ROLA pet tracker review: A GPS collar with live video and smart safety features
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You've probably seen the pet trackers you can buy that clamp onto the collar of a cat or dog, and give you a GPS location of where they are. This one's a bit different.
As well as piping your pet's location to an app on your smartphone, this ROLA pet tracker by Enabot can capture video, too.
Clamp it to their collar, or attach it to a harness, and you can keep track of what your pet is getting up to in real time. Because it can broadcast the footage live.
It also features a geofencing system, which alerts you if your pet strays too far from a defined area.
There's a sort of intercom system, so you can effectively "talk" to your dog, and you can activate a flashing, beeping beacon in case you lose them in the dark.
There's even a social network infrastructure, allowing you to connect with other users and compare notes.
It sounds, then, like the perfect pet tracker. And it's priced at £85, which is pretty reasonable for a GPS tracker with so many features.
There are, however, a couple of hitches. Firstly, it's a bit bulky. On a small dog, or a cat, it's going to be a bit cumbersome, especially hanging from a collar. The harness that's available helps with this, but it's a bit fiddly. Bigger dogs will manage fine, that said.
Unfortunately, while it is water resistant, and stands up well to poor weather, it can't be submerged. So I've had to be careful using it with my Labradoodle, because she's quite partial to spontaneous swims.
Another flaw is the fact that, to unlock all the best features, you need a sim card. That is supplied, but you'll need a data plan to keep it running. Which, obviously, adds a cost.
On the plus side, it is really robust. The footage is great, it's easy to set up, and the battery lasts for ages between charges.
Use it to its full potential, and you'll have hours of fun watching the videos back. Even if you don't use all its features, it's a great safety net for dogs that are prone to wandering off without you. I particularly like the fact it has a QR code and SOS button which contacts your phone in case someone finds your pet.
There aren't many options on the market when it comes to dedicated doggie action cameras, so it's good to see this available. Sure, there's a few flaws, but it's a nice piece of kit.