Apple Airtag as a Bike Tracker

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Stendhal
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by Stendhal

yinzerniner wrote:
Fri Dec 24, 2021 7:40 pm
AJS914 wrote:
Fri Dec 24, 2021 5:05 pm
You guys should install two AirTags on your bikes. One in a findable location and another in a hard to find location. If the theif looks and finds the first one, he may ignore the second message as an anomoly.
This actually makes a lot more sense - glad can use the wisdom of Minority Report to some good use!

Considering they're very cheap and small they should still work for theft recovery purposes - for stalking and other nefarious reasons they still have a long way to bridge the privacy gap. Think maybe an automatic 30 min alarm for both the Airtag owner and any iOS/Android user who is not the owner but has been in proximity of the Airtagn during that entire time should grant both some retrieval and privacy gains. Or maybe it's just an unsolvable conundrum.
Clever idea. To take it further, make the visible tag a fake that looks real but isn't and costs less. Kind of like phony lawn sides claiming a house is protected by a security company
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kervelo
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by kervelo

yinzerniner wrote:
Fri Dec 24, 2021 7:40 pm
...
Considering they're very cheap and small they should still work for theft recovery purposes - for stalking and other nefarious reasons they still have a long way to bridge the privacy gap. Think maybe an automatic 30 min alarm for both the Airtag owner and any iOS/Android user who is not the owner but has been in proximity of the Airtagn during that entire time should grant both some retrieval and privacy gains. Or maybe it's just an unsolvable conundrum.
Trackers similar to the the AirTag, but without any privacy features have existed for years already (tile etc.). I find it funny that the press always starts to make headlines only after Apple releases its products.

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Maddie
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by Maddie

It's because Apple brought it to the next level. Their use of the huge iphone network with an Apple ID is what makes the airtag so much more interesting for valuable things like bikes. Products like Tile tracker are basically useless when out of bluetooth reach because the Tile network is basically 0. When your bike with a Tile is out of BT reach, it's gone...

Butcher
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by Butcher

Yes, I would agree. I've looked into some type of tag for awhile but I'm too cheap to pay yearly and too lazy to swap batteries. The idea to use your clients phones [without their knowledge, buried deep in the instructions] seems kinda sneeky but if it does work like they say it does, it's great for a cheapsake like me.

Now I just need to get an Apple phone or ask my wife to use hers.

Nickldn
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by Nickldn

Airtag is great in the USA, as the vast majority of North American smartphones are iPhones, but not so much in the rest of the world, where iPhone are less popular and so less likely to be anywhere near your Airtag to track.

I think what we need is a universal smartphone tracking tag, which works with Android and iOS equally. Oh and is easy to hide too.
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guyc
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by guyc

Worth noting that Apple are updating how these alert people that an item is being tracked. They're leaning it towards you finding your own items that are lost rather than towards those that have been stolen.

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/02/ ... -tracking/

Refining unwanted tracking alert logic: Our unwanted tracking alert system uses sophisticated logic to determine how we alert users. We plan to update our unwanted tracking alert system to notify users earlier that an unknown AirTag or Find My network accessory may be traveling with them

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bedampft
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by bedampft

Well, new thing for thief is to put airtags on bikes they'd like to steal. So they can have a look where and when a bike is most vulnerable and easy to get.

jih
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by jih

bedampft wrote:
Fri Feb 11, 2022 8:33 am
Well, new thing for thief is to put airtags on bikes they'd like to steal. So they can have a look where and when a bike is most vulnerable and easy to get.
If they had enough time and access to hide a tracker on the bike, why wouldn't they just steal the bike there and then?

jih
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by jih

guyc wrote:
Fri Feb 11, 2022 7:47 am
Worth noting that Apple are updating how these alert people that an item is being tracked. They're leaning it towards you finding your own items that are lost rather than towards those that have been stolen.

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/02/ ... -tracking/
Precision Finding: This capability allows recipients of an unwanted tracking alert to locate an unknown AirTag with precision. iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 users will be able to use Precision Finding to see the distance and direction to an unknown AirTag when it is in range.

The above seems to say that it'll make it quite easy to locate where on a bike a tag is for the thief.

Even so, if it's in the frame and they have no mechanical knowledge, I'm guessing there's a good chance they abandon the bike rather than try to open it up while being tracked.

req110
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by req110

I am running for airtag now for my SL7.
Considering to areas to stick it at:

a) inside of seatpost on 3M VHB sticker.
b) insider of downtube (have to remove the BSA DUB bb)

Any thoughts?
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cyclespeed
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by cyclespeed

I think you guys are over estimating the intelligence and resourcefulness of bike thieves. Most are just opportunistic scallywags with no IT knowledge or common sense. They steal a bike and sell it on as quickly as possible for cash.

MikeD
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by MikeD

I think these AirTags kinda suck. I put one on my cat, but unless I'm within Bluetooth range (about 15'), or he's within Bluetooth range of someone else's iphone, it doesn't work. Maybe if he went into someone else's house or he was stolen. But if it alerts the perp, how good is it?

Butcher
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by Butcher

jih wrote:
Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:07 pm
The above seems to say that it'll make it quite easy to locate where on a bike a tag is for the thief.
This.

I do not know the answer but something is better than nothing. Without one, your bike is gone, never to be seen again. With one, you might see it again.

Does not matter how many times it was sold. As long as the tracker is still present, you should be able to find it. The sad part is, what do you do if you locate it? Call the cops? What do you think they will do? With all the defunding and no court order to search for your bike, I doubt if there is a quick, legal way to get your bike back. In my area unless they see you steal something, they cannot do anything.

I suspect going in Rambo style will get it back quicker but I really don't think any cyclist could imitate Rambo.

AJS914
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by AJS914

MikeD wrote:
Fri Feb 11, 2022 5:04 pm
I think these AirTags kinda suck. I put one on my cat, but unless I'm within Bluetooth range (about 15'), or he's within Bluetooth range of someone else's iphone, it doesn't work. Maybe if he went into someone else's house or he was stolen. But if it alerts the perp, how good is it?

The Airtag is kind of defined by the available technology - i.e. bluetooth range. If you want to be able to track your cat a mile from your house, you need different technology - like a device with a cellular subscription. That would be heavy and costly.

I think putting one on a bike is just an extra chance of getting it back. Go the extra mile and physically remove the speaker from the Airtag and also install two of them - one well hidden and hard to get to and one under your seat and easy to find. You may trick the theif with the 2nd Airtag. If he gets a message about the 2nd hidden Airtag, he may think it's redundant.

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req110
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by req110

If i put airtag inside of my seatpost, the signal is lost. I had to stick airtag underneath the saddle. :(
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