The main problem is that GPS technology has been miniaturized to the point of making GPS cat collars small enough and light enough for most household cats. Domestic cats are simply unable to bear the weight of the current GPS electronics and power supply.
The websites that advertise the GPS tracking collars cat seems to be located in Europe, and those particular devices are European rather large – weighing more than 90g. Most cats of average size would be able to make a necklace monitoring 80g comfortably.
The disadvantage of other GPS tracking collars, and for two cats tracking collars and dog tracking collars, is that GPS collars typically have monthly fees associated with them. This is because the GPS collars normally use cellular networks for transmitting location information and cellular networks all have monthly fees. So if you want to avoid monthly fees, you must use another type of technology for monitoring the cat collar.
One of the best options I’ve found is to use a short-range radio tracking collar. This kind of tracking beacon transmits a signal periodic neck is detected by a directional receiver. With the receiver are able to tell which way your cat is by the strength of a signal you detect. In addition, as you approach the radio transmitter beacon signal also gets stronger so you can determine both the direction and distance on your cat.
These short-range radio collars cat have followed two distinct advantages over GPS collars for cats. Firstly, because they use free radio frequencies, you avoid the monthly fee cellular network used by GPS systems. Second, the electronics used with these devices short range may be small and light enough for a domestic cat to wear. The monitoring system on the neck has only a weak signal beacon so that the amount of electronics and energy requirements are low. These types of tracking collars or cat just needs a small battery for power.
There is a drawback of using a radio tracking collar. Unlike the cat GPS locators you would not be able to determine longitude and latitude of your cat since the radio collar does not transmit the exact location coordinates – just distance and directional information that can be detected by the relative signal strength with the directional receiver. However, since cats usually do not wander miles away in a short period of time – my cats are usually within a block of my house – with information on the exact location to follow on a Web site does not seem as important to my opinion.
The other perceived disadvantage of a tracking collar short range radio chat is that it will not work over long distances from the GPS collar. This is only partially true. If a GPS collar that uses the cellular network may be able to transmit location information over a long distance, cellular systems are also susceptible to interference and signal loss. If your cat is walking around a hole or a cave or an area not served by a cellular tower, then the GPS collar would not work.
A string of short-range radio would be able to work in areas much further afield and in places where cell phone networks can not reach from the neck of radio should transmit to the extent to which the receiver when the GPS cat collar shall transmit to the nearest cell tower.
So consider a radio collar cat as a cat tracking device if you do not find a cat GPS collar that fits your needs and your budget.
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