As parents, we often walk the fine line of wanting our children to be able to explore and experience the world, while also wanting to keep them safe.
Jiobit, a tiny, hi-tech tracking system, gives you peace of mind to give your children freedom to explore and be more independent. It’s not about constantly monitoring them. It’s about knowing you can check their location if you need to.
We recently received two Jiobit Location Monitors and a trial subscription in for this review. These are our honest opinions based on our experience.
What is Jiobit?
Jiboit Location Monitors are small, rechargeable devices that securely attach to clothing. They use a combination of GPS, Cellular, Bluetooth, and WiFi technology to track location in real-time. By subscribing to the monitoring service, you can access the device’s location (and the person it’s attached to) via the Jiobit app.
Times I wished I had a Jiobit on our kids
It can happen to the best of parents. Having “misplaced” Jackson twice while at Disney World, we know first-hand how easy it is to get separated from your child in a large, crowded place… and how scary that is. Those experiences helped us come up with ideas to keep our kids safe at Disney. But in both of those instances, having Jiobit would have prevented that panic.
When Jackson disappeared on us inside a gift shop, it would have been so easy to open the app and see his location. Instead, we ended up searching the entire store and even outside, our panic level increasing by the minute, when he was hiding inside a clothing rack just a few feet from us.
On the other occasion, when he failed to follow us in a crowd, the proximity alert might have even alerted us to the fact that Jackson wasn’t following us anymore, long before the need to wonder where he was.
Living Our Best Life with Jiobit
This summer, we went to Disney World armed with our Jiobit location monitors for each of the kids. Having the ability to track their whereabouts not only gave us some peace of mind, but also allowed for us to let the kids have a little more freedom.
In fact, Bella certainly took advantage and lived her best life one morning in the Magic Kingdom.
With Lisa taking a special backstage tour, and Jackson and I wanting to ride roller coasters, Bella asked to go off on her own. Since she was wearing her Jiobit, I felt okay with it.
It was only for a few hours, but every once in a while, Jackson and I would check the app to see what Bella was up to. And when it was time to meet up for lunch, we saw exactly what ride she was on and were waiting for her when she exited the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.
During lunch, she told us about all the rides she went on while we were off doing our thing. And though I could have looked at the app and seen exactly where she had been (the app keeps a log of movement over the last 24-48 hours), listening to her tell the story was one of the best parts of the trip.
Other Features of the Jiobit
Trusted Places
Using “geofences”, we can draw a virtual box around places like our home, school, library, playground, dance class, etc.. When one of the kids arrives or leaves these places, we get an alert. We can even set up temporary places when traveling, like our hotel.
Having a “Care Team”
In addition to location, Jiobit gives you the ability to invite people you trust to have access to your jiobit info. By inviting grandparents, relatives or babysitters to also install the Jiobit app, they can also see your child’s location. But, even bigger, you can see when the Jiobit device is in proximity to that person’s phone. So, if your child is supposed to be with grandma, you’ll know if they are together, or not.
Security
Jiobit uses government level encryption, so you can have the peace of mind that you are the only one with access to your child’s whereabouts. The Jiobit device is also constructed in a way that means it can’t be physically altered, cloned, or hacked.
Multiple Ways to Wear
Jiobit is very small (smaller than an Oreo cookie). So it can easily be slipped into any pocket. For more secure attachment, there are 3 standard options plus one accessory you can purchase.
- Built-in Loop (no attachment needed)
- Secure Loop attachment (included)
- Belt Clip attachment (included)
- Strap Loop attachment (purchase separately)
The built-in loop requires you to feed something through it. Drawstrings and shoelaces are options, as well as hair ties or rubber bands. The secure loop can be used to attach the Jiobit to belt loops, shirt tag loops, or button holes. The belt clip option allows it to clip on to belts and waistbands. The strap attachment can go around belts, purse straps, and backpack straps.
“Ringing” the Jiobit
The Jiobit is also equipped with an alarm that you can ring. This is helpful when you know the Jiobit is nearby but can’t seem to find it (like, under the couch). It’s also helpful to figure out which Jiobit is which when you have more than one.
But it’s also helpful to use as a way to alert the kids that they need to check-in or come home. Because we know if we give our kids permission to head to the playground for an hour, they will need some nudging to get them to leave! Simply hitting the bell icon causes it to ring repeatedly.
How Much Does Jiobit Cost?
Much like a cell phone, Jiobit requires the purchase of the device, as well as a monthly subscription fee. But the cost is far less than buying your child an iPhone and the monthly cost that goes with that.
A single Jiobit device costs $129.99 from their website. It’s also available on amazon. But you can get a $10 off coupon by signing up for the Jiobit email list.
The monthly subscription cost for a single device is $12.99 per month, or just $8.99 with a two-year commitment. Additional device subscriptions are just $5.99 per month.
They also offer Jiobit for pets, which looks to be the same device with different accessories.
Our Thoughts On Jiobit
We are impressed by the quality and accuracy of the Jiobit location monitor. There is a lot to like about it, and we think it’s a great way to be able to locate your kids when they are off on their own, or to double-check that they are where they are supposed to be.
Like any device, making sure it is charged is very important. And its small size makes it easy to misplace. So it’s not something we’d recommend getting if you only want to use it occasionally. There is an option for suspending your service for a time, but canceling altogether means you cannot reactivate the device.