Shortly after funding their Stick-N-Find Bluetooth Stickers , the developers at StickNFind LLC have announced BluTracker . Like Stick-N-Find, the BluTracker locates lost objects using a smartphone app. However, the BluTracker uses GPS to track objects up to 2500 feet away as compared to only 100 feet for the Stick-N-Find.
The BluTracker is designed as a compact, wearable tag. It comes with a Velcro strap making it easy to tuck away in small places like pet collars, backpacks, or your car.
With the accompanying iPhone & Android apps, users can easily pinpoint the BluTracker tag on a map. There are some handy features that make the tags more useful, like the “virtual fence” that draws a circle on the map. You can then be notified if the tag moves outside the boundaries you set. Another feature is the on-board motion detector that can give you a heads up when something is moved.
The BluTracker uses a combination of GPS and Bluetooth technologies. The GPS is used to determine the location coordinates of the standalone BluTracker tags. Each tag then pairs with a smartphone using Bluetooth signals in order to display its coordinates on a smartphone map. Long range Bluetooth technology was enhanced by the developers through a custom RF & antenna design that allows the tag to be located up to half a mile away in a direct line-of-sight.
Thanks to the Bluetooth 4.0 technology, the BluTracker uses low power. You can expect to recharge the battery after about two months.
The BluTracker seems ideally suited to safeguarding objects outdoors. Inside is a different story. For indoors, the system relies on Bluetooth signals to display the approximate location on a radar-style screen. This feature may be tricky to use because the radar only shows the distance of the object from the user - not the direction. To find an indoor object, you have to walk a path and adjust your direction to see whether the object gets closer or farther.