[rjfrussell]

i don’t fully understand how they work-  could they be used as a bike tracker/ anti-theft device if you popped one in the seat tube, say?

Topic

[Secret_squirrel]

One more update from me.  I

One more update from me.  I can confirm that a carbon bike frame acts as an insulator and doesn’t let the Airtag connect.  That’s stuffed up a carbon seat post inside a carbon seat tube so YMMV.

[Secret_squirrel]

TheBillder wrote:

TheBillder wrote:

All we need now is a precision scale that tells you where things are in the house…

Airtags do exactly this if you have an iPhone 11 or newer or the equivalent aged iPad I think.  The app guides you to the exact location. 

[Sriracha]

srchar wrote:

srchar wrote:

Secret_squirrel wrote:

This is wrong.  See my post about the 3 day alert.   Also tested by taking the Airtag on my car keys for a drive without my phone.

You’re right. I can see that period being shortened, drastically, soon after the product’s release. Being able to track someone for three days without their knowledge (unless they have an iPhone) is a slightly alarming capability.

it will need to be a drastic reduction if the intention is to stymie covert tracking – for which a spouse or partner is the most likely subject.

Since the counter resets each time your own iStuff hoves back into range, for most couples this will mean the period out of range will only be the working day. So even if the reset delay is only 12 hours, for most domestic couples that means it remains permanently in stealth tracking mode.

But of course a 12 hour limit makes it almost useless for tracking stolen bikes.

[srchar]

Secret_squirrel wrote:

This is wrong.  See my post about the 3 day alert.   Also tested by taking the Airtag on my car keys for a drive without my phone.

You’re right. I can see that period being shortened, drastically, soon after the product’s release. Being able to track someone for three days without their knowledge (unless they have an iPhone) is a slightly alarming capability.

[Secret_squirrel]

srchar wrote:

Now get someone to go and move your bike. You will find that the AirTag plays a sound alert.

It’s useful as a “your bike has been nicked” alert, but you won’t be able to track where it is unless the thief is deaf.

Not correct.  The Airtag has to be out of contact of all of your iDevices for 3 days before it starts making a noise.   Tested just now by taking the AirTag on my car keys for a drive without my iPhone.

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/21/airtags-play-sound-after-three-days/

[Secret_squirrel]

This is wrong.  See my post

srchar wrote:

Now get someone to go and move your bike. You will find that the AirTag plays a sound alert.

It’s useful as a “your bike has been nicked” alert, but you won’t be able to track where it is unless the thief is deaf.

This is wrong.  See my post about the 3 day alert.   Also tested by taking the Airtag on my car keys for a drive without my phone.

[TheBillder]

Price wins it for me. Will be
Price wins it for me. Will be off to Lidl on Sunday specially. Thank you.

[Sriracha]

Lidl are doing the Tile
Lidl are doing the Tile equivalent shortly. I don’t think it has the anti-stalking feature to alert the thief, and a hole is included in the ￡12.99 price (for attaching it somehow).
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/home-gadgets/tile-mate/p42465?ar=10

[TheBillder]

Thanks for the updates. Shame
Thanks for the updates. Shame that you need an idevice for this, but I might be able to persuade my partner to get this set up on hers.

All we need now is a precision scale that tells you where things are in the house…

[srchar]

Now get someone to go and

Now get someone to go and move your bike. You will find that the AirTag plays a sound alert.

It’s useful as a “your bike has been nicked” alert, but you won’t be able to track where it is unless the thief is deaf.

[srchar]

If your bike is stolen and

If your AirTag is not near you, but is still moving, it will play a sound that will alert a thief that they are being tracked.

This is to stop someone e.g. slipping one into your pocket, or bag, or car, and tracking you without your knowledge.

[Secret_squirrel]

A final update on this from

A final update on this from me.  These appear to be a winning way to use as tracker provided you can find a place to hide them on your bike.

I mistakenly thought that one of my iDevices had to be in range to track the AirTag if not in “lost” mode but it appears that any passiing iDevice will silently (and hidden from the user) pass on the location.

Tested by keeping an “eye” on my bike whilst 300 miles away in Cornwall with my iDevices.

[ebikehero]

Love the idea of these

Love the idea of these devices. I’ve got quite a bulky frame so I think I might be able to squeeze it inside. My only concern is that the reception will lose signal once inside?

[ibr17xvii]

https://youtu.be/vjLbxywixro

https://youtu.be/vjLbxywixro

[Secret_squirrel]

My Airtag arrived on Friday

My Airtag arrived on Friday and is just buried at the bottom of my saddlebag for now.  
Annoyingly it’s a fraction of a mm too big to fit down a 31.6mm ID oversize seat tube.  If you were brave I think you could file it to fit.

Apple allows you to mark the tag as a Bike.   Location updates every time one of my iDevices comes within about 10m, through a shed and brick house wall.   I don’t have an iDevice with the fine location UWB feature but Bluetooth appears to suffice.   Location sometimes appears “off” on the map.

iPad appears to get better range to the tag than iPhone, I’m guessing because the Bluetooth antennas are bigger.

[Author]

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