[Uvan]

I been think a lot of about cheap way to track our van in case it get stolen. My van already have a gps tracker via my mobile router and wifi camera and door sensors. But in case it was disable, I want a redundancy cheap tracker that doesn't have monthly fee and relatively cheap. I think the two big player are Apple Airtag($30), and Tile($35). Both of this tacker doesn't have any gps but relying on crowdsourcing gps data from other user's phone. There is actual gps tracker like Spot but they are pricey and require a month fee.

I been testing Tile for a few days and found it not very useful since there isn't many tile users in my area and require the user to download the app. Once I leave the house, the tile tracker at home will get disconnected even though it tells me there is over a thousand user within my area. Tile does have higher tracking range(250ft-400ft) than airtag(33ft) but in real life probably less than half of those values. Also you can share your tracker with others so they can track your location.

Airtag might be better since it ping off nearby iphone without needing to install additional app and there are a lot of iphone user out there. But only iphone user can use this tracker so if you using andriod user Tile is the only option. Airtag only allow one single user for each tracker so you can't share your location with others.
My plan is to put both trackers in the van so I get more crowdsourcing coverage.

Also its probably best to place the tracker closer to window or outside of the van for best tracking range and this only work in area there is cell reception.

 

[rjcarter3]

I just finished doing this for my van. I'm an android user, but I used an airtag. You only need to use an iPhone or iPad for the setup process. If you can buy or borrow someone's old iPhone, that's all you need. After it's set up, you can log into iCloud to track it from any browser.

One other thing you will need to do, and there are YouTube videos on this, but you will want to pry it open and remove the speaker. It's not that hard but a necessary step. If a thief stole your van and had an iPhone, not only would he get an alert on his phone that there's an airtag moving with him, but he would be able to ring it so that he can locate it in the van and then discard it. Even worse, airtags will randomly chime when an iPhone moves within range of it. Apple really went to great lengths to prevent you from using it to use it to stalk people, but they made it useless for ethical purposes like protecting your vehicle from being stolen.

Once the speaker is removed, he'll still see on his iphone that there's an air tag moving with him, but good luck finding an airtag that you can't chime in an enormous van. He'll ditch the van and move on.

There's an app for Android called airguard which also alerts people to nearby airtags, but most thieves probably don't know enough install it. The key is getting that speaker out of there so your vehicle will basically never become unrecoverable.

If you want a completely covert way to track your van if it becomes stolen, I can tell you how to do that too, but it requires a small monthly fee which I don't think is really necessary unless you want to make sure you catch the thief at his final destination.

 

[Uvan]

Do you have to use your friend's icloud account or any icloud account to track the tag? I'm planning to use my GF iphone to set it up since I have android phone. Will remove the speaker once I get my Airtag.

 

[rjcarter3]

If you have your girlfriend's login to her iCloud account, you could check the location from any web browser or from her iphone.

Otherwise, if you don't want her "owning" your airtag, you could just sign up for your own iCloud account. They're free for up to 5 gigs storage, and I don't think that you need to actually own an iPhone or iPad device in order to sign up. If you borrowed her phone and temporarily logged out of her iCloud account, logged in with yours and then set up the airtag, then it would be linked to your own account.

 

[limeydal_7086]

I been think a lot of about cheap way to track our van in case it get stolen. My van already have a gps tracker via my mobile router and wifi camera and door sensors. But in case it was disable, I want a redundancy cheap tracker that doesn't have monthly fee and relatively cheap. I think the two big player are Apple Airtag($30), and Tile($35). Both of this tacker doesn't have any gps but relying on crowdsourcing gps data from other user's phone. There is actual gps tracker like Spot but they are pricey and require a month fee.

I been testing Tile for a few days and found it not very useful since there isn't many tile users in my area and require the user to download the app. Once I leave the house, the tile tracker at home will get disconnected even though it tells me there is over a thousand user within my area. Tile does have higher tracking range(250ft-400ft) than airtag(33ft) but in real life probably less than half of those values. Also you can share your tracker with others so they can track your location.

Airtag might be better since it ping off nearby iphone without needing to install additional app and there are a lot of iphone user out there. But only iphone user can use this tracker so if you using andriod user Tile is the only option. Airtag only allow one single user for each tracker so you can't share your location with others.
My plan is to put both trackers in the van so I get more crowdsourcing coverage.

Also its probably best to place the tracker closer to window or outside of the van for best tracking range and this only work in area there is cell reception.

I installed an airtag some time back. Looked at more detailed GPS trackers, but reading amongst them, I found things i didn't like. The airtag has worked well so far. Relies on it's bluetooth signal ,pinging other apple users. So not always up to the minute info. but I think great info for the price.I have mine mounted in a nice plastic airtag carrier up on the roofrack (for best signal) In fact we bought a four pack from Cosco for about $75 i think. My son put one in his luggage on his trip to New Zealand at the moment and I am tracking his travels fine !

 

[juggernautusa]

I use these guys for my personal cars: https://momentumiot.com/

Been super happy with it. Only $12 a month and don't have to pay for hardware.

 

[sjbird]

I use a pair. An AiTag and Samsung's smart Tag.
Former works only with Samsung phones. But Samsung and Apple cover 90% of the market in North America.
Tile is useless.
My primary phone is Samsung. My daughter gave me her old iPhone just for airTags

For AirTags, I don't believe they can be tracked on the web. Only iphones can be tracked on the web. AirTags can only be tracked on an iPhone.


For AirTags - every iphone is participating in finders network. There is absolutely no way to opt out.
For SmartTags - every Samsung signed in into a samsung account. They ask to sign in/create account by default as part of setup process, but one can opt out.
I run some testing side-by-side (A pair of AirTag and SmartTag travelling along) and both were very responsive giving updates every 5-10 minutes.
It is not feasible to live track them (lot of distance can be covered in 5-15 minutes), but once they become stationary - they can be found pretty accurately.

 

[sjbird]

Also used a duo of AirTag and SmartTag in my bags... Oh that warm feeling seeing your bags made it on the plane

 

[h1k3rb]

Have a friend with a Bassett hound mix that sometimes takes off after a scent, sometimes being gone for hours at very inconvenient times (not that there's ever a good time for your dog to be missing). She told me that putting an airtag on Lucy's collar has transformed her life. Might be useful for anyone traveling with pets too.

 

[justsomekid]

I use an airtag hidden in the van and it works well unless we're out in the wilderness without other people/iphones around. Didn't bother to take the speaker out; if someone is organized enough to defeat the ignition lock, they will have thought of your tracker and have a plan to defeat it as well.

 

[rjcarter3]

For AirTags, I don't believe they can be tracked on the web. Only iphones can be tracked on the web. AirTags can only be tracked on an iPhone.

By the way, I'm almost 100% certain that this is incorrect. If I login to my icloud account, tap on the "find my" radar looking app, your airtag is an option there. I currently can't see mine, but I think that's because my van is in storage at my cabin in WV without any iPhones to ping off of for quite a while. Seems like it would defeat the purpose of throwing an airtag in your bag with your iPhone. If the bag were stolen or misplaced, you would have no way of tracking either of them.

 

[sjbird]

Maybe you were able to track AirTags on the web before. Or maybe you mixing it up with some other tracker you had. But I don't see an option for my AirTags on the web, and I do see them on iPhone. And what people say on the internet, it seems the way it is supposed to be. Apple make quite questionable things
Of course I don't throw the phone in the bag, I keep pone on me

Samsung's SmartTag can be tracked on the web. And it can be shared with someone, so they could track from their account. Not AirTags.

 

[sjbird]

Didn't bother to take the speaker out; if someone is organized enough to defeat the ignition lock, they will have thought of your tracker and have a plan to defeat it as well

True to some point.
But if someone got hold of your keys somehow, they probably won't have much sophistication.
Then, finding a radio beacon that it transmitting intermittently is not an easy task. There's nothing complex, but it requires time. Making it make a sound, makes it tons easier and faster.
And finally, bypassing ignition became a streamlined. Until trackers are so popular that finding them becomes part of the process, I am taking speakers out of mine

 

[rjcarter3]

Maybe you were able to track AirTags on the web before. Or maybe you mixing it up with some other tracker you had. But I don't see an option for my AirTags on the web, and I do see them on iPhone. And what people say on the internet, it seems the way it is supposed to be. Apple make quite questionable things
Of course I don't throw the phone in the bag, I keep pone on me

Samsung's SmartTag can be tracked on the web. And it can be shared with someone, so they could track from their account. Not AirTags.

This is what I see now with my Android chrome browser. I think that once my airtag comes within range of my work iphone it'll say it's online again and show its location. It's just that my van is on my mountain with not many people around and all my reflectix curtains up in any case.

 

[sjbird]

There is a difference between thinking and seeing You might be right, but I doubt that. And and what I see - backs me up

And now looking at it, I actually see that iPhone app has separate tabs - for Devices (phones) and Items (AirTags)
icloud findme on the web - does not have a separate section for items, and they don't appear under only available "All Devices" drop down...

 

[rjcarter3]

Oh, you know I think you are right. I forgot that I have an old iPhone 6 in a drawer that I was going to keep for the van that I was going to use as a modem for my van router that I named PM. That's why it's a picture of a phone and not an airtag or the little van logo that I assigned to it. I should have known - duh.

I do remember reading an article a while back saying that airtags were supposed to be trackable through any browser. I don't know if that was incorrect or Apple changed their system.

So, pending some kind of workaround, you may need to pick up any old iPhone to actually track it once your vehicle becomes stolen. It's stupid, but that's how Apple rolls.

Update: yeah, looks like you need an iPhone/iPad to track it. Bummer. The good news is that you can buy an old one for practically nothing.

 

[Woofus]

I know they cost more, but we had a spot trace from when we had a charter boat and we put it in our van. It costs us $10 a month. It is hidden somewhere where it would be hard to find and awkward to get to, even if you knew it was there. It is worth the money to us. Not only in case we needed to recover the van if stolen, but also in case we broke down in the wilderness. The annual cost of owning a trace is a tiny fraction of the annual cost of owning one of these vans.

As sailors we were used to making a float plan and sending it to family or friends when we went out. With the spot, we have given the URL to a trusted friend who used to do search and rescue and we let her know if we go out on a trip. If we don't show up when expected she has a list of people to contact with details. She can track us easily with it.

When our kid did their first solo trip they locked themselves out of the car on the first night with almost no cell phone battery. We had leant them the trace and we were able to steer AAA straight to them.

We have AirTags on our keys (also in our day backpacks) because I lost my keys one time with my electric bike keys and bike lock keys and promaster key. It would have been extremely expensive to replace all those if I hadn't had found it. Luckily I found them where we had sat down for lunch. They had slipped out of my pocket. When I have one of DHs air tags with me by mistake it is loud and annoying and beeps my phone. I would think any thief would ditch it quickly and easily. I doubt it would work to let you track because of this. Plus it only works if it has an iPhone nearby. With the spot, no-one knows it is there.

When I do solo trips it means my husband can check on me and make sure I'm ok. If I stop moving and go off plan he knows something is going on. He usually checks before bed when I'm out of cell phone range.

 

[sjbird]

I'd say they compliment each other.
Satellite tracker is good option. But it has hardware fee plus monthly fee. And the worst thing about monthly fees, eventually you decide that you might not need it for a some time. And never will turn it back on. And it won't be active when you need it
And I would go with Garmin trackers, because they use iridium network (as oppose to Spot's Globalstar) - much better coverage. The price-wise are more or less the same. But if reaching for the big guns - I'd choose better network.
But for regular theft - Tags work great and they are cheap. Thieves will drive the van into a garage, not in the desert. (unless it is Walter White)

 

[Licensed in 64]

There is a difference between thinking and seeing You might be right, but I doubt that. And and what I see - backs me up

And now looking at it, I actually see that iPhone app has separate tabs - for Devices (phones) and Items (AirTags)
icloud findme on the web - does not have a separate section for items, and they don't appear under only available "All Devices" drop down...

View attachment 94801 View attachment 94802

Thank you for pointing out “devices” versus “items”! Solved the mystery of why I could not see the Airtag on my phone that I had linked it to. Now I see my van is still where I left her, waiting for loading on a ship to transport south. May not be able to see where she is on the ocean but at least I should know when she arrives in port, and hopefully track her if ever stolen. For $25 I figured it was worth a try. Note to self: replace airtag battery in a year.