Zoleo satellite communicator

[keithu]

It looks like there's another player on the satellite communicator scene:

https://www.zoleo.com/en-us/satellite-communicator/

Anyone used this? Pricing starts at $20 per month, which is considerably higher than Spot's basic plans, but I'm not wild about Spot's "spotty" coverage. I have my Spot X set to send a tracking message every 10 minutes, but it's not unusual to see 30-120 minute gaps here in the PNW. I've thought about switching to Garmin but I'm curious about this third option.

And also: Can the Zoleo service talk to Spotwalla?

 

[Shawn K]

Without a clear, unobstructed line of sight to satellites, no GPS tracker will work 100% effectively. Are you sure that your riding in the PNW isn't part of the issue because of trees and mountains?

Not trying to be a jerk, and I'm not advocating for or against any particular brand. I'm simply saying that there may be mitigating factors.

My SPOT X doesn't always get a ping through every 10 minutes either. But if I look at the locations and the times, I can almost always trace it back to being in mountainous areas, in inclement weather or heavy cloud cover, or around tall buildings or other obstructions. There's no (and I mean ZERO) technology out there, in any market segment, that's 100% reliable 100% of the time.

 

[keithu]

Yes, I completely understand that. But I have heard anecdotally that InReach satellite performance is a little better than Spot. Could be BS, it's hard to say unless someone does SxS comparisons on the same trip.

And I should add that my Spot X performance isn't terrible. I just have weird gaps that aren't always explained by trees, mountains, etc. Consider this track from a day ride I did last year:



Some of the gaps are easily explainable by mountains and trees - Eugene to Oakridge, Happy Camp to I-5 - but the nearly two hour gap while transiting through Redding is a mystery. Redding is a bunch of wide urban boulevards without tall buildings or trees. About 90 minutes into this gap my wife started texting me frantically: "RUOK?! Why aren't you moving?"

So not terrible, I'd just like to consider options for when I do eventually replace the Spot X.

 

[Shawn K]

I'm glad I don't have anyone texting me frantically after 90 minutes.

 

[Greg Rice]

It is always good to have more options. I like the ability to connect to cellular and WiFi if I am understanding correctly. Not sure if they have a API to connect to Spotwalla.

 

[keithu]

I'm glad I don't have anyone texting me frantically after 90 minutes.

I set myself up for it. I'd just gotten the satellite tracker and I gave my wife the whole "This is for safety and you can follow my progress on long rides" spiel. So of course she was watching the track all day and freaked out at the first sign of a glitch.

 

[Shawn K]

I set myself up for it. I'd just gotten the satellite tracker and I gave my wife the whole "This is for safety and you can follow my progress on long rides" spiel. So of course she was watching the track all day and freaked out at the first sign of a glitch.

Trust me, I understand.

 

[keithu]

So I did a little more digging and was surprised to find that tracking (what Zoleo calls "Location Share+") is an extra charge on top of their monthly plan. And it seems that other people must have the Zoleo app to see your track. Lame.

I'm not sure who the target audience is for Zoleo, but it appears to not be IBA members.

 

[Ira]

Of course, if it interfaced with Spotwalla that service would be superfluous. So I'm guessing it doesn't and probably won't.

Ira