

Show HN: Play-tag, an iBeacon dog collar - play_tagapp
http://play-tag.com

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play_tagapp
Hey thanks everyone! I'm Maggie, founder of play-tag. Someone suggested I do a
Show HN, so I'm giving it a go. feel free to contact me. maggie@play-tag.com

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beatboxrevival
I'm not really sure I understand the marketing. For lost pets, bluetooth
really isn't a reliable or great solution. If you could pair the tag with a
smart dog bowl, or treat dispenser then you may be on to something
interesting.

If you want a iBeacon for your dog, you can just pick up a TI SensorTag and it
includes 6 sensors, and code ready to go for using with iOS and Android. All
for $25 / half the price.

[http://www.ti.com/ww/en/wireless_connectivity/sensortag/inde...](http://www.ti.com/ww/en/wireless_connectivity/sensortag/index.shtml?DCMP=sensortag&HQS=sensortag-
bn)

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sixothree
I use a product called The Cat Locator for my animals (dogs included). It's a
radio beacon (with an antenna woven into the collar) that sends out a ping
every second. The range in the city on a halfway decent battery is one city
block. Batteries last about one month. The housing on the collar is about as
big as a stack of four quarters. It's a bit expensive but I never want to lose
an animal again.

[http://www.com-spec.com/thecatlocator/intro.htm](http://www.com-
spec.com/thecatlocator/intro.htm)

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play_tagapp
Does the size of that device bother you or the dogs? My dog would not be okay
with that haha.

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sixothree
I was actually surprised that my cats were not bothered one bit by the size or
the weight. You can get a pretty good idea of the size here:
[http://imgur.com/bdVrg8J](http://imgur.com/bdVrg8J)

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personZ
Three questions and a comment-

Q - is it really iBeacon? iBeacon is a specifically licensed "technology" from
Apple (which, to go offtopic, should be avoided because it's intentionally
exclusive and locked in, despite the existence of unsanctioned implementations
on other platforms). BLE != iBeacon, just as Facetime != h264).

Q - Is it really manufactured in the USA?

Q - What are the in-app purchases? I'm not sure what functionality you could
provide above and beyond that would merit an additional purchase.

C - I have a terrible eye for aesthetics, so take this with a grain of salt,
but the fonts on the site really bring down the quality level and
expectations.

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k-mcgrady
>> "iBeacon is a specifically licensed "technology" from Apple"

Any sources on this? I thought that was just Apple's name for their own BLE
API's. i.e. iBeacon is their marketing term for BLE.

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personZ
[http://beekn.net/2014/07/ibeacon-for-
android/](http://beekn.net/2014/07/ibeacon-for-android/)

iBeacon is some interaction standards atop BLE, and early on everyone assuaged
themselves that it was safe and open -- because it's just some BLE
interactions -- but Apple has it covered by trademarks, patents (similar to
Microsoft's ActiveSync patents, as an aside. It's just a web service, but use
it in certain ways and you're at risk of a patent suit) and marketing.

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ntaylor
It seems to me that this software would be infinitely more useful if there was
some kind of always-on base station which reports over wifi. That would enable
pet owners to keep an eye on their pets even when they're not at home.

Ultimately, if your pet does manage to escape the range of your phone (or base
station), there's nothing that this app can do to help you locate them. Do you
have any plans to expand the app to support crowd sourced recovery like Tile
([http://www.thetileapp.com/](http://www.thetileapp.com/))?

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play_tagapp
We do have a base station coming out in the next few months! It is called
"Play-tag: home base"

We were thinking about crowd sourcing, but still on the fence. What's your
thought on it?

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ntaylor
The marketing seemed to be centered around reducing the risk of a lost pet. If
this is truly the goal, having a crowd sourced mesh network for recovering a
lost pet seems like an ideal feature.

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play_tagapp
The cool thing about this too is the user (dog owner) can set a reward for the
finder, with this non-dog owners will get on board with the app too!

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beatboxrevival
There are too many hoops to jump through. The person who finds the dogs needs
an iPhone. They then need to be able to figure out that the tag requires an
app. They then download an app to receive a notification from the tag. Then
you somehow figure out that the dog is lost and display reward information.
You reunite dog with owner. The non-dog owner somehow keeps the app around for
the next time they find a dog?

Alternatively, you can just write your phone number on a dog tag.

Additionally, I don't see anything on the tag that explains to people that
they should download an app for owner information.

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play_tagapp
Thanks for the feedback. There is also a code on the tag that you can text to
get info about the dog and also texts the owner. We are still working out the
bugs on this though... But maybe I should add to FAQ on website?

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yeldarb
Is there an API or a way to get the raw beacon ID being broadcasted? I am
already thinking of some really cool projects you could make with this.

Beacon aware doggie doors, doggie location analytics within the house, a treat
dispenser that gives each of your dogs only a certain allotment of treats per
day based on their beacon ID, a doggie photo booth that sends the photos back
to their owner when the dog triggers it, and the list goes on and on.

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play_tagapp
Exactly! Thanks so much for the input, these is exactly the sort of things
that our team is thinking too. Would love to hear more input of yours and chat
- email maggie@play-tag.com

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duiker101
I don't know... I don't think that the point of a leash is to know where your
dog is but more to keep him under control. This does nothing for that except
ring bells and stuff which can be more annoying then helpful.

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darkstar999
The video had a good example - you let your dog out, he escapes out of the
back yard. No leash involved.

The problem for me is that I already know he is missing, and this thing
doesn't tell me where he is.

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j-hernandez
Agreed. If the tag functioned also as a GPS beacon of some kind, and the app
mapped for the owner, this would be a no-brainer - for me at least.

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sgt
They claim several times that it does not require cell phone coverage, but
from the screen shots on [http://www.play-
tag.com/info/#about](http://www.play-tag.com/info/#about) it appears that you
have to log into the app before you can use it?

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duiker101
it probably means it doesn't use the cellular network, so it's doesn't require
a SIM. To connect you can use wifi.

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play_tagapp
Also the only feature that requires this is for the health info of the dog
which is stored on the cloud - all other features do not require cell phone
service.

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jmhobbs
Very cool. How accurate is the the "leash"? Is it reduced by line of sight
obstructions?

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ntaylor
Bluetooth LE performance is a bit spotty and unpredictable in my experience.
Obstructions can really mess with the range.

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jesadler
I love the concept! GPS trackers are heavy and bulky for dogs - I can see my
stylish pup wearing this and I haven't seen an app that includes health info.
Buying one of these :-).

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meredithph
This is awesome. I'm totally getting this for my dog. I love the LED feature -
can you control the light through the app at other times? Like in the backyard
or camping??

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play_tagapp
Yes you control the LED colors and you can turn it on whenever - great idea
for camping! If you're a dog owner I'd love more of your input maggie@play-
tag.com

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iancarroll
> Is the tag waterproof? Durable?

This question has a very vauge answer, mainly it doesn't give waterproof
details or anything specific at all.

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play_tagapp
Great suggestion - we will put this info in the FAQ. Thanks for the feedback.

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shekyboy
Nicely done! How hard would be to add a GPS based beacon?

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play_tagapp
GPS would make the product cost twice as much - and we want to make this
accessible to more dog owners. Perhaps version two though! Thanks for your
input.

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hsitz
Cost twice as much, worth ten times as much, in my opinion. I've had many
times when a dog got away and gps tracking would have been very useful.

Keeping track of exactly where my dog is within 150ft radius, not so much. The
"leash" analogy is also entirely misplaced. "Leash" implies having control
over your dog, so it can't get away. With playtag it seems, there's not really
any element of "control" at all, and if my dog gets more than 150 feet away
it's basically useless.

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play_tagapp
I hear ya but check out the crowd sourcing feature where other app users can
pick up the location of you dog & get a monetary reward. If you're a dog
owner, I would love to get more of your input - maggie@play-tag.com

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mikeg8
Looks very cool! Well done.

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play_tagapp
Cool! Thanks!

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Globz
This thing really needs a GPS, great idea just need something "more"!

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play_tagapp
Thanks for your feedback!

