What Pitfalls Should You Avoid When OEM-Customizing a GPS Tracking Collar?

OEM GPS tracking collars may look like simple products consisting of a positioning module, battery, and enclosure. In reality, they involve GNSS positioning, mobile or LoRa communication, antenna design, power management, waterproof construction, cloud platforms, and mass production.

Whether you are developing a livestock GPS collar, pet GPS tracker, hunting dog collar, solar-powered cattle collar, or virtual fence collar, unclear requirements can result in poor positioning, short battery life, unstable communication, water ingress, broken straps, and unusable software platforms.

Below are the most common OEM GPS collar pitfalls and practical ways to avoid them.

1. Failing to Define the Application Scenario

This is one of the most common mistakes in an OEM project.

Different applications have completely different requirements:

• Cattle and sheep GPS collars require long battery life, waterproofing, impact resistance, and long-range communication.
• Pet GPS collars need a compact size, low weight, and a user-friendly mobile app.
• Hunting dog tracking collars require frequent position updates, real-time routes, and reliable communication in forests and mountainous areas.
• Wildlife or asset tracking collars focus on ultra-low power consumption and long-term unattended operation.
• Virtual fence collars may also require buzzers, vibration motors, or electric pulse warning functions.

Simply telling a manufacturer, “I need a GPS collar,” is not enough. Before starting an OEM project, confirm:

1. What animal or asset will use the collar?
2. What is the size and weight of the animal?
3. Will it be used indoors or outdoors?
4. Will it operate on open farmland, in mountains, forests, or urban areas?
5. How often should it collect and upload its location?
6. Should it use 4G, LTE-M, NB-IoT, LoRa, LoRaWAN, or satellite communication?
7. What is the required battery life?
8. Are geofence and abnormal-event alarms required?
9. Is a mobile app or management platform needed?
10. What are the prototype and mass-production quantities?

2. Looking Only at Battery Capacity

A 5,000 mAh battery does not automatically guarantee six months of operation.

Power consumption comes from:

• GNSS positioning;
• 4G, LTE-M, or NB-IoT communication;
• LoRa or LoRaWAN transmission;
• Bluetooth scanning;
• Accelerometers and other sensors;
• LEDs, buzzers, and vibration motors;
• Repeated network searches in weak-signal areas;
• Reduced battery performance in low temperatures.

A collar uploading its location every minute may consume dozens of times more power than one uploading only four times per day.

Ask the supplier for a power-consumption calculation based on the actual operating mode.

Do not rely only on theoretical battery-life claims. Conduct long-term tests under real operating conditions.

3. Assuming a Good GNSS Chip Guarantees Accurate Positioning

Positioning performance depends not only on the GNSS chipset, but also on the antenna, enclosure, PCB layout, wearing direction, animal-body obstruction, and firmware algorithms.

Common problems include:

• The GNSS antenna is too small.
• The battery, metal buckle, or PCB blocks the antenna.
• The antenna faces downward after the animal wears the collar.
• The device rotates beneath the animal’s neck.
• The enclosure material weakens satellite signals.
• The firmware does not properly manage cold, warm, and hot starts.
• The collar uploads an old coordinate after a positioning failure.

Do not test the prototype only on a table or open rooftop. Mount it on an animal and test it on farms, near buildings, in forests, and in mountainous areas.

Important test items include:

• Time to first fix;
• Positioning accuracy;
• Route drift during movement;
• Recovery speed in weak-signal areas;
• Coordinate jumping while stationary;
• Positioning performance after restart.

4. Choosing the Wrong Communication Technology

Common communication options include 4G, LTE-M, NB-IoT, LoRa, and LoRaWAN. There is no universally best option—the right solution depends on the deployment environment.

4G GPS Collars

4G collars can upload data directly through a mobile network. They are suitable for cities, roads, and regions with reliable cellular coverage.

Confirm:

• Supported operator bands;
• SIM card and data costs;
• Network coverage on remote farms;
• Long-term roaming-card stability;
• Whether the product will continue working after 2G or 3G shutdowns.

LoRa or LoRaWAN GPS Collars

These are suitable for large farms, ranches, and other fixed areas. They can reduce recurring data costs and support low-power operation.

Confirm:

• Whether LoRa gateways must be installed;
• The required number and installation height of gateways;
• Obstruction caused by hills, forests, and buildings;
• Whether the local band is EU868, US915, AU915, CN470, AS923, or another band;
• Whether the collars and gateways use compatible protocols.

A major mistake is believing a laboratory claim that “LoRa can reach more than ten kilometres” without conducting a site survey. Real coverage depends on terrain, antenna height, transmit power, gateway placement, and radio interference.

5. Ignoring Regional Frequency Bands and Certifications

One GPS collar cannot necessarily be sold in every country without modification.

Common LoRa regional bands include:

• EU868 in Europe;
• US915 in the United States;
• AU915 in Australia;
• CN470 in China;
• AS923, IN865, and RU864 in some other markets.

Using the wrong version may prevent network access or violate local radio regulations.

Depending on the target market, the product may require:

• CE;
• FCC;
• RED;
• RoHS;
• PTCRB or operator approval;
• UN38.3;
• MSDS;
• Other battery transportation or market-access documentation.

A communication module with certification does not automatically make the complete collar certified. Confirm whether the certification covers the final assembled product.

6. Trusting Waterproof Claims Without Testing

Livestock, pet, and hunting dog collars are exposed to rain, mud, sweat, humidity, and sometimes full immersion.

Typical failure points include:

• Poorly sealed USB charging ports;
• Loose SIM-card covers;
• Enclosure joints;
• Screw holes;
• Buttons;
• Ageing sealing adhesive;
• Enclosure deformation caused by biting or impact;
• Loss of waterproofing after repair.

Even if the supplier advertises IP67 or IP68, ask for the test conditions and reports. Before mass production, conduct immersion, rain, temperature-cycle, drop, and post-impact waterproof tests.

7. Designing an Attractive Enclosure That Is Unsuitable for Animals

A GPS collar is not only an electronic device; it is also a wearable product that may stay on an animal for months.

Poor mechanical design may cause:

• Excessive weight;
• Sharp edges that rub the skin;
• A strap that is too tight or too loose;
• Rotation beneath the animal’s neck;
• Buckles that open after impact;
• Material becoming hard in cold weather;
• Damage caused by animals biting each other’s collars;
• Plastic ageing after long-term sunlight exposure.

The size, weight, strap width, and fastening method should match the target animal. Cattle, sheep, pets, and hunting dogs should not simply use the same enclosure.

Whenever possible, conduct multi-week field-wearing tests on real animals.

8. Ignoring Antenna Interference

A GPS collar may contain several antennas:

• GNSS;
• 4G;
• LoRa;
• Bluetooth;
• NFC.

Poor PCB layout and antenna placement may cause slow positioning, short LoRa range, cellular disconnections, or overheating.

Installing ready-made modules in an enclosure does not guarantee good performance. The OEM supplier should be capable of antenna tuning and RF testing using the final enclosure, battery, and assembled collar.

9. Overlooking the App and Management Platform

The value of a GPS collar depends heavily on its software platform.

Confirm whether the platform supports:

• Real-time location;
• Historical routes;
• Geofences;
• Low-battery alarms;
• Offline alarms;
• Boundary-crossing alerts;
• Multi-device management;
• User roles and permissions;
• Multiple map providers;
• Multiple languages;
• API integration;
• Data export;
• OTA firmware updates.

A common problem is that the sample uses a free demonstration platform, but after mass production the customer discovers additional platform, map, server, or annual per-device fees.

Before signing a contract, clarify:

• Platform pricing;
• Data-retention period;
• Server location;
• Private deployment options;
• API and protocol availability;
• Ownership of customer and tracking data;
• Whether the devices will still operate if the supplier discontinues the platform.

10. Failing to Define Protocol and Data Ownership

After development, some customers discover that they do not own the communication protocol, firmware, enclosure design, mold, or platform interface.

The contract should specify:

• Product-name and trademark ownership;
• Industrial-design ownership;
• Mold ownership;
• Firmware modification rights;
• Communication protocol delivery;
• API availability;
• Data ownership;
• Third-party platform integration rights;
• Restrictions on changing the SIM card or server;
• Whether another factory may continue production.

For exclusive or high-investment products, intellectual-property ownership and deliverables must be written clearly into the agreement.

11. Moving Directly from a Few Samples to Mass Production

A working engineering sample does not guarantee consistent mass-production quality.

A safer process is:

1. Confirm requirements.
2. Review the enclosure and mechanical design.
3. Test engineering prototypes.
4. Conduct a pilot production run.
5. Perform field trials.
6. Correct hardware and firmware problems.
7. Complete reliability verification.
8. Approve a golden sample.
9. Start mass production.

Recommended tests include:

• High- and low-temperature testing;
• Drop and vibration testing;
• Waterproof testing;
• Battery-cycle testing;
• Charging-safety testing;
• Communication-stability testing;
• GNSS performance testing;
• Long-duration ageing tests;
• Weak-network and reconnection testing.

12. Selecting Unstable Components to Obtain a Lower Price

An unusually low OEM price may mean the supplier has reduced costs by:

• Using low-quality batteries;
• Using refurbished or low-grade chips;
• Reducing antenna size;
• Simplifying the waterproof structure;
• Using plastics with poor ageing resistance;
• Omitting ageing tests;
• Frequently changing component suppliers;
• Providing no long-term firmware maintenance.

For outdoor GPS collars, the cost of locating, replacing, and servicing failed units can be much higher than the initial hardware savings.

Evaluate the supplier’s engineering capability, component control, production consistency, testing system, delivery stability, and after-sales support—not only the unit price.

13. Omitting OTA Updates and Automatic Recovery

Once hundreds or thousands of collars have been deployed, recalling each unit for a firmware update is extremely expensive.

A professional GPS collar should support:

• OTA firmware updates;
• Automatic rollback after a failed update;
• Network reconnection;
• Automatic restart after GNSS or modem failure;
• Remote server-address configuration;
• Remote reporting-interval adjustment;
• Remote device-status monitoring;
• Diagnostic logs;
• Watchdog protection.

Without OTA capability, a small firmware defect may become a major after-sales problem.

14. Assuming a Solar Collar Never Needs Charging

Solar-powered GPS collars are suitable for long-term outdoor deployments, but solar performance is affected by weather, dust, animal hair, wearing angle, season, and latitude.

The basic design requirement is:

Daily solar energy input ≥ Average daily device consumption

The battery must also store enough energy for consecutive cloudy days. Testing should cover winter conditions, low temperatures, partial panel obstruction, and extended periods without strong sunlight.

15. Leaving Warranty and Spare-Parts Responsibilities Undefined

GPS collars may need to operate for several years. The purchasing agreement should clarify:

• Warranty period;
• Whether the battery is replaceable;
• Availability of enclosure and strap spare parts;
• Repair and shipping costs;
• Platform-maintenance period;
• Charges for firmware updates;
• Spare-parts availability after discontinuation;
• Handling of batch failures;
• Replacement plans for discontinued chips or communication modules.

OEM GPS Collar Purchasing Checklist

How to Choose a Reliable OEM GPS Collar Manufacturer

A qualified manufacturer should provide more than simple product assembly. It should have capabilities in:

• GPS and BeiDou positioning design;
• 4G, LoRa, and LoRaWAN development;
• Low-power hardware design;
• GNSS and RF antenna tuning;
• Embedded firmware development;
• Mobile app and IoT platform development;
• Waterproof enclosure and mold design;
• Reliability testing;
• International certification support;
• Pilot production and mass manufacturing.

Shenzhen Jinshengchang Technology Co., Ltd. has extensive experience in GPS product development and can provide OEM and ODM services for livestock GPS collars, LoRa GPS collars, solar-powered cattle collars, pet and hunting dog trackers, virtual fence collars, and the supporting lora8 IoT management platform.

Conclusion

The biggest risk in an OEM GPS collar project is not the selection of one particular module. It is the absence of integrated planning across product definition, positioning, communication, power consumption, antenna design, mechanical construction, software platforms, and production.

Before development, define the environment, destination market, communication method, reporting interval, battery-life target, and software requirements. Before mass production, complete real-world field tests, pilot production, and reliability verification.

A reliable GPS tracking collar is a complete solution combining:

GNSS positioning + Wireless communication + Low-power management + RF antennas + Waterproof construction + Cloud platform + Production quality control

It is much more than a GPS circuit board attached to a strap.