One of the prime concerns of every parent, especially working parents, is their child's safety. Considering how hectic life is for children these days, parents are always anxious about their whereabouts. Children, after school, attend a series of tuition or hobby classes before they return home almost around dinner time, if then.
I remember when I went to school, we didn't even have a telephone at home. I walked to school and came right back. My folks thought twice about letting me go beyond a half-kilometer radius. Moreover, all friends lived next door, and if they were a little far off, someone at home escorted us. Those who went to hobby classes, invariably had their teachers living in the locality.
These days, children are even busier than high-level corporate executives-what with all their classes and extracurricular activities. Most parents' schedules revolve around their children's. And if both parents are working, the stress is sky-high.
Life is so different in the digital age. Besides the usual worries about whether their child made it to their tuition or hobby class in time, remembered to do specific things, ate on time, got on the bus, and so on, there is also the fear for their safety. How will they reach someone they trust in an emergency? It is not always feasible to give a young child a mobile phone.
How to keep track?
How to monitor securely and without disturbing them every time?
How to feel at peace knowing where your child is and what she's doing, that she's safe?
The Toggr wearable offers a solution.
I received a pink Toggr Junior wearable to use for two weeks to review it.
I thought, hmm? What does this watch do?
Only one way to find out, eh?
Magnasoft's brainchild, Toggr is a watch-like device that could very well be a huge sigh of relief for parents because it helps them to locate, connect and engage with their child via an easy interface.
To quote the brand, it is "a smart family platform which keeps children connected with their parents and gives them peace of mind"
Here's what the official description says:
Let us see how.
How it worksChild wears Toggr on the wrist and goes about her day.
Child's Toggr is paired with Parent's mobile phone, so whenever parent wants to know where child is, all she has to do is open the app and click locate. And the screen will instantly zoom in, much like your cab app, to the spot where the child is located.
Parent can call the child, and child can answer by clicking the button on the side of the watch. If child wants to call her parent, she can long press the "WIN" or When In Need button on the side of the watch to alert the parent and the parent will call back.
Now you're thinking, what if the parent is unable to answer when the child is trying to reach her?
Two solutions:
- While setting up the app, an alternate number must be entered, which will be called automatically by the app in case the parent doesn't respond.
- The app also alerts another parent from the community nearby, who can get in touch with the child. This means you must share your location for the Toggr community to connect with you in case of your child's emergency.
Rather similar to how we had a group of parents who could always rely on each other when my son was in school.
The watch itself is a simple design and very easy to use. It has a sim card, which is the heart of the device to enable being located and staying in contact via phone calls. The screen shows the battery level, the time and also a step counter to measure how active the child has been during the day.
Needless to say, during my review, my niece went berserk with the watch, calling away every other minute. So much fun. I almost said "roger" and "over" since it is a speaker phone system and felt pretty much like how spies communicate-except, this is far easier to use.
Toggr WearableI unpacked the watch, which came in a box with a charging cable.
You will need an active GPRS enabled 2G micro sim card. My review piece thoughtfully came with one.
The SIM card goes into a slot on the left side of the watch, next to the USB charging port.
These are covered by a flap that seals the space. On the right of the watch are the following:
- Button to receive and answer incoming calls
- Power On/Off which also functions as call disconnect button. Long press turns it on/off and short press hangs up a call
- WIN button - long press triggers the WIN
On the watch's face, just above the dial is the speaker and below the dial, is the microphone.
The watch must be charged every day, much like any other device and takes about an hour to charge fully. When the watch is switched on, the word "HELLO" appears on the screen with a bar of music after which the screen settles to show the GSM and GPS signal, batter level, time, date and step counter showing how many steps are taken that day.
The nice thing is, the watch's display lights up only when a key is pressed. Otherwise it is off and pretty much looks like a toy watch!
The watch and the strap are made of a unified mould and the material is silicon-like. Quite sturdy.
Setting up the Toggr wearableTook about 5 minutes.
I downloaded the Toggr app from Google Play Store for my Android phone. Then I signed up with my name, relationship with child, email and 10 digit mobile number. I got an OTP to validate my number and was ready to pair the watch to my phone. I did this by scanning the QR code at the back of the watch to access the app's home screen.
Next, I entered details and photo of my son. The photo seems mandatory as the setup wouldn't let me move to the next step without it.
The home screen has a menu on the top left with Family, Children, Places, Account, Feedback, About and Share Toggr.
Under family, I entered my details and my husband's details. A maximum of three family members are allowed and under children, my son's details. Any number of children with Toggrs can be connected to the account. The phone number here is the phone number of the Toggr watch. There is a subscription renewal date below this info.
Under places, a list of regularly visited places can be added, such as school, hobby classes, relative's address, etc.
The home screen shows the following:
- the watch's battery level
- step count - this is via the 3D sensor to count how many steps the child has taken that day
- the locate button - to locate the child, both indoors and outdoors
- Voice calling button from which one can call the Toggr watch directly from the app. The special thing is, this feature is active only when the watch is outside the "Silent Zone" so no worries of calling your child when she's in class.
- timeline, which lists all the places the child's visited with check in and check out times.
The pedometer is a nice way to stay healthy.
Clicking the locate button zooms in to the watch's location, and also shows the time.
The phone icon lets you call the watch and the pointer with the "+" sign lets you add a new location. This is useful as you can be notified when the child goes to multiple locations. Silent zones can be created to disable the calling function on the Toggr app.
To summarize- You need an active GPRS enabled micro sim card. (Reliance Jio 4G is not supported on Toggr)
- After six months, there is a nominal subscription fee to use Toggr's features
- Smart locator lets you always know where your child is
- WIN - voice call to parents in an emergency. This emergency alert comes with community based support. Long pressing this button triggers the emergency call. The alert notifications also come via SMS and in-app notifications on the Toggr app. The watch dials 3 preset family numbers one after the other until the call is answered. This is amazing. This feature also lets you reach out to other Toggr community parents around your child's location to help your child. You can choose the nearest parent to send an SMS or to make a voice call to request for help. This is quite like calling another parent the conventional way, if you know they'll be in the vicinity and ready to help our child. Of course, with the Toggr, you know exactly where they are
- TOGGR community-safe community of Toggr parents to help each other in case of emergency
- Voice calling - To call Toggr directly from the mobile app (android and iOS)
- Timeline with check in, check out notification
- Pedometer - daily step count
- Battery level alert
My experience
My experience was good. I was happy to know that my niece, who goes to school, then drawing class, science club, and music class on her own found the Toggr easy to use. We always worry when she steps out, as she has to walk through traffic and busy areas. It was a relief to be able to see where she was, and talk to her when we wanted because we usually fret until she is back home. One day, when she missed the bus, a WIN alert made it possible for us to make arrangements to pick her up. On another occasion, she went over to her friend's place after class. The ability to locate her kept us stress-free. I would love to see how the Toggr works when I go out of town in terms of tracking, as I am told it is efficient no matter where the watch is, as long as the SIM card is active. That's good to know especially for parents who travel a lot.
What I liked
- The watch is a snug fit
- The location tracker is great
- Call clarity is excellent
- Cool factor-watch looks good, like a sports watch. My niece thought it was awesome
- Easy to set up and use
- Very responsive customer service - in fact they went out of their way to answer my questions, and also checked back to find out if I needed help, which was a pleasant experience
- Water resistant and splash proof. However, it is better not to wear it while swimming or showering. In fact, better to ensure that the flap on the SIM slot and USB port is properly shut, because children WILL get it wet.
- The phone call is audible to everyone around when the child answers the phone in public. What could be the solution to this? Especially when it is an emergency call? Wish there was a more private way.
- Parents must share their location, which means anyone with a Toggr watch will know where you are. Is that a good thing? In terms of community, yes. But what if you didn't want others to know your whereabouts?
- Battery has to be charged every day and I found, sometimes twice a day.
- Only three colors are available. My niece wanted a snazzy black. My niece said, "I wish I could change straps" *Eye Roll*
On the whole, considering the basic promise of the watch: that of monitoring the child's location, staying connected, and being able to talk to them via a simple interface-this is a great device.
Yes, I'd recommend it. The word "Security" has a soothing ring to it!
The Toggr is priced at Rs.2999.00 and comes with a 6-month replacement warranty.
You can buy the Toggr here
Writer, editor, blogger, social media enthusiast. Love DIY, Coffee, Music, Reading, Photography, Family, Friends and Life. Mantra: Happiness is a DIY Project. In my free time I play with my dust bunnies and show my diabetes who's boss. Tweet as @vidyasury
