We’re not sure how to feel about the Mova SureTrack Pro. Yes, it’s a GPS pet tracker that lives on a collar. Yes, it has two-way voice functions. In theory, if your dog listens to you, you can tell it to come back even when out of earshot. But there are other ways this tech can be used.
The other way that Mova’s smart pet tracker can be used occurred to Stuff almost immediately. Apparently, we’re truly awful human beings. We’d hope the possible downside to a two-way radio pet collar also dawned on someone at Mova’s HQ. It probably didn’t. If it did, someone kept their mouth shut.
Taken the SureTrack Pro
The SureTrack Pro GPS tracking collar does exactly what it claims to — it’ll track your pet. Whether that’s a cat or a dog is up to you. But that two-way radio system, operated through the app, also opens up a fun little possibility. Yes, users can use the voice system to ask that kind stranger to hang onto Fluffy or Rex until you can come and get them. Or… an enterprising burglar can use it to negotiate the ransom for the return of your beloved pooch or pussycat.
That probably won’t happen, since the SureTrack Pro promises that you’ll experience “meter-level accuracy with updates every 5 seconds”. This is achieved via GPS, AGPS, Bluetooth, LBS, WiFi, and radar, according to Mova. In other words, you should just be able to send the cops around. It’s certainly easier than whatever Liam Neeson had to deal with.
Signal coverage is supposedly worldwide (we’re not sending a kitten to Azerbaijan to test this claim), with more than 390 networks involved in tracking your household pet. Geofencing notifications, daily activity reports, and other metrics designed to make you feel like you’re not exercising enough are also available from the collar.
The price? Around R2,000, but you’ll have to buy one from Europe. The tracking is the bit that’ll cost you extra. A year’s tracking costs about the same as the SureTrack Pro does, but if you buy a two- or three-year tracking contract, you’ll nab a discount. Not much of one, but it’s still cheaper than paying a petnapper’s ransom.
