During the lockdown of 2020 as Covid raged without prejudice, I found a comfort in walking. I began walking locally at first but I was covering some serious miles each and everyday and very soon needing a new challenge to push me further.
When the lockdown eased and we could travel again, I progressed onto walking our local countryside, Bredon Hill and then the Malvern’s. Eventually covering the Malvern Hills from end to end and realising a desire to give some mountain peaks a go!
By the end of 2021 the other half and I had completed the 3 peaks, Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. Each were incredible for different reasons, some more challenging because of weather conditions but each a huge achievement in their own right.
We always travelled using our car, and we found that often we were having to leave the car quite remotely and then of course we were covering some large distances. It always worried me that we wouldn’t be able to find the car again, parking up on a quiet Mountain view road and then walking away into the unknown. I often thought it would be a great idea to have some kind of device that would help us find the car again at the end of our adventures….
When you think of a car tracker, you ordinarily consider the anti theft properties or even retrieval of your vehicle post theft, but when I was asked to review the PAJ Power Finder 4G GPS Tracker I knew that there was a real value and sense of calming in always knowing where your car is in relation to yourself (and you can actually see this on the app! You can use your phone to ping your location and exactly where your car is!)
Over the past month we have been putting the tracker through it's paces. Our model arrived ready to go after a short charge, ordinarily you have to follow the short instruction manual that is included within the box.
What's in the box?
- PAJ GPS Power Finder 4G
- Charger and cable (please note that the charger is a 2 pin plug, so if you are in the UK you will need to use the USB charger with a compatible plug)
- Power Finder Quickstart Guide
- Power Finder 4G Instruction Manual
Setting up the PAJ GPS Tracker
Before you use the tracker for the first time though it is recommended that you fully charge it for 8 hours. The battery terminal can be found underneath the plastic cover, as mentioned above if you are in the UK you will need to use a USB plug with the included USB charger as the included plug is 2 pin.
You will know when the tracker is fully charged as all the bars on the battery indicator will be lit and none will be flashing.
The SIM card is already installed in your tracker and you do not need to take it out or do anything with this.
Once charged it is time to turn on your tracker for the very first time. Admitedly when I first attempted this I had neglected to read all of the instructions and the other half had to step in and save the day! It's pretty simple though, it's just a case of opening the housing cover, removing the rubber cover and sliding the slider to 'on' and then closing it all back up again.
That's the PAJ GPS Tracker charged and ready to go!
Using the PAJ Finder
We have been using the tracker in the other half's BMW, I don't really think my 2010 Skoda is at much risk of being taken... and the reality is we go pretty much everywhere in his car. We have popped the tracker inside the glove compartment where it gets a lovely strong signal, you know if you have a good signal because the Red LED will flash quickly. If it flashes slowly then there is either no signal or it is looking for one.
When you have a good signal your car shows up on the Online Finder App, this is where you can watch your vehicle on the app, it refreshes every 30 seconds, so you can always see where your car is but it does jump when it refreshes if you are following live.
The app is nice and simple to use and offers a range of features, you can tailor alerts for:
- Vibration - If the tracker gets dropped or lifted
- Low battery
-Speed limit - You can set the speed limit here too.
The app provides you with precise, worldwide location data and what I really love is that you can click on your vehicle, and then then open directions to it in Google Maps! This is an absolute god send for us when we head off on our adventures, as we now know that we can always return to the car at the end of play.
I have even used the tracker to pick Leo up from rugby training, the other half took him and I couldn’t recall exactly where it was! Thankfully I could view the car on the app and then export the directions to Google Maps! I was there on time to pick him and bring him back home.
The battery lasts around 40 days and up to 90 days in stand by mode, as of this review we have not yet had to charge the tracker, but we have set up the low power notifications in the app. When the time comes we will be ready!
We are really pleased with the PAJ Power Finder and it is reassuring to know that we can check in on the car whenever we feel the need. For us it offers a level of security in the event that the car ever would be stolen, but it also has a very practical use for our day to day running.
Another feature that we have really liked is the speed limit notification. If this has been purchased for a new driver, the wary parent can keep a watchful eye on the fledgling child as they take to the roads but also know if they have been giving care due and attention on the roads.
It's incredibly versatile and easy to use and the other half has already laid claim on the tracker long term. He runs a British Super Bike Race time (BSB) and he is excited to use it in the lorry that carries the race bikes all over the UK. Most importantly he wants it for the security as often the lorry is left fully loaded and if it was stolen, at least we would have a better idea on how to potentially retrieve the contents!
The PAJ Power Finder is available from Amazon for £149.99.
Disclaimer: We were sent the PAJ Power Finder in exchange for this review. All views and opinions are completely honest and my own.
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