We have now partnered up with Skinny (Thanks Skinny!) and they have kindly offered to supply us with their awesome prepay SIM card deals. This means, lower running costs and better overall nationwide coverage using Spark's super network!

With Skinny SIM's a top up as little as $5 may last a light user up to a year! While for more advanced escape artist pets $10-20 should be able to last a whole year of tracking.

If you have a Spark plan and share sim you'd rather use, this is OK too but contact us so we can take you through the SIM changing steps!

Please note Petrek 3G runs only on Spark/Skinny network and is not compatible with other networks.

 

The Petrek GPS uses a standard sized SIM card, so make sure you do not purchase any micro or mini SIM card packs while choosing a SIM card for your tracker.

Below is a guide to help you understand how much data and text your Petrek GPS uses and what plans to suit you.

Before installing the SIM card:
Make sure that the card is activated by the store or by yourself if you have a spare phone. Once activated make sure you set a pin setup for it and have it added onto a Vodafone or 2degrees account. This way you can make sure there is credit and be able to add credits in the future. Lack of credit can cause your Petrek GPS to not work as it will not be able to send any location updates.

NOTE: Vodafone now has a Pay and go prepay option which is perfect for Petrek GPS users, 2degree mobile also has the same prepay option but will charge more on small data. So before purchasing any sim card or plan, Read below first.

Data/Text usage:
Your Petrek GPS will only require using a tiny bit of data  to upload it’s location to your App or to send an alert such as an proximity alarm. Text is not really required unless you have an emergency and require someone to call the Petrek GPS to get a text location reply in order to help find your pet. Calling for text location is not recommended as it will decrease battery life significantly, so only use in emergency, i.e someone without an App helping you find your pet.

The Petrek only uses as little as 0.0017mb per update, we find the most active pets uses less than 1mb a day. Vodafone does not charge for much for small data so like many of our Petrek users who use power saving mode (One update every 2 hours) they do not get charged at all and thus a $20 top up would last a year even if you are on urgent 30 second update modes.

SIM card plans:
For the normal to active users, if you want to track your dog 24/7  or up to 20 hours a day at urgent or normal mode (30 second and 5 min updates) It is recommended that you use the Vodafone Pay & Go plan. 2degrees is not as recommended as they charge a bit more

For Vodafone users, go here Vodafone Prepay pay and go and purchase this from either Vodafone store or online. Make sure it is activated properly and have Vodafone confirm that the data is active. In rare cases sometimes Vodafone may not activate properly and thus no data = Petrek will not send updates to your iPet app. Best way to active the prepay pay and go is by inserting into a spare mobile phone and dialing 777 if you can, this is also a good chance to register the number onto an Vodafone account for future top ups.

Petrek users tend to start tracking their pets in power saving mode when they learn of their pet’s patterns, which is 2 hours per update and the data will not big enough per day for Vodafone to register any costs. Thus some Petrek users do not get charged for months of usage unless they have had days where they have to update 30 second and 5 minute intervals for 15 hours or so.

If your $20 credit to runs out in less than 3 months, you may need to use the plans that suit active users. But $20 will last almost a year for most users.
 

The APN setup enables your Petrek GPS to make use of the data that is available from the SIM card that is activated, credited and inserted. Every Telco company whether in New Zealand or Australia all have different APN codes so make sure you choose the write APN code accordingly.

To setup the APN for your Petrek GPS, you will need your iOS or Android phone, and the phone number of the SIM card that is currently inserted in your Petrek GPS. Make sure your Petrek GPS has power, is on, and make sure it is shaken every 3 minutes so that it does not go to sleep mode.

You can test this out first by sending this text: 111#0000 and wait for a reply that gives you a Google map link of the current position. Make sure tracker is by the window or outside during this time or you may get a map110.com or ipet.mine.nu cell tower map.

Now, simply just send a text to your Petrek GPS accordingly to the APN list below and wait for the confirmation reply as shown.

New Zealand:
Vodafone – Send text : 510#0000#vodafone
Wait for reply : SETUP OK: APN=vodafone

2degrees – Send text : 510#0000#internet
Wait for reply: SETUP OK: APN=internet

Once done, please restart your Petrek GPS and take your tracker out for a 5-10min walk, set iPet App to urgent mode and wait for an location update.

Australia:
Telstra – Send Text : 510#0000#telstra.wap
Wait for reply: SETUP OK: APN=telstra.wap

Vodafone AU – Send Text : 510#0000#live.vodafone.com
Wait for reply: SETUP OK: APN=live.vodafone.com

Optus – Send Text : 510#0000#yesinternet
Wait for reply: SETUP OK: APN=yesinternet

Once done, please restart your Petrek GPS and take your tracker out for a 5-10min walk, set iPet App to urgent mode and wait for an location update.

Note: Do not insert Spark/Telecom or Skinny SIM cards, will not work.
If no replies are given, please double check SIM card is activated and has credit and also check by shaking the tracker and giving it a call to see if it picks up or goes to voice mail.
If it goes to voice mail, check to see if Petrek GPS is on, if it’s on, check if SIM card working by inserting into a phone and dialing it out.
If it rings, hangs up but no text reply, check credit as the credit may not have been loaded.
If all fails, please contact your local Petrek Support.

The iPet app works on both iOS and Android based phones.
It is highly recommended that you have a newer phone with at least 1ghz dual core processor and 1gb ram to run smoothly.

There are some slight differences on the iPet App between the iOS and Android, mainly in history location. Android devices can compile up to 30 days of data into one map showing you where yor pet goes to the most in those 30 days. While iOS devices can only do day to day basis to show you where your pet has been on that day or the day before. This is due to memory allocation of the iOS where it does not allow certain amounts of memory for certain apps. However we are looking at ways to change this so expect new updates frequently.

Settings: (the three dots on top right corner)
LBS location – We highly recommend this to be UN-ticked to save confusion. LBS appears as a green icon when there is completely no GPS signal,  which happens when your pet enter indoors or into a fully sealed vehicles. When this happens the tracker will look for nearest cell towers and triangulate accordingly to the signal strength. The location given off by this can be anywhere from 50 metres to 3 km accuracy. So we recommend LBS disabled and just wait for your pet to be near a window or outside where there is GPS signal.

Alarm settings – This is required if you’d like to be alerted via notifications on your smartphones for when your Petrek GPS requires charging or when your pet triggers the Geo-Fencing/parameter alarm. Once ticked you can choose the notification/alarm sounds that you want via your smartphone’s own setting menu under “notifications”

Geo-Fencing / Parameter alarm: (Slide left menu/ or press top right icon)
Once Geo-fencing is set, you can easily move the circle parameter around via putting your finger on the centre grey pin point and then move the circle around. This is particularly useful especially if your pet normally escapes through one area whether it’s the front door and back fence. You can move the line of the circle to just outside of that fence etc so you may get alerted earlier. the + – logo on the outer circle can be used to adjust the diameter.

Note:Parameter alarms are triggered depending on the update modes. If on urgent you will get an alert within 30 seconds provided there is GPS and GSM reception. If no normal mode you will be alerted within 5 minutes depending on when the pet leaves the parameter after it’s last 5 min update. If on Power saving mode it will alert you should the Petrek find your pet outside the parameter on that update. When in power saving mode, the App will immediately change to normal 5 min tracking mode if it detects that your pet is out of the set parameter

We highly recommend using Normal mode on the first month if you have a naughty pet that moves very fast. Only use Power saving mode when you know your pet’s territory and where it goes during the day.

Searching Mode: (location update frequency)
Urgent mode = 30 seconds, battery life = 7-9 hours depending on GPS and GSM reception and your pet’s activeness. Best used only in an emergency when you need to zero in on your pet.

Normal mode = 5 min, battery life = 14-20 Hours depending on GPS and GSM reception and your pet’s activeness. Best used for naughty dogs that do wander off frequently or when you want to have a good idea of where your cat roams during the day.

Power saving mode = 2 hours, battery life = 3-8 days depending on GPS and GSM reception and your pet’s activeness. Best used for pets you have tracked for few weeks and have learned their patterns and where they normally wander or visit. You can set a Geo-fencing parameter in the area and still get alerted if they decide to go further than they normally do one day, this will switch to normal mode if it is triggered to help you get them back quicker, you can also change to urgent mode immediately.

Note: If you are in power saving mode, as it will be doing it’s best to save power, you may have to wait up to 2 hours for the tracker to adjust to another searching mode. If you have your Petrek GPS around you can change the setting immediately by turn the tracker off and on after changing the search mode. If your pet is missing, just set Geo-fencing parameter alarm, and set to urgent first and wait for notification. As long as tracker is charged prior you will get an update within 2 hours or less, ion most cases normally within 1 hour.

 

Below is an idea of how long your batteries can last on the modes available.

Urgent mode = 30 seconds, battery life = 7-9 hours depending on GPS and GSM reception and your pet’s activeness. Best used only in an emergency when you need to zero in on your pet.

Normal mode = 5 min, battery life = 14-20 Hours depending on GPS and GSM reception and your pet’s activeness. Best used for naughty dogs that do wander off frequently or when you want to have a good idea of where your cat roams during the day.

Power saving mode = 2 hours, battery life = 3-8 days depending on GPS and GSM reception and your pet’s activeness. Best used for pets you have tracked for few weeks and have learned their patterns and where they normally wander or visit. You can set a Geo-fencing parameter in the area and still get alerted if they decide to go further than they normally do one day, this will switch to normal mode if it is triggered to help you get them back quicker, you can also change to urgent mode immediately.

Note: Battery life can change significantly depending on usage and reception. Bad reception whether GPS or GSM will trigger the Petrek GPS to constantly search for better signal and thus use more power and reduce battery life. If in a area with good reception while with a pet that is less active the battery life will be extended further. If you are calling for the tracker to text back it's location, battery power will decrease even faster.

There are many factors to this, first you must understand how the Petrek GPS works and the limitations of it as well as limitations of GPS and GSM reception. In a nutshell, GPS signal is most accurate when directly under the sky, but can also be detected from 1 level homes and/or near indoor windows.

For iPet App users:
Please go to “settings” on the top right corner of the app and un-tick LBS mode, this means the Petrek GPS will only update if there is GPS signal. Read the LBS mode below if you like to understand what LBS location means.

On each location update, press and bring out the menu/status bar from the bottom and you will see GPS Signal and GSM signal. GPS is important for location accuracy while GSM (mobile reception) you don’t have to worry too much about.

Under the GPS signal there is three settings:
Weak = Indoors, accuracy = 15 – 30 Metres
Normal = Under light shelter or hilly terrain, accuracy = 5 – 15 Metres
Excellent = Outdoors under clear sky, accuracy = 2 – 5 metres

The GPS receiver in the Petrek GPS works much like your trusty GPS car navigation, take it inside the house and it would in most cases lose GPS reception. So if your pet happens to be under a house, building or anywhere that can cover the tracker from the sky chances are it won’t receive any GPS reception.

So how will the Petrek GPS find it’s location? It can either search for the nearest cell tower and give you an location idea (If LBS mode is enabled in iPet App) if not, wait for your pet to come out from under the shelter, they normally do sooner or later.

If there is no GSM cellphone signal, you won't get an update either, but chances are they will wander by somewhere that has signal and you will get an update almost within 10-20 seconds.

Unfortunately not, a microchip does not have any sort of “location tracking” based technology in it. It is simply a hidden address tag that helps animal shelters, vets and RSPCA etc identify who the pet belongs to when found. A GPS Tracker requires too many components to be able to be made small enough to fit into a chip, on top of that it requires charging, you don't want to plug your cat into the wall socket every night do you?

This depends! On the market today are 2 types of Radio Frequency trackers. One normally used on pig hunting dogs and the other for domestic pets. The one used on pig hunting dogs use VHF and are rather bulky with external antennas, these can track up to 11 kilometres. In some countries like New Zealand, these VHF bands used are illegal as they are used for emergencies by the Government.

Lintek RF trackers are smaller domestic trackers running on 2.4GHz RF (Zigbee) which is legal. The downside to the 2.4GHz compared with VHF is the tracking distance but positive being the 2.4GHz is a lot smaller. In saying that, 2.4GHz RF trackers such as our Wi-Leash can still track up to 100 metres, 300 metres for the PetFinder LR and 500 metres for the PetFinder Multi (Based on direct line of sight.
Domestic RF trackers are great to have because they cover the average suburban area and can also act as a proximity alarm to keep your pets close by.

Well if the transmitter tag on it’s collar is switched on and is still within range of the remote unit you will be able to start tracking down via signal strength. When within 10-20 metres you can switch to mute mode and zero in by beeping sounds coming from the tag when required.

If you are out of range, simply start walking in the areas where you normally take your dogs for a walk as dogs tend to wander in their own territory especially if they are taken out for walks often. If you have a cat start by walking in a 200 metre radius round your house. Chances are if your cat is is out and about it’s normally within the 200 metre boundary, simply keep walking until the remote unit gets an connection within it’s range.

In short, yes they do, but do they harm anything? Not one bit! All Lintek Radio frequency and GPS Trackers have been CE (Europe compliance) and FCC (American compliance) approved. Meaning we have had to send everything we make to their international testing labs and go through up to 150 pages of safety tests and checks.

This is simply to make sure that all of our products are 100% safe to be used on and by anything! The radiation levels given by our trackers are next to none compared to the average cellphone humans use today!

The batteries in the Wi-Leash and PetFinders use small CR2032 button batteries which are cheap to replace and can last up to 90 days depending on model and usage. If you leave it on every day and it is being triggered every day, it may only last a few weeks or less. Both The Wi-Leash, PetFinder LR and PetFinder Multi all come with a silicone splash case(s) for the transmitter tag(s), so are resistant against rain and water splashes but are not submersible, e.g not to be used for swimming.

Have more than one pets? Want to purchase more than one RF or GPS tracker to track them all? No worries!
Lintek’s RF trackers have over 20000 unique IDs so the chances of you tracking the wrong pet is miniscule!

As for GPS trackers, well they are like mini smartphones for your pets. You simply insert a SIM card in as many GPS trackers as you like and you can dial the number of whichever tracker you are after for a location. GPS trackers won’t ever interfere with each other and have no limits, you just require a unique mobile number for each.

Indeed! The most common reason for this is radio frequency signals like to bounce off metal and concrete while normal human bodies can also absorb RF signals (not in any way harmful!)

Hence at times if your pet walks behind a wall or 2 that might give off a few chirps! Simply treat it as a reminder to keep an eye on your pet but do expect a chirp here and there at times because unfortunately this is the characteristics of a Radio frequency based tracker.

Note: We find the most common causes of the Petrek GPS not updating or replying is due to  users forgetting to check their SIM card credit. Below is a summary of all other possibilities.

If you call your Petrek GPS and it goes to voicemail, here are the most common reasons.

1) Sleep/standby mode – Petrek GPS has not moved for 3 minutes so it is saving power.
2) SIM card is not activated or has been disconnected
3) No GSM reception, much like someone calling your phone in a no network area.
4) Petrek GPS is switched off
5) Out of battery
6) Faulty
7) Telco cell tower error
8) Cell tower overloaded in area (happens in some areas during Christmas/New Year)

It rings but no reply with it’s position? Not automatically updating on iPet App?

1) No credit on the SIM card – Check and make sure you register your SIM card online for this very reason!
2) Petrek GPS is too low on battery to send text back
3) Invalid caller I.D (caused by vodafone network error or if you hide your number)
4) Petrek GPS had a firmware crash, needs reboot
5) Your phone’s message box is full