I recently needed a GPS tracker for a sting operation (Operation Peace on Earth) in which I would place a tracker on a bag in hopes it would get stolen.
My first reaction when seeing this tracker was, “It’s bigger than I thought.” It’s about three inches wide, one inch deep, and circular—so not exactly covert if you’re trying to track a person. It’s clearly designed for larger objects such as cars. Still, it was small enough to fit inside my box and could easily be used to track bags or be hidden inside a larger stuffed animal. The hockey-puck-sized device charges via micro-USB and has some LEDs on the dome-shaped top. On the bottom, there’s a QR code that allows you to pair the device with the SilverCloud app.
According to the Play Store, the app has compatibility issues with the Galaxy S24 Ultra running One UI 7, but in my experience, it ran well enough. The app is simple—allowing you to turn the lights on or off, see the tracker on a map, and set the interval for GPS updates. The default is every three minutes, but it can be set up to one hour. Clicking the red dot shows the address of the device (accurate to within a few feet outdoors in my testing) and lets you create a geofence. Unfortunately, the geofence is just a basic circle, not a custom shape. If the tracker is moving, the app also displays its speed in miles per hour.
There’s also web access—clicking Share Location lets you view the tracker’s position in a browser. The maps in both the app and browser are Google Maps satellite view, but they have some limitations. You can’t rotate the map like in regular Google Maps, which can make it harder to get your bearings. Also, the display only shows the address, not exact coordinates—meaning you can’t easily import the data into a more advanced mapping tool like Google Earth.
The app’s Playback feature is decent. Since the tracker only sends location updates as often as every three minutes, playback shows long straight lines rather than the true real-life path a car or object took. It’s also a bit laggy and janky. Battery life depends on your GPS update interval—at maximum efficiency, it can last up to two weeks. In my testing, it was still at 100% after one day of use.
Now, my biggest criticism: cost. The tracker itself is only $10, which is a good deal—but the data plan is absurdly overpriced. The device can send at most 7,200 location pings before the battery dies (20 signals an hour, 24 hours a day, for 15 days)—and that’s only if it’s constantly moving. The device also “sleeps” between updates and cannot be pinged on demand for real-time location. Transmitting GPS coordinates uses nowhere near 1 GB of data a month, yet they charge $19.99/month as if it’s a high-capacity mobile plan. There’s no SIM card slot, so you’re locked into Land Air Sea’s overpriced service.
That said, the tracker is accurate, durable, and did exactly what I needed it to do. 3.5 satrs
God bless, and Tech Talk To You Later!!! SSALTW!!
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