Marco Polo Advanced Pet Monitoring, Tracking and Locating System (for Dogs and Cats 5 lb and Larger)

Below is my one year update. Today is my two year, 8 month update. Both receiver (collar) and base unit going strong. Batteries still going strong. The base unit has remained plugged into wall for more than 2.5 years, with only the exception if I’m tracking my cat. I ordered an extra collar pouch a year ago only so I could have a clean one to swap out when one is dirty. Both pouched are still intact. Nothing has changed from the first review. This unit is still working like the first day I tracked my cat. My cat didn’t come home this morning and by 9am I went tracking and found him in the middle of an acre of 8 ft weeds near the forest about two football fields away. Once again peace of mind knowing he’s ok. We’ve had lots of severe thunderstorms this spring and summer and I’ve been able, every time, to track him down and get him inside. Also when I hear coyotes in the distance, or foxes nearby, I’ll track him and keep him in for the night.FIRST REVIEW: “Still holding strong 13 months after purchase and frequent use”I use this product to track my indoor/mostly outdoor cat if not back home after 9pm or if bad weather is expected. The pouch the receiver slides into attached well on either a 3/8” or 1/2” breakaway collar on my 12 lb. cat. After a year, battery life on receiver (collar) still lasts at least a 4-6 weeks before I charge it. I like that the monitor (base unit) will indicate if the collar battery is low. I estimate I’ve tracked my cat (or his lost breakaway collar/receiver) at least 50 or more times with 100% success in an area of about 15-20 acres my cat wanders. I live in a rural area with heavy forest, hills, and ravines. Cell coverage is spotty in my area so this radio signal system was the way to go. The signal range depends a lot on the terrain, I’m probably at 1/4 mile with big hills and ravines, but I just have to wander the area and always eventually pick up the signal. I would assume in an open field or road or level terrain that range would be much longer. Takes a little practice at first, but instructions are thorough, and in my opinion, necessary to read through to understand the system. It’s a bit like metal detecting in that the monitor gives you direction and signal strength (as a percentage). I practice tracking my pet often so I remain good at it in case of a true emergency. I’ve also discovered his top hangout areas and track towards those areas first. The receiver seems very durable and is still working strong despite my cat coming home completely muddy or soaked at times. I keep the monitor plugged in 24/7 and in “monitor” mode which extends the battery charge on the receiver immensely because it pings the receiver every 40 seconds vs every 5 seconds when tracking the pet with the monitor in “track” mode. I haven’t turned off both the monitor or receiver in over a year and batteries still working great. Ive bought other radio signal products that have those little tag devices and they are vastly inferior because the battery life, range, and weather resistance is aweful and failed in less than 4 months, in my personal experience. I’m really happy with this device and the peace of mind it brings. The cat doesn’t mind wearing it either. I added a little yellow duck tape to the breakaway/receiver collar to find it more easily when the cat loses it.

As an engineer, techie & collector of too many gadgets, I’m pleasantly surprised at how well this system works. My dog, “Ovi”, is a wanderer & chaser of wildlife. He’s managed to find every little hole in the fence surrounding my 25 acre property. Thankfully, he always comes home after his adventures, but I wanted the ability to find him a little sooner than 4:30 am when I’m awakened to him barking outside my window, wet & dirty. I didn’t wish to go the cellular route due to the monthly costs. I figured there had to be a direct RF solution out there & thus came upon the MarcoPolo system & gave it a shot. Naturally, I was skeptical of the range claims. I.e. the “15 mile” walkie talkies that barely reach a few thousand feet. Hilly terrain, and obstacles such as trees & buildings tend to hinder RF, especially in the higher frequency spectrum(haven’t determined the frequency of the MarcoPolo yet). My property has lots of trees & is fairly hilly. I initially tested by putting the tracking tag at one end of the property & then went to the other end to see if I could pick it up. No problem. Then last night, whilst Ovi was spending the night at a family members house about half a mile down the road, I fired up the tracker from my bedroom window & was amazed that I quickly detected him! I still need to see how long the charge lasts in the tracking tag & hand unit. But based on other reviewers, I expect the battery life will be great. In some other reviews, there was one or two people that experienced very short battery life. Obviously it was a defect, but based on what I’m hearing about the well above average customer service, it doesn’t have me concerned. They would obviously be quick to remedy any problem that arises. As for how easy it is to use....very. At least for me-who tends to understand tech things pretty quickly. It may take a little longer to master for some. I’m actually surprised at the supposed “archeologists” that couldn’t figure it out. It ain’t that hard. Hope they’re not exploring anything important! One advantage of this system that most don’t seem to realize is the value during an extended search for a missing pet. Last year I spent the better part of a day searching half the county for a friends missing dog. We had numerous people out looking & thankfully he was picked up & taken to a local vet where his chip was scanned & made it back home. But I think about how much easier the search would have been if he had the Marco Polo tag on him. Even if he had quickly gone out of detection range, it makes the search area MUCH bigger per person. You wouldn’t need to drive around every street in a neighborhood. You would just need to drive near the neighborhood, as the tracker would pick him up if you were within range. A potential further development for this device would be to have a receiver that could be attached to a drone(not the tag itself, but the other end). The drone could then be used to do the searching from overhead. Yes-I’m an avid drone enthusiast. I’m already thinking about how I could strap the hand-unit to my drone so I could view the screen while flying. But alas...I’m rambling. Anyway-GREAT device. I’ll update this review if I come upon any issues. But so far, EXCELLENT.Update 7/10/19: Still 5 stars. Great battery life & has quickly located the wanderer every time! Only one small improvement I would suggest: Make the collar holder more durable. It's turned out to be a bit flimsy. I leave the tag on him 24/7, and with his various activities which involve water, rolling, plunging through shrubs, etc., the tag holder is falling apart quicker than I would expect. Looking closely at it, it does seem to be made of lightweight materials. I'm ordering a replacement to hold me over, but I'm going to see what else I can find, or invent, that would hold up to Ovi's adventures a bit better. BUT....all things considered with this system, to me, it doesn't warrant any deduction in stars.

I use the Marco Polo tracker to locate my cat when he wanders off into the woods while at camp sites. He normally always runs back and checks in every 20 minutes or so, but I have been able to keep his radius of exploration a bit tighter by tracking him down and bringing him back to camp. The tracker has worked pretty well in dense and hilly terrain out in the middle of the forest in the PNW. Certain conditions are harder than others, and at times its taken some confusing back and forth to find the stronger signals that eventually results in an arrow pointing in the direction of my cat. But overall, it works. The furthest i've ever tracked is about 1/8 mile.One perk is that the locator makes a loud beeping sound as it is working. I now bring my cat's favorite treats (freeze dried fish) with me while locating him. He associates the beeps with treats and has started coming to me when I track him rather than me even having to get super close to him.I have had some issues with the tracker. Some coffee spilled on the locator and had to send it in for repair. The customer service is EXCELLENT as Tim, the owner, deals directly with any issues and has talked through some minor malfunctions (loose battery and stuck buttons) in the past. So i recommend folks contact the company if there are any issues.Highly recommend the product as there is nothing else on the market with decent battery life on the tracker or capability to work in areas out of cell service. The tracker tag is small enough for a cat. That being said, my cat is 16 lbs and has been in a harness since he was 4 months old and is completely unphased by the tracker or anything else i put on him. Must have for adventure cats that go off-leash in the wilderness. @QtheBrave