Trackr/Tile
- Thread starter mikefamig
- Start date
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
There are a few products out there that do this. I remember one at CES quite a few years ago similar to this one.
I have three of these units that were given to me.
I would never have bought them for myself.
These depend on BlueTooth being enabled along withthe app on mobile device everywhere. If nobodt meets these requirements they do nothing. I live in a rural setting and if I had one in my vehicle and it was stolen it would probably never be found.
Also BlueTooth, for some dumb reason, is the most battery sucking protocol/app you can run on a mobile device and most just turn it off after discovering their battery drains about twice as fast as without it.
I have three, and other than spying on somebody, find them completely useless so far. User created networking is quite the concept but for the once in a lifetime I might use it to actually find something the batteries will most likely be dead after the six month expected life of a CR2032. At least you can buy these batteries Chinese for less than a buck now.
There are some YouTube videos demonstrating testing a few people did with them. Most found them cool, but useless.
Even with a device located by your own mobile device you play the hotter/colder game as BT has no directionality. These are not GPS based and have no other locating abilities other than signal strength from a single point.
Tracking your teenagers or wife? in larger population areas, may be a better use.
I would never have bought them for myself.
These depend on BlueTooth being enabled along withthe app on mobile device everywhere. If nobodt meets these requirements they do nothing. I live in a rural setting and if I had one in my vehicle and it was stolen it would probably never be found.
Also BlueTooth, for some dumb reason, is the most battery sucking protocol/app you can run on a mobile device and most just turn it off after discovering their battery drains about twice as fast as without it.
I have three, and other than spying on somebody, find them completely useless so far. User created networking is quite the concept but for the once in a lifetime I might use it to actually find something the batteries will most likely be dead after the six month expected life of a CR2032. At least you can buy these batteries Chinese for less than a buck now.
There are some YouTube videos demonstrating testing a few people did with them. Most found them cool, but useless.
Even with a device located by your own mobile device you play the hotter/colder game as BT has no directionality. These are not GPS based and have no other locating abilities other than signal strength from a single point.
Tracking your teenagers or wife? in larger population areas, may be a better use.
No WiFi at all. Just BT and thr app won't work unless you turn on your BT.mikefamig said:
The app has to not find your TrackR on your local device with BT and then it searches for other finds of same from other app running BT.
If you are in an area of high density population using TrackR it may be a good thing for the dog collar. The local finding colud be good as you can walk and get a warmer/colder response so you know if you are walking toward the object or away. This takes some doing as sidways registers no change.
The website or app site has maps of current trackR apps running. I am not sure if you need the unit to view this.
I errors on the battery. It's a CR1620 and IIRC these are called security batteries and run about $8 each here and not sold at Everyready or Mallory battery stands. I have them in my security items like GDO and car dongle.
IVB
Senior Member
I have a dozen tiles, competitor. I 100% absolutely love them. I have one on each keychain, one on my dogs collar, one in each car. Wife & kids have one in each of their backpacks/purses.
I've already had it save my ass a few times with lost keys. Once I couldn't remember where I parked my car in the mall. Wife couldn't figure out where her purse was.
We're on our phones so much no way does it last a full day anyhow, we own several portable batteries plus are in the habit of charging as often as possible, so the BTLE isn't an issue.
I've already had it save my ass a few times with lost keys. Once I couldn't remember where I parked my car in the mall. Wife couldn't figure out where her purse was.
We're on our phones so much no way does it last a full day anyhow, we own several portable batteries plus are in the habit of charging as often as possible, so the BTLE isn't an issue.
IVB said:
I haven't had good experiences with blue tooth devices. They are short range and good for a mouse or keyboard that is very near the pc but I have to wonder how it will work at any distance. How far have you been able to track a Trackr?
Mike.
Also what brand is yours?
BT was never made for long distances and this was to be low power to save battery life.
For the last decade, every year or two somebody puts out that they are going to make BT work for xxxxxx many feet with a huge range increase.
Why? When there are already other protocols that can do that. Cripes we put out WiFi that covered 1000s of people from one antenna for public hot-spots.
I use the CAO Tags. They use their own bridge/tag manager/protocol, and I can't make them diconnect at about 1000 feet inside a brick wall. I tried sheilding one inside a candy tin but the signal level was still higher than another across the room. They are not good for long distnace locating that I am aware of. They do offer temperature, humidity, X,Y,Z positioning, and movement, which is good for outside disturbance notification. Location may be offerred becasue it should definitely be more possible than the trackR coins.
For the last decade, every year or two somebody puts out that they are going to make BT work for xxxxxx many feet with a huge range increase.
Why? When there are already other protocols that can do that. Cripes we put out WiFi that covered 1000s of people from one antenna for public hot-spots.
I use the CAO Tags. They use their own bridge/tag manager/protocol, and I can't make them diconnect at about 1000 feet inside a brick wall. I tried sheilding one inside a candy tin but the signal level was still higher than another across the room. They are not good for long distnace locating that I am aware of. They do offer temperature, humidity, X,Y,Z positioning, and movement, which is good for outside disturbance notification. Location may be offerred becasue it should definitely be more possible than the trackR coins.
What I would like is an affordable wifi device that works the same as find-my-iphone.
EDIT
I just looked at ali-baba and found that you can buy small wifi devices that can be tracked and it also reminded me that you will need to pay a monthly fee for a sim card for that device. I had forgotten about the monthly fee - DOH!
EDIT
I just looked at ali-baba and found that you can buy small wifi devices that can be tracked and it also reminded me that you will need to pay a monthly fee for a sim card for that device. I had forgotten about the monthly fee - DOH!
pete_c
Guru
These days keep mobile phone bluetooth off unless it is pairing with my automobile.
I also keep the phone off these days and autoforward calls to whatever landline I am near.
Typically too if I am in a conversation that becomes digitized due to poor cell phone connectivity; I cut the conversation off and tell the person to call me when they are on a land line. That is me though.
I quit being tethered to my cell phone when I worked on tethering cell phone projects (global tethering) in the middle 2000's, testing my tethering; then shutting it off.
I keep the tablets off here too (whatever flavor) unless I am using one; whichever flavor.
I am liking that I can run W10 in a Linux VM, do whatever then shut it off. (still like using Wine for older Wintel applications).
I also keep the phone off these days and autoforward calls to whatever landline I am near.
Typically too if I am in a conversation that becomes digitized due to poor cell phone connectivity; I cut the conversation off and tell the person to call me when they are on a land line. That is me though.
I quit being tethered to my cell phone when I worked on tethering cell phone projects (global tethering) in the middle 2000's, testing my tethering; then shutting it off.
I keep the tablets off here too (whatever flavor) unless I am using one; whichever flavor.
I am liking that I can run W10 in a Linux VM, do whatever then shut it off. (still like using Wine for older Wintel applications).
IVB
Senior Member
mikefamig said:
I use Tile, aka https://www.thetileapp.com/ . I have several devices logged into the account. Each of 4 people in the family has a smartphone, plus I have a Nexus 6 that I leave plugged in on the front table as I upgraded to a 6P. From any phone you can see where any tile was last seen. My house is wireless unfriendly so I don't get much further than 25 feet, but TBH thats ideal as if its lost I don't want a 100 foot radius of where to look for car keys.
The other nice thing (for me) is that its crowdsourcing upon reported loss. The tile app looks in the background on anyone's phone who has it installed without their consent. (Queue the conspiracy theorists, I think our privacy was destroyed as part of the Patriot Act, we're just now realizing how devastatingly bad both left wing & right wing are). I actually gave several tiles away free to various neighbors as that meant they'd install the app on their phone, hence helping increase my search abilities in case of lost dog/etc.
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
Just bought a Tile, will give it a try after IVB's review.
