What you’re dealing with
For that, Bluetooth is the right tool. For an animal that has actually run off, it is not: you need a GPS collar with its own cellular connection.
| Broadcasts as | Tag brand name and identifier |
|---|---|
| Typical battery | Months on a coin cell tag; days on a GPS collar |
| Findable by scan | Yes, while powered on |
| Search window | Days to weeks |
Once the battery is gone: Bluetooth tags last months. GPS collars need charging every few days and are a different technology entirely.
Where it usually is
Garden hedges and undergrowth
Collars catch and pull off.
Under sheds and decking
Where an animal goes to hide, the collar sometimes stays.
The neighbour’s garden
Just over the fence, out of your search area but inside Bluetooth range.
How to search for it
- Check the last-seen map firstBefore you search a room, find out which building. A pin saves you from searching the right way in the wrong place.
- Scan from the middle of the roomNote everything that appears, then select the device you want so the rest of the list drops away.
- Walk and watch the signalSweep in a straight line, give each position a few seconds, and turn 90 degrees when the reading stops rising.
- Search inside things, not across themA strong signal with nothing visible means it is underneath or inside something. Fabric and metal block Bluetooth badly.
Tips specific to pet tracker
- Outdoors, walk the boundary of the garden with a live scan running, the range is far better with no walls in the way.
- If you are looking for the animal rather than the collar, a Bluetooth tag is not the tool. Use a GPS collar.
Other things people lose
The same method applies to these, with different battery windows and different hiding places.
- How to find a Chipolo or budget Bluetooth tag, Six months to two years on a coin cell
- How to find lost AirPods Max, About 20 hours
- How to find lost smart glasses, About 4 hours of active use
- How to find a lost camera, A few hundred shots
- How to find a lost handheld console, 2 to 8 hours in use
- Bluetooth scanner for iPhone, Scan tab
- How to find something in a hotel room before you check out, Method
- All device guides, the complete list
Common questions
Can a Bluetooth tag find a pet that has run away?
No. The range is tens of metres. A Bluetooth tag finds a collar in the garden; a GPS collar with a cellular connection is what finds an animal across a neighbourhood.