Not all Bluetooth monitors are created equally. Bluetooth-only trackers are great for finding things very close by like your keys or TV remote, but they have limited range and need to remain relatively close to your smartphone.
| Tile | Chipolo | Tkstar | Thirty36 | Tractive (Dog) | Smart Things Tracker | Itraq | Curve Tracker | |
| SIM Enabled | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Unlimited range Curve has embedded SIM. Roams in over 100 countries globally (no extra charge) |
| No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Battery Life | 1 year (replaceable) | Up to 9 months | Up to 7 days | Up to 7 days | 2-5 days | 4-5 days | Up to 14 days 1 report per hour |
Battery up to 7 days per charge (usage dependent). No need to replace battery |
| BT only | BT only | GPS/BT/Cell/Wi-Fi | GPS/BT/Cell/Wi-Fi | GPS/Cell/Live Tracking | GPS/Cell/Live Tracking | GPS/Cell/Wi-Fi/SOS button |
GPS / WiFi / LBS / BLE Tracker (device can be tracked outside of Bluetooth range) |
|
| Ring it, water resistant | Ring it | Live tracking SOS button | Zones Quick-Alerts | Activity Monitor | Home automation integration | Wireless charging |
Set, edit, delete zones. Real time tracking, quick alerts, 4 modes = Power Save; Everyday;Performance; Real Time |
|
| Alexa int crowd find | Alexa int. crowd find | IP66 | IP67 | IP67/W/Proof | Geofencing | IP66 |
IP6 (dust & waterproof) |
|
| Price | R499 | R557 | R799 | R1499 | R1199 | R1200 | R329 |
R599
|
Vodacom Curve
Last but not least, Vodacom released its smart monitor recently as part of its “Designed & Connected by Vodacom” range. Curve, the smart GPS tracker is disc shaped, dust &waterproof, and uses GPS & WiFi & LBS & BLE Tracker (device can be tracked outside of Bluetooth range) to monitor items like keys, bags, laptops, pets, etc. It works with Android and iOS via the Vodafone Smart App to monitor items in real-time and view location history. It notifies you when the device enters or leaves a customisable location zone. Curve has a built-in smart SIM for remote updates, and roams in over 100 countries at no extra cost. This smart SIM card connects to the network across our global network, so your phone could be far away from Curve and still get updates via your smartphone.
Curve also has up to 7 days of battery life. Price: R599 once-off and R39 p/m subscription fee.
To get more information about the Curve, or upcoming consumer smart tech solutions under the Designed & Connected by Vodacom, click here.
