In case you haven't heard of these little gems and therefore are
oblivious as to their uses, here's a bit about them.
They are small plastic domes about the size of a 50c piece that
has a battery inside and it traceable from your smart phone on a map.
And the $2.20 battery still going after over 12 months.
I have had one in my car for over 12 months now and can see
anytime I choose exactly where my vehicle is. (Great for parking
in unknown towns, even parking lots).
Now consider one attached to your keys, the van, the car, everything
that has the propensity to get misplaced or YES - STOLEN!
For instance - a tag secreted away in the van or generator etc. can be
seen wherever it is just about anywhere. And travel suitcases, wallets . . . !
They only send out a tiny signal that is repeated by any phone within
the tag's area to the next to the next and so-on to you. And the phones
that act as repeaters do not show what they are doing so the only person
that can see the pod is the owner. I have seen items of mine 1000's of
k's away due to the daisy chain activity with other phones.
Bloody amazing!!!
You can also make it emit a chirp so that when you are close by it can be found.
Less than $40 each in pack of 4.
Here's a link that might help and shows the accessories available for attaching
it to keys, etc.
Nah - can't do it. Google APPLE AIR TAGS - and scroll to Amazon site.
(Android have an equivalent I think)
With respect (no claptrap here Brodie) anyone who considers using one of these for tracking stolen items needs to do a little more research.
They work by basically using all iPhones that become into the vicinity of the hidden air tag as a network to report back to the registered iPhone address.
If the thief has an Iphone they eventually get a signal on their device that the air tag is following them and they then can activate the audible alarm, find the air tag and leave it anywhere except within the stolen item.
Now there is a way around this by removing the audible sender but once the thief knows that the air tag is nearby as would be in a stolen car or golf clubs etc the signal on his phone gives it away and all he has to do is search and find the air tag.and dump it.
Result = goodbye your goods.
There are tutorials on how to remove the audible sender which is a bit tricky and the device can be easily broken if not careful or maybe call it lucky.
There are also reportedly to be law suits against Apple and also against those who might decide to use an air tag to privately track their wife / husband / girlfriend etc without their knowledge.
They are also apparently being used in reverse whereby a thief places one on your car and then has the best location for the vehicle to be stolen. Or worse has the signal from yours and can follow it.
Bad men and scoundrels also find out quite easily where you live.
Brodie might need a security guard at his house.
Probably quite ok to track your dog or cat if necessary.
Anyway have view of one guy who can modify them to at least remove the audible warning.
I'm not really a fan of these devices either for a number of reasons but they are not going to go away so if, like me, you have an Android phone you may wish to download an app. from Google Play Store which will detect any in your vicinity. Keep in mind these devices use the Bluetooth protocol so their range is anything from about 3m to 25m depending upon local obstacles and environment.
Mike - I'm pretty sure that the Apple tag only shows on the phone that it is registered to.
Just did a test with the daughter - she has a few bags packed ready for an overeseas holiday
and has tags in them all. None showed on my phone whatever I did.
She told me an incidence related to her from her forum regarding a lost bag in the US. United
had told her that the bag would be found but the traveller used the air tag app to see where
her bag might be. It showed at an address in the same city so the traveller did a drive-by
and saw in an adjacent laneway to the suspect house piles of travel bags. They rang United,
and while speaking with United said that the bag was on the move and was now at McDonalds . . . .
Happy ending.
Mike, although the range directly is maybe 30 meters (I have found in open space its about 100)
so long as other I-phones are within it's range they become repeaters for it - so distance then
becomes irrelevant.
I think Ivan's assertion about security posted up a few posts is a bit negatively over the top.
Anyway, I have one on everything that I loose - just used it to find my van keys that I was
using yesterday and had put in the fridge shelf while I had a drink!!!
86GTS said
11:28 AM Jan 4, 2023
My daughter, our son-in-law & two grand kids are currently in Scotland. They've used these devices in their luggage & they tell me that they've worked perfectly on connecting flights to Abudhabi, Amsterdam & Edinburgh. Our son-in-law uses an Apple phone.
-- Edited by 86GTS on Wednesday 4th of January 2023 11:30:55 AM
Cuppa said
12:23 PM Jan 4, 2023
Brodie Allen wrote:
I think Ivan's assertion about security posted up a few posts is a bit negatively over the top. Anyway, I have one on everything that I loose - just used it to find my van keys that I was using yesterday and had put in the fridge shelf while I had a drink!!!
Did you watch the video Ivan linked to?
I hate to say it but if the video is correct, & I have no reason to think otherwise, then on this occasion Ivan is correct if the airtag is used in case of theft.
Brodie Allen said
12:55 PM Jan 4, 2023
Cuppa wrote:
Brodie Allen wrote:
I think Ivan's assertion about security posted up a few posts is a bit negatively over the top. Anyway, I have one on everything that I loose - just used it to find my van keys that I was using yesterday and had put in the fridge shelf while I had a drink!!!
Did you watch the video Ivan linked to?
I hate to say it but if the video is correct, & I have no reason to think otherwise, then on this occasion Ivan is correct if the airtag is used in case of theft.
Yep but the link was to Apple's promo products.
I did note however that the things are encrypted. I can't see the daughters tags and she's in the same room!
Maybe its a problem with the android stuff?
-- Edited by Brodie Allen on Wednesday 4th of January 2023 12:56:14 PM
-- Edited by Brodie Allen on Wednesday 4th of January 2023 01:00:12 PM
Cuppa said
01:15 PM Jan 4, 2023
Brodie Allen wrote:
Cuppa wrote:
Brodie Allen wrote:
I think Ivan's assertion about security posted up a few posts is a bit negatively over the top. Anyway, I have one on everything that I loose - just used it to find my van keys that I was using yesterday and had put in the fridge shelf while I had a drink!!!
Did you watch the video Ivan linked to?
I hate to say it but if the video is correct, & I have no reason to think otherwise, then on this occasion Ivan is correct if the airtag is used in case of theft.
Yep but the link was to Apple's promo products.
I did note however that the things are encrypted. I can't see the daughters tags and she's in the same room!
Maybe its a problem with the android stuff?
-- Edited by Brodie Allen on Wednesday 4th of January 2023 12:56:14 PM
-- Edited by Brodie Allen on Wednesday 4th of January 2023 01:00:12 PM
Wrong link, the one you looked at was in Possum's post. The one in Ivan's post takes you to a you tube link which will explain all.
Brodie Allen said
10:26 AM Jan 5, 2023
Thanks Cuppa.
Are We Lost said
12:56 PM Jan 5, 2023
An Air Tag was just in the news in the US where police tracked one in a stolen car.
In case you haven't heard of these little gems and therefore are
oblivious as to their uses, here's a bit about them.
They are small plastic domes about the size of a 50c piece that
has a battery inside and it traceable from your smart phone on a map.
And the $2.20 battery still going after over 12 months.
I have had one in my car for over 12 months now and can see
anytime I choose exactly where my vehicle is. (Great for parking
in unknown towns, even parking lots).
Now consider one attached to your keys, the van, the car, everything
that has the propensity to get misplaced or YES - STOLEN!
For instance - a tag secreted away in the van or generator etc. can be
seen wherever it is just about anywhere. And travel suitcases, wallets . . . !
They only send out a tiny signal that is repeated by any phone within
the tag's area to the next to the next and so-on to you. And the phones
that act as repeaters do not show what they are doing so the only person
that can see the pod is the owner. I have seen items of mine 1000's of
k's away due to the daisy chain activity with other phones.
Bloody amazing!!!
You can also make it emit a chirp so that when you are close by it can be found.
Less than $40 each in pack of 4.
Here's a link that might help and shows the accessories available for attaching
it to keys, etc.
Nah - can't do it. Google APPLE AIR TAGS - and scroll to Amazon site.
(Android have an equivalent I think)
With respect (no claptrap here Brodie) anyone who considers using one of these for tracking stolen items needs to do a little more research.
They work by basically using all iPhones that become into the vicinity of the hidden air tag as a network to report back to the registered iPhone address.
If the thief has an Iphone they eventually get a signal on their device that the air tag is following them and they then can activate the audible alarm, find the air tag and leave it anywhere except within the stolen item.
Now there is a way around this by removing the audible sender but once the thief knows that the air tag is nearby as would be in a stolen car or golf clubs etc the signal on his phone gives it away and all he has to do is search and find the air tag.and dump it.
Result = goodbye your goods.
There are tutorials on how to remove the audible sender which is a bit tricky and the device can be easily broken if not careful or maybe call it lucky.
There are also reportedly to be law suits against Apple and also against those who might decide to use an air tag to privately track their wife / husband / girlfriend etc without their knowledge.
They are also apparently being used in reverse whereby a thief places one on your car and then has the best location for the vehicle to be stolen. Or worse has the signal from yours and can follow it.
Bad men and scoundrels also find out quite easily where you live.
Brodie might need a security guard at his house.
Probably quite ok to track your dog or cat if necessary.
Anyway have view of one guy who can modify them to at least remove the audible warning.
https://youtu.be/gSRc1DScOY8
-- Edited by Ivan 01 on Tuesday 3rd of January 2023 09:31:50 PM
I'm not really a fan of these devices either for a number of reasons but they are not going to go away so if, like me, you have an Android phone you may wish to download an app. from Google Play Store which will detect any in your vicinity. Keep in mind these devices use the Bluetooth protocol so their range is anything from about 3m to 25m depending upon local obstacles and environment.
Tracker Detect
Just did a test with the daughter - she has a few bags packed ready for an overeseas holiday
and has tags in them all. None showed on my phone whatever I did.
She told me an incidence related to her from her forum regarding a lost bag in the US. United
had told her that the bag would be found but the traveller used the air tag app to see where
her bag might be. It showed at an address in the same city so the traveller did a drive-by
and saw in an adjacent laneway to the suspect house piles of travel bags. They rang United,
and while speaking with United said that the bag was on the move and was now at McDonalds . . . .
Happy ending.
Mike, although the range directly is maybe 30 meters (I have found in open space its about 100)
so long as other I-phones are within it's range they become repeaters for it - so distance then
becomes irrelevant.
I think Ivan's assertion about security posted up a few posts is a bit negatively over the top.
Anyway, I have one on everything that I loose - just used it to find my van keys that I was
using yesterday and had put in the fridge shelf while I had a drink!!!
My daughter, our son-in-law & two grand kids are currently in Scotland. They've used these devices in their luggage & they tell me that they've worked perfectly on connecting flights to Abudhabi, Amsterdam & Edinburgh. Our son-in-law uses an Apple phone.
-- Edited by 86GTS on Wednesday 4th of January 2023 11:30:55 AM
Did you watch the video Ivan linked to?
I hate to say it but if the video is correct, & I have no reason to think otherwise, then on this occasion Ivan is correct if the airtag is used in case of theft.
Yep but the link was to Apple's promo products.
I did note however that the things are encrypted. I can't see the daughters tags and she's in the same room!
Maybe its a problem with the android stuff?
-- Edited by Brodie Allen on Wednesday 4th of January 2023 12:56:14 PM
-- Edited by Brodie Allen on Wednesday 4th of January 2023 01:00:12 PM
Wrong link, the one you looked at was in Possum's post. The one in Ivan's post takes you to a you tube link which will explain all.
An Air Tag was just in the news in the US where police tracked one in a stolen car.
Police track stolen car with Air Tag
Not a lot of information but I doubt the police would have used the owner's phone. Perhaps he authorised them to access the system??
The car was recovered and the thieves captured ..... more to the story with the offenders shooting at the officer.