Drone and quadcopters can be finicky at times. It’s not uncommon for even the most expensive drones to lose signal and go into a mindless zombie mode.
Spend any time on DJI.com reading the posts of drone users, or visiting any number of online drone communities, you’ll see that these episodes, called “flyaways” are not uncommon. Advanced recreational drones like the Mavic Pro or Phantom series are programmed to “return to home” (RTH) when they lose signal with the controller, or any time the controller is powered down during flight.
If you took your time and followed a clearly defined pre-flight routine then your drone should know exactly where “home” is.
Unfortunately this doesn’t always happen.
Regardless of what causes them, the success rate of relocating a downed, “zombie” drone is low, because they can often fly for longer than 20 minutes depending on when the up-link was lost.
So how do you protect your drone from the possibility of a flyaway without breaking the bank?
We’ve found several compact drone trackers that even professional users can deploy today, without costing an arm and a leg.
Tracking technology has been around for years, and ranges from sophisticated fleet management devices to tiny fobs that parents put in cars to track their teenage drivers. So most GPS tracking devices are ubiquitous: they weren’t designed for drones, but they are a perfect fit. If you can put it on your dog or your kid, chances are you can put it on your drone.
Deciding which tracking device is right for you comes down to a few key factors: What’s my upfront cost? Is there an annual subscription fee? How long does the battery last? How easy is it to use? How small is it and what does it weigh?
Obviously no one wants to break the bank on a smart tracker, so our list is the best we’ve found under $125. You can definitely spend more, but we simply ask “why?”.
Another important consideration is weight and size. Most GPS trackers are about the size of a deck of cards or smaller, but just as critical is their weight. Based on experience with other devices on a Mavic Pro we know that every 13 grams(1/2 oz) of weight added to a Mavic costs about 1 minute in battery life.
Just as it is with your drone, battery life is critical. There’s no point investing in drone-saving tech if there’s any question about finding a signal when you need it, which could be days after a drone is lost.
And last, but not least, we wanted a tracking solution that is easy to use out of the box. Yes there are many devices out there that allow inventive users to adapt them to their power supply and allow them to be programmed in different ways, but we honestly aren’t looking to head down the path of a raspberry-pi like tutorial. We just want a simple way to track a lost drone.
Four of these GPS trackers are ready to go out of the box. But we put one on the list that isn’t even available yet, because it hits every check box….and we think that when it does launch it will be awesome.
#1: Trackimo 3G GSM GPS Tracker – $ varies
Trackimo reports that 30% of us will experience a drone fly-away. That statistic may seem high, but almost all of us know someone who has had a flyaway or a crash. Trackimo’s GPS Tracker, which comes with a drone attachment kit, retails for about $80. It comes with it’s own SIM card loaded with 1 year of international cell service, and is only $5 per month after the first year. Weighing only 42 grams,the impact on battery life should be minimal, as it would reduce battery life on a Mavic by about 3 minutes.
Trackimo comes in two models: 2G GSM and 3G GSM. The 2G networks are being mothballed, so make sure you only purchase a 3G model.
#2 iTraq3 Global GSM GPS Tracker $129
iTraq looks like an oversized Tile that can clip to just about anything. But unlike Tile, which is really just a Bluetooth proximity sensor, the iTraq is a fully featured GPS device that utilizes a global 3G GSM card to send out pre-scheduled updates on it’s location in real time.
Battery life depends on the frequency if reporting, and iTraq reports 4 months on a single charge when set to once per day reports.
Weighing in at 50 grams, iTraq will likely shave a little more than 3 minutes from your Mavic battery life. Adjust accordingly. GSM subscription rate comes in at $59 per year, making for some very inexpensive drone insurance. And the iTraq is built with the same simplicity that Tile put into their tracker, so when you aren’t using it with your drone you can easily use it somewhere else you need tracking. Think of iTraq as the “global” GPS enabled version of Tile.
#3 Trax $99
Another device born of the need to track children, the elderly and pets, the people at Trax have actually mentioned quadcopter pilots as another reason to own a Trax. Using T-Mobile’s 2G GSM network (which T-Mobile says will be live until at least 2020), Trax is another example of simple, easy-to-use design.
Trax also lets you pre-set a “Geofence”, so it will automatically start tracking if your device leaves the pre-set area.
Trax is one of the smallest trackers, but don’t let that fool you. With battery life up to 3 days and weighing only 24 gram (.85oz) it is a powerful little device. The light weight of the Trax Play means less than 2 minutes of battery impact on a Mavic Pro’s flight time.
Trax has IP65 Water Resistance and is also shockproof.
#4 SPOT Trace $99
Just stick the SPOT Trace on any vehicle or object with the SPOT logo pointed skyward and you’ve done 50% of the setup. The other half, online using the SPOT Trace app lets you set the frequency of notifications and customize any additional alerts you may want. At just a hair under $100, SPOT Trace is both economical and simple to use. Like all trackers, an annual subscription applies and it’s either $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month depending on your plan.
With the Basic Subscription, SPOT Trace automatically sends a SMS text/email with your asset’s GPS coordinates once movement has been detected. View the asset’s GPS coordinates anytime online or via our app. Basic service allows you to customize your Trace to track every 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes. Also, customize your device’s dock mode, movement alert, status, low battery and power off settings.
Step up to the Extreme Tracking Upgrade and Enjoy all the features of Basic Service, with the added benefit of being able to track your asset’s GPS coordinates every 2½ minutes.
SPOT Trace is the heaviest on the list so far at 3.1 ounces, which could shave as much as six minutes from your battery life. It’s available at Amazon.com with FREE Shipping
Ping is the latest crowd-funded piece of tech that’s exactly what drone enthusiasts have been looking for. Combining all of the best features of the drone trackers above, it packs them into the smallest package of all. Weighing in at just 1 ounce, and about the size of a 50 cent piece, Ping adds negligible weight to any device. Worst case scenario it might shave 2 minutes off a Mavic battery charge.
Ping is waterproof to 10 meters and works on the HSPA/GSM 3G cellular network. First year data plan is included in the $99 price (the more Pings you purchase, the less they cost) and data is $36 per year after the initial year for coverage in Canada, Mexico and the USA. For an extra $10 at activitation you have coverage in 157 additional countries.
Ping is currently being crowdfunded at indiegogo, with the intention to begin shipments in July 2017.
We absolutely love the multi-dimensional uses for Ping and it’s compact size. The low cost of the annual subscription and extra features are the icing on the cake. Can’t wait for Ping!
We’ve added these products to our page-list of Mavic and drone parts & accessories.`
So tell us: Do you currently use a tracker on your drone? Have you had a fly-away incident and been able to recover your quadcopter because of your tracker? Let us know in the comments!