Update 09/15/15
Please do your homework before ordering this product. Read the comments below. It appears that this company is taking money and not shipping the orders.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is all the rage right now. Adding smart tech to an old piece of tech or something non-tech like a set of keys or a piece of luggage, however, can be a problem. Several companies have recently entered small tags that can be stuck on or clipped to one of these items, giving it the smarts to tell its location, or to phone home through an app on your phone. TrackR is one such company, and they have recently added a product to their lineup which offers a two-way connection to your smartphone – the TrackR Bravo. I’ve been testing it for a few weeks.
Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.
The Bravo itself is a simple unit with a single button. It’s slightly larger than a US Quarter Dollar coin at 31mm, but much lighter, as the outer shell is a figure-eight shape of aluminum bent to sandwich a thin disc of plastic, which contains the guts of the unit. There is a small hole in the shell to allow access to the single button, and the battery (a replaceble CR1616 3V coin) swivels out in it’s tray from within the plastic disc.
The iOS app is pretty straightforward, but I found it to be erattic in actual use. Like everything else that tries to track a “semi-smart” unit, its success depends somewhat on others using the software and those folks leaving the location services of the app to Always On. I don’t know about you, but, nice guy that I am, I’m not going to have this app eating into my battery constantly on the off chance I’m close to someone’s lost backpack or keys. This “Network Effect” will determine the success or failure of any devices of this type. If that last location is not within BlueTooth range, someone else has to be running Location Services on that app who is near my Bravo unit to report it’s location. I wish my faith in the belevolence of humanity extended this far, but I know how selfish I am with power and bandwidth. (Of course, working mostly from home, I’m not likley to actually help anyone out by being near a lost item, unless the mailman drops his keys while bringing something to the door!) Since I don’t normally leave location services on for this app except when I’m using it, my iOS device has to hunt for the last location of the Bravo any time I want to use it.
Holding the button down on the TRackR Bravo will signal to the device it is paired with, provided it has Location Services activated. You can also set it so that the TrackR buzzes when it’s out of range of your Smart device. (I made the mistake of going out to the mailbox one day during testing without my phone. Suddenly, Jack is jumping up at my pocket, and I realized there was a high-pitched buzz coming from my keys.) This can be turned off within any Wifi network, creating a “Safe Zone” so you can drop your keys on the hall table and not worry that the TrackR is going to go off before you get to the bedroom. There are options for silent mode, as well, so you don’t interupt a meeting by moving during a presentation just out of range of your phone that’s still on your desk across the hall.
At $30, it’s $5 more than it’s predecessor and a tad larger, but it gives some good benefits for the added sawbuck. I was sent a Steel test model, but they are also available tinted in Rose Gold, Black, or Powder Blue for an extra $5. There are also cases available for dog collar, a waterproof case for beach or pool use, and a metal ring to attach it to a backpack. I found it a solid performer, within the caveats of the network effect and the battery issue. A solid 3.5 out of five stars.
Update 09/15/15
Please do your homework before ordering this product. Read the comments below. It appears that this company is taking money and not shipping the orders.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by TrackR. Please visit http://thetrackr.com for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | $30 |
| Manufacturer: | TrackR |
| Requirements: |
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| Pros: |
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| Cons: |
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Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
STILL have not received although $$ has been taken from my acct.
can you file for a reversal with your bank/card company?
How long have you been waiting? I ordered two on September 22nd and I my products are still being processed. It’s getting ridiculous.
I HIGHLY advise you review the Facebook page for TrackR – they are SCREWING thousands of customers!!!
GET THE FACTS, PLEASE…!!!
Read any follow-up to their FB ads and promos or on their FB page…..
I placed my order in January, and the money was taken from my account long ago. The “order status” on their site says they’re processing my order (same message since Jan). I sent an email throught their contact form and received an automated “we had a glitch but we’ll ship soon!!!” message.
I’m glad I paid with PayPal and there’s still the refund window for no product received.
Thanks for the in-depth review! I’ve been looking for a device to help me track my glasses, I always seem to misplace them. I thought TrackR might be an option but realized that I can’t put one of those tags on my glasses without looking ridiculous. I came across Morning Wood Glasses who did the same thing but for glasses frame. Pretty cool stuff, and figured I would share it with you all. Maybe you can do a review.
They do not work!!
put it on FACEBOOK..!!!
They are still pushing MASS-MARKETING with Facebook banners and people are still getting suckered….
They are deleting posts that say it doesn’t work. I have three, they worked 30% of the time intermittently bit now they dont work.
Not even going to worry about replacing the batteries, not worth the cost of trying.
Total scam!!
I ordered 3 to get 2 free, but they changed my order to 1 and then charged me $34. My order was placed in January 2015. My Card was charge in February 2015. I kept getting emails about how my device would be here next month and next month. Finally, July 2015 I got it. Don’t want to wait until 2016 so I will stick with the one device. My secretary bought something like it at Walmart for $15.00. Does the exact same thing.
If these jokers want a business, they need to get there own funding and not rely on someone else to build enough revenue to have China make it for them.
I have the “Tile” and it works. The batteries are not replaceable. That is the negative, but I have one on my dog as well. : )
This is a horrible product. The review is correct. It sucks battery usage. I used to go 2-3 days on a single, if I have the app installed it drains it to zero in 1 day. And it’s very unreliable. It has a range … about 6′. I’m not kidding. What we need is a wifi version because every building, home, and even some cars have wifi. Wifi runs off wall power, not the battery in your phone.
If you ever do need it, allow at least 15 minutes for to “connect” to your lost device, assuming it’ll connect at all. About 2/3rd of the time it does not.
Save you money. Or buy my extras if you want to try one. I’d love to unload these pieces of junk.
Do not Order from these people. I helped to fund their startup over a year ago with the promise of getting a order when production started. It has been months and I have gotten nothing but a run around. Do NOT trust them with your money.
This thing is rubbish. It took ages to arrive, you can’t hear the thing unless you’re standing on top of it which is fine cause you can’t connect to it unless you’re in the same room anyway.
Good idea. Poorly executed.
I bought a 3 pack of the TrackR bravo product. Save your money and buy something (anything else).
After 4 months of waiting…finally received mine. And guess what:
They don’t work. Period. I bought a 3 pack. 1 worked for the first 10 minutes. The other two wouldn’t work even immediately after setup.
Then after 1 hour none worked even when both my cell phone and keys were in the same room.
I waited 3 months to receive this.
I’ve written to the company 4 times now and they never respond. I have 2 “open support tickets.” One is 18 days old. I have never received a single response back.
What a waste of Money. Terrible customer service.
I, too, was disappointed that it took so long for the units to arrive, but they finally did. The main reason I got them was to track down our wandering dogs and cats as well as keep track of my keys and computer bag. I started by linking one to my phone and attaching it to a dog. It found him easily…but I could have found him easily too, he was sitting at my feet. When he wandered to the other side of the room, the application lost him.
Next, I put one on my keys and set it to beep when out of proximity. I set my keys at the foot of the bed and my phone next to the headboard and as I was drifting off, the phone and keys started beeping. Now that’s not going to work! Even during the day, I would periodically hear the phone and keys beeping even though my phone was in my left shirt pocket and the keys in my right.
I should have realized that Bluetooth wasn’t going to help me find my dog in the 250 acre woods around my house, but I did figure that we could find the cat that got locked in a garage in my girlfriend’s neighborhood by wandering around that neighborhood.
It could be my Note 3, but it’s a reminder to not let the “cool new toy!” geek override the “how far could Bluetooth actually signal?” geek.
Most of the comments are accurate. Don’t buy this product. I bought my units early on and it took over 3 months to arrive and if I did not call them, they probably would have never shipped them.
3 of the 8 units came defective and a 4th one went bad shortly after. Support never responded for over 2 weeks and I gave up, then checked and found a silly email asking for my version #, and if my phone is jail broken, although I have informed them that 5 units are working and 3 units are just dead.
Aside from this, the working units are not always functioning properly and they don’t always respond and if they did, you can’t really hear them unless you are standing inches away from them.
Really disappointed as this could have been a big hit, but bad customer service combined with quality issues and some design concerns make this product useless. Hopefully the company picks up their act and fixes the issues. Until then I don’t recommend anyone to buy this.
What is a number to reach this company. I, too, ordered months ago and have received nothing.
Do you have the customer support number?
They charged me twice (first time, it said that something happened with my payment information and I would have to input it again). After doing post hoc research on this company I am trying to cancel my order once and for all. I’ve sent them 4 messages today and no response. I know that they have people working for the company online because they’ve posted on their FB page since I’ve written my messages.
Message from TrackR CEO Chris Herbert
“We wholeheartedly apologize to unfulfilled backers for the delays and are doing everything in our power to get TrackR bravo into their hands as soon as possible. An avalanche of website orders stemming from our crowdfunding campaign has caused shipping delays which we are working hard to resolve. Today, we have shipped more than a quarter million TrackR bravo devices and have filled nearly every order from our crowdfunding campaign, save for a few that requested special engraving which takes extra time.
We are currently working to clear the backlog of orders from our website and are shipping thousands of devices every week – while another thousand orders come in – all completely bootstrapped. We are in the process of dramatically scaling our production and have increased the size of our customer support team to address the high consumer demand.”
How long would I need to wait if I ordered a ten pack to be delivered to australia?
Even though you have bluetooth capable… in order for you to find lost or stolen items you can not track your device unless somebody else has the app downloaded on their phone and the app is turned on….I left my car in a busy airport parking lot and signaled to find my car while i was at work and I never had a response… only when I was in range of bluetooth with my own cellphone do you get a response…. its good for lost keys in your home….. whoopeee
why bother rushing to ship out all your current and back orders when it sounds like the majority of the people who did receive them say they sucked and worked like crap? IMPROVE UPON YOUR PRODUCT AND IT’S NOT THE CUSTOMERS PROBLEM THAT YOU CANNOT ACCOMMODATE YOUR CUSTOMER’S ORDERS!!! u are obviously not ready to be a professional corporation!
The editor of this page should take it down. All it does is show search engines that more people are talking about this “product” and that indirectly gives it more support.
It’s obvious the NO ONE likes this product and it DOES NOT DO what they claim it will……
Just received mine today after a year long wait but it does work so far. Haven’t had time to extensively test it but so far so good.
Waited for nearly a year for my units. They arrived in August and worked initially. However, when I tried to locate a misplaced iPad mini with a tracker on it, it kept telling me if was in the house, but did not make any sound.
I subsequently found the iPad mini and the tracker battery is DEAD…after 3 months (and after not needing to use the ‘service’ previously. Do not order…they don’t work.
I had the same experience. The battery life is not as advertised. Fresh energizer battery is dead after a month.
This item and the technology it is based on is a joke and a scam if the benefits advertised are to be believed! The ONLY way this unit would work in the manner it is purported to function would involve a GPS uplink capability. It neither has the size nor the accompanying battery power to do so. The Guru’s that crowdfunded this toy are riding the wave. They have their own little pyramid scheme going that is dependent on marketing and an initial income stream. Throw in some soft deception and especially soft emotional deception about the ability to recover lost pets and you have it. They will ride the wave until the product returns and consumer discourse causes its collapse. Their true income stream long term will be the return on investment vehicles where they park their initial income from sales.
you can’t post anything negative about them, Brad, or the editor of this page will delete you. They don’t want facts, they want fluff……………
Another voice to add to the chorus. I pre-ordered the Trackr in OCTOBER of last year (2014). To date I have received NOTHING from them aside from excuses and an amazingly brazen tone-deaf plea for more money(!) to support their IndieGogo campaign. I have requested a refund multiple times and received NOTHING.
STAY AWAY!!!
I got mine yesterday and “paired” it with my new smart phone. While this idea is great, I didn’t know you had to have the app always turned on to make it properly function. The “group” function needs EVERYONE with the app. (I don’t envision that ever happening), to leave it turned on as well (using your Data and battery), or you are limited to 100 feet. So, if you attached it to your dog or bike, the only way you’ll get them back (or find them) is if someone else with the app turned on, is within 100 feet of your lost item. That sucks! So, basically, this thing is limited to 100 feet, and will help you find your keys if lost in the laundry room, when you thought they were in the bedroom. If that’s good enough for you, you should like this.
I was going to buy this TrackR but with all the bad comments I will keep looking.
I thank all who added their comments to this website in helping me to make my decision not to buy.
First of all, it took FOREVER….over a year to get the 10 TrakR bravos I ordered. Then, after receiving them, I was excited to attach one to my car keys, one to my purse, and one to my android tablet. I installed the app on my phone and from there it all went downhill. My poor phone battery was being sucked down by the constant notifications saying that my device had been found, was close, wasn’t close, and that I needed to add the device to my “safe” apps or some such thing. I have a Razr Max and I have NEVER had problems with my battery going dead, so I uninstalled the app just to make sure that was the problem. Yep. So, now what do I do? My advice: Save your hard-earned money. This product is a sham!!!!
This might have been caused by not setting up a “safe zone” so you don’t get alerts when you’re on certain wifi networks. Then less alerts/notifications.
Boy, I wish I’d read your review before ordering from this sham of an operation called TrackR. They took my money and never sent the 5 devices I ordered. Be warned, people, DO NOT ENGAGE IN COMMERCE WITH THIS COMPANY. They’re thieves, and they’re product gets lousy reviews across the internet.
I to have ordered 3 tracker bravos for my friends this Christmas , They took only 4 weeks to come down !! And they don’t work for dogs . Not what Trackr .com told me .. Please don’t bother with this product , not worth it , I even sent them emails and never got a reply , only trash trying to sell you more …
I’ve had this thing since release- which was months after expected. Sorry to say it is not at all as advertised. The battery life is not one year. Every time I’ve actually needed it to help me locate keys, wallet, whatever, either:
* it doesn’t work (100 ft is in an empty room, in which case you don’t need it!)
* battery is dead (been through TWO batteries in less than six months)
Save your money.
I ordered 10 because of a discount deal and I was convinced of the value and quality of the product. I had cancelled an earlier order based on comments about delayed shipments, but this time they came through. We have set up 4 of them and have had a 50% failure rate on the batteries. I filed a support ticket, and they told me how to reseat the battery to get it to reconnect, and I was able to get 2 of the 4 to reconnect-hence the 50% failure rate. However, after thinking it through-what if my battery has lost it’s connection and I don’t realize it, and then I lose my keys? I have a friend who got a Tile for Christmas and she is thrilled with it-I was going to give her one of the Trackrs-man am I glad I didn’t.
We’ve given up on ours. They don’t find our keys when we’re sitting in the living room and the keys are in the garage 30 feet away. When I complained about the batteries being dead, I received an envelope with like 20 batteries. Good customer service, because they came quickly. But the basic product is still flawed, because when we replaced the batteries it was only a matter of a couple of days before the devices failed again. I’m considering it a lesson learned. I’m just glad that I didn’t go on vacation relying on these.
Originally I ordered a TrackR from the company and never received it-had to cancel the order on my credit card. Ordered again from Amazon and received it in a couple days. Then the bad review blossomed:
Like nearly all the reviews I read here, my two TrackR bravos were a very meek, weak excuse for a locating device. They put out a light and very shrill sound that cannot be heard if your ears are even slightly ringing or if there is any background noise, or if they TrackR is in a closet, drawer or some other thing that will slightly obstruct the sound it quietly puts out.
It rarely worked on my Android 2 Plus. It just kept indicating that it was ‘locating’, but that really meant it could not lock into the bluetooth in the trackr. When trackr was in a drawer beside me, it could not locate the trackr.
In summary, the distance it actually works in is useless. If you lose something, find it yourself, because you can spend hours diddling on your phone to try to get it to even work, let alone actually help you find something.
Yes – TrackR is lying on the floor in open view, it MAY squeak at you if you can get it to be ‘located’ by your phone’s blue tooth.
DO NOT PURCHASE if you think you will find your lost dog, cat, canary, wallet, or anything else that is outside your line of sight.
I didn’t have any problems with my order. I ordered 5 bravos and they all came via USPS. IMO the company is legit. i even had a question about my order and I received a prompt email from customer service who answered my question. No issues.
I bought these and have had no problem with them in fact they have bent over backwards for me with receiving them. They did have a glitch, but were very upfront with me.
It has also help me locate things.
Sometimes, I feel people deliberately try to find the negative in everything.
I have 3 units which either need re-setting to work or need new batteries (3-4 months).
Not a reliable professional product.
I bought 10 and have opened/tried 3 of them – all of them worked immediately after setup but not any more (48 hours later) – what a waste… pity, because it is a nice idea.
I bought one and had to wait over 6 months. While I was waiting, my secretary thought it was an awesome idea so she asked if Walmart had anything like this. They had something that work just like the TrackR Bravo for around $20. Now it’s been over a year and her device still works. Not sure what it called
Could you please ask your secretary what brand is the device she got from Walmart? My 3 TrackR Bravos are useless – I want something that works.
I have ordered 10 and nothing came in the mail. Waited for 4 months to get some junk. Got it finally, and after a month the battery is dead. Don’t get his s***. Its pure s***.
I was really anxious to get the trackr’s and despite reading some negative reviews, I was still very optimistic. When I received them, all three had dead batteries. Once I got the batteries in them, they worked ok, but not great. The one thing that initially disappointed me was the “device separation alert”. I tried this for a week but got completely annoyed when the alarm would go off at random times. The only time it seemed to work well was when my phone and wallet were in the same pocket. If my phone was in a front pocket and wallet in back, the alarm would constantly go off. After shutting that down, I found the device to work well for just one thing – if I couldn’t find my wallet in my house before running out to work. My next major disappointment was when the batteries in all 3 devices died in less than 6 months. I’m not saying this device is worthless, but for me it really was a let down and I wouldn’t buy them again.
Saw all the hype, bought two, got one free…
None of them work with my Galaxy S4.
$nz100+ down the drain.
They DO pair with other BT apps, but the TrackR app is useless with android.
Just an update to my comment…
I’ve now managed to get two of the 3 trackrs working: due – I think – to a new version of the app.
‘Still not happy with the company, they gave me no help at all to try and get the BT connection working, and the complaints that others have made regarding the range are true, it’s nowhere near 100 feet, more like 10.
And that means the ‘crowd-sourcing’ in which other people running the app can pass on the location if they happen to walk by just isn’t going to work very well – if at all.
I’d give the Bravo device 2 out of 10, simply because I can now find it if it’s within 10 feet or so of my mobile.
I ordered 3 Trackers july ’16 and received in 3 days. They work exactly as described.
So many fake reviews. Don’t even bother. Check Amazon. Nearly all 5-star reviews from shills who received their unit for free. And every 5-star reviews has at least 2 “this helped me” clicks. Any product that resorts tho this level of promotion is likely to be unhelpful.
This company appears to be a fraud. They do not answer my emails. The contact number tells you to send an email… which the only reply you get is that they received your email … but they don’t answer my questions. I want a refund but they wont send me the address to return it to, or send a refund. SCAM.
Trackr Company web registrant info: (hope it helps for those without results)
https://www.zipwhois.com/whois_records/thetrackr.com
Read privacy and contacting registrant right restriction from this list that may apply from this site.
I have used registrant information to have companies refund holdings from scams after continued admin, tech, customer support contact, blogs, BBB, and report the fraudulent charges to the web hosting company as well.
Ordered in July (20160and they arrived about 3 weeks later (post details looks like they came from Germany but may be wrong)
I ordered 3 through an online retailer. Not one of them worked, straight out of the packs. After reading all the above, I’m not even bothering to go out and buy new batteries. Also, no response from Trackr support to emails.
I find it interesting that from review to review it is that same products reviewed as that there is a SEO copy machine at work. I then read the reviews and the consensus of the consumer does not look anywhere like the same product in the review. I am using Your Retriever. I guess they doesn’t have the same financial marketing, but as a user this one works. I’ve taken mine to the beach. They say it has a IP67 rating. Well I tested it in the real world and it does.
I bought one a month ago, and was told it will take 3 weeks to arrive. I have not received anything and the reviews here are making me nervous and regretful. Like others say, the idea is good, but the company seem to be missing the point. You can only offer bad service and bad product for a limited time, afterwhich it is bound tumbling down on your balance sheet. I still hope to receive it, not that i have faith that it will work…
TrackR Sucks. plain and simple. if I am within 15 feet of my item, it works. Once i get past 15 feet it will NOT locate anything. I have 4 TrackR Bravo’s and it’s the same with all 4 of them. Bought at bestbuy for like $65. Complete waste of money. I was going back and forth between TrackR and Tile.. (not knowing much about either one) and i think i’m going to return adn try Tile.. Not sure if it will work any better though? I work a block away from my house and have a trackr on my dog.. so less than 1 block away it will NOT find. Doesn’t give me any peace of mind that’s for sure for ANY items i’ve clipped the TrackR to.
I have purchased 4. They initially worked. Then I started having issues. So I do as the tech support suggest, remove batteries. Reload the app, turn Bluetooth on and off, the whole gamut of things done to reset these things. If I press the button on the TrackR, my phone rings loud and clear. If I go searching for the device front the phone….. nothing. I think they are garbage
I order a pack of 5. I was not able to pair all 5 devices with two phones (so that both my son and I could track the same items at the same time) even though that is exactly what they advertised. Their customer support phone number directs you to an email address which takes forever for you to get a reply. The reply I got stated there’s a “known bug” they’re working on! Ha. What a buncha garbage. I requested a refund but of course was back into the proverbial wait for an email reply. Then the reply I got was some trouble shooting technique instead an of answer to my question. Double Ha! They totally skated my request for a refund within the first 30 days. Also, 4 of the 5 devices ran outta battery life in that time frame, and when I replaced the batteries for fun, I found they no longer synced period with my phone at all anymore. DO NOT BUY THESE DEVICES. THEY ARE GARBAGE AND DO NOT DO WHAT IS ADVERTISED!! I ultimately had to dispute the charge with my credit card to get my money back. TOTAL JUNK!!
Oh, and I forgot to mention that the range on them is zero if there is anything in the way between your phone and the device (a wall, furniture, etc.). We placed the device on the sofa seat and walked across the room. My phone couldn’t find the device because the armrest was in the way. Unless there is a completely clear and absolutely unobstructed view between the device and your phone, it won’t be able to find it. Simply put, in real life, who needs a GPS device to find anything that is in plain site to begin with?? WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!!
Worst product ever, battery compartment got stuck so you can’t replace the battery.
The crowd sourcing as worthless as the device. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PRODUCT. The manufacture is hoping you buy just one so they can get rich.
This product is total garbage.
These are garbage! They don’t work unless I’m standing right over the top of it if it finds it at all. Garbage, a waste of money, time and hassle dealing with this company that has the worst customer service.
Get this, they never showed, I wasn’t even offered a tracking number upon shipment. After I FINALLY received a response from the company, it was like this. ” Can you go to all your neighbors and check to make sure they didn’t get your shipment first?” I was ticked off and told them what i thought. they didn’t want to send it because they claim it was probably stolen so I gave them a PO box and asked for a tracking number when shipped. It took 5 weeks before I recieved them and couldn’t get a tracking number until the 5th week when they shipped it and it was in my mailbox already. Worst service ever! And then they didn’t work as stated. I don’t even want to give them 1 star!
I’ was in business over 20 years, I know a good product and customer service. These guys don’t have either. Don’t waste your money, time or patience. Absolute garbage!
Do not waste you money. First – It is bluetooth, so you have to be almost on top of the device before your phone will find it. Second, when I was three feet away, it told me I was “within 95 feet.” True, but not helpful. Last, it will kill your phone’s battery. I mean totally dead in 24 hours. So if you still want to be able to use your phone as a phone, don’t buy TrackR.
i purchased a couple of these units and it took them MONTHS to ship it – i wish i had been told…. i lost my laptop, and sadley the battery on all 5 my trackrs were flat – not one lasted more than 8 months. – i did end up finding my laptop but trackr would have found it first if battery life was better. these will join the pile of unused gatgets in time.
maybe i wil hardwire one into my smart TV – high value item that is subject to theft….
I want to throw in that whether the sound is weak or not, if the batteries are dead you will never find anything you have one of these on. Seems every time I want to locate something the battery is dead and it’s a no – go. So save your money and do not purchase this product.
You are right Smythe. Currently all are buying the Trackr Bravo product in online. So need awareness to receive the product with perfectly by choosing correct online Shop. Thank you.
sucks. sucks so bad. and so does the ‘support. these things dont work and if they do..the support staff has no idea how they do
Right, Smythe! Currently, all are buying the Trackr Bravo product online still now in 2019. Your Review helped me deciding in buying. Thanks again.