Pawfit 3 GPS Dog Tracker

A small cellular tracker that needs a plan

The Pawfit 3 is a small GPS tracker that attaches to a collar and reports over a 4G cellular network. Pawfit's page describes 4G multi-network connectivity and says your own phone also needs a network connection. The listing describes a built-in multi-network SIM.

Pawfit's page presents the tracker together with a subscription, and the user manual says you choose a subscription plan while adding the tracker in the app. It adds that a plan transferred from an old tracker to a new one cannot be transferred back. The listing says a 30-day subscription is included for a limited time.

Pawfit's page describes two plan tiers, Basic and Premium. The documented differences are in Walk tracking, where Premium allows walks of up to 6 hours with updates up to every 20 seconds against 2 hours for Basic, and in OpenStreetMap maps and history export, which the manual says need a premium plan.

What is in the box

Pawfit's page lists the tracker, a collar attachment, a collar strap, a charging dock with USB cable and a quick start guide. The user manual's own in-the-box section names the tracker, the charging dock with USB cable and collar attachment clips, and does not mention a collar strap.

The tracker weighs 0.96 ounces and measures 1.89 by 1.3 by 0.55 inches, according to Pawfit's page; the listing gives the same weight.

The manual says the tracker should be charged from a USB charger with an output of no more than 5V and 2.1A, warning that a poor charger may trigger protection or cause damage, and that the tracker fits the charging dock only one way, with the copper plates aligned.

Battery and charging care

Pawfit's page and the listing give up to 8 days of battery life, and the listing adds that this is from a 2.5-hour charge and depends on usage. The manual says the LED flashes red and the app sends notifications when the battery drops below 20 percent and again below 10 percent.

The manual advises against leaving the tracker on the charger once full, saying overcharging can shorten battery life, and asks that the tracker and its copper contacts be dry before charging.

The manual says you can save up to seven home Wi-Fi networks, and that doing so saves battery and improves indoor location accuracy.

Tracking, alerts and update timing

In live tracking mode, which the app calls Find, Pawfit says location updates every 5 seconds. The manual says the light, alarm and live tracking each stay on for 10 minutes once enabled. Pawfit's page adds a Find Nearby feature that uses Bluetooth.

The manual allows up to 10 Safety Zones, recommends a minimum zone size of 100 metres, and says each zone can be linked to up to seven Wi-Fi networks to reduce false alerts. Its section on delays says location updates arrive every 30 seconds to 2 hours depending on the pet's activity.

Location history is described differently. Pawfit's page and the listing say 24-hour location history, while the manual's History section says you can see the last 7 days, and that exporting history as GPX or KML needs a premium plan.

Voice recall, temperature alerts and sharing

The listing and the manual give up to five recorded voice commands, each up to 4 seconds long according to the manual, played from the tracker's speaker. The manual says Pawfit 3 voices can only be updated over Bluetooth, and that a voice command can play when the pet leaves a Safety Zone.

The manual describes a temperature alert with upper and lower limits that you set. It also offers remote shutdown and an option to disable shutting the tracker down by hand.

Family Pet Care lets up to 20 people share the pet's tracking, but they cannot manage the subscription, zones, voices, audio ID or settings. The manual says you can only be logged in on one phone at a time, and that the smartwatch app runs on Apple Watch and Galaxy watches.

Water, cleaning and warranty

Pawfit's page rates the tracker IP68, waterproof to 9.8 feet for 30 minutes. The manual's care notes say to rinse a dirty tracker in warm water without soap or use an antibacterial wipe, to rinse it in clean water after saltwater, to keep it out of the pet's mouth, and to check that the speaker is not blocked.

Pawfit's page and the listing both state an 18-month warranty, and Pawfit's page lists a 30-day money-back guarantee for purchases on its own website. We did not read the full warranty terms.