Review of Zoombak GPS Tracking

There has been a lot of interest in a new GPS device from liberty media (owner of the home shopping network) we were recently approached to become a distributor for this system so we put it through all the basic tests and review process we do for any new product.

This product is marketed as a one size fits all solution for Tracking both cars and people. Over 5 years of testing hundreds of gps tracking devices has made it clear to us that there are very different requirements for tracking people and cars.

Review:

Pros: Low price for basic functionality. If you do not plan to use the system for serious tracking or need

Issues:

• Battery Life - Short life of 2-3 days
• Update rate - 15 min tracking is far to slow to gather useful data. just a few dots scattered on the basic map
• No history reports - a history report can give a summary of activity over a week or a month or a year and point out any potential problems
• Basic maps with no overview photos

Issues while tracking a car :

• Not motion activated when battery powered - this wastes battery power when the car is parked overnight the result is very short 2-3 day battery life)
• No ignition sensing when powered by car electrical system - this means you do not know if the car is parked or in running, no way to see where the car stopped
• No speed monitoring or alerts- how will you know if your teen or employee is speeding?

Issues while tracking a person or asset:

• Does not locate indoors - requires a clear line of sight to at least 3-4 satellites - People spend a lot of time indoors so this is a problem
• Short Battery life 2-3 days was the best we could get from this unit. at this rate we expect most people would not be able to commit to keeping it charged. Most clients say that charging once a week is acceptable but once a month is more realistic.

In summary this device fails to live up to the marketing. There are much better systems designed both battery powered with over 30 days of power and wired systems that will update every 5-10 seconds. For personal or asset tracking there are gps trackers that can last over a week and locate even in a basement with no windows.

Cons

• Sensitivity for indoor use is poor
• Cellular network coverage using T-Mobile is spotty in some areas which can cause inaccurate readings.
• No historical reporting
• ON-Demand Only location requests – nothing is automated. This means you have to initiate a location request.
• No Speed Reporting
• No Alerts if vehicle speed threshold is broken.
• No mileage reports or driving logs
• Continuous tracking only available for 1 hour at a time and you have to manually initiate each time 60 minutes.
• Some Zoombak.com website glitches under IE7
• Location requests sent from a cell phone (text messages) didn't work, even though the website advertises it as a feature
• Map Reports Unimpressive (2D only, no satellite imagery)
• Location history only keeps 7 days worth of data

But don’t take our word for it. Check out this unbiased review from GPS Magazine

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2008/03/zoombak_gps_car_family_locator.php