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Connected Pet Guide

Connected pet tech glossary

Plain-English definitions of GPS trackers, microchips, pet cameras, feeders, cat flaps, litter boxes and the UK rules around them.

A

Automatic mode

On a Litter-Robot, the mode in which the machine cycles by itself after a cat leaves. Whisker's Litter-Robot 4 and Litter-Robot 5 manuals say cats should weigh at least 1.36 kg before that mode is used unattended. See automatic litter boxes and kittens.

Activity monitoring

A feature Tractive lists on both its Basic and Premium plans. The help pages opened for this site do not define it as a diagnosis. An app graph is not a vet.

B

Breakaway collar

A collar meant to open under pressure so a cat is not trapped. The RSPCA asks for a quick-release buckle and warns against elasticated collars. Tractive says cats should use a breakaway collar with its tracker. See cat collars and trackers.

Bluetooth

A short-range radio link. Ofcom groups everyday short-range devices as licence-exempt, low power, and not protected from interference. Tractive says Bluetooth on the owner's phone can help its tracker update when the phone is nearby and mobile coverage is poor. See radio, Wi-Fi and mobile coverage.

C

CE marking

A conformity mark. GOV.UK's sector table says electrical equipment and radio equipment may be placed on the Great Britain market with UKCA or CE. Northern Ireland's column is different. See batteries, chargers and product safety.

Cellular

The mobile-phone network a GPS collar uses to send a position. Tractive says that without cellular coverage the update is delayed, and that a subscription pays for that connection. See how a cellular GPS pet tracker works.

D

Duty of care

Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in England and Wales, makes it an offence not to take reasonable steps to meet an animal's needs, including a suitable environment, a suitable diet, normal behaviour, company or solitude as needed, and protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease. A gadget does not discharge that duty on its own.

Database operator

The organisation holding a microchipped pet's record. GOV.UK lists the databases that meet government standards and says Track Your Paws has been removed. See microchip versus a GPS tracker.

E

Export of location history

A Premium feature in Tractive's subscription FAQ: the ability to export location history. Basic is listed as not including it. Exporting a file means the positions can leave the account. See location data and privacy.

Electrical equipment

Mains-powered pet products such as a litter box or a fountain. GOV.UK points at the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 for that sector in Great Britain, and says UKCA or CE marking may be used. See batteries, chargers and product safety.

F

Feeder

A device that releases food you have measured. PDSA still expects you to weigh a complete diet. The machine does not set the portion. See smart feeders and portions.

FDXB

The protocol named in regulation 5 of the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023. A compliant microchip must respond to a 134.2 kilohertz transponder using FDXB as set out in ISO 11784:1996 and ISO 11785:1996.

G

GPS

Satellite positioning. Tractive says the module in its tracker calculates a location from GPS satellites, and that a clear view of the sky works best. GPS does not, on that account, deliver the dot to your phone. The mobile network does. See how a cellular GPS pet tracker works.

General product safety

The General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which GOV.UK says require consumer products to be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use in Great Britain. Northern Ireland moved to the EU regulation on 13 December 2024. See batteries, chargers and product safety.

H

Household exception

The idea that purely personal use at home sits outside data protection duties. The ICO's home CCTV page says the duties do apply when a camera captures someone else's property, a public area or a communal space. See pet cameras and your neighbours.

Home CCTV

The ICO's term for fixed cameras and smart doorbells used at home. A pet camera is in that guidance when it films other people. The ICO says the page is under review.

I

Identity tag

The plate or badge, or the inscription on the collar, carrying the owner's name and address. Article 2 of the Control of Dogs Order 1992 requires a dog in a highway or place of public resort to wear one, with listed exceptions. See dog collar, tag and a tracker.

ISO 11784

One of the two ISO microchip standards named in the English microchipping regulations, together with ISO 11785:1996 apart from Annex A.

J

Jurisdiction

Which country's rules apply. The English microchipping regulations apply in England. GOV.UK says all UK dogs must be microchipped by 8 weeks, that England's cats must be microchipped by 20 weeks including indoor cats, and that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland leave cat microchipping as a choice. Do not copy an England rule into another part of the UK without reading that nation's page.

K

Kitten weight threshold

The weight below which Whisker says a kitten should not use a Litter-Robot in automatic mode. The Litter-Robot 4 and 5 manuals opened for this site say 1.36 kg. The Litter-Robot 4 FAQ says under 3 lb (1.3 kg) is not recognised. Follow the manual for the unit. See automatic litter boxes and kittens.

L

Live tracking

Tractive's faster update mode. Its how-it-works article says LIVE mode updates every 2 to 3 seconds. Its FAQ table says the same for LIVE, and a wider "every 2 to 60 minutes" for the default mode. Those are the maker's figures. See how a cellular GPS pet tracker works.

Low-battery indicator

Sure Petcare says the Microchip Cat Flap flashes when the four AA batteries are running low. The "up to 12 months" life on that page is the maker's claim.

M

Microchip

A small implant with a unique number, fitted by a trained professional, and registered on an approved database. It identifies the animal when scanned. It does not show a live map. See microchip versus a GPS tracker.

Manual lock

The physical setting on Sure Petcare's Microchip Cat Flap that can stop the cat leaving, stop the cat entering, or allow entry only. It is the control the shop page describes when selective entry is not what you want.

N

Neighbour

The person a garden camera is most likely to film. The ICO says to talk to them first, and that consent is rarely the legal test. A legitimate reason and a proportionate view of the boundary are. See pet cameras and your neighbours.

O

Ofcom

The UK regulator for radio spectrum. It says radio use needs a licence or an exemption, and that Wi-Fi is among the common exempt uses. It does not guarantee interference-free reception. See radio, Wi-Fi and mobile coverage.

P

Personal information

The ICO's phrase for images and voices of other people captured by a home camera. When those are captured beyond your boundary, the ICO says data protection law applies.

Power Saving Zone

Tractive's name for a feature it says reduces GPS interference at home and improves battery life. It is not, in the help article, a promise that the pet is safe.

Q

Quick-release collar

A cat collar with a buckle that snaps open under pressure. The RSPCA says elasticated collars can be dangerous. See cat collars and trackers.

R

Radio equipment

Equipment that transmits by radio. Ofcom identifies the Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 as the framework for placing it on the market in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A Wi-Fi camera and a cellular tracker are in this family. A passive microchip, which is scanned by someone else's reader, is a different object.

RFID collar tag

Sure Petcare's tag for pets that are not microchipped, so a selective flap can still recognise them. The UK shop says it is not compatible with Microchip Cat Flaps of serial number 1152201 or lower. It is not a legal microchip, and it is not a GPS tracker.

S

Subscription

The recurring charge for a cellular tracker's mobile connection. Tractive says prices vary by plan, billing interval and country, and that without the subscription the tracker cannot report a location. See what a pet tracker subscription costs.

Satisfactory quality

The term section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats as included in a contract to supply goods. It takes in description, price, fitness, safety and durability, and public statements such as adverts can count. See buying a connected pet product.

T

Tracker

In these guides, a battery device attached to a collar or harness that calculates a position and sends it over a mobile network. Tractive's comparison page is the maker account used here. Other brands are not defined, because their pages were not opened.

Tunnel extender

A Sure Petcare accessory for a wall-mounted cat flap. The shop page says each extender adds 50 mm to the 70 mm tunnel. On 14 November 2026 a single extender was listed at £9 and a pack of three at £22.

U

UKCA

The UK Conformity Assessed mark. GOV.UK says businesses may use UKCA or CE for electrical equipment and radio equipment on the Great Britain market. See batteries, chargers and product safety.

V

Virtual fence

An alert boundary in a tracker app. Tractive lists it for Basic and Premium. It does not physically stop the animal. See the knowledge-base answer what is a virtual fence on a pet tracker?.

W

Water fountain

A pump that circulates drinking water. PDSA says cats need water, not milk, and that a fountain is worth trying if a cat prefers running water. It does not replace a washable bowl. See pet water fountains.

Wi-Fi

A short-range radio link Ofcom names among common licence-exempt uses. A Wi-Fi pet camera still has to follow the ICO's rules if it films past your boundary. The radio exemption does not answer that.

X

Cross-border use

Tractive's Premium plan is described as working in 175 or more countries. Basic is described as one country only. Whether Basic is sold in the UK is a question the FAQ tells you to check on the plans page, not a fact this glossary will assume.

Y

Your details

The keeper's name, address and contact information on a microchip database. GOV.UK says you must keep them up to date, for example after a move, and that the database might charge. Regulation 6 of the English regulations lists the fields, including the keeper's name and address and a telephone number if there is one.

Z

Zone

Either Tractive's Power Saving Zone, which it describes as a battery feature at home, or a virtual fence, which it describes as an alert area. Neither is a physical enclosure. Do not mix them up when you read the app.

Sources