Alert friends and family if you need help outside
Any smartphone can send your location to friends and family, but what if you’ve had an accident and can’t fiddle about with an app - or you’re out hiking beyond any mobile signal? This gadget side-steps both of these problems, with simple controls and an outgoing satellite connection.
It’s easy to set up. Using the device itself and the manufacturer’s website, enter the serial number on the back of the battery compartment, give the device a name, add details for your emergency contacts, write any custom messages you might need to send them, and you’re ready to go.
When you’re out and about, the Gen3 constantly tracks your position and lets you send it to a contact by pressing one of three buttons. Two of them send one of the prewritten messages you created, and the other posts your location to a map in Google Maps, whether for your own reference or to reassure whoever is keeping an eye on your wellbeing.
If disaster strikes, you simply flip the covers off two other buttons: one requests assistance from your friends and family, the other alerts the emergency services. Depending on your location, that could mean the police, coastguard, or - if you’re overseas - even an embassy.
Rather than the mobile phone network, the Gen3 communicates directly with a satellite to give you 96 per cent global coverage (there’s a map at www.snipca.com/17609). Bear in mind that it won’t work indoors or anywhere where the sky is blocked, and performance could be impaired by heavy cloud. Once you press any of the communication buttons, it’ll keep trying to send your message until it gets through.
The device itself is made from rugged plastic that shouldn’t crack if dropped, and the battery bay cover screws into place to form a tight seal that’s impervious to fog and will withstand a metre of water for 30 minutes. Behind it, there’s space for four AAA batteries and, to the side, a USB port for external power. While driving, you could charge it from the cigarette lighter and leave it in the windscreen so it can link to the satellite.
On top of the cost of the hardware you’ll need to pay £96 a year for basic communications coverage. This logs your position with the system every 10 minutes. Two paid-for brands above this offer more frequent updates if you feel the need. It’s not cheap, but comparable to travel insurance and of more direct assistance.
VERDICT
For those who like to get out and about and value their safety, this could be a reassuring investment.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPS • Satellite uplink • Requires 4x AAA batteries or USB power • Waterproof to 1 metre for 30 minutes • 87x65x25.4mm (HxWxD) • 114g