How to AirTag?

How do you attach your AirTag *(other tracking devices are available) to the bike?

Carbon frame with a down tube storage. I want it fixed somewhere. for travel tracking primarily. Theft tracking secondary because it’s a bonus but not all that reliable.

There’s dozens of airtag holders available now, some discrete, others more obvious, to allow you to have the airtag external to the bike, as that can sometimes cause issues with the signal.

Have a look on amazon, loads of things like reflectors, bells or saddle holders available, and they come with reviews, hopefully real ones ?

Under the bottle cage with the included security bolts. Topeak make one.

https://road.cc/content/review/topeak-cage-mount-airtag-301321

Knog Scout is an option – 3rd party AirTag which also has a tamper alarm feature and attaches directly to bottle cage bosses (either low-profile option under a bottle cage or optionally with a high-visibility cover instead)

what bike/how does the downtube storage work? Possibly someone has made a 3d-printed AirTag stowing option for it!

Mine’s inside the storage bag in the downtube.

I see no point in the bottle cage mount versions – especially when they are brightly anodised. Personally I’d go with either a hidden head tube mount or inside the frame if possible.

Slight hi-jack. How does it work?

ie If someone takes your bike, does it use their iphone to ping the signal? And if it does, does their phone not just tell them their is an Air Tag near by?

Also are they not effective if hidden inside steerer etc?

I am thinking of getting an Air Tag when my new ebike arrives.

these work well

All our bikes are air tagged. Most just have one of the under-seat tag holders. Not ideal, but better than nothing. The exception being my wife and my e-bikes. On them I’ve buried the tag deep inside the frame at the end of the battery compartment. I thought with them having alloy frames it might interfere with it being able to communicate with my phone, but it seems to make no difference at all and they pop up on the items tab just as readily whether they’re in the garage at home or on a bike rack, on the car, in a ferry’s car deck.

ie If someone takes your bike, does it use their iphone to ping the signal? And if it does, does their phone not just tell them their is an Air Tag near by?

Yes and yes. Effectively every iPhone within bluetooth range gets it’s signal and reports it’s location. It works well because iPhones are so ubiquitous, unless you get rid of the tag it’ll keep pinging off other peoples phones even if the thief is on android.

Yes if it’s following you you get a message to say you’re being followed to avoid the case where someone could slip the tag in your bag/car then follow you home.  Hence why it’s imperfect (but better than nothing) for tracking a stolen bike.

There are other options, but they have their own downsides.  Proper GPS trackers drain the battery and require a sim contract (and a signal) to send the data.  Non-apple “airtag” type devices rely on someone nearby using the same app which is far less common than just any iPhone.

these work well

BikeTag Trail Compatible had a couple of amazon

@FunkyDunc – it uses the network of Apple devices to let you know where it is.

If it’s the vicinity of one device as it’s moving around, then that device will show a warning.

It’s not great in the closed holds of planes or the Eurostar whilst they are closed.

AFAIK Airtags will actually use anything that offers a Bluetooth LE * communication path – so if that happens to be a samsung or a xiaomi or even a last generation microsoft phone it’ll hop on an send its location.

*Reading up on it they also use NFC and UWB. And it looks like they do only use other apple devices which are  findmy enabled. Though any Bluetooth LE device can detect them and warn the person that they are being tracked. How soon that happens is anybody’s guess.

If it’s the vicinity of one device as it’s moving around, then that device will show a warning.

Sorry still not quite sure. So if the thief uses an iphone will they be able to tell that an (My) Air Tag is near by?

So if the thief uses an iphone will they be able to tell that an (My) Air Tag is near by?

yes, potentially after only a few hours. They are specifically not meant to be used like this, although obviously people do as they’re a lot cheaper than a proper GPS tracker! Some people have disassembled it and disconnected the speaker, which would make it harder to track down.

Sorry still not quite sure. So if the thief uses an iphone will they be able to tell that an (My) Air Tag is near by?

yes but once they’ve removed it and smashed it it will still show last known location as their house.

Re theft tracking, what’s the point though? Are you really going to get a mob of mates together and go after it? Would the police go after an airtag location?

I think we’ve had some real world examples on here where those exact things have both happened

Pretty much, it’s not intended to track stolen things, because that would also allow you to track anything or anyone. It’s to find your keys/wallet when you’ve dropped them.

Obviously there’s nothing really stopping a stalker buoying a proper GPS tracker that communicates via satellite (e.g, the spot trackers used by long distance racers), but it’s a barrier to entry of £300 device + a high annual sub and limited battery life.

@yak @hot_fiat

I’ve posted a real world example of this when I helped recover a stolen e-bike

Yes, just read it. Good work!

Don’t buy a metal holder, reduces the comms range significantly. I’ve got one inside the tyre, attached to the tubeless valve on one bike and just in the seat tool bag on another. Not much good for tracking after a couple of hours if the thief has an iPhone nearby, as above, but might help in the short term, who knows.

The idiots at MucOff claimed to have found a bike in a forest but when I pointed out that a) it would need an iPhone nearby to beacon its location and b) their metal holder renders the tag useless unless 2 feet from it they took my review down!!!

The idiots at MucOff claimed to have found a bike in a forest but when I pointed out that a) it would need an iPhone nearby to beacon its location and b) their metal holder renders the tag useless unless 2 feet from it they took my review down!!!

if the dumper had an iphone in their pocket at the time this might have worked?

Might have given approximate last location but they were claiming to have found it where there was no mobile signal using the ‘find’ button. When I tested one it would not direct me to my bike when it was in my shed and I was stood in the garden 20ft away. My phone would not pick up the signal unless I was literally stood next to the bike. Contrast that to one on a keyring say which will direct me to it from up to 40 ft away.

The tubeless valve holder one is OK though TBF.

The technology you want is UWB (ultra wideband). Or, ideally a combination of UWB and Bluetooth. UWB range is greater and more accurate, but less prevalent then BT. Pretty sure that Tile Ultra and the latest Airtags are a combo of both.

I’m surprised no manufacturers have come up with a little slot or hatch in a saddle, where you could conceal something. I’d buy one if they did.

+1 for Knog Scout – put one on the small one’s Isla when she did bikeability and worked well, though did have kittens she’d inadvertently arm the alarm, which can only be disarmed with the app…