Join Namerah Saud Fatmi as she explores the cool, quirky, and sometimes downright odd world of smartphone accessories, gadgets, and other nerdy toys every week.
Our furry companions are more than just pets; they're family. Don't you find yourself wishing you could call and check on your dog sometimes? Say you're at work or school and wondering whether your puppy is missing you. Enabot created a clever pet tracker with two-way communications embedded into it, turning this dream into reality for all of us.
The Enabot ROLA PetTracker has other merits as well, including GPS positioning, health tracking, and more. I found the $99 retail price tag very compelling after running tests on this handy pet camera slash tracker.
Right off the bat, I'll say this, though: while it's advertised for both cats and dogs, the Enabot ROLA PetTracker is simply too big for most kitties.
It's the ultimate smart accessory for dogs
If you aren't already familiar with the brand, Enabot's specialty is making smart vacuum-inspired pet robots like the EBO X and RolaPet PetPal. Having mastered just the right set of skills needed for tracking and communicating with pets at home, the brand ported those features over to a more compact and mobile form factor with the ROLA PetTracker.
In essence, the ROLA PetTracker is like any other GPS tracker for your dog. There's a SIM slot for a data SIM, which enables you to track your pet in real-time, and there's a companion app where you can manage all this. But the similarities between commonplace GPS dog trackers and the ROLA PetTracker end there.
Enabot added mics and a speaker to the ROLA PetTracker so you can talk to your fur baby at any given point of the day. Both the speaker and mic can be enabled or disabled via the Rola app for Android or iOS.
However, the more impressive feat achieved by this tracker isn't its quadruple positioning system or two-way comms. It's the humble 480p camera and clever additions like a flashlight, an SOS button, and splash-proofing that make this tracker innovative.
For the purposes of this trial, I enlisted the help of five-month-old Rosa, a mid-sized German Shepherd mix who loves to live her best life unapologetically, every single day. This adorable menace served as the perfect test subject for the ROLA PetTracker.
The purpose of my testing was twofold. Firstly, I wanted to see whether the ROLA PetTracker can actually do the tasks advertised in the wild. And secondly, I aimed to gauge whether it's really worth investing in.
Enabot includes a harness with one mount each for both cats and dogs in the box. There's also a really small silicone collar included in there, which can't possibly fit any canine's neck without strangling it.
The idea behind the harness was good, and it was comfy as well, but it was executed poorly. The harness' flawed design lacks buckles to secure the adjusted straps in place, which caused the harness to keep slipping off of poor Rosa during our walk.
During the walk, the Enabot ROLA PetTracker slipped off and fell into puddles quite a few times. Thanks to its splash-proofing, I was able to rinse the camera off and it was good as new later.
The fickle nature of the harness caused a lot of trouble for both Rosa and me during our excursion. She kept entangling herself between the leash and the harness. It's such a shame because I was really looking forward to capturing her shenanigans from her POV in the harness-mounted videos.
I also used this opportunity outdoors to test the comms system, which worked seamlessly. Initially, Rosa was quite shocked when I used the mic and speaker to talk to her. She got used to it pretty quickly, though, and listened diligently to any commands issued.
The SOS button functions as it should and in case the battery on the tracker dies, there's a QR code printed on the ROLA PetTracker that can be scanned by others. Although the 480p camera isn't of the best quality and lacks night vision, the flashlight mitigates some of those issues.
Enabot also incorporated health-tracking metrics into the ROLA PetTracker. Not only can you log your pet's steps and record how much exercise they're getting, but you can also track individual walks using the GPS to see where you walked, when, for how long, and how many steps were taken by your pet in that duration. It's superb, really!
On top of that, the tracker leverages the camera, GPS, and two-way audio by enabling you to set up a virtual fence for your dog. Any time it ventures beyond your customized radius, you get an alert on your phone, and if you want, so does the dog via sound notification. The virtual fence with sound prompts is an awesomely humane way to train dogs not to stray too far away from home.
Knowing where your dog was when you took it for a walk has several benefits. In the event that you lose your furry friend, drop its toy somewhere, or suspect it ate something funny, being able to retrace its footsteps could save your dog's life!
All in all, the ROLA PetTracker delivers fantastic value. You get a very good price for something this feature-rich, plus it goes on sale regularly, dropping the price from an amicable $99 to a budget-friendly $79. It's a comprehensive tool that's excellent for pet health management and monitoring health metrics such as your dog's weight, steps, and exercise.
The water-repellent design can survive a good few splashes but not submersion. Dogs are messy, so I fear it won't do as well against mud and dirtier elements. However, just having splash-proofing is a bonus for a product like this.
Perhaps the only thing that I'd want to be done better — apart from the harness and tight collar — would be battery longevity. You recharge the Enabot ROLA PetTracker using a USB-C cable and charger, which is incredibly convenient, but the battery doesn't last more than a few days. So, you need to remember to charge it frequently.
There's really no other pet tracker on the market that's this lightweight and compact, this cheap, and this useful. If you like keeping a close watch on your beloved pups, I highly recommend it.
Always be with your pet
Enabot's ROLA PetTracker is the smartest GPS pet tracker available. Equipped with tools like a camera, a flashlight, an SOS button, and splash-proofing, this pet tracker is entirely unique and is yet to meet its match as an equal.
