The Drone Buying Advisor

Drone reviews and buying guides by The Buying Advisor

  • Home
  • Beginner Drones
    • Drones for Adults
    • Drones for Kids
    • Mini Drones
    • A checklist for the first drone (for a child)
  • Drone Cameras
    • Camera features for aerial photography
    • Types of aerial photography shoots
  • DIY Drones
    • Kits for Adults
    • Kits for Kids
    • STEM
      • Robot kits for kids
      • School Science Project
  • By Brand
    • DJI Drones
      • DJI Phantom 4 review
    • Holy Stone Drone
    • Hubsan Drones
      • Hubsan X4 H107C vs H107D vs H107L : a closer look at these three models
      • Hubsan X4 H502E Desire GPS drone review
      • Hubsan H501S X4 GPS 4 Channel drone review
      • Hubsan H501S X4 Professional Version 5.8G FPV drone review
      • Hubsan H109S X4 Pro 5.8GHz High Edition review
    • Parrot Drones
      • Parrot AR 2.0 Elite Edition review
      • Parrot Bebop 2 Power FPV review
    • Syma Drones
      • Syma X8 Drones comparison: X8SW vs X8C vs X8W
      • Syma X8HG 8MP Camera review
      • Syma X5SW Explorers 2 review
      • The Syma X8HC review
    • UPair drones
  • Drone Buzz
    • Top 10 drones gifts for kids and adults
    • Flight Range and Battery
    • Drone simulators – do you need one?
    • How to avoid drone crashes and flyways
    • Drone tracking
    • Fun things to do with a drone
    • What is a drone

Drone tracking

Last Updated on June 12, 2017

If you are a drone enthusiast like us, your drone is precious to you and you would like to prevent flyaway. You want to start thinking about finding your lost drone before you lose it. When you do your research for a tracking device, here is a preliminary list of questions:

  • How much is the purchase price?
  • How much does it cost per month?
  • Does it work in my area?
  • How much does it weigh?
  • What is the coverage?

The typical GPS based system works with the 2G cell systems. The tracking device uses the satellite based system to know where it is. It uses the 2G cell system to notify you where it is by sending a message to your cell phone. AT&T and T-Mobile both offer 2G service in the US, but AT&T is dropping it at the end of the year.

If you live outside of the US or you are planning to use your drone outside of the US, you should check with the available carriers for 2G based GPS and SMS coverage. 3G and 4G are not compatible with all of the trackers. Trackers using cell tower technology imply some kind agreement with a cell service provider. GPS coverage is worldwide, but only where there are 2G cell towers. Note: Trackimo has a year of pre-paid service. You can configure your Trackimo GPS tracking to track the real time location of your drone or check the history log of a time range. Also note that the device still needs 2G or 3G GSM signal to transfer the data to the app — so the server can translate the data from the GPS to your app with GSM signal to transfer the data.

The bluetooth based systems use GPS satellites to know where the device is located, then when any smart phone with their app comes within bluetooth range, their central office is notified, and their central office uses the cell’s text message to notify your phone where the device is located. The text message is not limited to the 2G network.

Here is a tracking devices useful to track large objects, kids or elderly family members. The Trackimo seems to be bigger than I want on my drone but it would work in the city parks.

Trackimo GPS Tracking Device (TRK-100)
10 Reviews
Trackimo GPS Tracking Device (TRK-100)
  • Protect Your Investment and Get instant GPS location straight to your phone.
  • GPS Tracking Device to use with any DJI Drone. Comes with one year of monitoring.
  • Prevent Loss Due to "Fly-Aways" or Theft.
    Track Your Drone Easily on Your...
  • Doesn't block Drone Camera view. Allowing for full range of motion on the Drone...
$13.24
View on Amazon

This next one is a lighter and less expensive trackers. The Tile Mate uses a combination of bluetooth and cell phone technology and would therefore be limited to areas near your home or office.

Sale
Tile Mate - Anything Finder
16,516 Reviews
Tile Mate - Anything Finder
  • The world’s best selling Bluetooth tracker just got 25 percent smaller. Tile Mate...
  • Use your smartphone to make your tile mate ring when it’s nearby. Your tile isn’t...
  • Find your phone. Can't find your phone: Simply double press the button on your tile...
  • See where you had it last. The easy to use, free tile app remembers the last time and...
$19.99 −$2.11 $17.88
View on Amazon

It’s a smart idea to minimize the risk of flyaway. Always check the range of the controller. It’s a good practice to put in fully-charged batteries in the controller every time. And, use a tracking device that meets your needs. Have fun flying!

Filed Under: Drone Accessories, Drone Tips Tagged With: Drone GPS tracking

Drone Simulator – do you need one?

Why a drone simulator? Drone simulators can be a great way to get into flying a drone. You can … [Read More...]

Drone Tips

How to avoid drone crash

How to avoid drone crashes and flyways

There are many reasons for a drone to crash, and most drone crashes … [Read More...]

dog running by drone

Fun things to do with a drone

I grew up in a big family where we always had fun outdoors activities … [Read More...]

Drone Reviews

upair-one-2-7k-7-inch-screen

UPair One 2.7 megapixel Camera drone review

The UPair one 2.7 megapixel camera drone looks similar to a Phantom quadcopter … [Read More...]

hubsan-h501s-x4-gps-drone

Hubsan H501S X4 GPS 4 Channel drone review

Why we like the Hubsan H501S X4 GPS 4 Channel drone: The Hubsan H501S X4 is … [Read More...]

hubsan-h501s-x4-professional-version-drone

Hubsan H501S X4 Professional Version 5.8G FPV drone review

When you buy the Hubsan H501S X4 Pro you don’t just buy a quadcopter you buy … [Read More...]

upair-one-drone-4k-camera

UPair One 4K Camera 5.8G FPV drone review

The familiar shape, the speed and the ease of control of this UPair One 4K … [Read More...]

parrot-bebop-2-power-fpv

Parrot Bebop 2 Power FPV quadcopter review

If you are moving from “beginner" to “intermediate" drone pilot status, the … [Read More...]

parrot-ar-2-elite-edition

Parrot AR 2.0 Elite Edition (Sand) Quadcopter review

If you are looking for an indoor and outdoor app-controlled quadcopter with 7-10 … [Read More...]

syma-x8hg-8MP

Syma X8HG RC Quadcopter 8MP Camera review

For aerial photography project, the features that you will want to check are the … [Read More...]

syma-x5sw-explorers2

Syma X5SW Explorers 2 2.4G 4CH review

The Syma X5SW Explorers2 2.4G 4CH is a great beginner drone for kids 14 years … [Read More...]

typhoon-q500-quad-CGO3-camera

Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K Quadcopter Review

Our family friend, Tyler, described the Q500 4K as a flying tripod for your … [Read More...]

upair-one-plus-4k-camera

UPair One Plus 4K Camera 5.8G Mobile App version review

When you are looking at the shape and the dihedral angle of the UPair One Plus, … [Read More...]

hubsan-h109S-x4-pro-high-edition

Hubsan H109S X4 Pro 5.8GHz High Edition review

The Hubsan H109S X4 Pro (high edition) is a professional grade quadcopter with 3 … [Read More...]

hubsan-x4-h502e-desire-drone

Hubsan X4 H502E Desire GPS drone review

The Hubsan X4 H502E Desire drone is an affordable and a good starter quadcopter. … [Read More...]

The Syma X8HC review

If you are looking for a budget-friendly camera drone with ‘altitude and … [Read More...]

The Estes RTF Proto Z review

The Estes RTF Proto Z is our top pick for a kid under 10 years old to learn how … [Read More...]

Aerix Aerius quadcopter review

The Aerix Aerius quadcopter review

What is not to like about the Aerix Aerius quadcopter, the world's smallest … [Read More...]

DJI Phantom 4 review

DJI Phantom 4 review

Whether you are a hobbyist or a professional looking for a high-performance … [Read More...]

3DR Solo

3DR Solo review

If you already have your own GoPro or Hero 3, 3+ or 4, this high-performance … [Read More...]

The spirit of sharing

We are drone hobbyists and multirotor enthusiasts. We hope to share with you our experience of buying and flying drones. We also hope that you will find our reviews, tips, check lists and buying guide helpful to you. Welcome to the fascinating world of UAV and have fun flying.

About Us

Contact Us
Disclaimer

Affiliate Disclosure

TheDroneBuyingAdvisor.com is a participant in the Amazon Service LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support. When you purchase from Amazon using our affiliate links, it helps us to keep our site running and to continue providing you with our reviews, tips and guides

Copyright © 2021 · The Drone Buying Advisor· All Rights Reserved