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VietnameseTrack people, pets and gear beyond cell coverage
Everything you need to track where there's no signal, in one app, over your own LoRa radios: on-demand locations, Find Mode, Safe Zones, Pause, low-battery alerts and location history. No SIM, no subscription. Nelos asks compatible LoRa GPS trackers for their location over your own radio network, with no cellular connection between the tracker and your radio. Compatible hardware is required.
The tracker knows where it is. LoRa carries it to you.
GPS and getting the location to you are two separate jobs. The tracker's GPS receiver works out its own coordinates from satellites - that never needed a cell tower. What usually needs one is sending the position to your phone. Nelos replaces that step with LoRa, a long-range, low-power radio link you carry yourself.
- GPS trackerOn a dog's collar, in a child's backpack or on a bike. Fixes its own position from satellites.
- LoRa / meshThe position travels by radio, directly or through repeaters you or your community put up.
- Your LoRa radioA small compatible radio you carry, paired to your phone over Bluetooth.
- Nelos appShows the tracker on an offline map, with its battery and how old the last position is.
Because your phone asks and the tracker answers, the location does not depend on a stranger's phone happening to pass by, or on a cell tower in range. It does depend on radio range. The guide how LoRa GPS tracking works explains polling, range, repeaters and why this is not second-by-second streaming.
Request locations, search when needed, and get an alert when a tracker leaves a Safe Zone
Most location sharing waits for a device to report in. With Nelos, your phone requests the location from the tracker through your radio, so you can ask again whenever you need a fresher answer.
- Automatic updates - your phone asks each tracker every few minutes, also with the screen off when background connection is on.
- Refresh - request a new position right now.
- Find Mode - faster, active location requests while you search, for a limited time, then Nelos asks whether to keep going.
- Safe Zones - circles from 100 m to 2 km around home, camp or a meeting point; your phone checks each position it receives and alerts you when a tracker leaves or comes back, so the tracker needs to stay within radio range.
- Pause - stop automatic updates to save the tracker's battery; the last position stays and Refresh still works.
- Battery and history - low-battery alerts, and the trail of positions received (24 hours on Free, up to 90 days with Pro), stored only on your phone.
Trackers live alongside your team
Trackers show up on the same offline map as the people in your team, so tracking sits next to the rest of what a group needs out of coverage.
Messaging
Team chat and direct messages over LoRa - "I've got the dog" reaches everyone without signal.
Check-in and location
People with a phone share their position on the map, and Check-in lets them tell the team "I've arrived" with a location.
Need Help
One tap alerts the rest of the team with your location when someone needs a hand.
Offline maps and waypoints
Download the area before you go, then mark the car park, the camp or the spot the dog was last seen.
Repeaters
Add a repeater on high ground to reach further across a valley, campsite or property.
No account
No sign-up, no tracking cloud. Locations travel over your radios and history stays on the phone.
A compatible tracker, a compatible radio, and the app
Nelos does not turn your phone into a GPS tracker, and it does not work with every LoRa device. You need:
- A GPS tracker running MeshCore firmware, for the person, pet or object. The recommended trackers are the RAK WisMesh Tag (available pre-flashed) and the SenseCAP T1000-E (needs MeshCore installed first - see using a T1000-E as a dedicated tracker).
- A compatible LoRa radio for you, paired to your phone over Bluetooth. This is what talks to the tracker.
- Nelos on iPhone or Android. You add a tracker by keeping it next to your phone for a minute while Nelos sets it up on your radio's frequency.
New to LoRa? What is a LoRa mesh radio? explains the basics, and tracker vs handheld radio helps you decide who carries which.
When something else is the better tracker
LoRa tracking solves one problem well: keeping track of people, pets and gear around you when the cell network is weak or absent. It is not the right tool for every job.
AirTag and other item finders
Cheap, tiny and backed by a huge crowd-sourced network of Apple devices. Usually better for keys, luggage and things lost in towns and cities, and they need no radio setup. They have no GPS of their own and rely on nearby devices, so they help little at an empty campsite. See AirTag vs GPS tracker.
Cellular GPS trackers
Better when the thing you track travels far without you - a stolen car, a dog that escapes in town - and there is mobile coverage. They report from anywhere with signal, usually for a monthly fee.
Satellite trackers and messengers
Better for genuinely remote solo trips and for contacting rescue services, usually with a subscription. Nelos keeps a group in touch locally; it does not call for help from outside. See LoRa mesh vs satellite messenger.
Where Nelos fits best
Dogs around camp, a cabin or a rural property; kids at a campsite, festival or outdoor event; hiking and camping groups; and anyone who wants their own local tracking and messaging network without a SIM in every device. The full comparison is in how a GPS tracker works without a SIM or cell service.
Start with the situation you're in
Dogs
For dogs that roam around camp, on the trail or on a rural property.
Kids & family
Keeping an eye on children at camp, at events and on family trips - openly, as a family.
Hiking & outdoor
Groups on the trail and around camp, where messaging matters as much as location.
Tracking technology
How the pieces work, and how LoRa compares with Bluetooth tags, cellular and satellite.
Devices & ecosystem
Hardware, MeshCore, and coming from older off-grid devices.
Frequently asked questions
Does Nelos work as a GPS tracker on its own?
No. Nelos is an app. To track something you need a compatible LoRa GPS tracker on the person, pet or object, and a compatible LoRa radio paired to your phone. The tracker works out its own position and Nelos asks for it over the radio link between the two.
Do the tracker or the phone need cell service or a SIM card?
No. The tracker has no SIM, and the location travels between the tracker and your radio over LoRa, not over a mobile network. Your phone only needs the internet beforehand if you want to download offline maps for the area.
Is it real-time tracking?
Not in the second-by-second sense. Normally your phone asks each tracker for its location every few minutes. Find Mode asks much more often while you search. Each answer is a fresh GPS position when the tracker has a fix, but only arrives while the tracker and your radio can reach each other.
How far does it reach?
There is no fixed number. Range depends on terrain, buildings, trees, antennas, the radio hardware and settings, and whether there are repeaters in between. Open ground and high positions help a lot; valleys, dense forest and the inside of buildings or vehicles cut range sharply.
Is there a subscription?
Not for the radio link: no SIM plan and no tracking service fee. Nelos is free to start, and the free plan includes one tracker per team. The optional Nelos Pro one-time purchase adds unlimited trackers, longer location history and more.
Is this meant for watching people without them knowing?
No. Nelos is built for families and groups who agree to share locations with each other on trips and at events. Tell the people you track, including older children, that they are carrying a tracker and why.
Ready to track beyond cell coverage?
Download Nelos, pair a compatible LoRa radio, and add a tracker for the person, pet or bag you want to keep an eye on.