Pet owners need a GNSS module for GPS pet trackers to provide accurate, real-time location updates without frequent charging or bulky and awkward hardware. Whether tracking a cat or a dog, pet tracking devices must balance compact design, long battery life, and dependable positioning.

The u-blox F11 platform is engineered to meet these demands with ultra-low-power GNSS, intelligent tracking modes, combined with technologies that improve accuracy even when the device uses very small antennas.
 

The challenge

Pet tracking devices operate under some of the toughest design constraints in consumer electronics:

• Pet trackers are small devices with limited antenna size and battery capacity.

• Pets frequently move between outdoor and indoor environments, where GNSS doesn’t work.

• In urban neighbourhoods and wooded areas multipath interference and signal blockage have a negative impact on the GNSS position accuracy.

• Location update intervals vary between continuous tracking and location updates every few minutes, where the position accuracy suffers from the off-time

• User-defined geofence areas make the user aware, when the pet leaves the home zone, but may generate false alerts when GNSS is not accurate.

Recommended F11 family products

How u-blox’s F11 helps

Ultra-low-power continuous tracking

u-blox’s LEAP (Low Energy Accurate Positioning) technology minimizes energy consumption during continuous tracking, extending runtime between charges by up to 50%. 

Read about LEAP mode in cattle and pet tracking use cases 

Reliable positioning even with compact antennas

The F11 takes advantage of Super-S technology for improving position and speed accuracy when antenna size is constrained, or the antenna is not facing towards the sky. In case of most pet trackers collar designs, both challenges can be mitigated.

Improved accuracy in urban environments 

Advanced multipath mitigation algorithms reduce location errors caused by reflected satellite signals, improving tracking reliability where signal data can be lost, including parks and urban environments.

Indoor detection helps with power saving

When pets move indoors and GNSS performance naturally degrades, indoor detection can reduce unnecessary power consumption. Within a few seconds, the F11 also detects when moving back outdoors. Based on that signal, the host MCU can apply smart tracking strategies.

Advanced geofencing for precise home zone detection

Geofencing is used to detect if the pet is located in the home zone. The F11 supports polygonal shaped geofences, which allows more accurate virtual boundaries that better reflect real-world gardens, farms, and properties than simple circular zones.

Precise position updates every few minutes

Long interval tracking allows accurate position updates every few minutes and lets the GNSS chip sleep in between to save power. It can even wake-up the host MCU.

 

Use in action 

A GNSS GPS tracker attached to an adventurous pet must remain lightweight while delivering dependable location updates throughout the day. As the pet moves between gardens, neighbouring buildings, and indoor spaces, the F11 minimizes multipath-related errors, intelligently manages power consumption, and supports precise geofence boundaries to reduce false alerts.

The result is a smarter device with longer battery life and more trustworthy location information for pet owners.

Frequently asked questions