2 mo. ago • 95%

Apple AirTag alternatives for theft prevention?

45 comments

Tile? The brand that predates airtags and where apple stole the idea from and just made it proprietary to their ecosystem

Edit: what a bizarre thing to downvote

38
- tile just had a data breach 👎
  
  22
  
  Which happens to practically all companies eventually.
  
  The hacker gained access to a customer support platform. Credit card numbers, passwords, and location data are not at risk, says parent company Life360.
  
  15
- Not private
  
  6
- Airbags?
  
  Do you have source of that? I'm curious, nothing wrong with your answer
  
  0
  
  ..airtags* are what were asked about an alternative for. Autocorrect.
  
  9
air tags function by utilizing the ad-hoc network all Apple devices create - if you run an Apple device, you're involuntarily part of this P2P network, even when your device is supposedly off. otherwise, said tags wouldn't be able to send you status reports from the other side of the planet. that's just how they and find-my-shit apps work, there are no alternatives to global availability.

all that's kinda antithetical to the whole privacy thing, so you'll have to balance the good with the bad and determine how much spyware you will tolerate to gain this sort of convenience.

21
- Do you have a source for the “even when your device is supposedly off” part? I know iPhones have tracking enabled when off, but there’s no way they’re using Bluetooth to find these devices and reporting back. I can’t find a source for that at all.
  
  But even then, it’s still pretty private because there’s no way to reverse track an AirTag. I don’t even think they can do that internally at Apple.
  
  2
Kensington? I don't think an air tag can actually prevent theft (if they see it they'll remove it - if they don't see it they'll still steal your stuff)

9
- For large luggage/containers in third-party storage?
  
  2
You can get GPS systems that upload data using a SIM. Only viable if you live somewhere with cheap roaming plans. Last I checked, a local company was selling the hardware (without sim) for 200EUR. The thing I was trying to protect was 120-ish.

8
- I'm leaning towards this but which are private?
  
  3
  
  None, they're all on a cell network so your info is registered with the SIM and the location is tracked by the cell provider, and they share data with the government and others.
  
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If you are open to building something yourself this might be an alternative (disclaimer: I just know of this project but no idea how well it works): https://www.findmycat.io/

8
- Very nice, thank you!
  
  1
- This is amazing!
  
  1
Put a sticker on what you don't want stolen saying something along the lines of "airtag equipt." Thieves want easy targets and if there's any reason to think a tracker is hidden within it then they will probably move on

8
- Tells them, 'good shit inside and make sure you throw away the tracker.'
  
  12
  
  And then go crazy if cannot find tracker.
  
  1
- Nice, it's like the "gsp protected" stickers on car windows and highly visible flashing LEDs that indicate the alarm is armed. Not that anyone ever checks if it's their alarm that makes everyone's around the car lives miserable.
  
  2
If you're outside the US, or where more people use Samsung devices, Samsung Smarttags could be a better choice.

3
Chipolo. Small company but it works. Doesn't really help you find stolen stuff but you can be notified and the things can beep loudly if they are distanced from you.

It helps me find my keys and not forget anything when I leave the house. I guess they already paid for themselves by reducing the time I spend backtracking.

They also have an airtag compatible version.

3
- Work fine for finding locally if in Bluetooth range. Not good for finding lost things outside of that. I lost some keys in July last year. Still not found since then.
  
  Apples biggest benefit is the sheer number of phones that can help locate lost items. I was hoping Androids Find my Device network to be the same but currently it's really lacking.
  
  3
I can't recommend them because I haven't used them, but AFAIK Motorola came out with their own take on trackable tags.

2
i think there was an android/google alt thats out or coming out

-2
- Out for a couple months
  
  Let's say: there's a reason nobody's talking about it
  
  At least right now they are not good
  
  6
- Inwas just looking at these a few days ago and I think there are two companies, Pebblebee and Chipolo. I read the Google network is opt-in (probably a good thing privacy wise but not great for tracking) so they'll only ping off other phones that have opted in to the network. Samsung has their SmartTag, and Amazon has something as well.
  
  3
  
  Amazons might be a good choice. I think I read that all the Echos and stuff are apart of their sidewalk network.
  
  1

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