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Reliable GPS tracking through connectivity IoT platform

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IoT Use Case - A1 Digital + Tractive
4 minutes Reading time
4 minutes Reading time

Founded in 2012 in Pasching, Tractive GmbH has become the global market leader in GPS tracking for dogs and cats in ten years. Rapid growth would not have been possible without the professional support of our core partners. A1 Digital has been a connectivity partner from the start and has supported us well in our global scale”, explains Michael Hurnaus, CEO & Co-Founder of Tractive GmbH.

Tractive offers its customers a handy GPS solution for pets. This makes it possible to synchronize the pet’s location data via A1 Digital’s global IoT network. This allows pet owners to retrieve the current location of their pet in real time.

The challenge: Stable network coverage regardless of location

Many device manufacturers today have the challenge of remotely monitoring the activity of their devices in real time and tracking their movement in an area – either for themselves or as a technical requirement for a business model. Taking this use case as an example, this means that Pasching-based Tractive GmbH is developing special GPS trackers for pets and a matching app for pet owners.

Because Tractive customers rely on knowing reliably in real time where their pet is currently located at all times with a glance, constant and reliable connection is necessary – no matter where. The prerequisite is therefore stable network coverage. Particularly when tracking in regions with poor infrastructure or in areas close to the border, there is a risk of connection interruptions due to lack of network coverage when using only one mobile provider. So Tractive had to find a SIM card provider that allows the use of multiple mobile networks with only one SIM card.

The solution: M2M SIM management with SIMplify platform

To ensure global connectivity for its customers, Tractive relies on A1 Digital’s managed connectivity solution with its multi-network SIM cards/chips. A1 Digital’s M2M SIM cards/chips use virtually any available mobile network. If there is no or poor network coverage at the place of use, the SIM automatically switches to the mobile network with the best coverage as part of the roaming tariff to ensure data flow – worldwide. Even tracking close to the border is no problem with this.

The tracker is equipped with a robust SIM chip. The compact SIM chips are permanently installed in the GPS trackers. SIM chips and data are managed via a dedicated platform, the Bulk SIM Management Platform SIMplify. In addition to worldwide use, the SIM chips are characterized above all by the fact that they can withstand even extreme situations and conditions such as heat, cold or vibrations.

The result: Accurate location anytime, anywhere plus IoT backend platform for providers

The 35g lightweight GPS units attach to the pet’s collar. They are very robust, 100 percent waterproof – even in salty seawater – and almost unbreakable. The trackers work over any distance and have an unlimited range. The battery-powered trackers easily detach from the pet’s collar for charging. According to the manufacturer, the battery lasts up to five days when fully charged, depending on the usage intensity.

The GPS tracker allows pet owners to accurately locate their pet anytime, anywhere. The multi-network SIM chip automatically dials into the mobile network with the best coverage as part of the roaming rate.

Owners retrieve the exact location of the device directly via Tractive’s own smartphone apps or via a web browser. The Tractive solution also offers the possibility of using an integrated virtual fence. Users can use a virtual fence to define safe areas where the device, in the example case the animal with the tracker on its collar, is allowed to stay. If the device leaves this predefined secure zone (geofence), the owner is immediately informed via a message on the smartphone.

The IoT backend platform SIMplify is additionally used by Tractive for diagnostic purposes, for example to perform individual fault analysis of individual SIM chips.

In application

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