• 31
• Jul
• 2007

Tagging your children and knowing where they are without following their every move

Part 1 – Phone based systems

For sometime now we’ve been using tagging to keep tabs on offenders who are released into the community. These tags give the ability to know where someone is at a moments notice, and see if they are where they should be and if not they are easily located for the appropriate action to be taken.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could let our children play out with the friends and at a moments notice we could tell exactly where they were (I’m not going to make any comparisons with criminals at this point) so we could contact them if we needed to? Well ladies and gentlemen, that day is already here.

Over the last few months there’ve been a multitude of these ‘tags’ for children cropping up in the media. They’ve actually been around for some years now, but are only just making it into the main stream media.

There are several different styles, using a range of technologies and as you’d expect a wide range of prices on offer, so we thought we’d do a round up of what is currently available.

Location via Mobile phone signal
Some systems require you to purchase their mobile phone; others need nothing more than your child’s existing phone number to be registered with the tracking company.

Before we start a big drawback of any method that uses mobile phones is that it will not work if the phone is switched off.

The mobile phone method uses the UK GSM network to track the signal from the phone. The distance from the phone you are tracking to the transmitting GSM mast plays a big part in the accuracy of the system.

The widespread introduction of Mobile Phone masts across the built up areas of the UK means that this tracking system is far more accurate in urban areas than out in the open countryside.

In the middle of a town or city you can expect to achieve an accuracy level of below 500m. On the outskirts of town this figure can increase to approx half a mile to 1.5 miles. If you are out in the country you need to allow anything up to 5 miles (in extreme cases) leeway on the location the system provides you with.

A further factor to consider with the systems that allow you to track you existing Mobile Phone is the current phone service provider you use. Not all are able to work with the system, and of those that do some are more accurate than others.

The method were you purchase the mobile phone specifically for use as a tracking device offers several more features than the service only system. One such device is the i-Kids handset.

The i-Kids phone is really a tracking device first and a phone second. The user can only call one of four preset numbers (though they can receive any number of calls).

Signals from the phone are received every 3 minutes and relayed to a website only you are able to access. The website offers the ability to set safety zones so during a set period of time if they stray outside of these zones you are alerted via SMS messages sent to your phone.

The accuracy is better than the GSM model due to the use of GPS technology (the same technology used for Sat Nav). On average the accuracy of the i-Kids system will pinpoint your child to within 5 metres. It will suffer when transmitting from inside a house if there are no nearby windows, or if there are tall trees or high buildings or bad weather overhead.

Part 2 will centre on radio frequency systems and tracker clothing

GPS
https://www.i-kids.net/
http://www.buddysafe.com/
http://www.followgb.co.uk
http://www.findware.co.uk/

GSM
http://www.traceamobile.com/
http://www.childlocate.co.uk/