When using drone, have you ever worry about losing your expensive drone? And how to protect and find your losing drone?
It is a real nightmare for a drone hobbyist or pro losing a highly-valued drone investment due to signal interference, a bad weather, or due to other devices. It can be very frustrating looking for hours on vast landscapes and even secluded forest areas for a lost expensive drone. If you don’t want your drone to be missing, you have to be crazy prepared and invest in a reliable drone tracker for your peace of mind. It can be overwhelming choosing the right brand of drone tracker, so it pays off knowing the best features and specs you need, including the the advantages and drawbacks, as well as what existing customers have to say about a particular drone locator.
Our Top Picks
For these reasons, we have compiled the best drone trackers this year to help find lost drones so you can make a smart decision on your next purchase. Let’s get started and find out the most sought drone trackers today!
List of the Best Drone Trackers
Table of Contents
- List of the Best Drone Trackers
- #1. Trackimo GPS Tracker Guardian 3G
- #2. Marco Polo Drone Model Rocket Location and Recovery System
- #3. Trackimo Multi-Purpose 3G GPS Tracker
- #4. Loc8Tor Lite Mini Homing Tag and Handheld Locator for Lost or Misplaced Items
- #5. FindtheDrone, Drone Communicator, Find the Drone, GPS, Text, Cell by DroneScape
- #6. Scout Universal Vehicle GPS Tracker with Anti-Theft and Real-Time GPS Location
- #7. AMERICALOC GL300W Mini Portable Real Time GPS Tracker – XW Series
- Buying Guide to Drone Trackers
#1. Trackimo GPS Tracker Guardian 3G
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The Trackimo GPS Tracker is portable and tracks real-time. It is great for tracking drones, luggage, remote controlled objects, vehicles, pets, and people. You only have to spend $5 a month for the maintenance cost after the first 12 months service period. Trackimo has the cheapest monthly service cost among other brands of tracking devices available worldwide. There are also no roaming fees included. It can be tracked using your smartphone app or via the Internet anywhere with worldwide GSM cellular reception.
Just press the SOS button and the location is broadcast through email, text message, or app notification. With real-time tracking, the GSM and GPS provide highly accurate and instant location, as well as 5 years of tracking history. The Smart Alerts involve sending information via different modes with customized thresholds of speed, impact, or sudden movement.
Conclusion: Now, you have a tracking device that can help you know the exact location of your drone or any valuable item you desire. The Trackimo brand is one of the best GPS tracker for drone on the market right now.
- Real-time tracking
- Accurate
- Worldwide coverage
- Limited text message
#2. Marco Polo Drone Model Rocket Location and Recovery System
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With the help of Marco Polo RC Aircraft Model Recovery System, you can provide utmost protection to your huge RC aircraft investment. It is a long-range tracker that can reach up to 2 miles of line-of-sight. It works almost everywhere you desire to fly without needing cellular service and GPS reception, without any monthly fees.
If you are worried about the 12 grams weight of the Marco Polo new tag transceiver, don’t be because it won’t affect the performance of your aircraft, giving you up to a maximum of 10 days just to locate the model you want to find. Because the Marco Polo tracker doesn’t transmit any RF energy, it won’t interfere with onboard radio systems, until it is activated by the ground hand-held locator. You can place the tracker into search mode in a long-range fly away, heading off in the crash site’s general direction. When it comes to performing a grid search, this locator searches every inch of the surrounding area whenever you move. It guides you per inch to the exact and precise location. You can add up to 2 extra tag transceivers at any time. It’s compatible with a pet and RC tracking tags.
Conclusion: The Marco Polo locator is simple and easy to set up and use by just pushing a single button to start searching for your lost RC model. It has a real-time distance as well as instant direction feedback. It works almost everywhere like no GPS areas and cell network places. No monthly service costs.
- No cell reception worries
- Clear and visible direction
- Easy to use
- Well-made
- Expensive
#3. Trackimo Multi-Purpose 3G GPS Tracker
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The Trackimo Multi-Purpose 3G GPS Tracker has a worldwide coverage. You can track it anywhere in the world in areas where there is cellular reception without roaming data charges or additional cost. With the Smart Alert, this locator provides an alert on change of location, speed limits, sudden impact or movement, triggered by the user whenever you press the SOS button. The alerts or notifications are received through text, email, and smartphone apps.
You can define boundaries or “fences” on any map area, and you can get alerts whenever the tracker crosses any virtual fence border. When activating the locator, you need to access the application using your desktop, smartphone or tablet. After the first day, tracking is fast and easy. It comes with a weatherproof silicone case, belt-pouch, micro-USB cable charger, and magnetic stripe attachment.
Conclusion: This Trackimo personal GPS tracker is lightweight, small, and multi-purpose. It allows you to track drones, pets, phones, and people with real-time tracking and great durability.
- Worldwide coverage
- Compact
- Real-time tracking
- Durable
- Lightweight
- Further testing required
#4. Loc8Tor Lite Mini Homing Tag and Handheld Locator for Lost or Misplaced Items
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This locator can help you in finding missing items such as phones, keys, pets, or even kids by leading you to your belongings. With the LEDs present on the handheld unit, it can lead you up to four registered homing tags. After activating the attached beacon, you will hear the chirping sound and you’ll see the flashes too. It includes adhesive squares, two mini homing tags, and two key ring loops.
The Loc8tor Lite Tracker has an estimated measurement of 11 x 5.5 x 1.5 centimeters. A Mini Homing Tag measures 3.5 x 1.95 x 0.85 centimeters. This device can help you find your things easily and quickly even if you cannot remember where you place them or if someone hid them. It is so easy to use with less hassle and stress. The handset provides you reliable audio and visual cues, leading you straight to what you are exactly looking for. It has a 1-inch accuracy that other device cannot reach.
Conclusion: The Loc8tor Lite works through the walls and doors with a range reaching up to 122 meters or 400 feet in a clear line of sight. This would help ensure that you won’t lose your important things again. It is the lightest, smallest, and best performing homing tag in the world.
- Great tracker
- Excellent drone recovery
- Easy to user-defined
- Huge new tags
#5. FindtheDrone, Drone Communicator, Find the Drone, GPS, Text, Cell by DroneScape
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FindtheDrone refers to a ready-to-go system to directly communicate with your highly valued drone. Now, you can find your drone through your smartphone text message and real-time GPS with Google maps It has a customized application for tracking drone via Google Mapes using the geo-fence capability, speed, and location history. It comes with a free app which is available in Android Play Store and Apple Store.
With FindtheDrone, you can now call your drone and vice versa. It uses the 2G network of T-Mobile, arriving fully activated. It comes with a full-featured phone number that is activated for the area code of your residence. With only as low $5 per month, you can take advantage the alerts and benefits is GPS, text, and cell. It sends the accurate status of your drone including speed, time, tracking, and location.
Conclusion: Drones are very expensive so you need to protect your investment. You can have fun with the help of FindtheDrone capabilities. You can attach it to any part of any drone. Just be sure to attach the Velcro onto a spot that’s solid and flat.
- Great drone tracker
- Easy to use
- Good quality
- Long-lasting battery
- Doesn’t work internationally
#6. Scout Universal Vehicle GPS Tracker with Anti-Theft and Real-Time GPS Location
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The Scout is the only Refurbished GPS Units that comes with a Lifetime Replacement Warranty. It is made in the United States, so the highest quality is guaranteed. It works worldwide without paying a monthly plan. You can track your motorcycle, car, boat, ATV, or jet ski with Scout. It has a real-time reporting with information or status sent via your desktop browser or mobile device. It comes with a universal hardwire kit.
In fact, the Scout is first ever location tracker offering vibration sensing, cellular, GPS, Bluetooth, and an acceleration meter in a compact and single device. It is not just a reliable tracker because Scout can also detect speed and head, as well as keep recent locations history. It can work on any vehicle like cars, ATVs, boats, PWC, and also drones. This locator is hard-wired and concealed in 10 minutes or less to your watercraft, golf cart, ATV, motorcycle, and side-by-side with universal adapter included. You can also use it in tracking off-road vehicles, cars, and boats.
Locating your Scout comes in real-time anywhere around the world with the use of Scout’s free apps even if you are miles away, providing a precise real-time location with mobile service available. Your Scout device will always give a 100% charge with a power source connected through a supplied adapter. It goes to sleep when you’re not using it so your battery won’t drain. It has sufficient onboard battery capacity, lasting for many weeks during sleep mode.
Conclusion: This Scout tracker is very durable and water-resistant. It is specifically designed to withstand the mud and water in most ATVs and motorcycles, handling all the bumps and bumps you throw at it.
- Works well
- Great for motorcycles
- Easy to install
- Costly monthly plan
#7. AMERICALOC GL300W Mini Portable Real Time GPS Tracker – XW Series
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This portable GPS Tracker is perfect for locating vehicles, drones, people, and assets. It is the new version of the popular GL300. The maintenance service costs $25 a month and you can cancel it anytime. It has an extended multi-carrier coverage without activation charge or hidden fees. It is ready-to-use right away. Be cautious of using cheaper trackers with less coverage or poor battery life.
The AMERICALOC GL300W XW Series Portable GPS Tracker can be tracked via smartphones, tablets, computer, or app. It works in the United States, Europe, Canada, and almost any country in the world. It provides one-minute location updates whenever it moves, configuring location updates every hour, 30 seconds, and 10 seconds without additional cost.
Conclusion: The AMERICALOC GL300W XW Series Portable GPS Tracker is a very good investment that can track almost anything without paying expensive fees.
- Compact
- No activation fees
- Track almost anything
- Easy configuration
- Short battery life
Buying Guide to Drone Trackers
1. Tracking Capabilities
GPS using Google Maps is a common tracking method used for drone trackers. The tracking capability of the device depends on the signal strength and maintenance of a powerful signal even in varying altitudes. GMS tracking is also utilized using cellular data networks like 2G, 3G, or 4G. Many brands come both in GSM and GPS tracking. Locations are tracked usually in inches.
2. Notification and Updates
It is best to choose a drone tracker that can provide you with alerts and updates via email, text messages, apps, and other communication methods.
3. Associated Fees
There are brands or companies with activation fees and monthly subscription charges. Of course, expect better service with additional benefits with attached fees. But you can also choose free services if you don’t really need to track high-value items or used for simple tracking only.
4. Coverage
You’ll find worldwide coverage for most drone tracking devices. This is a huge advantage if you have plans using it abroad, otherwise, you can just opt-in to domestic trackers.
5. Battery Life
Of course, you want a drone tracker with superb battery life to avoid interrupting your search. Check the specifications every time. With point-to-point technology adapted by some drone trackers, they don’t need any cellular services and efficiently works on RF technology.
6. Price
The prices of drone trackers differ from one brand to another. Do not let the price be your number one priority. It is not good to compromise quality for a cheaper price. But of course, if you are on a tight budget, you can always go in the mid-range with decent features. Besides, you will be tracking an expensive investment like your vehicle or drone.
Final Verdict: Now, you are more equipped with the right knowledge, skills, and attitude in choosing the best drone tracker for you. You are more confident and have the peace of mind because you know what to look for depending on your needs and preferences. Of course, the choice will highly depend on the item you want to track regularly. Enjoy shopping for a drone tracker now!
More: 10 tips and tricks on how to master drone photography like a pro.
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