Dog trackers without a subscription can also cost significant amounts, so you may well not be happy to additionally bear the cost of a periodic subscription to a service. First, it is necessary to know what you are paying for. There are several subscription-free dog trackers on the market. These are collars that are purchased as part of a kit consisting of a GPS device and handheld receiver, with this latter collecting the information transmitted by the collar and displaying it clearly and immediately on the handheld screen. This is normally interactive, allowing you to take advantage of secondary functionality.
How subscription-free trackers work
In these cases, communication usually takes place via radio frequencies, meaning that the range of these devices is limited to a few tens of meters. The biggest disadvantage in buying trackers for dogs without a subscription is represented by the great expense of the kit required in order to make everything self-sufficient: downloading maps so as to get around the need to access the internet, no SIM for the collar, etc. – in short, a perfect closed system which may however end up costing several hundred euros.
Why is subscription important in trackers?
On the other hand, the most widely commercialised collars no longer require an accompanying PDA, instead working in conjunction with a simple app on your phone: an object we all generally have already and which comes with all the technology necessary to communicate with the collar.
The need for a subscription is determined by precisely the way in which the collar must transmit the information collected. In fact, in order to guarantee much broader radio coverage, subscription-free trackers for dogs are equipped with a GSM module, via which can transmit everything necessary over the 2G line. This connectivity can be provided directly by the manufacturer, including a data SIM in exchange for a regular subscription; or else it will be up to the end user to activate a mobile line in order for the collar to function.
In any case, we would conclude that a subscription-free dog tracker is not easily accessible for the general public. For the average consumer it is much more suitable to take advantage of factory-ready GSM connections by assuming the associated charges. Usually, when the manufacturer provides the SIM, it is able to rely on the lines of multiple telephony operators in order to consistently provide the best possible coverage depending on the area.