A must have for adventurous lone workers
The Security News Desk team were given access to a SPOT Gen3™ GPS tracker billed as “The Must-have Safety Gadget For All Adventurers and Remote Workers”
It is a pocket-sized, affordable device for rescue, tracking and messaging where there is no mobile phone network. Its enhanced features including motion-activated tracking and it has been credited with 3,500 rescues globally and is manufactured by SPOT LLC.
SPOT LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Globalstar Inc. and leader in satellite messaging and emergency notification technologies .The SPOT Gen3™ is the latest version of SPOT’s satellite powered personal GPS messenger, and automatically updates the user’s location on Google Maps™.
SPOT satellite coverage spans the world, including Europe, Canada, continental United States, Mexico, Australia, Africa, much of South America and North-Eastern Asia as well as hundreds of thousands of miles offshore of these areas.
Taking this into account the Security News Desk team had trips to the Middle East and Ireland planned, no better opportunity to test the device. The first trip by Peter Mawson, the Commercial Director and his thoughts are below:
“Whilst I may be a seasoned traveller I’m certainly not a master of Technology, so when asked to ‘test’ the Globalstar emergency satellite tracking device I was slightly apprehensive.
That said I was pleasantly surprised, I was able to operate the device with ease, a simple power up, give it a moment to locate and you’re away…. Being tracked and able to ‘call’ for help should you need it.
I ventured to Dubai on my test where I found connectivity to be good and my colleagues tell me the ‘tracking’ element worked well as they could see which hotel I was in when I hit the relevant button via Google maps.
I’ve not carried a device like the Globalstar product before but I see its relevance in mixed and varied environments and certainly felt like I wasn’t alone throughout the test. If there had have been a problem one button would have alerted my colleagues so action could be taken and my location would have been resolved within metres, which I found particularly impressive. In all I thought the device offered a good level of personal security and was easy to use – I’d be happier knowing my back packing kids where carrying one should they ever choose to explore the outback, that’s for sure.
The design was functional and not overpowering, the device retains simplicity with technology and it was robust enough to survive a week with me so it has to be a good 8/10!
It was then Security News Desks Managing Director Philip Ingram’s chance to test the device on his travels. Ireland via ferry from Holyhead in North Wales and this time the SPOT Gen3™ was set to a 10 minute transmit and in the front of a car. This usage is a typical scenario for a remote worker or a security team on patrol. In addition the device had been pre programmed with a text message report “all ok” when the button was pushed.
Tracked from Birmingham to Holyhead an icon appeared at regular intervals along the whole route without having to do anything. At various points the message button was pushed and I got a reassuring email telling me I was ok. Had I had a text package I would have received a reassuring text.
The middle if the Irish sea in a force 8 gale did nothing to stop the tracking when I was on deck, the 2inch steel decks disrupted the GPS signal when down below. From Dublin up to Northern Ireland the reassuring route being tracked on goggle maps gave an accurate log of the journey.
In all, a very easy product to set up and use. The best thing about it is, it did what it said and did it well, allowing those with the login details to follow my journey through the SPOT website. From a practical perspective, the battery life was excellent (lasted the 2 months we had it and were a synch to change if we had needed to albeit you needed lithium ones if you didn’t have rechargeable batteries) and the variety of power options proved very versatile. It was weathertight and definitely knock proof and didn’t stop for a moment.
This product is clearly aimed at the adventurous travelling market for people heading off to far flung locations and it would certainly add a peace of mind in todays uncertain times. However, it is equally well suited to lone workers and mobile guarding companies who want to track and monitor their visits and patrols with the ability to check in at the touch of a button or call for help in an equally easy manner.
