Verizon Smart Locator Tracks With Mobile Data, Max 5-Day Battery

The Verizon Smart Locator was revealed today as a tiny piece of hardware that contains its own very simple processor. And that's it. This device has a pre-installed SIM card to connect to mobile data with Verizon, a Li-Ion battery that's 400mAh large, and can be recharged using a USB cord. It's a tracker – one that, unlike most trackers, is not limited to Bluetooth range.

This device has 256 MB of memory inside – not that you'll be able to use any of it for anything other than containing the very simple processes of the Qualcomm MDM9206 modem inside. This device stays active constantly and can be traced practically anywhere, at any time.

This device has up to 5 days of stand-by time – so assuming you lost your keys and didn't find them for four days, and your Verizon Smart Locator is attached to your keys, you should be able to find your keys, no sweat. This device has "up to 120 hours of usage time", so, assuming you attach the device to a rabbit, and tell the rabbit to run, you should still be able to find and catch the rabbit for approximately 120 hours – assuming you're tracking non-stop.

This device works wherever Verizon has 4G LTE coverage via Verizon-owned nodes. The tracker is a CAT-M1 network device, so you probably won't be able to track it if someone takes it on a submarine. If someone throws it in a pool, that's ok, as the tracker is rated IP67. That means it can be immersed in water up to 1-meter for up to 30 minutes.

This tracker works with mobile data, GPS, and Wi-fi based positioning (WPS), but does NOT have roaming band antennas. According to Verizon, "It will not work where VZ requires roaming partnerships or internationally." Remember back a few years to the slightly larger TUMI luggage tracker - that was made to track your stuff around the world.

Then there's the tinier Huawei locator which you won't likely see inside the USA any time soon. The Verizon Smart Locator comes with a clip accessory and a keyring accessory, as well as a USB cable for charging. The device is approximately 1.98-inches tall, 1.38-inches wide, and has a depth of 0.56-inch.

This device can be tracked with your smartphone – so long as it, too, is connected with Verizon's mobile data network. The price of the Verizon Smart Locator is approximately $100 USD, but only if you purchase the device attached to a two-year contract. This device is not available for purchase without said contract.

Once activated, the user gets "the first year after activation" for free. After those 12 months are over, Verizon will begin charging users three dollars per month. So technically, since you're attached to a two-year contract, you'll be paying around $136, with the two years of obligated service included.

ALSO: A sort of funny addition in Verizon's small print: "Beginning on the 13th month, customers will be charged $3.00 per month for the service, unless they cancel service. Simply un-pairing the device will not end service."

So if uncle Jerry has one of these things and accidentally left it in the car that went in Lake LaBlanc last year, he's probably still paying for it, even though he un-paired the device and said "that'll be the end of it!"