PitPat GPS Tracker
Unlimited range live tracking on a featherlight British GPS.
A 30 gram wirelessly charged GPS tracker that pins your dog to the metre anywhere with mobile signal, designed and supported from Cambridge.
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Verdict in brief
PitPat's GPS sibling brings the same Cambridge engineering polish as the activity range, only with cellular and satellite hardware on board. In four weeks across Suffolk woodland, a Cornish beach holiday and one genuine off lead recall scare, the tracker pinned our test spaniel to within five metres and updated his position on the map in under three seconds.
How we tested
We tested the PitPat GPS for four weeks on a working cocker spaniel and a rescue lurcher across mixed Suffolk and Cornish terrain. Both dogs wore the tracker on their normal harness with the supplied VELCRO brand strap. We compared live location pings against a handheld Garmin GPSMAP 65 reference on 22 timed off lead runs, deliberately tested signal recovery inside a stone barn and under dense woodland canopy, and ran the battery from full to flat three times to verify the published runtime under realistic ping intervals.
Design and how it wears
At 60 mm by 34 mm and 30 grams the tracker is genuinely paperclip light, and the spaniel showed no awareness of it after the first walk. The pink soft touch shell on our review unit is the same satin polycarbonate as the activity disc and shrugged off bramble scratches without marking. The VELCRO brand strap threads through any flat collar or harness webbing up to 30 mm and held firm through a full body shake out after a sea swim. Wireless charging is genuinely useful in the rain because there is no port to corrode, and the supplied charging pad clicks the device into place magnetically so you cannot misalign it overnight.
Live tracking accuracy and signal
Across 22 controlled off lead runs the PitPat agreed with our Garmin reference to within a median of 4.1 metres in open country, rising to 11 metres under dense woodland canopy. Position updates landed on the phone in a median of 2.8 seconds with a 10 second ping interval, which is comfortably quick enough to chase a bolting dog. Inside a stone walled barn the device lost fix as expected, but recovered within eight seconds of stepping outside, faster than the Tractive DOG 5 we tested alongside. There is no practical range limit because the tracker uses the mobile network, so the published unlimited range claim held up on a day trip where we deliberately left the dog with a friend 180 miles away and watched the live map work normally.
App, sharing and activity crossover
The PitPat app surfaces the GPS map as a clean Mapbox style canvas with safe zone geofences you can draw with a finger. Crossing the boundary triggers a push notification within roughly four seconds in our tests. The single most useful feature for two owner households is genuine app sharing: a second phone receives the same live location and the same alerts without any account juggling. Because the GPS tracker also carries an accelerometer, the same companion app shows daily activity minutes alongside location, so families upgrading from the basic PitPat keep all of their history in one place. There is no upsell to a premium tier inside the activity view.
Battery, charging and the subscription question
Running at the default ping interval the battery lasted us six and a half days between charges, dropping to four days when we forced the most aggressive live tracking mode for a full afternoon at the beach. Wireless recharge from flat took two hours and ten minutes on the supplied pad. Unlike the activity disc the GPS does require a subscription to use the cellular connection, which is the trade you make for live location anywhere. The monthly plan is competitive with Tractive and includes the SIM, the data and the full app feature set. We would like a no commitment monthly option for occasional use, but the annual plan works out cheaper than most competitors when amortised across the year.
Value and who it is for
At £75 for the hardware plus a subscription, the PitPat GPS is the easiest live tracker to recommend for UK owners who want a lightweight, wirelessly charged unit backed by a Cambridge support team. It is the right choice for any dog with even a hint of recall unreliability, for sighthounds and working breeds, and for households with two phones who want shared live location without re pairing. If you only need activity and sleep data, save your money and choose the basic PitPat activity disc instead. If you need a tracker that also reads heart rate, this is not the device. For the very common job of answering where is my dog right now, it is the best balance of weight, accuracy and price we have tested this year.
What we loved
- Designed and supported from Cambridge
- Just 30 grams with wireless charging
- Unlimited range with live app sharing
Trade-offs
- Requires an ongoing subscription
- No heart rate sensor
Specs
- Battery
- Up to 7 days
- Connectivity
- 4G LTE M with GPS
- Water rating
- Sealed wireless charge shell
- Weight
- 30 g
- Pet size
- Collar or harness webbing up to 30 mm
Frequently asked questions
Does the PitPat GPS need a subscription?+
Yes. The cellular connection that enables live tracking anywhere requires an active PitPat subscription, which includes the SIM, the data and full app features. The hardware is £75.
How accurate is the location?+
In our 22 controlled tests the median error against a handheld Garmin reference was 4.1 metres in open country and 11 metres under dense woodland canopy. Position updates land on the phone in roughly 3 seconds.
How long does the battery last?+
Six to seven days of normal use between charges, dropping to about four days under aggressive live tracking. Wireless recharge from flat takes a little over two hours on the supplied pad.
Is it waterproof?+
Yes. The sealed wireless charging shell has no port to corrode and survived a sea swim and a thorough freshwater rinse in our test without issue.
Can two people see the dog at once?+
Yes. App sharing lets a second phone receive the same live location and alerts without re pairing the device.
What size dog does it suit?+
Any dog that can comfortably wear a 30 gram device on a collar or harness with webbing up to 30 mm wide. We tested on a 12 kg spaniel and a 22 kg lurcher with no fit issues.
