We tested IoT GPS trackers in South Africa — with good results

Testing by MyBroadband revealed that IoT GPS trackers work well on the SqwidNet Sigfox network and can be a valuable tool to track things like vehicles and other assets.

SqwidNet has been operating as the licensed Sigfox operator in South Africa since 2016 and offers low-cost access to IoT solutions and operators in South Africa.

Sigfox is a low-power global network that supports the transmission of small data packets over long distances.

The SqwidNet Sigfox network covers over 90% of the South-African population, 90% of highways, and 53% of the country’s surface area.

MyBroadband decided to test the IoT network using Sigfox GPS tracking devices, but finding trackers to buy turned out to be a bigger challenge than expected.

We could not find Sigfox GPS trackers for sale in South Africa, even though it is promised online.

We then looked elsewhere and found Sigfox GPS trackers from Chipfox. These devices support GPS tracking when a signal is available and switch to network triangulation when indoors or in a low GPS signal environment.

The Chipfox devices claim battery autonomy of 1 or 2 years, depending on the device, settings, and use case. It also offers an easy-to-use interface to manage and track the devices.

Chipfox offers two options – a standard retail version which costs €99, and an industrial version which costs €109.

The two versions appear to be identical. The only difference is that the industrial version uses two batteries in parallel for longer battery life and comes with IP67 protection.

MyBroadband ordered three of each device, which was shipped to the office using FedEx.

Because of courier restrictions, the devices could not be shipped with their Lithium CR123A batteries. However, these batteries are widely available in South Africa.

The devices arrived within one week, and the setup was surprisingly easy.

You create an account on the Chipfox tracking website, scan a QR code with the tracker data on it, insert a battery into the device, and you are ready to roll.

The tracking website offers easy access to tracker settings, where you can select the tracking interval from a drop-down list.

When the devices are stationary, they can send location data up to every two hours. When in motion, the frequency increases to up to every 10 minutes.

After communicating with Chipfox, the location data frequency was increased to every 5 minutes, making live location tracking — or at least close to it — possible.

The data from each device on your account is clearly shown and is available for download in either CSV or GPX format.

The device location is also shown on a map where you can choose to only see GPS data or include triangulation data where GPS was not available.

Geofences can also be set up that alerts the user when a tracker enters or leaves a specific area.

The Chipfox trackers also log temperature data — a useful addition when tracking cold chain management.

MyBroadband tested these trackers in three vehicles, and in courier packages sent across the country.

The trackers performed very well outdoors and provided accurate location data for the whole journey.

When the trackers are used inside a vehicle, GPS location was mostly available. It would, however, intermittently switch to triangulation which was significantly less accurate.

It was generally easy enough to determine in which building a tracker was based solely on the GPS data from when it was last moved around outside.

After actively using the six devices for two months, the retail tracker batteries are still showing above half charge. The industrial trackers are still showing full batteries.

It bodes well for the battery life claims, especially if a more conservative tracking rate is used instead of getting a GPS location every 5 minutes.

One other thing to keep in mind is a subscription to the Sigfox network, which is included for one year, but payable as a yearly subscription after that. The subscription costs €29/year.

The performance of the Chipfox GPS trackers on the SqwidNet Sigfox network in South Africa worked well.

These devices are easy to set up and maintain, which is precisely what IoT is meant to offer.

It is a good option to track important equipment and vehicles as a backup to traditional GPS trackers.

Now read: Power banks from South African shops tested — with shocking results