How to keep track of your things while travelling: the best tracking tags and device monitoring apps
Luggage, keys, handbags, pets – short-range radio and now mobile phone-powered tags with unlimited range are creating an Internet of Travel that covers almost every country, so you never need to worry about losing things
Travel may be about finding yourself, but it can too often be about losing things. Cue travel trackers, which come in all shapes and sizes, and use various ways to keep everything in sight – at least in touch with your smartphone.
Perhaps the most simple is a Bluetooth tracker such as the TrackR Pixel (US$24.99), which works well for keys, handbags and pets. A tiny 26.2mm diameter device weighing just 4g, it can be attached using a loop or an adhesive strip to whatever you don’t want to lose. You then pair it with your smartphone, and use a free app to find it.
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If you lose your keys, you open the app and the Pixel beeps loudly. It also works as a phone locator; pinch the Pixel and it makes your phone ring loudly. Although it only works up to 30 metres, it also includes a novel crowdsourced ‘last seen’ feature. If another TrackR user happens to pass within 30 metres of your lost item, you get a notification.
Another tracker with identical features is Tile (thetileapp.com), which comes in various models. The 40mm diameter, 15g waterproof Tile Sport (US$35) is likely to appeal most to travellers, while its 54mm diameter, 9.3g Tile Slim – the thinnest Bluetooth tracker available – is designed to go inside a passport cover, or on a laptop.
Specifically for the airport is another simple Bluetooth device, the iBebot Bag iTag (US$30), which sends your phone an alert when your luggage is about to appear on the carousel at baggage reclaim. Similar technology is being used by airports to accurately route and load luggage.