The Vodafone Curve is a GPS tracker that allows you to track almost anything you like, wherever it goes.

Vodafone has released the Curve GPS tracker, a new internet-of-things device that allows you to track almost anything you like (including your bags, kids, pets, vehicles and other valuables). It uses mobile technology to report its location so you can track things wherever they go, providing a mobile signal is available.

In this article, we’ll review the Vodafone Curve. We’ll start by looking at the key features of the Curve including the real-time tracking, quick alert and zones feature. We’ll also look at the battery life of the Curve, at the subscription plans available for it and the technical specifications.

What is the Vodafone Curve?

The Vodafone Curve is a small GPS tracker that can be attached to almost anything you like to track its location. It’s a highly portable device, weighing only 30g and is waterproof with an IP67 rating so can comfortably be used outdoors.

Things you can potentially track with a Vodafone Curve include your keys, laptop bag, luggage case, backpack and more. You can also attach it to your pet’s collar to see their whereabouts at any time (including your dog or cat), or you can attach it to a vehicle like your bicycle or car.

Unlike a Bluetooth-only tracker, the Curve uses mobile technology to report its location. This means you can track things wherever they go, as long as a mobile signal is available. There’s no need for your things to stay in range of a smartphone or Wi-Fi network – you can locate them wherever they go using mobile connectivity.

In the UK, the Curve is now available to buy for £30. Once you’ve bought one, you can activate a service plan for it which will allow your item to be tracked in more than 90 countries around the world. At the moment, this costs £3/month on a 24-month contract or £6/month on a 1-month rolling contract.

Real-Time Location Tracking

Vodafone describes the Curve as a “smart GPS tracker that keeps you in touch with your favourite things”. At its core, it’s a portable device that offers real-time location tracking through GPS, cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology. The device periodically reports its location using the built-in mobile connectivity.

With the companion Vodafone Smart app for iPhone or Android, you can locate your items on a map at any time. You can also see a full location history for where your tracked items have been in the past.

Within the Vodafone Smart app, it’s possible to track the location of up to 20 items at the same time. You’ll need a separate Vodafone Curve for every item you want to track.

Quick Alert

The Vodafone Curve has a built-in Quick Alert button. If this button is pressed for 3 seconds, it will send an immediate alert and a location update to your connected mobile phones. You can use this like an emergency SOS button.

The value of the Quick Alert system really depends on what you’re using the Curve to track. For instance, it can be a highly valuable feature for your children if they put the Curve on their backpack. They can use the Quick Alert button to quickly share their location with you and to reach out to you at any time. On the contrary, it’s probably a superfluous feature if you’re using the Curve as a pet or general item tracker.

Once the Quick Alert button has been pressed on the Curve, a green light will flash on it so you’ll know that an alert has been sent.

Zones

Using the Vodafone Smart app, you can configure custom zones for each of your Vodafone Curve trackers. A zone is essentially a virtual boundary that you create around a location. Whenever your Curve enters or leaves that zone, an alert will be sent out automatically with a notification popping up on your smartphone.

Examples of zones you can create on the Curve include your home, your children’s school, your workplace, or the local park. For instance, you can choose to receive an automatic alert when your children leave their school and again when they get back home.

This feature is sometimes also referred to as geofencing.

Battery Life

The Vodafone Curve offers “up to 7 days battery life”, but this depends somewhat on the tracking mode you decide to use with it.

There are four tracking modes available:

  • Power Save Mode: The location will update every 2 hours. Gives up to 7 days battery life in this mode.
  • Everyday Mode: The location will update every 30 minutes. Gives up to 5 days battery life in this mode.
  • Performance Mode: The location will update every 5 minutes. Gives up to 3 days battery life in this mode.
  • Real Time Tracking: The location will update every 3-5 seconds.

You can change the tracking mode at any time through the Vodafone Smart app. For instance, for everyday usage, the Curve can be left in power save or everyday mode. However, when it’s needed, you can change this to performance mode or even to real-time tracking if you need to find the item faster.

The real-time tracking mode is especially useful for urgent situations. By default, it lasts for 15 minutes and causes a location update to be shared every 3-5 seconds. When it’s activate, a white light will flash on the Curve. This can help you to locate the item faster (e.g. if you’re looking for something in the dark).

The Vodafone Smart app will show you the remaining battery level on your Curve and will remind you when each device needs to be charged. You can use the provided USB cable to charge up the battery on your Curve.

Vodafone Curve Price Plans

The Vodafone Curve uses mobile connectivity to track your items wherever they go. This means there’s no need for your tracked items to remain in close proximity to a smartphone or Wi-Fi signal. You can track your items wherever they go, as long as a mobile signal is available (Vodafone offers 99% coverage in the UK).

Being a device that’s been “designed and connected by Vodafone”, the Curve has a built-in Vodafone Smart SIM card. When you activate the device, you’ll be able to add a subscription plan to it. This costs £3/month on a 24-month contract or £6/month on a 1-month rolling contract. The subscription includes global connectivity in more than 90 countries, with no limits on how much you can use your Curve.

The following subscription plans are currently available for the Vodafone Curve in the UK:

Network Subscription Plan Contact Length Monthly Cost
Vodafone Vodafone Curve
with unlimited tracking		 24 month contract £3/month
Vodafone Vodafone Curve
with unlimited tracking		 1 month contract £6/month

Your subscription plan is purchased separately through the Vodafone Smart app, after you order your Vodafone Curve tracker.

Using The Vodafone Curve Abroad

With the Vodafone Curve, you pay a flat subscription fee. There are no extra fees when your Vodafone Curve goes abroad to another country. You can currently use it in all of the following countries on your subscription plan:

  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Bahrain
  • Balearics
  • Bangladesh
  • Belgium
  • Bolivia
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Canary Islands
  • Ceuta and Melilla
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Congo DRC
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Dominican Republic
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Estonia
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Polynesia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Guam
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jordan
  • Kenya
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Latvia
  • Lesotho
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macedonia
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Nauru
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Norway
  • Pakistan
  • Palestinian Territory
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Reunion
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Rwanda
  • San Marino
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tanzania
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Vatican City
  • Vietnam

As it uses mobile connectivity, the Curve can only be used for land-based tracking. It isn’t possible to use the Curve for tracking at sea where a mobile signal isn’t available. You also won’t be able to use it in the air, so the Curve should be switched off before you board a plane.

Check Vodafone Coverage Map →

Technical Specifications

The following table shows the technical specifications of the Vodafone Curve in more depth:

Vodafone Curve
Design & Form Factor
Dimensions: 4.21cm diameter x 1.64cm thick
Weight: 30g
Colour: Dove or Slate
Waterproofing: IP67 waterproof and dustproof
(up to 1m depth for 30 minutes)
Connectivity
GPS: ✔ Yes
Wi-Fi: ✔ Yes
Bluetooth: ✔ Yes
Mobile Network: ✔ Yes, with built-in Vodafone Smart SIM
Mobile Bands: Quad-band GSM
GSM 850, GSM 1900, DCS 1800, PCS 1900
Power & Battery
Battery Life: Up to 7 days (dependent on tracking mode)
Charging: USB cable (provided)
Other
Price: £30
Features: Real-time GPS tracking with history
Quick Alert button
Personalised zones & alerts
Tracking Modes: Power Save Mode
Everyday Mode
Performance Mode
Real Time Tracking
More Information: Vodafone Curve website

The Curve is the first internet-of-things (IoT) or smart device to be “designed and connected by Vodafone”. Vodafone has said that further devices are also currently in the works and due to be released very soon.

For full in-depth technical specifications, please see Vodafone Curve web page.

More Information

For more information about the Vodafone Curve, see the official Vodafone website.

Your Comments 86 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 86 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Anthony said:

    I have my curve on permanent change I keep getting notifications that the device is on charge and your device is charged.
    I don’t want to turn off notifications because I will lose the zone function

  • Ruby Kennedy said:

    I just received my Curve, I got it for my dog.
    I was hoping it would draw a line as she is running in the forest, which you seem to get after in the history. I don’t understand the history yet and don’t seem to be able to empty some of it!!!!!!??????

    • Ruby replied:

      Spoke to Vodafone today and really pleased I did as I wanted to send it back, I can track my walks and see exactly where my dog is. I got no manual with my curve and can’t find much online.

  • Dar said:

    I just bought the curve and everytime I choose power save mode or performance mode it just defaults back to everyday mode. Any ideas why?

  • Nick said:

    Has anyone tried to open a Curve to try and swap the sim card for a different carrier. The Vodafone kids watches are unlocked and allow you to swap sims, which would be great for occasional use. Thanks

  • thomas william slack said:

    i think its a great idea but it would be better if it could be connected to a permanent electric supply

    • STEPHAN GRAY replied:

      You can leave it permanently connected by USB to a home adapter or car socket, mine is connected by USB cable permanently live in my car and works perfectly.

    • STEPHAN GRAY replied:

      You can leave it permanently connected by USB to a home adapter or car socket, mine is connected by USB cable permanently live in my car and works perfectly.

  • Paul Walker said:

    Hello – If I leave the curve plugged into a USB does it stay charged? Want to put one in my caravan which is left on a farm a distance from where I live. Can then set up the virtual boundaries just in case it gets stolen. Don’t want to have to go back up to every week to recharge the battery.

  • Carol said:

    Hello, I must be a very stupid old lady because I have bought a curve, set up the app, subscription etc and thought here we go my dog will be safe I can find her when she is deep in woods. So help please ,I can see the object has been found but how do I know which way to work , how far away is it , am I getting close etcetc. At the moment I can not see how it would lead me to my dog. Help please or it is going in the bin .

  • Vic Wild said:

    Hi there
    would it be possible to add a direction arrow to the tracking screen in order to give the starting direction when searching off-road (moorland and area’s not detailed or named on the maps).
    I use it to track or recover Rac model aircraft and it has already saved me a lot of time and money, but can be difficult to find the direction to start with.

    Vic Wild

    • Ian Dale replied:

      That would be good, the tracker fell off the dog, I found it by using the gps coordinates it sends when asking, but a compass arrow would be great

  • Jimmer said:

    Hi there Ken,
    I have recently purchased a curve. The tracking facility is ace and works well. I bought this to track my dog on the farm.
    I would like to use the zones using satellite view.
    Real time map has this option though at the minute and am unable to get the zones working on satellite view.
    Regards
    Jimmer

  • Karen Blackmore said:

    I use my curve for my dad who has dementia, however when I check the history it says he’s left the house several times and gone to different local destinations. I know this isn’t true as I’ve been staying with him. Is there any way of making it more accurate?

  • Ian Goddard said:

    Just tried my curve for the first time on a road trip and found that it only works in realtime mode. None of the other modes seem to update after the pre set time. For example I set it to performance mode and after 10 mins still no update, switch to realtime and it updates. The refresh doesnt do anything other than go round and round. Bit dissapointed.
    Many thanks

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Daniel,
      Thanks for your comment. I don’t believe the Curve works in Thailand. With regards to payment after the first 24 months, you’ll just need to renew your plan at whatever price that is applicable then. If nothing else changes, you can renew at £2/month but there is the possibility they’ll change the prices before then.
      Ken

  • Terence Baker said:

    I got a new phone and was given the curve extra. I did not know there was a monthly charge for its use. I have no need of the curve and want to know whether I can have the charge removed and also whether there is a way to turn the curve off.

  • michelle longley said:

    Hi can the curve still pick up location if placed inside a pocket of a holdall rather than on show outside the bag

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Michelle,
      Thanks for your comment. Yes, it should be absolutely fine as long as your Curve is able to pick up both a GPS and a mobile signal. I wouldn’t expect the pocket of a holdall to have much effect, so you should be absolutely fine to do this.
      Ken

  • stuart Davis said:

    Hi Ken.
    Huge respect for you doing this article. Found the information I was after in the article, as I can change to realtime tracking via my phone. if I lose my dog.
    Big respect for taking the time to answer a lot of people’s questions

  • Jodie Peacey said:

    Hi,
    I’m wanting to purchase this and pop it on my cats collar but I’m not a vodafone customer so does that mean I’m unable to get the app and for it to work on my phone?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Jodie,
      Thanks for your comment. There’s no need to be a Vodafone mobile customer – you can use Vodafone Curve regardless of the network that you use for your mobile phone.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Lesley Dickinson said:

    My husband is on Vodafone with his mobile so if we bought a curve and activated it’s contract would I also be able to track it by downloading the app on my non Vodafone mobile?
    Thanks in advance

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Lesley,
      Thanks for your comment. Yes, I believe it should be possible to download the app on your phone, even though it isn’t using the Vodafone network.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Maurice Green said:

    I bought one from Vodafone for my elderly mother’s key fob, which arrived a week later. After hours of trying to get the thing to work I gave up (it works partially if connected to the charging source only).
    Maybe to be expected for £20 (+ £2 pcm for 2 years for a built in data SIM card). Vodafone won’t supply a replacement until the return is received – i.e. I’ll get one which might work sometime in 2021.
    Vodafoine is an international business which might be expected to better value their reputation rather than supply faulty equipment, late, and fail to satisfactorily remedy problems. I will in future avoid anything with their label attached.

  • Melissa said:

    I want to use the curve to track where our charity Santa sleigh is as it travels through the town so we can report it’s location on Facebook. Is there a way I can share the live map on Facebook via a link?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Melissa,
      Thanks for your comment. Sadly, I suspect Vodafone probably doesn’t offer this functionality on the Curve. You might be better off putting a smartphone in the sleigh and finding an app for it that’ll allow you to share a live map on Facebook.
      Ken

  • James. said:

    Hi,I purchased a curve about 6 weeks ago,now it seems to not be charging,I have put it on charge for over 4 hours and the Orange light is still on?is there anyway of re setting it?the power saving setting is the one I use and that only gives around 4-5 days of life!

  • Andrew said:

    Hi, I am looking for a cheap tracker for a van, could I simply leave the usb charger plugged into the power source for continuous tracking, so I don’t have to recharge every few days?

    Many thanks

  • Allan Herman said:

    Hello,
    How do I set up my curve so that I can to receive coordinates of what I’m tracking. The graphic is too ambiguous to be useful for smaller items.

  • Kathryn said:

    Hi I’ve had this tracker for about 1 week. I got it for my dog. It has already fallen off her! Its really not suitable for a dog collar as the rubber loop is too weak for such a purpose.
    Having also signed up for the vodaphone gps service for 2 years. Can you refund as its clearly not fit for purpose and stop the gps monthly service?
    Thanks
    K

  • Stephen Woods said:

    Ive had one for a while and i find that recently comes up with “somethings gone wrong please try again2when i try to refresh the tracker position. it dosent give the alerts that the tracker has left its boudary.
    I have difficulty in getting to change tracking modes, I get no notification that the battery is low and the acuracy is poor too. not recommended. have been onto vodafone several times. one of those times i was given the runaround from person to person to person who eventually hung up. not impressed one little bit

  • Martijn said:

    Hi Ken,
    If was wondering, if I hook the Vodafone Curve up to a powerbank, will it automatically charge at the end of its own battery life? Basically, I need a longer standby time and I’m wondering how to achieve this.

    Thank you!

  • Ken said:

    Hi Ken,
    is there any obvious disadvantage to using the curve as a vehicle tracker to track stolen vehicles? I have heard that thieves can easily locate such devices from the signal they emit and just remove them..

    Thanks, Ken

    • Ken replied:

      Hello fellow Ken,
      You can use the Vodafone Curve to track almost anything, including a vehicle. However, like you said:
      1) It doesn’t integrate into your car’s power supply (unless you use the USB connection or something) so you may need to remove it every so often for charging.
      2) It isn’t designed to be fixed to your vehicle. Therefore, like you say, a thief could easily remove the device if they see it. With a purpose-designed vehicle tracker, it might be a little harder to remove the device if they find it.
      Ken

  • Susan George said:

    Hi Ken,
    Is it possible to use one curve between two people For example, we have one dog. If we attach the curve to our dog, can both of us use the app on our individual mobiles? Or would we need to purchase one curve each and change this on the dogs collar depending on who is taking her out?

  • Joe Maskin said:

    What is the limit for roaming. If I go backpacking to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico for 12 months, will I be covered?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Joe,
      Thanks for your comment. I’m not aware of any limits on roaming when using the Vodafone Curve. However, it might be worth checking this directly with Vodafone if it’s likely you’ll be using this feature a lot abroad.
      Ken

  • Victor Wild said:

    I use the Curve to track a model aircraft but how how do l track the Curve in the open countyside using the simplified map. Google maps and/or GPS/Ordnance Survey co-ordinates with an on-screen pointing arrow, and distance -to would make this the ultimate tracker for thousands of air modellers worldwide( and superb sales pitch-in model magazines!.

    Vic Wild

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Duane,
      Thanks for your comment. There’s no need to insert a SIM card into the device – it already has a Vodafone Smart SIM built in to it. You’ll just need to activate this SIM by buying a plan through the app.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Emily Hayes said:

    i was thinking about getting one for my cat as he likes to go missing. is there a limit on the gps… if he goes missing for 2 days for example but is far away will i be able to see him or is it just within a 5 mile radius for example? thanks.. if anyone knows let me know

  • Steve said:

    I’ve just got a curve and have set it up on my phone, its for tracking my mother so I need my brother to be able to check it too but looking at things on the net it seems like we can’t do that. If I’d known that before I’m not sure that I would have bought it

  • Steven said:

    The curve works on phone when at home with the WiFi but as soon as I go away it just keeps saying no internet connection. When I get home if I go onto history it tells me where I have been but I can not go onto the maps away from home.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Steven,
      Thanks for your comment. Have you purchased a data plan for your Curve? This is required for connecting to the mobile network when you’re away from home. If so, and you’re still struggling to use it outside the range of Wi-Fi, it might be worth getting in touch with Vodafone’s customer support team?
      Ken

  • Paul said:

    I’ve had a curve device for about a month now and whilst it’s operating well enough, how do I delete the history from the smart app interface ?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Mark,
      Thanks for your comment. I don’t believe Vodafone publishes an official figure for the Curve but most GPS devices are accurate to around 5 meters so I’d probably expect it to be in this region as well.
      Ken

  • Mark said:

    Hi – If i bought say six curve devices, does that mean i would need to pay for six price plans or can i use multiple devices on the same plan?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Mark,
      Thanks for your comment. The subscription plan is for each Curve device. Therefore, if you have 6 trackers, you’ll pay 6 x £2/month = £12/month in total, assuming you go for the 24-month contract.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Craig said:

    It doesn’t appear possible to connect 2 mobile phones to a single curve which is a problem when my wife and I aren’t walking the dog together. Is there a way around this?

  • Pete Tobin said:

    Can you explain how to connect a micro USB charging cable to this device. It’s appears to require a proprietary charging cradle.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Gianni,
      Thanks for your comment. I agree, a microphone and speaker would have made a great addition, and would have opened up some new use cases (e.g. for emergency communication with your loved ones, a SOS button for older members of the family, etc). Saying that, I’m not sure it’s a required feature for all the use cases for this (e.g. it’s not much use for pet tracking, general bag tracking, vehicle tracking, etc). I do think the inclusion of the connectivity options for £20 is pretty good pricing, and it would have been tough to add in a microphone & speaker without increasing the price further.
      Ken

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