How to Track Your Drone – 5 Best GPS Trackers

1. Spy Tec STI GL300 Mini GPS Tracker | Best Budget

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5

The Best Budget pick goes to the affordable Spy Tec STI GL300 Mini GPS Tracker. It’s a multi-purpose tracking device, so you can use it to track people as well as things.

• Best feature 1: Multipurpose GPS tracker
• Best feature 2: Compact 2” design, ultra-lightweight
• Plus points: Track & map in real time over the internet, regular updates, geo-fencing
• Minus points: Fragile, compulsory service plan

Product Highlights

This Mini GPS Tracker can keep going for two weeks on a single charge. That’s reassuring if you need to return to the search area another time. The device is simple to set up and activate, easy to use and packed with features. You can track and map with Google Maps in real time online. The STI GL300 updates at selected regular intervals depending on the plan (see below).

The STI GL300 Real-Time Mini GPS Tracker also comes with a magnetic waterproof case. The case adds to its heft but can be invaluable for flying over water. Users can set up a geo-fence to add a virtual map perimeter. That’s also useful for cheaper drones that don’t have out-of-range alarms.

The Not So Good

This tracker is incredibly light at just over 2 ounces. It’s also quite fragile and could potentially break up if your drone suffers a hard landing. The compact, lightweight design is also an advantage, though. It won’t upset the balance or add much to the payload of medium-sized quads and bigger. Another disadvantage of this—and other GPS trackers—is that users must select a monthly payment plan.

2. AMERICALOC GL300W Mini GPS Tracker | Best Value

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.9/5

The GL300W Mini Real Time GPS Tracker by AMERICALOC makes our Best Value pick. It’s another compact, lightweight tracker. This device is small enough to use with most medium-sized drones.

• Best feature 1: Multi-purpose GPS tracker
• Best feature 2: Multiple alerts
• Plus points: Long battery life, configurable updates, works worldwide, no contracts
• Minus points: Monthly pay plan, software needs improving

Product Highlights

The great thing about this tiny app-controlled tracker is that it has multi-use appeal. You can use it to keep tabs on all kinds of things when you’re not tracking a drone. These can include vehicles, people, assets, and whatever else is important. As a drone tracker, it sends alerts of the quad’s speed, time, and last known location, etc. It transfers all vital data to any Android or iOS mobile device.

AMERICALOC’s GL300W real-time GPS tracker uses a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. The battery life is impressive too, but the time it lasts depends on how regular the user sets the updates for. It can go for a couple of weeks on a single charge. The device comes with an international sim card, so it should work in most countries around the world. There are no fixed contracts nor activation fees.

The Not So Good

This GPS tracker doesn’t require a contract to use it, but there’s still a monthly fee of around $25. When you don’t need it to track, you don’t pay—it’s as simple as that. The fee is still a con for folks who only need the tracker for occasional use. The other negative is the app software, but everything works as promised. It’s just that the app’s a bit clunky to use and not as intuitive as some devices.

3. Marco Polo Advanced RC Recovery System | Top Pick

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.8/5

The Top Pick goes to the Marco Polo Advanced RC Recovery System. The company designed the device to work with RC multirotor craft. Their ad reads, ‘Never Lose your Drone Again.’

• Best feature 1: Tag transceiver waterproof to IP67 standards
• Best feature 2: Crush resistant polycarbonate case
• Plus points: Versatile mounting system, push-button search, decent range, no monthly fees
• Minus points: Restricted range compared to GPS, initial cost

Product Highlights

This tracker uses radio frequency (RF) rather than GPS. There are some definite benefits to that. There are no monthly fees as it doesn’t need a GPS reception and paid cellular services. The kit includes a crush-resistant case, IP67 waterproof tag transceiver, and a versatile mounting system. The device is easy to attach to any drone. And the range is an impressive 2 miles which is adequate in most cases.

Tracking Afar (out of range)

You can put the tracker into its “Search Mode” with longer flyaways. All you do then is head off in the right direction until the drone is within range. You can also perform highly accurate grid searches. The robustness of this tracker is no small detail either. It’s much less likely to suffer damage from crash landings than the flimsier multi-purpose GPS trackers. Moreover, there’s no mad panic in the search.

Marco Polo Advanced tag transceiver comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It can last up to 15 days on a full charge, so you’re not racing against the clock to find your precious drone. That’s providing you remember to fully charge the tag transceiver battery before each flight.

The Not So Good

The range is only 2 miles, and that might be inconvenient for some distant flyaways. There are ways to counteract this though (see review). The initial cost of the Marco Polo Advanced RC Recovery System is high compared to most GPS trackers. However, there are no contracts or monthly fees, so it’s an excellent long-term investment.

4. FindtheDrone, Drone Communicator Tracker

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5

FindtheDrone is a purpose GPS drone communicator tool. It’s a reasonably priced tracker and an excellent investment to protect against lost quadcopters.

• Best feature 1: Real-time GPS w/ google maps
• Best feature 2: Text message alerts
• Plus points: App control, useful tracking data, status updates, geo-fence, low monthly fee
• Minus points: No international coverage, not waterproof

Product Highlights

This is an Android/iOS app-controlled device that works with the 2G TMobile service. It has a monthly fee of only $5. Consider FindtheDrone if you want a tracker for your quad within the USA. The product is simple to use and ready to go right out of the box. It’s set up so that it can call you and you can call it. For example, FindtheDrone can text you its exact location shown via Google Maps.

You can call for status updates by sending a text request to the device during flights. The tracker then informs you of the current signal strength and battery life among other things. There’s a geo-fence option for pilots who want to set up virtual flight boundaries too. The geofence function is also handy if your drone doesn’t have an out-of-range alarm installed.

The Not So Good

DroneScape’s FindtheDrone Communicator only works within the US. That’s something to think about if you travel overseas with your quadcopter. The gadget is quite sturdy, but it’s not waterproof. Our Top Pick is a much better option if you fly—or intend to fly—your quad close to or over water.

5. Trackimo Multi-Purpose 3G GPS Tracker

View on Trackimo

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5

The last tracker on our top five list is the Trackimo Multi-Purpose 3G GPS. The device has worldwide coverage where there’s cellular reception. There are no extra costs or hidden charges either.

• Best feature 1: Worldwide coverage
• Best feature 2: Waterproof protection
• Plus points: Small, lightweight, compact design, app control, smart alerts, virtual fences
• Minus points: Quite expensive, few user reviews, quite expensive

Product Highlights

The tracker is water-resistant but also comes with a waterproof silicon casing. That’s useful if you fly your drone near or over water. The device is small, lightweight, and easy to attach to any medium-sized drone and bigger. You can use the free app with both Android and iOS enabled devices. The smart alerts inform pilots of location changes and changes to user-defined virtual fence borders.

User-defined virtual fences help to keep your drone safely within the operating range. Many drones come with out-of-range alarms today, but they’re not 100% failsafe. Geo-fencing is vital if your drone doesn’t have perimeter alarms and useful as a backup if it does. Pilots can access the Trackimo app from most modern tablets, smartphones, and other compatible devices.

The Not So Good

This tracker is quite expensive for such a small, lightweight device. There isn’t much real user feedback to rely on either. Real user reviews are always useful as part of any buying decision, and the more the better. The Trackimo Multi-Purpose 3G GPS seems to be a good product, but it has cheaper competition.