How It Works, Prime Security Options & Value (2023)

Bouncie GPS Car Tracker

What Bouncie Supplies

– Location Providers

– Accident Notifications

– Car Well being Stories

– Actual-Time Driving Insights

Professionals

No contract

Straightforward to arrange

Dwell updates each 15 seconds

Cons

Restricted to 3G service

Monitoring can’t be turned off until unplugged

Affiliate Disclosure: Bouncie despatched us this unit freed from cost. We weren’t compensated by the corporate for this product overview, though we had been allowed to maintain it. As an Amazon Affiliate, Automoblog earns from qualifying purchases, together with the unit featured right here.

Bouncie is a GPS car monitoring machine designed that will help you keep protected and conscious. The machine plugs into the OBD2 (on-board diagnostics) port in your car and provides real-time updates and driving information. You may see your automotive’s location and journey particulars like pace, driving habits, and accident notifications.

For fogeys, it could provide you with peace of thoughts when your teenager drives residence late at night time; for enterprise house owners, Bouncie can present useful perception in terms of managing your fleet. On this overview, we are going to share our firsthand expertise and clarify the options in additional element.

Transient Historical past of Bouncie

Bouncie was launched in 2017 by Tail Mild LLC, a tech firm in Plano, Texas. Because the launch, a number of new and vital options have been added.

• 2019: The corporate expanded its service space to Mexico and Canada, sped up notifications, and allowed customers to view journeys in progress.

• 2020: Accident detection and notifications had been added.

• 2023: After the deliberate phase-out of 3G mobile networks, older units will cease working and would require a substitute with a 4G unit, anticipated to final at the very least 4 years. The month-to-month information subscription doesn’t change with a 4G machine.

What Does Bouncie Value?

As of this writing, there’s a one-time fee of $77 for the machine and an $8 per 30 days subscription. There are additionally reductions accessible for those who determine to get a number of units.

Set up & Setup

The setup course of took us round quarter-hour from opening the field till we began driving. You may entry the whole lot from Bouncie.com, however we suggest getting the Bouncie app from the App Retailer or Google Play. Whenever you create an account, it would ask you to enter details about your car, like your make and mannequin, VIN, and present mileage. 

The whole lot is easy, and there’s a “Chat With Bouncie” button you’ll be able to click on to hook up with a help chat. Through the setup, you’ll must plug the machine into the OBD2 port. Usually the OBD2 is close to the driver-side door panel, beneath the steering wheel, however examine your proprietor’s guide for those who need assistance.

After it’s put in, you’ll must drive round for at the very least 10 minutes for the machine to attach and calibrate. After the primary drive, you’ll start getting dwell information and stats about your journeys.

Bouncie has many options and settings you’ll be able to modify. Some, like accident notifications, will must be activated earlier than they begin working. The primary drive gained’t be recorded, however you’ll get the entire primary stats after the primary 10-minute drive with out adjusting any settings.

Bouncie affords helpful insights whether or not you’re a mum or dad involved in regards to the security of your children, a enterprise proprietor monitoring bills, or perhaps a common driver who desires to maintain observe of issues for enjoyable. Some options shall be roughly useful relying on what you’re utilizing it for. Here’s a record of every function, with a short description of how they work.

Options for Dad and mom

As a mum or dad, letting your children drive could cause quite a lot of stress and much more grey hair! Here’s what Bouncie affords:

Dwell Location

The unit detects your teen’s location throughout a drive and makes use of accelerometers to trace pace constantly. Throughout a drive, you may get up-to-date information each 15 seconds. The machine will present you an overlay on Google maps of the automotive’s location, when the journey began, and how briskly your children are transferring.

You can even arrange a geo-zone. When your automotive enters or leaves a geo-zone, you’ll get a notification. That is useful whenever you don’t need your children leaving a specific space or to know once they get to their vacation spot.

The one downside we discovered with that is it’s restricted to a circle, somewhat than a straight line from level A to B, however you may make it as huge or small as crucial. You may put a geo-circle round your neighborhood in order for you your children to remain shut by, or round a selected home or handle if it’s essential to know when your children arrive.

Accident Detection

We didn’t take a look at how effectively this works for apparent causes! Nonetheless, the machine can detect an affect or a sudden lower in pace and ship a notification. You’re going to get a notification and have the choice to name 911. You may add a setting that sends a textual content message if an accident is detected.

Roadside Help

Bouncie can ship assist your manner, and the associated fee is included in your subscription. In case your teenage driver runs out of fuel, wants a bounce begin, or has a flat tire, you’ll be able to make the most of a community of roadside help suppliers. That is accessible to make use of thrice in any 12-month interval and is usually a huge assist whenever you want it.

Unsafe Driving Notifications

These notifications allow you to monitor how your children are driving. Within the settings, you’ll be able to modify the sensitivity of issues like arduous braking and fast acceleration, whereas additionally setting pace notifications.

Throughout our take a look at drives, we adjusted the sensitivity settings from low to excessive. With excessive sensitivity, we obtained notifications for arduous braking and fast acceleration of over eight mph per second. Low sensitivity notified us of incidents over 14 mph per second. Throughout regular driving situations, we didn’t get any notifications.

Primarily based on our checks, we’d say that oldsters shouldn’t be involved about one or two notifications per week, however various could also be a security concern, particularly for brand new drivers. The machine provides you particulars of every incident and the place it occurred as soon as the journey is accomplished. You can even set a curfew and get a notification if the automotive is being pushed after your set hours.

Ought to I Inform My Youngsters We’re Utilizing Bouncie?

When you’re uncertain of how you can speak to your youngsters about why you’re going to make use of Bouncie, they wrote this helpful article on the subject. When you don’t inform your children in regards to the machine, it’s unlikely that they’ll discover it. Nonetheless, it’s finest to speak the advantages and inform them you’re utilizing it for his or her security, not since you don’t belief them.

Options for Companies

Bouncie will be utilized by companies which have supply drivers, rideshare drivers, or staff who incessantly journey for work. For a couple of {dollars} per 30 days, enterprise house owners and fleet operators can acquire helpful information to trace productiveness and bills.

Historic Stats

Bouncie tracks and collects information that may be exported right into a spreadsheet for later overview. You may view the whole driving time, miles pushed, and idle time for any car for any date vary.

Know Your Common Journey

The machine data what number of journeys you’re taking, the typical size of these journeys, and the way a lot gas is required for each. You may observe the precise value per journey and observe every car and driver’s productiveness.

Options for Private Use

Even for those who’re not utilizing Bouncie for a enterprise or to observe younger drivers, it has another useful advantages.

Max Driving Distance

You may set a mileage alert for as much as 500 miles with the machine. That is wonderful if you’re at the moment leasing your car. For instance, in case your lease is restricted to 12,000 miles per yr, you’ll be able to set an alert for 230 miles – the weekly restrict for 12,000 per yr. The alert will help you keep away from hitting the mileage restrict earlier than your lease is up.

Care Plan

The Care Plan helps you create reminders for normal upkeep and maintenance. You may set a reminder at sure mileage intervals or a selected date to obtain notifications accordingly. This helps whenever you need a reminder about altering your oil, changing your windshield wipers, or different issues like renewing your registration. Bouncie may even monitor your battery and provide you with a warning if a examine engine mild comes on.

Hook up with Sensible Units

You may join the machine to Amazon Alexa, Google House, and IFTTT (If This, Then That). We requested Alexa, “Ask Bouncie if I would like fuel.” Alexa answered, “The Honda has 70 p.c fuel left.” We additionally requested the place our automotive was, and Alexa gave us the handle the place we parked. You may arrange IFTTT to show in your good lights whenever you get residence.

How Bouncie Compares

There are a couple of different in style choices for GPS units. We in contrast Bouncie side-by-side with the preferred opponents.

How We Examined Bouncie

Our first drive after putting in the machine in our 2013 Honda Accord was round 12 minutes. After that, we refreshed the app, and it was prepared to begin monitoring. We drove 200 miles over 24 journeys with no points or sign loss. We examined Bouncie in San Diego, so we can’t say how it will work in a rural space the place cell service is perhaps restricted.

If the machine loses its sign whereas driving, it would nonetheless observe the whole miles, however the dwell updates could also be delayed. Bouncie additionally overlays your driving pace, so a brief lack of sign might trigger some lacking pace information.

Once we used the dwell monitoring, we had been at residence, and another person was driving round in our 2013 Honda Accord. Nonetheless, the machine up to date each 15 seconds as anticipated. We noticed the present pace, location, and the place the journey began.

Total, we had been impressed with the convenience of the whole lot and the simplicity of the information. You don’t must be a tech guru to begin utilizing the machine or the app, and the entire driving stats are simple to overview and perceive.

Buyer Service

Fortunately, throughout the setup course of and through our drive, we didn’t want any assist. It does give us peace of thoughts that there’s assist accessible, together with a dwell chat throughout enterprise hours, and a Help Center with fast solutions and how-to’s accessible within the app and on the web site.

Is Bouncie Proper for You?

We will see the advantages of the machine, whether or not you’re a mum or dad, enterprise proprietor, or get pleasure from having your whole stuff linked. As soon as put in, you’ll be able to set it and overlook it, whereas monitoring the driving data that’s most vital to you.

Bouncie has a stable rating on TrustPilot with a whole bunch of excellent buyer evaluations, and, based mostly on our analysis and testing, we give it our stamp of approval. Total, the machine is a cost-efficient and easy-to-use instrument to maintain your loved ones protected or improve the effectivity of what you are promoting.

Often Requested Questions

Technical Specs

Bodily

• Peak: 1.875 in. (4.76 cm)
• Width: 1.75 in. (4.44 cm)
• Depth: 1.0 in. (2.5 cm)
• Weight: 1.13 oz (32.1 g)

GPS

• Receiver: 56-channel GPS receiver and GLONASS Monitoring: -162 dBm
• Antenna: Inner built-in
• Accuracy: Place 2.5 m CEP

Accelerometer

• 3-Axis: X, Y, Z output
• Auto-Normalization: Self-Calibrating, Auto-Normalization to the path of movement.

Wi-fi

• Mobile: 3G Penta-band 800, 850, 900,1900, 2100
• Antenna: Inner built-in

Certifications

• Provider: FCC and PTCRB Licensed
• CE: CE Licensed
• E-Mark: e-Mark E-13
• Environmental: RoHS Compliant