Child / Teen tracking devices - don't work??

BrandiJo

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the USB one is kinda creepy... i carry mine with me constantly id hate for my parnets to know everywhere iv been and at what time i was there
 

CuongNhuka

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Don't they have implants for dogs? How do they work?

They work my having memory. Our cat has one (they work with any animal). It has her name, or moms name, our address, and a few other details saved onto it. It's set up like a word doc. It isn't so much to help find your pet, but to help your pet get returned to you if found.

and good luck with your son shesulsa.
 

wesley

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i must say that, parents who think they can track their teen's in such a way are asking for trouble...just about any teen in this day and age has a greater understanding of these types of tech than their parents...therefore..can figure out ways to fool/disable these devices.
all the cell phones i've seen with them in it have a menu with which it can be turned off anyways.
most people dont realize that teens are fairly smart when it comes to this sort of thing, afterall, finding ways to escape your parents has been a teen priority for thousands of years anyways.lol
 

CuongNhuka

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i must say that, parents who think they can track their teen's in such a way are asking for trouble...just about any teen in this day and age has a greater understanding of these types of tech than their parents...therefore..can figure out ways to fool/disable these devices.
all the cell phones i've seen with them in it have a menu with which it can be turned off anyways.
most people dont realize that teens are fairly smart when it comes to this sort of thing, afterall, finding ways to escape your parents has been a teen priority for thousands of years anyways.lol

True... but what you may or may not have realised is something about Shesulsa's son. He's autistic. So her being able to track him may be whats best for him. From her story it sounds like he never bothered to try to take it off. And if you say something about how I wouldn't know, I'm 16.
 

Ninjamom

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On the issues of size and power:

This article just hit the news, describing how the US Government has warned classified military contractors about transmitters found hidden inside fake coins. I recall reading about similar 'spy technology', the idea being that you don't need a big battery or a large power source, if you use a burst transmitter. Think of high-power emergency beacons, or even the intermittent setting on your windshield wipers. Both work by having a relay on a capacitor. Charge is stored slowly from a low power source, then released in a burst. If all you are interested in is providing a burst of information that includes location, it would not require a large power source at all.

Also, you don't need a large transmitting antena, as long as you have a large receiving antena.

Anyway, as a safety measure, I think it would be great to get cell phones with an optional feature that may be turned on/off by the user that provides an emergency locator beacon, and just flashes out the GPS location with a short transmission burst.
 

Carol

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On the issues of size and power:

Also, you don't need a large transmitting antena, as long as you have a large receiving antena.

Size doesn't matter in that way.

The size of an antenna and its elements are shaped to match the size of the wavelength (or a fraction thereof). Satellite signals = small wavelength = small antenna. The elements of a GPS antenna are typically 2 mm in size.

What does matter is positioning of the antenna. An antenna mounted to a tower on top of a tall building is generally going to result in better transmission/reception than an element in someone's shoe. The height of the building seperates the antenna from the miscellaneous chaff that causes interference.

Anyway, as a safety measure, I think it would be great to get cell phones with an optional feature that may be turned on/off by the user that provides an emergency locator beacon, and just flashes out the GPS location with a short transmission burst.

Many current cell phones offer such a feature. It cannot be turned on and off like a light switch....however....when enabled the GPS tracking feature is activated during a call to 911 (and only 911).
 

Ping898

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Gerogia - perhaps a new way to find your son in the not too distant future....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070209/ap_on_hi_te/gps_sneaker

Engineer: GPS shoes make people findable

MIAMI - Isaac Daniel calls the tiny Global Positioning System chip he's embedded into a line of sneakers "peace of mind." He wishes his 8-year-old son had been wearing them when he got a call from his school in 2002 saying the boy was missing. The worried father hopped a flight to Atlanta from New York where he had been on business to find the incident had been a miscommunication and his son was safe.
Days later, the engineer started working on a prototype of Quantum Satellite Technology, a line of $325 to $350 adult sneakers that hit shelves next month. It promises to locate the wearer anywhere in the world with the press of a button. A children's line will be out this summer.
......
It's the latest implementation of satellite-based navigation into everyday life — technology that can be found in everything from cell phones that help keep kids away from sexual predators to fitness watches that track heart rate and distance. Shoes aren't as easy to lose, unlike phones, watches and bracelets.
The sneakers work when the wearer presses a button on the shoe to activate the GPS. A wireless alert detailing the location is sent to a 24-hour monitoring service that costs an additional $19.95 a month.
In some emergencies — such as lost child or Alzheimer's patient — a parent, spouse or guardian can call the monitoring service, and operators can activate the GPS remotely and alert authorities if the caller can provide the correct password.
But the shoe is not meant for non-emergencies — like to find out if a teen is really at the library or a spouse is really on a business trip. If authorities are called and it is not an emergency, the wearer will incur all law enforcement costs, Daniel said.
Once the button is pressed, the shoe will transmit information until the battery runs out.
While other GPS gadgets often yield spotty results, Daniel says his company has spent millions of dollars and nearly two years of research to guarantee accuracy. The shoe's 2-inch-by-3-inch chip is tucked into the bottom of the shoe.
Experts say GPS accuracy often depends on how many satellites the system can tap into. Daniel's shoe and most GPS devices on the market rely on four.
"The technology is improving regularly. It's to the point where you can get fairly good reflection even in areas with a lot of tree coverage and skyscrapers," said Jessica Myers, a spokeswoman for Garmin International Inc., a leader in GPS technology based in Kansas. "You still need a pretty clear view of the sky to work effectively."
....
The GPS sneakers, available in six designs, resemble most other running shoes. The two silver buttons — one to activate and one to cancel — are inconspicuous near the shoelaces.
The company is selling 1,000 limited-edition shoes online and already has orders for 750, Daniel said.
Parents who buy the pricey kicks don't have to worry about their kids outgrowing them fast. This fall, the company is unveiling a plug-and-wear version that allows wearers to remove the electronics module from their old shoes and plug it into another pair of Daniel's sneaks.



Expensive now but with luck prices will go down in the future....
 

Infinite

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http://www.engadget.com/2005/12/15/more-on-loc8tor-personal-tracking-system/

So this would alert if he left the range of your house.

You could throw it in a shoe or buy a few and put them on jewlery or some other object. Most (if memory serves) Autistic children have a favorite item they carry everywhere if he does this would be a good thing to add this too.

It isn't perfect but at least you have a proximity warning if he decides to move further away then you expect.

--Infy.
 
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shesulsa

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Wow! Good info, guys! Thanks!! :)
 

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