Outside of the obvious issues with privacy, and since I'm buying it for my personal use, so that pretty much negates that issue of me tracking myself...

Thinking if properly used these might be a good thing for finding stuff, keys, wallet, purse, knife, luggage etc.

My dad just turned 84, has pretty good mental acuity, but sometimes like with most of us, misplaces things, such as the key fob for his SUV.

Since he's got a bit of mobility issues, reducing him moving around to find things and having the ability to check on it for him since we live an hour away would be helpful, right now he can't find his key fob, so it would be nice to be able to locate it for him,

Maybe even put one on our keys, we lost one of the FOB's for the Lincoln, $180 in labor to program a fob I bought online for $80, so it could have saved some green..

Anyone use these, do they work well, have you been stalked by your ex with one, been followed by some three letter agency, had your house ransacked, been tracked by some nefarious people?

At $29 a pop they are not inexpensive, but don't mind buying a few if they will solve issues.

Are there good alternatives?

I think your intended use is exactly what these were designed to do.
$25 is actually pretty inexpensive as you found out reprogramming your keys.

I bought 4 of them when they were announced. They do work as designed. I read a story about a guy who put one in a package and mailed it to Europe. He was able to track it the whole way.

When I bought mine they were 4/$100.

Well this is interesting. Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency

I took a flight in December and put one in my checked luggage. When we arrived at the gate and was allowed to turn my cell phone off of airplane mode I was able to know that my luggage made it on the flight. This surprised me actually.

I was impressed.

I will never again check luggage without one of these devices hidden inside.

I've been eyeing them for two uses:

a RFID blocking wallet with an AirTag on the outside. I don't want my credit cards to transmit outside the wallet, but I want the AirTag to transmit.

Keychain. I haven't lost my keys in a long time, but I ain't ever been this old either...

As far as the OP's concern on stalking, Apple actually has a built-in Anti-Stalker feature for AirTags that if one not registered to your iPhone is following you it sends an alert.

Tile is a competitor technology older than AirTags, but it lacks the AntiStalker feature. From what I've read, the recommendation is Tile for Android users and AirTags for iPhone users.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

My daughter purchased one and put it one her dog's collar. Seems to work well.

anyone thought of carving out a plastic or wood grip panel and hiding one there? In particular if you ever check your gun in luggage.

They're cool and all, but...

quote:

Am I being followed?

That’s the question lurking in the back of many a mind nowadays as news reports surface about a tiny but potentially dangerous device released by Apple on April 30, 2021. The AirTag is, essentially, a tracker. It was built to find things we often misplace, like keys.

Unfortunately, however, the AirTag has also become the newest tool in a criminal’s bag of goodies. At $29, it is an affordable way to steal, stalk, even murder.

Full article: Apple AirTags Used In Criminal Activity

They've been in the local "news," with local people interviewed that have found themselves being tracked.

Apple devices (e.g.: iPhones) will alert you to it. Apple is releasing, or has released, an Android app that will also alert you.

I've got several and they work great. Best feature for me is the notification if you've left something behind as I tend to set my keys or my headphones down and forget about them when I leave work. I get a notification on my apple watch that I left it behind before I make all the way to my car. I also use the nearby directional locating frequently. I also put them in checked luggage.

I've only truly lost something one time (House keys w/ the air tag fell off of my carabiner key ring) at my office parking lot and I didn't notice. I got the notice they were left behind, but I assumed they were in my office. I guess someone found them in the parking lot and picked them up and carried the 3-4 blocks before deciding they were useless and tossed them. Apple's Find My app took me right to them the next morning.

I’ve got several, I put one in my truck, one in my laptop bag, my suitcase and a few other bags.

I’m a fan. They work really well and I’m able to track my stuff easily.

Ok so if they send out alerts to iPhones when they are away from the actual 'registered' phone, what happens when you put them in luggage? After the luggage leaves your phone 'area' does it start to signal other phones that may be near your luggage that there is an unregistered device nearby?

I have heard about these but I can't exactly wrap my head around how they work if not near your phone. Also are they rechargeable or do they take batteries?

I generally don't lose to much stuff but I like the idea of putting one on the pup's collar (if I had a pup).

And how long does the battery last?

It’s between 8 and 24 hours before a tag alerts someone that it’s with them. But I think, based on what I’ve read, that it has to be traveling with them, and separated from its owner. So if me and you get in a car with my luggage and start driving it will never ping you since I’m there too. If you steal my bag it will start alerting you between the above times. So in order to use it to stop a thief you have ti know the item is missing before that or the tag will start making noise.

The battery is replaceable and supposed to last over a year. I plan on changing mine with my optics batteries.

That makes sense, thanks. If I needed something tracked this sounds like a decent, affordable way.

Like them better than Tile. However, they scratch very easily. And, they are too thick for wallet use. Tile is not an easy app to use, compared to iPhone and “find my” tracker. Tags are NOT useful without additional expense of keyring holders, wallet holder, etc. These are where the profit is hidden. $19 for a couple of pieces of plastic to encase the tracker, so you can connect it to a key ring. Not good, but what are you gonna do?

One last question:

Do these connect to your phone via Wifi or Bluetooth? Meaning how do they know they are near the 'registered' phone. Or is it all GPS location?

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
One last question:

Do these connect to your phone via Wifi or Bluetooth? Meaning how do they know they are near the 'registered' phone. Or is it all GPS location?

Just BT to either your phone, or if someone else is using the app, then it goes to their phone if you are out of range, and the info is relayed to your phone.

The part I don't know is if, when you are out of range, the tag can BT to any iPhone out there even if they are not using the app. I think that's how people are tracked unknowingly as was described above.

I read something about a military move where the spouse put an AirTag in the household goods and called out the mover because their stuff was sitting in New Jersey parked when it was supposed to be delivered. There was a small dust up, it it got solved when the mover realized they people had the tracking in the stuff.

Sounds like a great idea.

Maybe I should get one of these for my wife, who has misplaced her keys on more than one occasion.