Hello, any recommendations for air tag trackers for Android. It's to go in a bike box so it it doesn't turn up at the destination I've a vague hope of seeing it again, loads on Amazon but hey who trusts their reviews!
I've got a Tile tracker which is good. Back when I bought it, there was no Android equivalent for Airtag, something to do with privacy and tracking I believe.
https://www.android.com/intl/en_uk/articles/airtag-alternatives-android/
Google now have something called Chipolo which is supposedly their Airtag equivalent, no idea about it though.
The Tile works pretty well, I always have it on my bike box when I fly and it's always updated reasonably quickly. Uses a 2032 coin cell battery which lasts a year or so.
I'm using chipolo one. Not 100% convinced. Brilliant if its within bluetooth of me. Brilliant if my phone was with me when I put the thing down. But If it's just somewhere random and I'm reliant on multiple other android phones with the right options turned on going near it - not had a lot of luck. I don't 'think' on Android the being-a-beacon-for lost-things options is on by default so your need a lot of people to go past it for it to work.
If you've got a Samsung the smarttags are good, the new version even better. If you're after something other than samsung then "find my" compatible is the best bet. I have some mili litags from amazon that work really well. I had some RSH ones but as I added them to my account I'd get to the third one and then the first would stop working so I could never have more than two added! No such problems adding multiples of either Samsung or the Mili Litags.
I use the Motorola smart tags. They are the same size as airtags.
I've run Samsung Smarttags and Apple iTags side by side for aboit a year. In my experience the Smarttags were more reliable. However they are meant to only work with Samsung devices. But if you Google Utag you'll find a workaround that means that they can work with any Android phone via a side loadwd version of SmartThings app. That's what I do and it seems to be pretty flawless.
I'm using chipolo one. Not 100% convinced. Brilliant if its within bluetooth of me. Brilliant if my phone was with me when I put the thing down. But If it's just somewhere random and I'm reliant on multiple other android phones with the right options turned on going near it - not had a lot of luck. I don't 'think' on Android the being-a-beacon-for lost-things options is on by default so your need a lot of people to go past it for it to work.
I also have the chipolos and they are a bit crap, friends airtags are more reliable and pop up on my system more often than my own chipolos.
It is annoying as I am anti jesus phone but really Google have crapped out here and it makes my Apple baiting much harder.
I recently bought a MiLi Litag from Amazon.
Works with Google find hub £12.99
Seems ok. Wife put it in her bag and she's popped over to Blackpool and it's updates every so often.
Does the Apple air tag work the same way, as in it gives positional updates or is it live tracking?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0DT1M2JQ7?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Link doesn't appear to work 🙄
chipolo user or x user they are sub par.
Currently using loshall tags I've had one down a storm drain full of water for over a hour and it still works.
Still no match for Apple
Just to update on the duff RSH tags I returned to Amazon (2 out of four didnt work), I've enjoyed watching them travel in the Amazon returns system going via Daventry and Stirling to their current location.
Does the Apple air tag work the same way, as in it gives positional updates or is it live tracking?
Positional updates, think they rely on being near an iPhone/Apple Watch or similar which then say to Apple's servers 'I have seen this airtag at this location'. Obviously this means that if they're not near an iPhone with data signal then they'll display as the last known position.
Google now have something called Chipolo which is supposedly their Airtag equivalent, no idea about it though.
Chipolo is just one third party tracker that can use Google's Airtag equivalent, Google Find Hub. There are many Find Hub compatible trackers now.
Find Hub had a slow start getting the coverage of phones on the Find Hub network and also Google opted for more privacy by default which means it's not set to precise location by default on most people's phones as they pass by your tracker. That means locations can be the nearest cell tower rather than where the device actually is (or the nearest phone was), unless in a busy area. If more people turned on the precise option the network would be more accurate. However there are more opted in to the network now though which improves chances of a better fix.
I got a bunch of UGREEN FineTrack G trackers and they've been okay. Pretty good at the airport showing roughly where my bag is. The UGREEN is also USB chargeable and claims it lasts up to a year on a charge. Pack of 4 at £25 is same price as one Chipolo which is overpriced IMO. Okay they're Chinese, but not fussed about the Chinese state tracking my stuff.
UWB is promoted in trackers as a feature for better precision. It's not available unless the tracker device and your phone supports it, and only of use when near the tracker anyway. Not that fussed about it. Plain Bluetooth gets a rough idea and you can turn on the beeper to pinpoint it.
They're not perfect, neither are Airtag. For a precise tracker for stolen bikes you'd be better off with a GPS tracker but that's more expensive and needs a subscription/SIM. Besides, first thing a thief will look for in a high end bike is tracking devices. Tracking baggage can be useful, especially as delivery / baggage handlers are more likely to have a phone on them, possibly Android.
Wish Google would show history also though. You could see where you last left it when it was near your phone, as other people's phones may shift the location some distance away if location is not set to precise. Had that with airport parking, showing my car exactly where I left it initially but later it shifted to wherever people's phones were or the nearest cell tower. Though handy if someone nicks it or it's a "leave your keys" parking place and they take your car for a ride.
Find Hub had a slow start getting the coverage of phones on the Find Hub network and also Google opted for more privacy by default which means it's not set to precise location by default on most people's phones as they pass by your tracker. That means locations can be the nearest cell tower rather than where the device actually is (or the nearest phone was), unless in a busy area. If more people turned on the precise option the network would be more accurate. However there are more opted in to the network now though which improves chances of a better fix.
Yeah I understand why they chose that option but I wish they would have just set it to "With Network Everywhere" by default instead of "Busy places only" so it would actually work outside of airports etc.
The one time invasive data tracking would actually be helpful, they make it opt-in.