A watch with a GPS tracker, or smart watch as they are also called, will be an excellent alternative to a mobile phone for a child over 2 years old. They can be used by children who do not yet know how to read or navigate the dial. At the same time, parents will always have peace of mind for their child, since the device is equipped with a GPS beacon. In order to be able to track your child’s location, just insert a SIM card into the watch and select the appropriate tariff. Let's figure out which tariff is best to choose for children's watches.
Which tariff is better for a GPS tracker?
Good afternoon, I couldn’t find a topic on the forum about choosing a cellular operator for a tracker, so I’m presenting my analysis.
I would appreciate your insightful comments. The point is that the tracker needs inexpensive GPRS traffic to work. An analysis of the top three operators in Russia (MTS, Megafon, Beeline) led to not very encouraging results.
All operators have excluded from their lines the ability to buy traffic in packages for a long period of time. Thus, the decision is to look for an inexpensive monthly subscription. But even if you take the most inexpensive one, maintaining the tracker will cost at least $100 per year.
Buying traffic directly will cost even more: 100 KB per hour (rounded per hour) = 2.5 MB per day = 85 MB per month. Multiplied by 9 rubles per megabyte. About 800 rubles per month. $300 per year.
There is a solution to the problem for “non-Muscovites” - if the tracker is used mainly outside the Moscow region. You can buy a Megafon SIM card with a Moscow number and buy the “Gigabyte for the Road” package, valid throughout Russia (except for the Moscow region), without a time limit. 390 rubles. This should be enough for a year.
For Muscovites, the only way out that I found is to buy a SIM card from a legal entity or individual entrepreneur - there the traffic is rounded up to 1 kb and the cost of traffic per 1 mb = 1 ruble (Megafon, MTS). If you set the frequency of requests to once every 1 minute, then 60 kb will be accessed per hour. 1.5 megabytes per day = 1.5 rubles. About 50 rubles per month. Which gives 600 rubles a year. (This option has not yet been tested; it is unclear what will happen when traveling around Russia)
These are the approximate calculations.
I’m adding: I also found a tariff from MTS Telematics https://www.corp.mts.ru/telematika/tariffs/telematika/ But it also only works for legal entities. Telematics package 60 MB 50.00 rubles. This package should be enough for a month. Traffic is not lost.
Good afternoon. I’ll write about my choice of tariff, which will be cheaper than $100 per year.
My choice fell on Beeline and any postpaid tariff without a subscription fee. For example, I chose the free hour tariff. It has no monthly fee. Next, we connect the Highway 1GB option for 190 rubles per month. It turns out 2280 rubles per year. The advantage of post-payment is that you don’t have to think about the state of your balance; once a month you will receive an invoice for 190 rubles and a month is given to pay it. Yes, and the most important thing is that in Beeline the Internet at home tariff (I’m in Moscow) is distributed throughout Russia , except for the Far Eastern region (I’m obviously not going there with a tracker). Something like that..
I believe that these questions should be asked to the cellular operator.
Due to the fact that some Chinese trackers, apparently, are part of a distributed computer network, they eat up a really lot of traffic - I’ve had up to 300-400 MB per month.
Sergey Potresov, one of the adequate comrades with the mobile review, says that it won’t be possible to save much. And tariffs of 60 MB per month are not an option.
At the moment I am using a Beeline tariff with payment for traffic only on the day when I turn on the tracker. This is on a motorcycle, because... I only drive it in the summer and on weekends. If I travel more often, I’ll think about what to do. And on my car I have an MTS region with a gig for 200 rubles per month.
Also - MTS has such a sneaky property - if you block a SIM card, for example, for the winter, then, firstly, the SIM card itself will then have to be physically changed (and this is inconvenient if the tracker is hidden), and, secondly, they take away the number for 3 months of inactivity.
In Beeline, according to the offer, they also give three months, but in fact, the number can lie for at least a year. Then you activate it and off you go. It's comfortable.
Yes, and in terms of payment - 50 rubles - this, of course, is not much, especially considering that the number of trackers is not limited. But it would be much easier to pay through a Qiwi wallet than through some kind of robo-cashier. Admins, would you like to create a Qiwi wallet? There are terminals in every store, it’s really more convenient.
And since you’ve closed the topic about tariffs, I’ll ask here: do I understand correctly that for 50 rubles a month I can connect ANY number of trackers to my account for free? Those. 4 trackers - I pay 50 rubles, 150 trackers - still pay the same 50 rubles per month? For example, I can transfer all my friends to my account and will still pay only 50 rubles for it? Or will I transfer it now, and in a month you will change the tariff twice?) It’s a mercantile question, yes. But it’s really important for me to know the answer)
Now friends have their own account. But in fact, I have to manage everyone alone, so I would move everyone to me, it doesn’t matter to them, but it would be easier for me.
We even upgraded our openGTS for this, but since you changed the tariffs, we can stay with you, everything is quite adequate with you) And there are a lot of clients, in case the server is hacked, this should make it difficult for car thieves to figure out the cars they need.
Tariff for children's smart watches with GPS - the best choice
The child went to school, we bought him a children's smart watch with GPS navigation, and the question immediately arose, what tariff to choose for this watch? There are several models of children's watches with a phone function and a GPS tracker: Smart Baby Watch, Q50, Q80, Q90, Aimoto, K911. We took the latest smartwatch model from this list, but this does not change the essence, because... They all have the same needs: a little Internet traffic (about 70 MB per month) for transmitting geolocation data, incoming and outgoing calls, SMS messages.
Our instructions for the K911 watch stated the following requirements:
Important! This device must use SIM cards from operators that support the 2G network. SIM cards Tele2 (Moscow region), Yota, MTS Smart are not suitable!
Prerequisites before first use:
- Lack of PIN code on the SIM card;
- Internet is activated and paid for;
- MTS is disabled on SIM cards.
On the first day, we inserted the first available SIM card; it turned out to be a Sim from MTS with an archived RED Energy 2013 tariff plan and the BIT option connected. The smartwatch started working, the Life Button application connected and synchronized.
Later, after googling the Internet, I found the following tariff recommendations for children's watches with GPS:
Connecting and disconnecting
It is not possible to switch to the Megafon tariff for smart watches for children from another tariff plan. You can choose the following option:
- Take a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
- Go to a convenient communication salon and contact a specialist;
- Sign the contract and receive a kit with a new SIM card;
- Activate it and install it in your gadget - get to work!
Connection and reconnection are carried out only in communication shops - there are no other options.
On the operator’s website you can order a SIM card or tariff:
- Find the tariff in the operator's list;
- Click on the inscription “Select”;
- Indicate the desired option, then fill in all the necessary data and receive a SIM card in the office or via delivery.
Let's discuss the rules for charging subscription fees:
- If you prefer the standard version of the tariff for children's smart watches, payment debits and service packages are provided weekly;
- If there are not enough funds in the account on the day of debiting, access to the services will be stopped until the balance is replenished;
- If you paid for services for children's smart watches a year in advance, the charge for the tariff for children's smart watches will be charged once! After a year, the option will be automatically disabled, funds will be withdrawn weekly;
- Did you pay for an unlimited period? You can forget about going to the salon!
We told you about the affordable Megafon tariff for watches - agree, it’s a unique offer! Your baby will be able to take advantage of all the capabilities of the device that help in everyday life - you will definitely be happy with the children's smart watch that you earned thanks to your operator's SIM card!
The best tariffs from Megafon:
"Life Button - Carefree":
- 500 minutes
- 300 sms
- 5 GB traffic
- subscription fee - 330 rub/month
This is some kind of special secret tariff, which can only be ordered on the website knopka24.ru, and you will have to go to them with a watch, in which they themselves will put a SIM card and this tariff will only work with this watch. They say that if you put it in the phone, it won't work anymore.
In my opinion, Megafon has another good option -
“Go to ZERO” in conjunction with the “Internet XS” package:
- no monthly fee
- calls to MegaFon numbers in the Home region - 1.3 rubles for the first minute (further free)
- to other mobile and landline numbers - 2.5 rubles/min
- subscription fee for traffic (70 MB per day) - 7 rubles*
* Feature: if you do not use the watch for a week (if there is no traffic for 7 days), the “Internet XS” package will be disabled and traffic will be paid at the rate of 9.90 rubles/MB.
You can order with free delivery in the Megafon store.
UPD: Some time ago Megafon introduced the Smart Things tariff, which, I think, is also quite suitable for watches, if you wisely use the limits offered in it (unlimited Internet, 10 minutes per week, 20 SMS per week). The connection cost is 300 rubles, and there is also an option for a year of 750 rubles. or “forever” for 2500 rubles.
How to activate Megafon's Smart Things tariff
You can switch to a tariff plan for smart devices only through your Personal Account. Instructions for changing the tariff are here. If you cannot transfer your number to a new tariff plan yourself, contact the service office or call the Megafon hotline.
The cost of a new SIM card with a tariff for smart gadgets in the Megafon online store is 300 rubles. The money will go towards the subscription fee. You can subscribe to the “Forever” and “For a Year” packages only in the operator’s showrooms.
The best Tariff - from MTS
The best tariff from MTS for us turned out to be -
Tariff "Smart device"
- 30 min
- 30 sms
- 300 MB
- subscription fee - 690 rubles per year.
When I first installed this SIM card, at first the calls did not go through and the “Life Button 911” application did not see the clock on the network. We specifically called MTS technical support and clarified that 2G is definitely available on this tariff. Then I managed to reboot the watch from the power button on the watch itself and everything worked!
At the moment, this is the best plan for smartwatches that we could find. It works flawlessly and the packages offered should be enough if you use it wisely.
You can buy this tariff with free delivery in the MTS store itself, but if you search for a Smart Device in the search box for your region, for some reason in the options found there it is displayed that Out of stock - this is some kind of glitch. Click on the found option for your city and already on the offer page “Out of stock” changes to the “Buy” button.
Write your feedback and questions in the comments under this review. I usually answer within a day.
If you bought a used watch or are planning to sell yours, then read how to change the owner of a smart watch.
Benefits and Features
All of the company's tariffs include the ability to access the global network, but some of them have certain advantages. For example, in the MTS Hype tariff plan, a user can count on a full unlimited limit, which applies to all modern social networks and media portals, as well as online games and services: Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki, FaceBook, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, Tanki and many others (see TP characteristics for more details).
Therefore, before setting up the Internet from MTS, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the range of tariff plans and choose the one that best suits your goals. Firstly, it will save money, and secondly, it will open up additional services and opportunities.
Why does a watch need a SIM card?
Let's start with the fact that not all watches that manufacturers position as “smart” have the ability to install a SIM card.
There is a category of watches “for entertainment” - they do not allow you to locate your child or call him. When choosing a watch, be sure to pay attention to this nuance. A toy watch may be visually attractive and cheap, but it will not help a child in a difficult situation.
There is also a category of watches that are sold with a built-in SIM card. You will not be able to change the operator or tariff. Therefore, before purchasing, check which cellular networks a particular device works with and whether it is possible to replace the SIM card.
How to choose a tariff?
Not all plans are created equal for smartwatches. If you have a SIM card freed up from another gadget, this does not mean that it (even if you change the tariff) will suit you. Some good tariffs are valid only with a newly purchased SIM card (you cannot install it on an old one).
Moreover, most children's watches only work on 2G networks. So check the 2G coverage in your locality on the operator's website. Perhaps the child often visits his grandmother in the summer - make sure that there is stable coverage in the territory of her city or village. If you often visit another region, check the network availability there too.
For example, in Moscow and the Moscow region, operators such as YOTA and Tele2 do not operate in 2G networks. It should be noted that more than 15 virtual operators operate on the Tele2 network. Among them are projects of Rostelecom, Sberbank, Tinkoff Bank, TransTelecom, MTT, Virgin Connect, Vtel, SPRINT, Center2M, MSNA. This means their 2G coverage also does not extend to the capital.
You can check coverage using the following links:
- MTS https://mts.ru/
- Beeline https://beeline.ru (switch in the upper left corner to the “coverage map” tab)
- Megafon https://megafon.ru
- Tele2 https://tele2.ru
- Tinkoff Mobile https://www.tinkoff.ru
- YOTA https://www.yota.ru
Internet traffic consumption per month for watches (depending on the capabilities of the model and user activity) averages 30 – 100 MB. Considering that most smartphone plans include 1GB or more of data, the amount needed for a watch seems negligible. Therefore, parents of young owners of wrist gadgets can pay attention to tariffs without a subscription fee. But the cost of a megabyte can vary significantly between different operators - from 1.8 rubles (for Tele2) to 11 rubles (Beeline’s “Second” tariff).
There are special rates for smart devices. They are affordable, but the number of MB in the package may be less than 100.
Peculiarities
It is especially worth noting the rules for charging subscription fees:
- After connection, the fee is charged weekly;
- If there is not enough money in the account on the day of withdrawal, the provision of services will be suspended until the balance is replenished and the subscription fee is subsequently charged;
- When activating the annual option, the subscription fee will be charged once. After a year, the service will be disabled - you will need to contact the service center again to activate it.
Please note that the tariff plan does not work in routers, modems and tablets.
Now you know everything about the Megafon “Smart Things” tariff, whether you choose it or not - decide for yourself, there are not many reviews of it on the Internet, but if you analyze the information about it, you can draw a certain conclusion. The price charged per month will be higher than stated as the established monthly traffic is not high. But here you need to take into account that smart technology is purchased by wealthy people who have money, so they will definitely be able to spend about 500-600 rubles a month!
How else can you save on communication fees?
Some parents turn off constant location monitoring and use the watch mainly for calling their child. But others are extremely active in “exchanging traffic” with the children’s gadget.
Voice messages or video calls take up more traffic. If you plan to actively use SMS (receive notifications from your watch), choose a tariff that includes this feature in the form of a free monthly package. When choosing a tariff, consider your needs and habits.
Operators offer so-called “family” tariffs: you can connect several SIM cards, television, home Internet in a package and exchange traffic, calls and SMS between SIM cards. If you already use such a service, it will be more profitable for you to connect an additional SIM card to the package rather than getting a new one.
To work with the watch, the SIM card should not have a PIN code, and additional information services and paid subscriptions from operators must be disabled (or better yet, blocked). Typically, the availability of subscriptions can be checked and disabled in your personal account on the operators’ website. If you buy a SIM card in a salon, insistently ask not to connect additional services.
Another important feature is that you need to choose the right type of SIM card. In most cases, watches use Micro-SIM or Nano-SIM. Information about the required card format is in the watch instructions.
So, when choosing a tariff for children's smartwatches, you focus on:
- internet traffic cost,
- coverage of the operator’s 2G network in your city and region,
- lack of additional paid services in the operator’s tariff,
- correct SIM card format according to the requirements of the purchased children's watch (micro-sim or nano-sim).
How to find out the balance on your watch
You can check the balance on a SIM card installed in the “wrist” technology through an application on your phone or your personal account. This information is also available upon command. Make the device make a call on its own. Go to the messages section, indicate the SIM card phone number in place of the recipient, and enter the command - pw,123456,call,0501#.
What do operators offer?
Operators have four types of tariffs that are suitable for our purposes.
Firstly, these are special tariffs for “smart things”. The advantage of such tariffs is that there is nothing superfluous in them. The downside is that the monthly amount of Internet traffic and call minutes is often very limited. You may have to pay for the excess.
Secondly, constructor tariffs - they allow you to leave only what you need in the service package, which means you can save on subscription fees.
Thirdly, tariffs without a monthly fee with an additional Internet traffic package. If you call infrequently and long conversations are not expected, then you can track the location and communicate with your child through the application.
Fourthly, the cheapest base rates. Their minimum service packages will be enough for you. And the SIM card can be used later without changing the tariff plan in the first phone that you buy for your child.
Let's consider the most optimal, in our opinion, tariffs.
Megaphone
This operator has a special tariff for “smart” devices. Its main advantage is the cost. In this regard, it is the most profitable. But the number of minutes of conversation and SMS is not so large.
Option "Children's Internet"
This option will allow you to limit the connection of children's smart watches to sites that contain sites that are traumatic for the child's psyche. Sites for adults and Internet resources that are simply dangerous for children will not be available.
With Children's Internet enabled, it is impossible to purchase any goods whose sales are restricted by current legislation. This same function will also be useful for protecting against fraudsters, since it limits all types of payments.
Children cannot change the tariff settings on their own. This is only available to parents who have a pre-set code word.
For the “children’s Internet” to work, a special security certificate must be installed on the smartwatch. It must be downloaded from the official website, from the page describing the service. Some device models have an alternative version of this security certificate. It is available from the same page of the official website.
Successful operation of the option is possible only when the gadget is directly connected to the network. Therefore, when transmitting data via VPN, “children's Internet” will not work. The same result will be obtained when viewing content in the Opera browser with the compression mode of transmitted information turned on. When traveling on vacation there may be problems due to roaming. warns about this and recommends consulting about the serviceability of the service in a particular region via a hotline or in the office.
The option is free to connect, but a subscription fee of 2 rubles will be charged every day.
SIM card, tariff and GPS clock settings
Depending on the model of watch with GPS, SIM cards are suitable: micro-Sim or nano-sim. On our website, the characteristics of specific watches indicate the map format; look in the catalog for children's watches with GPS.
We are often asked: “Which operator is better to choose?” “Which tariff is better to choose?”
Basic requirements for the tariff and operator for most watches: - 2G data transfer (for some models) - mobile Internet connection
✅So, 2G data transmission is present in all major operators, and these are MTS, Beeline, Megafon, Tele-2.
✅A mandatory mobile Internet connection to a SIM card is not costly for the owner of a smartwatch. Traffic consumption is minimal. 1 Gb is more than enough for a month.
Let's figure out what tariffs for Smartwatches are offered to us by leading cellular network operators.
➡️MTS. Tariff "Smart device". For 1 year, a one-time payment of 790 rubles (debited immediately). From the 13th month - 90 rubles/month. The monthly service package includes: - free inboxes - 200 MB of Internet - 30 minutes on MTS Russia and other operators in the home region - 100 SMS to subscribers in the home region.
➡️Beeline. Tariff “For smart things”. Subscription fee 100 rubles/month. The monthly service package includes: - free inboxes - 500 MB of Internet - 30 minutes to numbers of all operators in the home region - 100 SMS to subscribers in the home region.
➡️Megaphone. Tariff "Smart things". Subscription fee 20 rubles/week. When you activate the “Smart things for a year” option – 750 rubles/year (debited immediately). The package of services for a week includes: - free incoming calls - unlimited Internet - 10 minutes to all Russian numbers - 20 SMS to all Russian numbers.
➡️Tele-2. Tariff "My conversation". Subscription fee 200 rubles/month. The monthly service package includes: - free incoming calls - 2 GB of Internet - unlimited calls to Tele-2 Russia numbers - 200 minutes to numbers of other operators in your home region
➡️Tele-2. Tariff "Classic". No monthly fee. — free incoming calls — 10 MB of Internet — 15 rubles — calls to all numbers in your home region — 2 rubles/minute — SMS to numbers in your home region — 1.5 rubles/SMS.
We also invite you to pay attention to such tariffs as “Our Smart” from MTS or the “Family” from Beeline (https://mojbeeline.ru/tarify-bilayn/tarif-semejnyj-bilajn.html). Such tariffs allow you to share the Internet with many numbers, and you do not have to pay separately for each SIM card. The number of minutes and Internet at such tariffs is quite enough to use several smartphones and several hours.
Our technical support will share these and other tips when purchasing a watch in our catalog of children's GPS watches .
As you can see, almost all operators have special tariffs. Choose the one that suits you best.
All information about tariffs was obtained from the official websites of cellular network operators and is relevant for residents of Moscow and the Moscow region. Please check with the operators about the cost and service package for other regions of Russia.
Have you bought a SIM card for your GPS watch? First of all, insert it into your phone. Check that the PIN code request is not enabled. Go online to make sure it is connected. Go to the application or website of your operator, register a personal account for a new number. You will receive an SMS to log into this account. Save it and go in, disable unnecessary options, for example, “Who called?” and others. In your personal account you can check the availability of money in your account, and most importantly, whether the Internet is working
Or use customer support numbers for these purposes.
Navigator on a tablet
Car owners often use tablets as a navigator. In terms of functionality, they are not inferior to special devices; they support both online and offline navigation. To download data about traffic jams and the road situation in general, an Internet connection is required. Considering the peculiarity of the tablet, in addition to the traffic for downloading information necessary for navigation, it can also load other information, which leads to a larger amount of traffic consumed. It is quite difficult to set clear restrictions, therefore the tariff will require a more flexible tariff system.
The “For Tablet” tariff offers favorable prices for the Internet. It has a subscription fee of 550 rubles, and the package contains 10 GB. If necessary, you can activate one of the additional options and use the device while traveling for communication or entertainment without limits.
The tariff described above without mandatory payment is also suitable. It also allows you to connect traffic packages of a selected volume starting from 7 GB.
