AirTag Tracking

[Ronstar]

I'm thinking maybe I should start wear one. If I got lost my wife would know where to find me if I fall over someplace.

Or if you want to blow some dough, you could get a Garmin Inreach or something similar. It has immediate Sos capability if you fall over.

 

[street]

Or if you want to blow some dough, you could get a Garmin Inreach or something similar. It has immediate Sos capability if you fall over.

I might be too cheap for that. Lol
Guys I know use SPOT when they go back in hunting for weeks at a time. I do have a GPS bought one way back in 2004 and was expensive! It still work but I don't use it anymore since I carry a phone at all times. If I can get a text out I can send my location with it. Like today was out in the hills and anything can go wrong.

 

[2017ish]

I have several Tile trackers (the original version of this), as well as a "tracki," which uses cell signals (including 3g) to check in. The latter, unfortunately, requires a subscription fee.

The one time we checked bags in the last 9 months, I knew that they had not made a connecting flight and was able to skip waiting for the baggage carousel at our destination, go directly to the office dealing with problems, and tell them where the bags had last checked in with me (luckily, SWA's tracking system was also on top of the game).

Main reason we bought them was for third world travel. Next big trip is to Indonesia and Malaysia with dive gear. Wanted to have at least one 3G capable tracking device for our gear bag during domestic travel in Indonesia....

 

[dmpi]

Couldn't you just log in to icloud.com using any computer? I don't have an air tag, but the findmy app is available via the web.

I tried it and it actually works. Thanks! However it can only find my phone and not my air-tags which must be only connected to the phone. Also there is this issue of duel verification to login onto the web icloud which might require a text code from your phone. It's just a giant can of worms.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

After I upgrade my phone and if/when I get a nicer bike or Ebike, I will try the air tag. Bike theft is rampant here and the main reason I don't invest in a nicer bike (especially an expensive Ebike that I would use for slightly longer trips that I use my car for now which would have it locked up outside businesses for potentially extended periods).



For those that have them can you select to be alerted with ANY movement -so I could run out and stop a theft in action?

 

[Ronstar]

After I upgrade my phone and if/when I get a nicer bike or Ebike, I will try the air tag. Bike theft is rampant here and the main reason I don't invest in a nicer bike (especially an expensive Ebike that I would use for slightly longer trips that I use my car for now which would have it locked up outside businesses for potentially extended periods).



For those that have them can you select to be alerted with ANY movement -so I could run out and stop a theft in action?

I don't think AirTags will give you the real time movement alert that you would need to stop a theft in action. My AirTags lag a little bit in time and there is no movement alert. I just have an iPhone map screen that shows the position of the AirTags and the last time their positions were acquired. Sometimes it will show that the time of the last position was a few minutes prior to the current time.

In the case of a bike theft, the bike could be on the move for a few minutes before the map screen updated to a different location. An AirTag would be good for tracking where the bike was going, just not in real time.

 

[donheff]

I have one that I keep in my suitcase and one on my keychain. Bonus: when traveling I can use the suitcase AirTag location to find my way back to my hotel!

I didn't think of that. Very good.

I just tossed one in the console of my car. I will see how good it is for finding it if I forget where I parked it. Probably not great in a multistory garage.

 

[street]

I didn't think of that. Very good.

I just tossed one in the console of my car. I will see how good it is for finding it if I forget where I parked it. Probably not great in a multistory garage.

Some great uses for sure. I think at sometime I will purchase a pack also.

Let us know how it works for finding your car in a parking garage.

Thanks

 

[JP.mpls]

I'm assuming these are Apple devices. Is there an Android based equivalent?

I want one on my pet's collar, but I read somewhere they won't work for pet tracking.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I'm assuming these are Apple devices. Is there an Android based equivalent?

I want one on my pet's collar, but I read somewhere they won't work for pet tracking.

These are indeed Apple devices. I don't follow Android stuff, so not sure if there is an equivalent. I believe it WOULD work for pet tracking. I've seen people discussing them attached to dog collars.

They report their location to nearby iPhones (owned by anyone). There are so many iPhones in this world that there is one almost always nearby. However, if your dog wandered off into an isolated location, the Air Tag would only report his last known location -- when it was last near an iPhone. I'm not certain how close the tag needs to come to an iPhone to register a location recording. However, if your dog approaches people, their homes or cars, they likely would encounter an iPhone sooner or later.

 

[DrRoy]

We have them in our luggage. We get a notification if we leave them behind.

 

[Chuckanut]

There is that!

Can't most phones be setup so that friends and family can track us wherever we are? Just keep it charged.

 

[audreyh1]

Can't most phones be setup so that friends and family can track us wherever we are? Just keep it charged.

Yes, if you both have iPhones you can use the Find app. DH and I only let each other see that info, and I do use it a lot. Occasionally DH leaves his phone at home though, oops.

 

[Ronstar]

Can't most phones be setup so that friends and family can track us wherever we are? Just keep it charged.

Yes, friends and family can track your cell phone or air tag if set up that way. Or just give someone one of your AirTags

My problem is keeping my iPhone charged. Last year on new 5 hr hike/climb, my phone went dead. Probably due to AllTrails app running and the constant link to my Apple Watch. Maybe due in part to monitoring AirTags also. My phone rarely makes it through the day without needing to be charged.

I usually navigate the hike route and route back to my vehicle using the phone. But with the phone dead, it got interesting. Luckily I had a paper map.

 

[rk911]

we have one on our dog's collar. i just bought 4 more...1 for each of our two vehicles and 1 for each of my wife's purses.

 

[mpeirce]

I just tossed one in the console of my car. I will see how good it is for finding it if I forget where I parked it.

If you’re using AirTags you also have an iPhone.

You can use the Apple Maps app on your iPhone to find where you parked your car.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-directions-to-your-parked-car-ipha13ef1c2e/ios

This does assume that your iPhone was connected to your car with either CarPlay or bluetooth when you parked the car.

Maps can give you walking directions to get back to your car if you need them.

 

[chris2008]

For android there is a Samsung Galaxy smart tag available, working with bluetooth.
I had put it on my mom's key when she started to hide and lose it.
I wish they were small enough to use it with her hearing aids...

 

[athena53]

I didn't think of that [finding the way back to the hotel]. Very good.

One caveat- it was not intuitively obvious to me that when the directions say, "In 0.7 miles turn right on Main Street", followed by "In 0.8 miles turn right on Main Street", with the distances increasing it's trying to tell you that you're walking in the wrong direction and you need to turn around!

Took me awhile to figure that out.

 

[Spudd]

I'm assuming these are Apple devices. Is there an Android based equivalent?

I want one on my pet's collar, but I read somewhere they won't work for pet tracking.

For pet tracking I recommend Tractive. We use it on our cat and it's fantastic. It's about $30 for the device and $100/year for the subscription.

 

[audreyh1]

If you’re using AirTags you also have an iPhone.

You can use the Apple Maps app on your iPhone to find where you parked your car.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-directions-to-your-parked-car-ipha13ef1c2e/ios

This does assume that your iPhone was connected to your car with either CarPlay or bluetooth when you parked the car.

Maps can give you walking directions to get back to your car if you need them.

That’s right - Apple Maps remembers where you park - and I think it is even without CarPlay or Bluetooth connection to your car. Anyway whenever I get back in the car (not at home) my Apple Watch pipes up to tell how long to get home and ready to navigate. So clearly the phone knows when you are driving and parking even if you aren’t using its navigation.

But our car also tells us where it is parked.

 

[braumeister]

Apple's "Find My" system is great. DW and I both use it to find out where the other one is, instead of calling or texting to ask. I also use Apple Maps on my phone to find my car in a crowded lot, and I would really rather not say how many times I've used my Apple Watch to find my phone.

 

[audreyh1]

Apple's "Find My" system is great. DW and I both use it to find out where the other one is, instead of calling or texting to ask. I also use Apple Maps on my phone to find my car in a crowded lot, and I would really rather not say how many times I've used my Apple Watch to find my phone.

I use my watch to find my phone ant home all the time. My phone is in a black leather wallet case, and some of our frequently used furniture is black, so it’s easy to not see the phone. Great function of the watch.

 

[street]

Apple's "Find My" system is great. DW and I both use it to find out where the other one is, instead of calling or texting to ask. I also use Apple Maps on my phone to find my car in a crowded lot, and I would really rather not say how many times I've used my Apple Watch to find my phone.

I just showed my wife "Find My" and got setting and info on phones in order this morning. I decided to go hiking and told her see if she could use "Find My" and see if it works for her. I told her to wait about an half hour and see what it shows.

So, when I got to where I wanted to go hiking, I called her and said to try it and she. She said I already did. You went to the gas station, and I see your progress and now where you are at. LOL

I told her from now on, you will know when I'm at my girlfriend's house. Lol She said, that is right.

 

[braumeister]

I told her from now on, you will know when I'm at my girlfriend's house. Lol She said, that is right.

Not a problem. Just turn your phone off on the way over there and say that the cell signal dropped out on you.

But seriously, be aware that it will only work if you have a signal, since there is no other way for your phone to communicate with the cloud to let folks know where you are. Might be an issue where you live.

 

[audreyh1]

I just showed my wife "Find My" and got setting and info on phones in order this morning. I decided to go hiking and told her see if she could use "Find My" and see if it works for her. I told her to wait about an half hour and see what it shows.

So, when I got to where I wanted to go hiking, I called her and said to try it and she. She said I already did. You went to the gas station, and I see your progress and now where you are at. LOL

I told her from now on, you will know when I'm at my girlfriend's house. Lol She said, that is right.

That’s cool. Glad you tried it out.