Though I try to keep close tabs on my family, it’s sometimes hard to know exactly where they are when. For example, when my daughter is on a play date or school trip, or my husband is traveling for work. For those who find moments like these unsettling, there are a growing number of services and devices that use satellite GPS signals and wireless networks to track the exact locations of your loved ones more closely. Many of these products are being integrated with cell phones, while others are stand-alone tracking devices.
One of these new devices, the AnyTrack GPS-100, is a lightweight pager-like device that fits in the palm of your hand. AnyTrack says the $229 device is designed to track people, pets, packages, cars, boats and other items. My family agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to let me track them over a recent weekend.
On Friday afternoon, my daughter was invited to play at a friend’s house and to then go to Lovejoy’s Tea Room in San Francisco for hot chocolate, scones and jelly sandwiches. The mother supervising the outing — someone I trust implicitly — said it was OK to track the play date. Getting started was incredibly simple. I just charged the AnyTrack GPS-100 by plugging it in, and it was ready to go after several hours. In addition to satellite signals, AnyTrack uses cellular signals to calculate locations so the device can be tracked indoors as well.
Not an Exact Science
When I logged onto www.anytrack.net, the site displayed the map I would use to track where the device was located — or presumably located, that is. After pressing the “locate now” button, the map showed the device to be located about a mile from my home in San Francisco. About half an hour later, the map finally placed the device…