AlarmBee
Panic button, kids smartwatch or GPS tracker?
Three products that solve different problems but are marketed as if they solved the same one. Below is what each actually does, what it costs, and where it leaves you stranded. We sell one of the three, so read it with that in mind — but our own downsides are written here too.
The core distinction: tracking or alerting?
A GPS tracker and a smartwatch answer the question "where is my child right now?". A panic button answers a different one: "does my child need help at this moment?". The first is continuous monitoring, the second is triggered by the child. They are not the same thing, and most parents actually want the second.
Kids smartwatch
What it does: calls to preset numbers, location, often an SOS button, sometimes a camera.
- For: a separate device, so the child doesn't need a phone. Good for younger ages.
- Against: EUR 60–200 for the device plus a separate SIM with a monthly fee. One-day battery life. It comes off the wrist and stays at home. A child of 11+ will usually refuse to wear it.
- Caution: a number of budget models have repeatedly been found with serious security flaws and servers outside the EU. If you're considering one, check where the data is hosted.
GPS tracker (bag or pocket)
What it does: reports location at intervals. Some have an SOS button.
- For: small, cheap, long battery life on some models.
- Against: it locates the device, not the child — and the device is in the bag left at the desk. No camera, no two-way communication. Usually a network subscription.
- The ethical issue: it is continuous surveillance. With teenagers it almost always creates a trust problem once discovered — and it does get discovered.
Phone panic button (such as AlarmBee)
What it does: the child taps a button, every parent phone sounds a siren, and location, photos, battery and network follow.
- For: no extra device, no extra SIM. The phone is already always on them — unlike the watch or the tracker. It doesn't monitor, so it doesn't break trust. EUR 5–12 per year for the whole family.
- Against — and this is a real against: it assumes the child has a phone with battery and signal. And it assumes the child gets the chance to press it. It does not cover "I don't know where they are and they're not answering".
- Technical limit: no browser app plays a continuous siren while fully closed. The parent gets a push that wakes the device, and an email every time.
Quick comparison
| Smartwatch | GPS tracker | Panic button | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per year | EUR 60–200 + fees | EUR 30–80 + fees | EUR 5–12 total |
| Extra device | Yes | Yes | No |
| Continuous tracking | Yes | Yes | No — only on alarm |
| Photos at the moment of danger | Rarely | No | Yes, both cameras |
| Loud alert to the parent | Notification | Notification | Siren + vibration + email |
| Workable for teenagers | Usually not | Problematic | Yes |
What we'd do in your position
For a child under 9 without a phone, a smartwatch makes sense. For a child who already has a phone — which is most children from primary school upwards — a panic button is cheaper, less intrusive and far more likely to be on them at the moment it matters. And they are not mutually exclusive: you can have both.
The most important factor, though, isn't the device. It's that your child has agreed to use it, and knows they won't be told off for pressing it unnecessarily. See our guide on safety on the walk to school.