How the TailMe Pro Range Trackers Save Battery While Keeping Your Pet Safe
When it comes to GPS pet trackers, two things matter most: reliable location tracking and long battery life. But did you know these two goals can sometimes pull in opposite directions?
That’s why our TailMe Pro range uses a smart combination of technologies to strike the perfect balance between performance and battery preservation — so your tracker works when you need it, without needing constant charging.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the Pro trackers pull this off.
Everything Uses Power — So We Manage It Smartly
Every feature on your pet’s tracker draws power — from the LED light and sleep timers to motion sensors, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and the cellular (4G/NB-IoT) connection. The trick is managing each component efficiently so your pet’s tracker can deliver accurate information without draining the battery unnecessarily.
We’ve engineered the Pro range to run smartly in two main modes:
- Home Mode (when your pet is near home or a familiar place)
- Away Mode (when your pet leaves that familiar area)
Let’s break down how the major power-hungry components are optimized.
1. The Cellular Connection
Cell networks, especially 4G, consume significant power. They’re designed for high-speed data, calls, and messages — features your pet doesn’t need. That’s why we use NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT), a low-power cellular protocol perfect for pet trackers. It uses a broader frequency band and is slower, but it dramatically reduces power consumption while still giving reliable connectivity.
On top of that, the tracker doesn’t maintain a continuous cellular connection. Instead, it connects only when needed. If the tracker is in Home Mode (identified via a nearby Bluetooth beacon or WiFi network), it conserves power by staying offline most of the time. This helps extend battery life significantly.
📉 Bottom line: Keeping the data connection off as much as possible = big battery savings.
2. GPS — The Biggest Power Drainer
GPS chips are notorious for draining batteries quickly, especially when running continuously. So the tracker uses intelligent logic to limit GPS usage and fall back on other positioning methods when necessary.
Here’s how it works:
- Indoors: GPS signals are weak. The tracker will try for a short while to get a satellite fix. If it fails (typically within a minute or two), it stops trying to prevent draining the battery and instead uses WiFi or cell tower triangulation to give you a general idea of where your pet is.
- Outdoors: GPS signals are much easier to lock onto. In good conditions, it can get a location fix in just 6 seconds, which uses up to 20x less power than waiting for a longer fix.
📍 Smart timeout logic and switching between tracking methods ensures you get the info you need without burning through the battery.
3. Bluetooth — Tiny Range, Huge Efficiency
Bluetooth is the tracker’s best friend when it comes to power saving. It’s thousands of times more efficient than cellular data or GPS. So the tracker always checks for a Bluetooth beacon first.
If it finds one (like your home base), it knows it’s safe to go into low-power mode. The app still shows your pet’s last known location, and because Bluetooth has such a short range, it means your pet must be nearby.
Want Real-Time Tracking? You Have Two Options:
Sometimes, you need to actively track your pet. The Pro range gives you two ways to do this:
Option A: You’re Nearby
If your phone is within Bluetooth range of the tracker, you can use the app to locate your pet precisely, since Bluetooth is highly accurate over short distances.
Option B: Your Pet is Far Away
You can activate Live Tracking Mode in the app. This tells the tracker to wake up and connect via GPS and NB-IoT. To save battery, the tracker queues the command and will activate it the next time it checks in — which happens more often when your pet is outdoors (not near a Bluetooth beacon).
📦 Live tracking uses more power, but it’s available when you really need it.
Final Thought: It’s All About Smart Balance
Your tracker doesn’t just blast all its sensors 24/7 — that would drain the battery in no time. Instead, it uses a smart mix of location methods, sleep modes, and power-aware design choices to deliver maximum performance with minimum battery use.
So while your TailMe Pro tracker might look small, it’s packed with clever engineering to help keep your furry friend safe — and your battery alive.
Would you like to know more about how the Pro range compares to our other trackers? Or tips for getting the longest battery life? Let us know — we’re here to help.
