Happy Holidays one and all.
In this week’s WAWA, we will teach you how to make your own GPS tracking shoes for your kids.
Ever since GPS tracking bands such as Fitbit and Nike+ hit the market years ago, we at LALAMAMA have been trying to find ways to track kids. As any parent knows, young kids are active and like to make a break for it, and love to play "hide-and-seek" in public places. This can be terrifying, and knowing where your kids are at all time is comforting.
The problem with most GPS trackers on the market is that they are too big. They are either oversized watches that children do not find comfortable, or they are in the form of necklaces that can be easily removed and/or lost. We have found that the ideal place to store a GPS tracker is an a kid’s shoes. It is seamless, they have their shows with them at all times, and they do not even realize that the tracker is there.
For the GPS tracker, we have selected the Tile GPS tracker. It has the smallest form factor that we have been able to find. It will cost you $25 for one Tile GPS tracker. You can also save 30% on a 4-pack, 35% on an 8-pack and 40% on a 12-pack if you want to tag more than one pair of shoes.
Find out more about the Tile app and GPS tracker at:
www.thetileapp.com
It was difficult to find a pair of toddler shoes with a thick enough sole for creating a space to insert the Tile GPS tracker seamlessly. We ended up choosing Dr Martens boots. They are great for any conditions and have ample sole space to for the Tile GPS tracker. Dr Martens are also just plain bad-ass :) Your kids will be the coolest, and safest kids around. The Dr Martens will cost you around $70, cool costs money :(
See the entire line of Dr Martens for kids here:
http://www.drmartens.com/us/c/Kids
Here’s everything that you’ll need:
- Tile GPS tracker
- Dr Martens boots
- X-Acto knife
- Scissors
- Pen
- Mobile device
Now that we have all of the ingredients, let’s get cooking.
The first step is removing the shoelaces and pulling the tongue forward. You need as much room to work with, and these things would get in the way.
Next remove the foam sole from the inside of the shoe. This is not glued down, so it is easy to remove. Make sure not to lose it, as you will reinsert it after installing the GPS tracker into the inside/bottom of the shoe. The foam sole works great to hide any work done to install the GPS tacker beneath.
Now place the Tile GPS tracker in the inside of the shoe and find a location that it fits in all directions. Use the pen to edges of the Tile GPS tracker onto the inside sole area.
Remove the Tile GPS tracker and use the X-Acto knife to cut out a recessed area for the Tile GPS tracker. You must cut through a 3mm layer of wood and then 15mm of silicone. You can use the screwdriver to get under and lift the wood piece. You can use the scissors to cut out silicone pieces. Be careful not to cut all the way through the sole. If you do cut all the way through, some krazy glue or Shoe Goo which can be purchase at most grocery stores will do the trick.
Once you have cut out an area deep and thick enough to fit the Tile GPS tracker, sync it with you mobile device. Then place it into the recessed area in the inside of the shoe. Now re-insert the foam sole and your DIY GPS tracker show is ready for action.
The Tile app will allow you to track the location of the kid, can activate an alarm in the shoe, and can show you a visual map of the location history.
’Til next time WAWA Nation. -Mr. Dante