Tag: garmin gps tracking watch

GPS Tracking Watches

GPS tracking watches combine the power of GPS tracking technology with the usefulness of personal time pieces. They are small, highly portable, and extremely useful in several different applications. In many cases, these watches can be a bit bulky – but they are still usually lightweight and agile. Some of the latest devices produced by Garmin are the same size as a “normal” sport or fitness watch, even with the GPS device built in.

When you step back and get the big picture about GPS tracking watches you will find the most GPS watches fall within one of two main categories: kids watches and fitness watches.

Contents:

GPS Tracking Watches for Kids

GPS tracking watches for kids are all about one thing: safety. These devices are meant to connect parents to their children in such a way that parents are continually aware of their child’s location and in the unlikely event of an abduction or kidnapping the parent will have enough information to locate their child quickly with the help of the police or other law enforcement agency.

These devices are extremely difficult to find, but there are some available at online retailers. Brickhouse Security, as an example, does have a GPS tracking watch designed for kids that is featured in the picture to the left. This little device is extremely powerful – not only does it provide very precise location information, but it also has a distress Alarm and a built-in cellular speakerphone that will allow your child to contact you, the police, or emergency personnel if the need ever arose.

Not many companies have created such fine watches. One reason why these devices are so difficult to come by is that for them to work effectively at making the GPS information available to parents is that they must find a way to transmit the signal out to a data processing center. The watch must be a data pusher rather than just a data logger (like fitness GPS tracking watches).

Turning a watch into a data pusher is no small feat. The best devices for this are GPS tracking cell phones – mainly because they already have cell phone technology built in and can leverage it to transmit position information to a central processing station (the does use cell phone technology in their wrist watch to push location data out). What would a cell phone look like if it was attached to your wrist? Pretty bulky, my friend. Pretty bulky.

So the technological problem of turning a watch into a cellphone-like device is one major hurdle that GPS manufacturers have had to overcome; and they have done so with very limited success.

Another main reason why GPS tracking watches for kids have not taken off and become extremely popular is that they suffer from some serious detection flaws. What I am talking about here is not GPS signal detection, but bad man detection.

Will someone taking your child really ignore the bulky device on their wrist? Will the locking mechanism really keep the watch from being removed? Won’t someone evil enough to steal a child also be evil enough to remove a hand to remove the watch that will get them caught?

It is nearly impossible for a child to hide the watch, especially if it is locked on to their wrist. This creates some serious safety issues and can essentially negate any benefit that GPS tracking might provide in this terrible situation.

These are the two main issues with kids GPS watches. These issues can be solved by creating smaller, “normal” looking devices that still have all the power of GPS tracking and a cell phone.

GPS Tracking Watches for Fitness

Fitness is a huge industry in the United States where billions of dollars are spent annually on fitness equipment, clothing, gym memberships, and fitness accessories. One small portion of this very big pie are GPS tracking watches.

In order to get a piece of this pie, several major players have arisen in the GPS watch market. There is one GPS manufacturer that has taken their product and converted it into GPS tracking watches as well as a few watch companies that have incorporated GPS in their design. The major players are Garmin, Suunto, Timex, and Polar.

There are two major methods of translating GPS tracking into fitness watched: integrating the GPS directly into the watch or using a GPS pod to collect that location data.

Garmin and Suunto have watch models that integrate the GPS receiver directly into the watch. The most recent Garmin model is the GARMIN Forerunner 405 Black GPS Enabled Sports Watch/ HRM. This is a fully integrated GPS watch that also sports a heart rate monitor (HRM). Many reviews of this device have been particularly favorable as it has a sleek, “normal” design that actually looks like a wrist watch might (unlike some of the previous Garmin Forerunner models). It is relatively lightweight at 2.1 ounces, making it easy to use during a long run or other outdoor activity.

The heart rate monitor is another great benefit to using a fitness GPS tracking watch like the Garmin Forerunner 405. This small add on will give you immediate feedback on how hard your body is working and if you are getting a good workout while you are on your run. But the benefit doesn’t end there. Once you are home you will be able to sit down in front of your computer and get a bird’s eye view of your workout, giving you a better understanding of what you need to work on to continue to improve your fitness level.

The other way that companies have made GPS available or fitness watches is via a GPS pod that you attach to your shoe or waist. These devices then capture the GPS signal and transmit it up to the watch which then takes the information and stores and displays it to you, the user. Many of these watches also come with a heart rate monitor.

Here is a robust list of fitness GPS tracking watches found at Amazon.com divided up by their brand:

Buy A GPS Tracking Watch

Buying a GPS tracking watch is certainly not a necessary purchase – not for child safety nor for physical fitness. However, these devices can be extremely fun and enjoyable if you want to know more precise information about your fitness routine or you feel a need to know your child’s location on demand. Make sure you consider all your options carefully before buying a GPS tracking watch.

GPS Tracking For Kids

Check out one of the smallest and most powerful GPS trackers for children: AmberAlert GPS

If you have ever found yourself wishing that you knew at any moment where your child was with an accuracy of up to 3 meters, then GPS tracking for kids might be something that you want to take a look at.  GPS has been around since the 80s when it was released for public use (before the Global Positioning Satellite system had been reserved solely for the military), but has only recently been made available for use by private persons for the tracking of the people closest to them – their children.

Before GPS tracking devices were simply too bulky to be of much use on a child – they were either too heavy to be safely and continuously carried, too large to be of much use for covert, safety oriented tracking, or they were too inaccurate to be of much help to consumers or their kids.  All this has changed in the last 5-10 years as technology has become increasingly smaller and more efficient.

Let me explain this with a similar bit of technological breakthrough that we have had in the same amount of time – namely that of computer storage. 10 years ago it would have a pipe dream to have a desktop computer with 160 GB of storage space – now iPods come with that much memory.  In the same way that computer technology in general has advanced so rapidly, GPS tracking technology has made leaps and bounds as well – becoming increasingly smaller, more power, more efficient, and more accurate.

All of these changes have been good for parents looking to keep tabs on their children with a technological solution.  But this begs the question, why should any child be tracked with GPS?

Reasons to Choose GPS Tracking For Kids

As far as I can tell, there are three main reasons to use GPS tracking for your kids: safety concerns, behavior problems, and paranoia.

Safety is probably the main reason most parents are going to want to use GPS to keep tabs on their children.  They want something that will quickly and accurately locate their child at a moments notice.  Is the child supposed to be at home but hasn’t been heard from in over an hour?  Are they supposed to be at Tim’s house to hang out after school and do some homework but a call to Tim’s parents reveals that your child never arrived?  Do you worry that something could happen to your child as they wait for you after baseball practice in the park by the canyon?  If any of these situations have happened to you then you know that you wish there was some way to find out where you child is right away.  GPS tracking for kids can provide accurate and reliable information for you in a way that is actionable and useful.

Take a moment and imagine that your child did not come home on time like you were expecting, fear is gripping you as you wait by the window for their arrival.  It could be that they simply hung around too long after school playing tether ball with their friends or took too long in the park as they cut across it on their way home.  You want to find out where your daughter is right now.  You run to your computer and you log in to your child’s GPS tracking watch provider to get a look at their position.  Your heart breathes a sigh of relief as you see that they are on their way home traveling at 2 mph about 2 blocks from home – they must have lingered too long at the park.

Now imagine that same situation where you find that your child is traveling 65 mph on a major highway heading away from home?  You’d dial 911 in an instant and you could be able to give the police some seriously useful information that would likely lead to the recovery of your child – all thanks to a GPS tracking device in your child’s backpack.

Another important reason to use GPS tracking for kids in some circumstance is behavioral problems or mental disabilities.  A child that is prone to wander because they suffer from some sort of behavioral or mental disorder is someone that you want to find and find quickly.  Short trips to the supermarket, or family vacations, or even simple trips to the park can become living nightmares as you search frantically for the child that has wandered off and slipped out of your site.  Child locators, a certain type of GPS tracking device, work great in this situation where quick feedback without the use of computer is necessary.  They are not always the best solution for families since they do have some issues and cell phones are becoming internet capable in a big way – making the obstacle of internet access to use location information much smaller.

And the final reason to get a GPS device to track your child is because you are paranoid and need to find someway to calm your own fears just a little bit.  The fact is that the vast majority of children have no need for GPS tracking.  They will go through their lives and never need the safety of always having their location just a moment away from being known by their parent.  Running a little late, being alone at a park after baseball practice, and playing hooky with a friend instead of being where they are supposed to be are all  normal activities for kids to be doing at some point in their life.  You probably did the same thing and your parents didn’t need a GPS device to keep tabs on you.

However, if you are person who works in Mexico City or some other place that routinely has kidnappings then it might be a good idea to get a GPS tracking device for your children so that when Man on Fire happens to you and your family, your Denzel Washington will be able to kick the crap out of the bad kidnappers who stole your Dakota Fanning.

Now that we have established three legitimate reasons to go out and purchase some sort of GPS tracking device for your child, it  begs the question, “What devices can I get that will provide GPS tracking for kids?”

Device That Use GPS Tracking For Kids

There are three main devices that you are going to find around the web and in stores that will assist you in keeping tabs on your child: gps tracking watches, covert GPS trackers, and kids GPS phones.

GPS tracking watches are a small, reliable, and kid friendly option for parents seeking to use GPS tracking with their children.  These devices are exactly what their name sounds like – they are a GPS tracking device that fits on the wrist of your child.  There are a couple of different brands available, but none of them are household names (certainly not Garmin, TomTom, or Magellan if that is what you were hoping for – though Garmin does offer a fitness GPS watch).  Some of the watches look a little funky, but in general they do provide you with what you are expecting.

In general, a GPS watch for kids is going to look a little bulky on their wrist, have some extravagantly ugly colors, and will probably throw up warning signals to any would be villain to get rid of the watch ASAP.  These devices are probably not as easy at GPS phones to get your child to use, but being attached at the wrist may make them less likely to be randomly lost.

The next option for parents to consider is covert GPS tracking for kids.  Again, there are a variety of different implementations to consider when going the covert route.  Do I go with a GPS in the shoe, teddy bear, coat, or backpack?  Do I go with a build in device or do I find something that I sew or attach myself?  How you answer these questions will determine what product you purchase.

The amount of information that you are going to get with a more covert approach to tracking is the same as what you would find with a a tracking watch, but the idea is that these covert trackers will escape detection for a very significant period of time.  If the device is hidden well enough in a “necessary” piece of equipment or apparel then you are almost certain that you will be able to find your child in any and all circumstances.

And finally, we have kids GPS phones.  These are kids cell phones that have integrated GPS technology so that they can get an accurate read on the phones position under almost any circumstance provided that the phone is on.

This combination of cell phone and GPS technology is very powerful.  A GPS signal will be able to give position information if the phone cannot use cell towers to establish a location, and cell towers can establish a location when a direct line of site with the sky has been obstructed by a car trunk, cement wall, or mound of dirt.  The cell phones power is in its usability in almost every circumstance.

This power is also its greatest weakness when considering it as a GPS tracking device for kids.  Everyone and there mother knows that cell phones can be used to communicate position information to the authorities.  This means that it is often the first thing to go if your child is in an emergency situation.  Kids GPS cell phones must be kept quiet and used very wisely by your child if it is to be effective at recovering them from something horrible.

In most normal conditions, kids GPS phones are great because they also let you talk directly with your child.  If they are late coming home, simply call them and ask them where they are – if what they tell you is different from what you computer is saying then you can deal with your child as you see fit.  The power to do so is now in your hands.

A Final Word On GPS Tracking For Kids

One thing that I haven’t mentioned yet but is very pertinent to our discussion here is the GPS tracking for kids costs money.  You are going to have to go in up front for a tracking device (whether it is a GPS tracking watch, covert GPS tracking device, or a kids GPS phone) and you are probably going to be hit with a reoccurring service charge every month to be able to use the tracking capability on the device.  This can add up to big money for a family already strapped for cash.

My advice is to think very carefully about using GPS tracking for kids and to only use it if it makes real sense given your family’s unique set of circumstances.

GPS Tracking Watches For Kids, Teens, and Adults

We have said it before and we will say it again – a GPS tracking watch is a great tool that can be used in a variety of different situations. In fact, we have outlined several unconventional ways that you can use these devices to enhance life and to do interesting things. But the question remains, “What is the right GPS tracking watch for me?” This is a question that will take some thoughtful consideration.

The first thing that you will want to consider is what will be the main reason you use your watch. If you are planning on purchasing a fitness watch mainly for the benefits that it offers then you are probably going to want to purchase a Garmin of one variety or another. Both Suunto and Timex offer fitness watches that have all the things that a Garmin watch will have – a heart rate monitor and all the metrics you’d expect with a GPS enabled watch – but their GPS is not integrated into the actual watch itself. Instead, you have to carry a pod with you on your run, bike, kayak, hike, swim, or walk. These things can be cumbersome and have a tendency to pull down your running shorts at the most inopportune times.

If you are looking for a kids GPS watch that can fit into your desire to keep your child secure there are a few different options available. However, the vast majority of these are still in the development stage. Another set back is that they normally have a significant up front fee in addition to a monthly service fee. The rates for these are comparable to a monthly cell phone charge. We are a little torn over who provides the best service and what the best route to go here is, but we definitely suggest that you contact the company you are looking to buy the watch from before making your purchase and ask them the questions that concern you the most.

Another avenue where GPS tracking is important is in keeping tabs on individuals with severe handicaps or dementia. Those suffering from Alzheimer’s can be particularly difficult to locate if they have wandered away from their home as they can quickly become disoriented and they have a significant problem communicating memory to people trying to help them. You want to maintain the dignity of those suffering from a mental of physical impairment but also want to keep them safe and secure through GPS technology. There a few items on the market for this now, but we expect GPS watches for Alzheimer’s and other impairments to increase over the next 5 years.

GPS technology is still in the early stages of being adopted in consumer products. This may not currently meet your needs of having the exact knowledge you want exactly when you want it, but it will in time. Just give it five to ten years and you will have access to a lot more information via GPS that you do today. It may even be the information that you are wanting right now.

Three Unconventional Uses of GPS Tracking Watches

Most GPS watches are used for fitness applications. They are light weight and durable, providing just what the serious athlete needs to gather information about their workout to push their bodies to the next level. But that is not all that GPS tracking watches are good for. In fact, they can be used for many different purposes. Here are three:

Measure Something

Have you ever wondered just how big your apartment complex is? How far your child walks to school? Or the approximate size of the lot you are thinking of purchasing? Well, most GPS watches are going to be able to perform these measurements for you – without having to spend a single cent on gasoline. All you have to do is have your watch on as you take a relaxing stroll around you apartment in the evening, or as you walk your kid to school, or as you survey your potential purchase. These powerful systems will silently track all your information for you – can can even set way points along the way to help you track specific portions of the trip or to help you find the exact spot where you began your measurements.

Most watches also allow you to interface with a computer mapping application. This can give you a satellite image of your journey. Not only will you have information concerning the object or distance you measured, but also you will now be able to process that information in the larger context of the world you live in.

Exploring

As mentioned above, GPS watches have the ability to set way points. One watch in particular, the Suunto X9i
, advertise this feature aggressively. Suunto likes to classify this as a ‘military’ feature, but most fitness GPS devices have a similar function. Way points are generally very useful.

It is particularly helpful in exploring unfamiliar territory – whether it be out in mother nature or in a new neighborhood or city. All you need to do is log your starting location into your watch and be amazed as it records electronic breadcrumbs for you to follow once you have explored to you hearts content. This makes it very easy to find you way back and takes a lot of the stress out of exploration.

Analyze Your Commute

A GPS tracker is also helpful if you want to take a closer look at your commute to and from work. With gas prices being what they are and looking to go even higher, making our driving time as efficient as we can is important to our pocket books and to the environment. All you need to do is have your GPS watch in tow, for this example lets consider you have the Garmin Forerunner 405. This model comes with a heart rate monitor, an addition that will add a nice little bit of information for our analysis.

By utlizing the heart rate monitor you will not only be recording the standard information found in a GPS tracking watch – speed, direction, altitude, and time – but you will also be able to see your heart rate. Does your commute make you particularly stressed? Do you sometimes feel burnt out after getting out of your car when you left work feeling fine? A your Garmin Forerunner 405 with heart rate monitor will help you see where and when changes in your heart rate occurred during your commute. You will even be able to see interesting information that you would normally never be able to see – how your heart rate responds to a crisis.

During rush hour many near accidents occur. When this happens and we are wearing our GPS watch we will be able to see exactly how these near accidents affect our heart rate. This is really interesting information and it is all made possible by your GPS tracking watch! You can share this information with your children and get them excited about their own GPS kids device.

GPS tracking watches have tons of possible uses and applications in a variety of daily activities. The ability of these devices is improve our understanding of the world around is immense if we are willing to be imaginative enough to utilize them to their fullest potential. GPS technology is simply a tool waiting to be used.

 

Garmin GPS Tracking Watches For Fitness

Any fitness regimen can be enhanced through the use of a GPS tracking watch. They can provide precise travel information ranging from the extremely common to the outrageously awesome. A GPS watch is still a watch, so it can tell you what time it is as well as give you a precise start and end time for your exercise activity. But that it is also a GPS so it can leave electronic breadcrumbs like a digital version of Hansel a Gretel (but without the creepy witch who wants to stick you in an oven and eat you). When paired with a heart rate monitor that invisibly transmits data to your watch it can become one of the most powerful tools in the training athlete’s arsenal. They do this by assisting athletes in analyzing the relationships between heart rate, speed and the changing elevation of the course that is being run, biked, or even swam (swimming only available on selected watches).

Many of these watches also let you download this information onto your computer to interact with different types of mapping software. This allows you to interact with your workouts in a way that would be nearly impossible without it happening automatically in the watch’s computer. The mapping features will let you know which parts of your routine caused you to work the hardest. Some models and services even suggest workouts for you to help you improve your fitness level.

Garmin currently offers 7 models of GPS tracking watches specifically designed for fitness applications. Of these seven models, four also come with a heart rate monitor. Heart rate monitors are devices that strap around your sternum, with the pickup resting on your chest while an elastic band wraps around your back. As mentioned above, these monitors offer much more information to the user and are highly recommended for those seeking to maximize the potential use of their device.

Prices for these models can range anywhere from $99.99 to around $450.00 for the seven models. While you definitely do not need to spend that type of money, these devices can add significant value to activities you already enjoy or need to do for health reasons. Sacrificing twenty nights out at the movies or bringing a sack lunch to work on forty different days might be a trade off you are willing to make to buy one of these devices.

Below is a list of links(affiliate) to each of the specific Garmin products along with a brief description about them:

Forerunner 50

This is actually not technically a GPS device. Instead it is more like a fancy pedometer that has some of the same functionality that you will find with the other Garmin GPS tracking watches. It is the cheapest of the watches for this reason. There are versions of it available that have a heart rate monitor so this might be a good option for those just starting out using a watch to assist their fitness regimen.

The watch uses a foot pod to measure the distance that a user has traveled. This technology counts each step that a runner, walker, or hiker makes and then tries and determine the distance traveled by using an average of their step distance multiplied by the number of steps taken. This provides a decent approximation of the distance traveled, but it really falls apart when hilly terrain is being traversed. Running up hill shortens the gait while running downhill elongates the gait. Most step counters do not compensate for this discrepancy like a GPS device would because it does not actually measure the distance traveled.

This device should probably only be purchased by those looking to keep costs down or who do not train seriously enough to warrant a full fledged GPS tracking watch.

Forerunner 101

This is Garmin’s entry level GPS device for runners, athletes, and walkers. It can seem a little difficult to set up if you don’t have any GPS knowledge, but other than that this device delivers exactly what it promises – a reliable watch that tracks what you want it to. It is supposed to store up to 2 years of training information and has all the features that you would want on a GPS watch. There is no heart monitor with this device.

The price on this product is decent, but there are much newer models that really have eclipsed this watch. The greatest shortcoming for those who are really looking to improve their overall fitness level is that no heart rate monitor can accompany this watch. As a result you are left without all the important information that will help you push yourself into the next training level.

Runners of all levels should look elsewhere for a fitness watch to meet their needs unless you can find one at a ridiculous price.

Forerunner 201

The next tier up on the *01 series of watches is the 201. This device offers the increased ease of rechargeable lithium ion battery over against the Forerunner 101. This device is also Garmin Connect (Garmin Connect is an online training tool) and Garmin Training Center compatible. These two programs let you seamlessly record your information of your PC and provide powerful tools to help you analyze your workout, giving it some more training edge over its older counterpart.

It, however, lacks support for a heart rate monitor in addition to being a relatively overpriced piece of equipment. I would again steer clear of this watch as its blend of features and price tag do not make it worth the money to buy – at least not new anyway. If you can get this used for a price well below $100 you have probably found a good price, otherwise pass on this watch and get the Forerunner 305 or 405. They are much better watches.

Forerunner 301

The 301 is the first in the *01 series of watches that comes with a heart rate monitor. It also has several improvements in the interface allowing you to scroll through past workouts, change sports in the middle of workouts (read triathletes), and the ability to create custom, goal oriented workouts. It too has access to Garmin Connect and the Garmin Training Center. This watch is by far the most advanced of the *01 watches.

Forerunner 205

Summary coming soon!

Forerunner 305

Summary coming soon!

Forerunner 405

Summary coming soon!