Best tracker for suit cases when flying??

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Who makes the best tracker for suit cases? For Android.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

1 hour ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Who makes the best tracker for suit cases? For Android.

Here is some more info - Sounds like a lot depends on your requirements and how often you travel

 

https://www.chasingthedonkey.com/travel-reviews/luggage-tracker-reviews-of-smart-luggage-tags/

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

7 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Here is some more info - Sounds like a lot depends on your requirements and how often you travel

 

https://www.chasingthedonkey.com/travel-reviews/luggage-tracker-reviews-of-smart-luggage-tags/

 

Thanks for the info ..

[fkfad]

If you're flying Delta -- their app will track your luggage.  

[firsttimer1971]

I am an android user as well and after carefully looking at the alternatives I finally decided on buying a secondhand iPhone 7 and Apple Airtags. Most of these tags either depend on bluetooth and/or a person walking by with a specific app installed. With Apple Airtags all you need is a person with an iPhone walking by and you can view the location of the airtag/luggage.

 

For a test i put the airtag in my wife's purse (with her knowing of course) and all through the day I could track the whereabouts of the airtag because she was in the vicinity of people with iPhones. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, fkfad said:

If you're flying Delta -- their app will track your luggage.  

Although we like this app (some other airlines have similar) it is completely dependent on the luggage handlers scanning each bag every time it is loaded, unloaded, moved, etc.  When the ground crews are short staffed or under trained the scanning does not always get done and the app is inaccurate.  This has happened to us more than once. 

 

Tracking devices (which usually cost about $25 per device) do not need human intervention.  They work through BluTooth, GPS, WiFi, etc. to locate your luggage (or anything else for which you attach a tracker).  I have a friend that uses it for her keys and it has helped her numerous times (this lady is always misplacinge her keys).  Some devices like the Apple Air Tag only work with Apple devices but do not involve any monthly fees.  There are other GPS devices which have advantages (i.e. you do not need an iPhone) but often involve monthly subscription fees.

 

Hank

[Sir PMP]

In 2016 I lost a suitcase after a tight connection in Amsterdam to Barcelona, I tracked it all night and saw that it arrived in Barca, but where? When I boarded the Prinsendam the suitcase was sitting in my room, that was the old Hal way.

[saltshell]

I bought a tile, which is recommended for android. Cost $20.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

9 minutes ago, saltshell said:

I bought a tile, which is recommended for android. Cost $20.

Which one?

[saltshell]

Tile Mate.

[firsttimer1971]

13 minutes ago, saltshell said:

I bought a tile, which is recommended for android. Cost $20.

 

I also looked at Tile because I am an android user, but the problem is that it will only be detected if a person who has installed the tile app comes near your tile which will only be a small part of the android population. While the airtag will be detected by every single iPhone in the world.

[JennysUncle]

4 hours ago, firsttimer1971 said:

I am an android user as well and after carefully looking at the alternatives I finally decided on buying a secondhand iPhone 7 and Apple Airtags.

Does that work if you just are using WiFi on the Apple, without a cell phone contract ?

[firsttimer1971]

16 minutes ago, JennysUncle said:

Does that work if you just are using WiFi on the Apple, without a cell phone contract ?

 

Yes, I don't have a cell phone contract on my iPhone 7 that I bought especially for this. It works on WiFi and if necessary I can always create a WiFi hotspot with my android phone.

 

All that is needed is an iPhone that supports iOS 14.5, so even the older models (starting at the iPhone 6s) will work. The "Find My" app will show the approximate location on a map. The newer model iPhones (11 and up) will have an even more accurate location and show you the exact direction the tag is in and how far you must walk if you're near it. You can trigger a sound so that you can locate the airtag if you can't see it near you.  

 

I have always been an android user and will stay that but for the purpose of locating my luggage I found the airtags and an old iPhone to be the best solution for me. 

[ivanidea]

The Apple AirTags are great if you don't want to share the location of any device with another person.  Unfortunately, we wanted something which my wife and I could track, so purchased the Tile Pro.  My experience is not favourable, since I have a tile which has not updated it's position in several hours (still showing at home, and not in the car park where I left it).  As a previous poster mentioned, the app needs to be running on any passing phone to register a tile location.  If Apple would permit the account holder to share the location of a tag, I would ditch the Samsung Tile.

[Mywh82work]

3 hours ago, ivanidea said:

The Apple AirTags are great if you don't want to share the location of any device with another person.  Unfortunately, we wanted something which my wife and I could track, so purchased the Tile Pro.  My experience is not favourable, since I have a tile which has not updated it's position in several hours (still showing at home, and not in the car park where I left it).  As a previous poster mentioned, the app needs to be running on any passing phone to register a tile location.  If Apple would permit the account holder to share the location of a tag, I would ditch the Samsung Tile.

Can’t you use 2 airtags. One for each phone.  AirTags are small and not very expensive. 😁

[ivanidea]

1 minute ago, Mywh82work said:

Can’t you use 2 airtags. One for each phone.  AirTags are small and not very expensive. 😁

I would if my wife had an iOS device. I may just have to bite the bullet and buy some AirTags too, just so I can track my luggage.

[ger_77]

I just ordered 2 Air Tags directly from Apple because I can't find any local retailers who have them in stock.  Even the Amazon Canada site says they are currently unavailable.  Both DH and I have an iPhone, so we should be able to keep tabs on our luggage if it doesn't arrive with us.

[rwmiller]

We also just purchased 4 AirTags to be ready for our next airline trip for our son’s wedding. Definitely don’t want to lose the luggage. 😊

 

A four pack is $100 from Apple and they engraved them for us so we can track which is which. 
 

Will be glad to have them but hope we don’t have to use them. 
 

Bob

[Cailey53]

On 7/15/2022 at 6:54 PM, ivanidea said:

I would if my wife had an iOS device. I may just have to bite the bullet and buy some AirTags too, just so I can track my luggage.

@ivanidea, I don't think you need 2 iPhones--just 1. We just bought the 4 pack of AirTags during Prime Days, and when I set them up, they are all on my phone. You get a chance to "name" each tag and then each of them shows up on the "Find My" app on your phone. As long as you have a way to keep the tags straight (we ordered some holders), you can see where each tag is. Pretty slick!

[firsttimer1971]

1 hour ago, Cailey53 said:

@ivanidea, I don't think you need 2 iPhones--just 1. 

I think the issue was that he would like to be able to track the Airtags on two devices, both his and his wife's and that is not possible. You can only track an individual AirTag by a single Apple ID/device.

[Mosaic]

Airtags are Bluetooth, not GPS.  They will not track you bags.  Need to be within about 30 feet or less from your bags for them to work...

[SLC1954]

You can use multiple airtags on one phone. You just give the tag a different name. Also I keep the airtag on the inside of my suitcase, less chance it could get pulled off or stolen.

I have used mine for numerous trips and it works well, especially if the baggage handlers have iPhones in their pocket to pick up the signal.

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by SLC1954
Spelling

[firsttimer1971]

Just now, SLC1954 said:

You can use multiple airtags on one phone. You just give the tag a different name. Also I keep the airtag on the inside of my suitcase, less chance it could get pulled off or stolen.

I have used mine for numerous trips and it works well, especially if the baggage handlers have iPones in their pocket to pick up the signal.

 

But you can't use an airtag on multiple iPhones and I believe that is the issue for @ivanidea

[firsttimer1971]

6 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

Airtags are Bluetooth, not GPS.  They will not track you bags.  Need to be within about 30 feet or less from your bags for them to work...

 

Correct, Airtags don't have GPS but that goes for most of the luggage tags that you can buy such as the Tile. The main difference is that for an Airtag to work you only need a person with an iPhone to be in the vicinity and for the others you need a person with a special app to be installed on their phone to be in the vicinity. 

For example:

-number of iPhones in use is around 1 billion

-number of Tiles sold is around 35 million. Since 1 person can have multiple tiles, the number of persons with a Tile and potentially having the Tile app is even less then 35 million.

So the chance that an airtag connects to an iPhone is at least thirty times bigger than that a Tile is tracked.

 

Most GPS-trackers will not only be more expensive, but it will be hard for a GPS tracker to get a GPS signal when it is in a suitcase potentially surrounded by other luggage and/or a concrete building. 

 

I am not an Apple fan (far from it) but I think the Apple Airtag is one of the best solutions around for tracking your luggage.

[Nukesquad]

Anybody have experience with the E-Lostbag Premium?  I like the thought of needing a "subscription" after purchase, but I would like it to actually track my bag without me having to be within 100 ft of my bags.