Prices can vary depending on the model and technology chosen, so let’s see in this article what factors actually affect the price factor when buying a GPS dog collar.
The first big difference is given by the type of GPS and the use you intend to make of the GPS dog collar, prices will come accordingly. In the world of hunting dogs there are widespread tracking devices designed specifically for use in the open, in the wilderness where it is not easy to have reference points even if we were to use Google Maps. Often in these situations the signal reception for internet and voice connection is not optimal, so the GPS collars used in this context must have as essential features the possibility of direct communication between collar and handheld device and access to satellite maps with surveys in order to be able to move with full knowledge of the facts and quickly find the dog that has strayed.
Outside of hunting, this solution is not optimal, since it has a wide but limited operating range and buying this type of GPS dog collar at such high prices is not always a viable solution.
GPS and smartphones for localization
However, all these GPS devices that do not rely on a high-tech handheld device but instead use our smartphone come to the rescue. We all have one and all we need is a simple application to download from the relevant store to be able to interface with the collar and view the position of our dog and monitor its activity at the same time. The immediate consequence of not having to buy a handheld device in addition to the collar is that prices for this GPS dog collar will be much lower, averaging around €50, although we may have to add extra services as a subscription.
In some cases it is the provision of maps that is offered as an additional paid service but in general there are the costs involved in enabling the device to communicate via the GSM network. This is the 2G signal, the first digital one for mobile phones and which in later developments allowed us to connect to the internet with our mobile phones via GPRS. In order to use it, the manufacturer chooses whether to pass on the responsibility of purchasing a SIM to the end user or to manage it directly in exchange for a periodic subscription: in both cases we are faced with additional expenses that must be considered in the final calculation and evaluation of the GPS collar dogs prices.