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

Bouncie GPS Automobile Tracker

What Bouncie Gives

– Location Companies

– Accident Notifications

– Automobile Well being Stories

– Actual-Time Driving Insights

Professionals

No contract

Simple to arrange

Reside updates each 15 seconds

Cons

Restricted to 3G service

Monitoring can’t be turned off except unplugged

Affiliate Disclosure: Bouncie despatched us this unit freed from cost. We weren’t compensated by the corporate for this product evaluate, 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 automobile monitoring machine designed that can assist you keep secure and conscious. The machine plugs into the OBD2 (on-board diagnostics) port in your automobile and offers real-time updates and driving information. You possibly can see your automobile’s location and journey particulars like pace, driving habits, and accident notifications.

For folks, it might provide you with peace of thoughts when your teenager drives residence late at night time; for enterprise homeowners, Bouncie can present useful perception in relation to managing your fleet. On this evaluate, we’ll share our firsthand expertise and clarify the options in additional element.

Temporary Historical past of Bouncie

Bouncie was launched in 2017 by Tail Gentle LLC, a tech firm in Plano, Texas. Because the launch, a number of new and essential 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 a minimum of 4 years. The month-to-month information subscription doesn’t change with a 4G machine.

What Does Bouncie Price?

As of this writing, there’s a one-time fee of $77 for the machine and an $8 per thirty days subscription. There are additionally reductions obtainable should you 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 possibly can entry every part from Bouncie.com, however we advocate getting the Bouncie app from the App Retailer or Google Play. If you create an account, it should ask you to enter details about your automobile, like your make and mannequin, VIN, and present mileage. 

Every little thing is simple, and there’s a “Chat With Bouncie” button you may click on to connect with a help chat. Through the setup, you’ll have to plug the machine into the OBD2 port. Sometimes the OBD2 is close to the driver-side door panel, beneath the steering wheel, however examine your proprietor’s guide should you need assistance.

After it’s put in, you’ll have to drive round for a minimum of 10 minutes for the machine to attach and calibrate. After the primary drive, you’ll start getting reside data and stats about your journeys.

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

Bouncie provides helpful insights whether or not you’re a mother or father involved in regards to the security of your youngsters, a enterprise proprietor monitoring bills, or perhaps a common driver who desires to maintain observe of issues for enjoyable. Some options shall be kind of useful relying on what you’re utilizing it for. Here’s a record of every characteristic, with a quick description of how they work.

Options for Mother and father

As a mother or father, letting your youngsters drive could cause a substantial amount of stress and much more grey hair! Here’s what Bouncie provides:

Reside Location

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

You may as well arrange a geo-zone. When your automobile enters or leaves a geo-zone, you’ll get a notification. That is useful if you don’t need your youngsters leaving a selected 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, relatively than a straight line from level A to B, however you can also make it as huge or small as essential. You possibly can put a geo-circle round your neighborhood if you’d like your youngsters to remain shut by, or round a particular home or tackle if you’ll want to know when your youngsters arrive.

Accident Detection

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

Roadside Help

Bouncie can ship assist your means, and the associated fee is included in your subscription. In case your teenage driver runs out of gasoline, wants a leap begin, or has a flat tire, you may make the most of a community of roadside help suppliers. That is obtainable to make use of 3 times in any 12-month interval and generally is a huge assist if you want it.

Unsafe Driving Notifications

These notifications allow you to monitor how your youngsters are driving. Within the settings, you may modify the sensitivity of issues like onerous 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 onerous 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 assessments, 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 spanking new drivers. The machine provides you particulars of every incident and the place it occurred as soon as the journey is accomplished. You may as well set a curfew and get a notification if the automobile is being pushed after your set hours.

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

In case you’re not sure of the way to speak to your youngsters about why you’re going to make use of Bouncie, they wrote this helpful article on the subject. In case you don’t inform your youngsters in regards to the machine, it’s unlikely that they’ll discover it. Nevertheless, it’s greatest 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 may be utilized by companies which have supply drivers, rideshare drivers, or workers who regularly journey for work. For just a few {dollars} per thirty days, enterprise homeowners and fleet operators can gather helpful information to trace productiveness and bills.

Historic Stats

Bouncie tracks and collects information that may be exported right into a spreadsheet for later evaluate. You possibly can view the entire driving time, miles pushed, and idle time for any automobile for any date vary.

Know Your Common Journey

The machine data what number of journeys you’re taking, the common size of these journeys, and the way a lot gas is required for each. You possibly can observe the precise price per journey and observe every automobile and driver’s productiveness.

Options for Private Use

Even should you’re not utilizing Bouncie for a enterprise or to watch younger drivers, it has another useful advantages.

Max Driving Distance

You possibly can set a mileage alert for as much as 500 miles with the machine. That is wonderful if you’re at present leasing your automobile. For instance, in case your lease is proscribed to 12,000 miles per 12 months, you may set an alert for 230 miles – the weekly restrict for 12,000 per 12 months. The alert may 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 possibly can set a reminder at sure mileage intervals or a particular date to obtain notifications accordingly. This helps if you need a reminder about altering your oil, changing your windshield wipers, or different issues like renewing your registration. Bouncie can even monitor your battery and warn you if a examine engine mild comes on.

Connect with Good Gadgets

You possibly can join the machine to Amazon Alexa, Google House, and IFTTT (If This, Then That). We requested Alexa, “Ask Bouncie if I want gasoline.” Alexa answered, “The Honda has 70 % gasoline left.” We additionally requested the place our automobile was, and Alexa gave us the tackle the place we parked. You possibly can arrange IFTTT to show in your good lights if you get residence.

How Bouncie Compares

There are just a few different standard choices for GPS units. We in contrast Bouncie side-by-side with the most well-liked 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 start out 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 could work in a rural space the place cell service is perhaps restricted.

If the machine loses its sign whereas driving, it should nonetheless observe the entire miles, however the reside updates could also be delayed. Bouncie additionally overlays your driving pace, so a short lived lack of sign may trigger some lacking pace information.

Once we used the reside monitoring, we had been at residence, and another person was driving round in our 2013 Honda Accord. Nevertheless, 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 every part and the simplicity of the information. You don’t must be a tech guru to start out utilizing the machine or the app, and the entire driving stats are straightforward to evaluate and perceive.

Buyer Service

Fortunately, in the course of 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 obtainable, together with a reside chat throughout enterprise hours, and a Help Center with fast solutions and how-to’s obtainable 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 mother or father, enterprise proprietor, or get pleasure from having all your stuff related. As soon as put in, you may set it and overlook it, whereas monitoring the driving info that’s most essential to you.

Bouncie has a stable rating on TrustPilot with a whole bunch of fine buyer opinions, 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 secure or enhance the effectivity of your corporation.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions

Technical Specs

Bodily

• Top: 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 course 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