Originally Posted by
gehenna
Hello Everyone
I am looking into the availability of tracking my luggage, by use of an Android 'phone. There are various devices around to put in your luggage, but any recommendations or otherwise would be appreciated. Oh, I really do not wish to lash out to pay for tracking, if possible!
Thank you all for your input, as always.
Gehenna
The Samsung tracking device got cheap enough (Au$35) that I bought one more out of curiosity than anything.
Like most cheap trackers, it is purely a bluetooth device; it does not have a GPS and does not know where it is.
When it sees a cooperating bluetooth device (Samsung android phone), the Samsung system (somewhere out there in the ether) logs the known location of the phone and the identity of the tag and makes the tag location available to the owner.
Obviously for this to work, it needs to be within bluetooth range of a Samsung phone.
In practice this means that hanging it on my dog's collar in a rural area does not help finding her when she sets off on her unauthorised 3am explorations, but it also means that inside luggage in a busy airport is just about ideal since there will be many people and hence many phones nearby.
The other feature of the Samsung device I bought is that it connects directly to my own phone when it can.
This allows two useful features:
1) My phone bleats at me when I leave the tag behind; or more likely when the tag and attached dog leave me behind, alerting me to her departure within about a minute
2) When it is connected directly to my phone (eg it must be somewhere nearby), I can get it to audibly beep, ideal for finding lost keys, less useful for finding lost dogs. I've had no luck teaching the dog to come home for a treat when it beeps...
They're great for something like keys (likely left behind somewhere where my phone was with me).
They're probably pretty good for tracking baggage, etc, in an urban or busy environment with lots of compatible phones.
A dead loss for tracking wildlife in rural areas obviously.
Helpful but not as good as a GPS based device for tracking an errant dog...
PS I'll put mine in my bag next time I fly...