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feature
Apple AirTags - Can you use them to track your bike?
Apple's Air Tags weren't originally designed for tracking bicycles; but as soon as they came out, some clever cookies started hiding them on their bikes. The question is though... do they actually work?
For the first in a series of videos, we're going to be looking at ways that you can make it harder for thieves to steal your bike. And if they do steal it, is there an effective way of tracking it down?
First up is Apple's Air Tags and our test is a pretty simple one. We'll pop an Air Tag onto the bike, Dave will steal it, riding off to supposed freedom with his ill-gotten gains.
After 5 minutes, we'll notice that the bike has been nicked and then use Apple's 'Find My' app to, hopefully, track the bike down.
Apple's Air Tags are an interesting product. Measuring about the size of a 2p coin, they're certainly a compact solution and these days, they can be easily mounted to your bike through a range of third-party mounts.
The Air Tags rely on iPhones to be close by. They connect to these via Bluetooth and act as beacons, triangulating the Air Tag's position and hopefully leading you to it.
As you might have already worked out, the system relies on there being a few iPhones within close enough proximity to create a location. That means that the Air Tag is likely to work best in towns and cities rather than out in the middle of nowhere.
Should the would-be thief also have an iPhone, they will be notified that an Air Tag is tracking them. This is a measure put in place by Apple to deter people from using the Air Tags to covertly track other people.
So, did they work? Watch the video to find out.
Are there any systems that you'd like us to test out? Let us know in the comments below.
Latest Comments
- quiff 4 sec ago
Interesting. Though there's no conclusive proof (1) of where the brake actually is; (2) that it's a fixie.
- quiff 12 min 2 sec ago
For that money, I'd go to Matthew Sowter - https://www.saffronframeworks.com/
- chrisonabike 14 min 2 sec ago
There's a lot there....
- GMBasix 15 min 1 sec ago
Wot no nodding-dog saddlepack with integrated indicators?
- hawkinspeter 18 min 44 sec ago
The problem with most jeans (i.e. not cycling designed ones) is that they've got the seam where it can intefere/chafe with the saddle. Also, cotton...
- kil0ran 21 min 40 sec ago
It happens in music a fair bit too and has done for years. But clearly some have the nous for it - I remember hearing Robbie Fowler and Steve...
- hawkinspeter 23 min 18 sec ago
Why do the police have to wait for the council to install CCTV cameras? Can't they go and put one there themselves - it doesn't even have to be a...
- quiff 33 min 38 sec ago
I think momove's middle paragraph was sarcastic....
- mdavidford 51 min 18 sec ago
I'm not sure commercial success is even particularly high on his list of priorities for it - it's much more about the leverage it gives him for...
- the little onion 4 hours 8 min ago
Rather artistic photo of this (driverless) car that has ended up on its roof on a dead straight road in Bradford....
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29 comments
@Liam I was thinking it would be fun if your hat was in reference to the video of the dog chasing deer in Richmond Park, except:
- that was 2011
- I think the consensus was it was called Fenton not Benton.
Ah well
Definitely Fenton
Possible problem with this experiment. The thief was followed by a 'videographer' who had an iPhone. We were told that he didn't get a stalking alert (I think that needs 24 hours proximity to someone else's tag) BUT his iPhone sure must have provided an excellent data link to track the tag! No need any pedestrians on the canal towpath to happen to have an iPhone when your own team is providing the necessary datalink...
Yes, I signed up just to point out the problem. I have an ebike and thus have a personal interest in affordable security. Unfortunately I fear this result may have been hopelessly tainted by the admission that the videographer was carrying a live iPhone.
Any chance of doing the tryout again, but this time properly?
They also say (at 7:38) that the videographer had bluetooth off. f thats true then he couldn't have acted as a relay - and nor would have got an alert.
I can say from experience it doesn't take 24h to get an alert - I went for a walk with my wife the other day - I don't know how long we were out for but maybe an hour or so - and I got an alert that her purse was stalking me (which has a Chipolo rather than Apple Airtag but it uses the same technology).
Thanks - I simply missed the 7.38 mumble! Took me a couple of repeats to catch it...
There are two different anti-stalking mechanisms it seems. There is an AirTag sound after it has been away from its master for some time, and the iPhone warning that you encountered where someone else's AirTag is noticed to be moving with you -- and that is probably the most significant for stolen property tracking.
Thanks also for the Chipolo Spot heads-up. I hadn't realised that such a 'compatible' product was available. Less overt, but larger, with key ring fitting standard, no uwb but louder though less waterproof. Seems it might also have longer Bluetooth range... which should mean (even) better tracking from more iPhones being within range.
I used on for a trip to Lanzarote taking my bike on the flight. My bike bag had a side pocket so I dropped on in and off I went for an airport pint. Then on arrival bin Arriecife I used the Find My app to check that the bike had safely arrived. Did the reverse flying back to a Dublin. It's very accurate, it showed up on the map at pretty much where the aircraft parked. I've heard of a few horror stories of bikes not turning but and getting lost so this was more of an exercise to see if the Air Tag worked.
The Vodafone curve GPS tracker looks more useful with its included SIM. https://eshop.v.vodafone.com/uk/curve-gps-tracker
I'm not a fan of Apple in any way, but the Air Tag wins hands down due to its 1 year battery life. Just find somewhere to hide it on the bike and forget about it. Sim based devices like the Vodafone have a 5-7 day battery life. When you come out the cake shop to see your bike gone, is not a great time to remember you didn't charge your tracker this week!
I appreciate that for bike security this might be a valid piece of tech.
However from a personal saftly perspective these are a massive issue. I've heard countless first hand stories from female friends who have arrived home only to see a notification on their iPhone that an AirTag has been tracking them most of their way home. These devices get slipped into bags or pockets when in bars or trains. If you don't know how to disable this tracking, or have an android then this is akin to wearing an unknown ankle bracelet.
Very dangerous piece of kit.
Agree 100%. As an Android user I take exception to the fact that I need to have an App to defend myself against Apple tech. But it doesn't end there, Apple or Android, you also need Bluetooth enabled all the time to detect Airtag, and many people don't.
Otherwise known as the "Won't someone think of the children defense". See also "All cyclists are RLJ's".
I remain to be convinced this is more than a theoretical issue. If someone wants to track you and not have an Apple warning they'll use a Tile or the Vodafone widget.
Track somebody with a Tile with its 100 metre range? Good luck with that.
I call bullsh*t anecdata from a 3 post newbie (or troll?). Show some stats or it didnt happen.
They did say 'countless' stories. And what's more 'countless' than none?
While I have no idea if the problem Surly Not descibes is wide spread or theoretical there are plenty of references in the media to it from as diverse a range of outlets as the Guardian, Daily Mail and the BBC.
Even if it is shown to be a bit of a media storm in teacup I didn't feel his post was 'troll' based.
We were all new posters once and I am happy to give the benefit of the doubt to most.
I have heard about AirTag abuse before and it seems a valid concern. A quick search brings up lots of news stories and here's a Gandarui article on it: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/20/apple-airtags-stalking-complaints-technology
I'd say you owe Surly Not an apology (or not, I'm not your boss)
I've seen a few interviews with women in the US with airtags planted on their cars, maybe by their husbands, who knows. They know the tags are there, but can't find them, so they are stuck with them until the battery runs out. Widespread or not, I'd say that's pretty unpleasant. As for the BS on here about "ah but they could use Tiles (100 metre range) or Vodafone (5 day battery life)", they don't come close to the invasiveness of Airtags sold in packs of 4, with unlimited range, and 1 year battery life.
If you don't like the BS on here then stop writing it:
https://www.thetileapp.com/en-gb/blog/what-is-tile-network-community-fin...
Ditto the Samsung version, see below.
You'll have to try harder than that, particularly as I've already explained that unlike Apple, Samsung users need to positively sign up to have their phone used as a search node, making the population, hence your chances of finding your bike so much less. The latest data from Samsung shows 100M active nodes (people who signed up) out of more than 1Bn Samsung phones that's only 1 in 10 Samsung phones worldwide, so yes, unless you are in a city centre I'd say once your tag is out of blutetooth range you're pretty much on your own. As for Tile, it is way behing with a paltry 40M nodes worldwide. I would be prepared to bet my n+1 that of the 6 houses within Bluetooth range of my garage where I could store all those stolen bikes, there is not one Samsung phone signed up to search nodes, or a Tile app. I'd guess there are a dozen iphones though.
Though it might be worth mentioning the the technology isn't new - its just better known thanks to Apple. Better known probably means there are more creeps using it to stalk people but it is also the reason that the victims now know that its happened.
I was considering them, seeing as Kapz make a holder to fit underneath the saddle. However, as the would be thief can be made aware that there is one, they would surely take a few moments to find it then bin it. Effectively rendering them useless.
The important question though is how many toe rag bike thieves actually have iPhones? If they are nicking bikes for a living I quite like the odds of them not having one.
Every thieving toerag round my way has an iPhone - because just about everyone I know who uses an iPhone has had one stolen at some point! I'm about the only one I know who hasn't, maybe because I find an iPhone 6 more than enough for my needs and they're hardly worth nicking.
You said some people put the airtag in the frame. Did you try that, does it work? Can the signal escape the confines of an electrically conductive cage?
I've got one in a Muc-off mount under the bottle cage. Seems to be ok signal-wise. Can't here it bleeping if you poll it but that might be a good thing. GPLama did a fairly comprehensive video review on YouTube with the AirTag in various places. Some of the locations definitely worked better than others.
I use the Samsung version (Smart tag) hidden in my frame along with the di2 junction box. Doesnt use iphones to connect so a thief wouldnt know it was being tracked
Please tell us you know that the Samsung smart tag only has a range of 120 metres from your own phone (Bluetooth range) and your post was intended as a joke.
Ha, err no - it connects to your own phone when nearby but it does use the galaxy network in a similar way to the airtag, just doesnt flag to the nearby user as far as i know.
The Smart Find Network unlike the Apple network, requires Samsung phone users to sign up to have their phones used as a Galaxy Find Node. As of late 2021 only 10% of Samsung phones were registered as search nodes. This is a pretty small population compared to the number of iphone users, who have no choice about their phones being used as a node, so unless your bike is in a city centre, you are on your own. Apple were forced (yes they were forced) into embodying notification to nearby users, so little surprise that Samsung had to do likewise. Samsung themselves say: "Samsung has pushed an update to SmartThings to deal with this problem and will allow an Unknown Tag Search. This will locate GalaxyTags that you don't know, but that appear to be moving with you."