Airtag on bike

congerball

Active member
Jun 3, 2019
224
217
Yorkshire UK
It works ok as a wireless bell ?

I chucked one in my brothers car to test the stalker alert thingy…he didn’t get any notification that an airtag was with him….that was over 6 hours…some people are saying it can take up to 3 days to get a notification! (no notification at all if you’re on android) so it could give you a small timeframe to hunt the c**ts down (or call the Police?)
I was pretty amazed at how well it updates its location. I’m sure this technology has been around before but just being able to check your bike is still at home when you’re at work is good.
Anyway I’ve stuck it on my bike and hidden it, for £29 I’ll give it a go
 
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Jamze

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2020
391
720
Oxfordshire
some people are saying it can take up to 3 days to get a notification! (no notification at all if you’re on android)
Supposed to be 3 days, and it will start beeping too. Bit of an Apple PR feature IMO, as that's still plenty of time for a stalker-type to work out your home address, and if you have an abusive partner tracking you, the 3 days resets every time you go home.

It's surprising how many Tiles are in range of me (rural UK). I see over a hundred within the local area. Might hide one on purpose one day, see how it works in practice.
Tile is expanding to use the Amazon Sidewalk network
US-only isn't it? Be interested to see if we get this in Europe.
 
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congerball

Active member
Jun 3, 2019
224
217
Yorkshire UK
Ah fair enough I thought it was only a few hours until you were made aware….well that’s great then…3 days to track your bike down….or your wife ??
 

SquireRides

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Sep 4, 2018
540
556
UK
Everyone who's saying 'there's loads of Tile users in my area'. Is this based on what the app is reporting? Because my app says 400 odd users near me. But I believe all that means is they are registered users of the app. That doesn't mean they have Bluetooth on and the Tile app running to be able to detect a Tile while they walk around. And how near is 'near'?

Certainly my use case for Tile is i only enable the app when I've lost my Tile attached thing at home... So that doesn't help at all with the Tile 'network'.
 

Tymon170

Member
Jul 19, 2020
13
11
NZ
It's still undetermined as to how long before apple will "notify" if an air tag is near. They have to because of legal obligations to stop people using them to track other people unknowingly - like Mrs Bee .. Off to see Mr Wasp for instance ..

It can be a couple of weeks though ! So hopefully you've found it by then ?! depending where it is .. Though if thieves know, they'll just keep any phones away from bikes they steal or wrap them in foil or something. Wouldn't exactly be hard to create a Faraday cage.

It's a nice idea for finding your keys round the house, but I wouldn't rely on it to find your bike.
For the minimal cost its a no brainer to put on the bike or whatever as an aid in retrieving your bike or what have you in NZ they are $29.00. Plenty of hiding places on an Ebike and the it will at least take someone time to discover it. Regards Chris
 

Kiwibloke

Well-known member
Feb 27, 2021
111
195
Kent
I have an Air Tag but haven't had time to test it yet, I'm always near it when I'm out (not on bike yet) or if I leave my keys at home it will always just show the last location my iPhone and Tag were separated. Saying that Apple have opened the 'Find My' app to everyone so I'm hoping bike manufacturers will start adding this to their software, can't be that hard!
 

Jamze

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2020
391
720
Oxfordshire
Saying that Apple have opened the 'Find My' app to everyone so I'm hoping bike manufacturers will start adding this to their software, can't be that hard!
I wonder what it costs them to be on Apple's Find My network? And how much customer data they have to hand over as part of the T&Cs? Prob more to think about than just adding the software.

Plus if they are integrated with the bike, it will be known where they are located and how to kill the power.
 
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Woodyboy

Active member
Dec 10, 2020
70
248
Uk
A temporary solution, a rubber sleeve stuck under the seat. Left in the garage whilst away on holiday. Apparently still there ?

EF7A6EBA-D33A-43B7-A6A5-734ED749D3A5.jpeg
 

Tymon170

Member
Jul 19, 2020
13
11
NZ
Whatever tracking device/s you choose I would urge people to NOT post pictures of the installation of the devices. The bastards don’t need any help with bike theft? And yes I realise that it will only slow them down,locks only keep honest people from doing naughty things. Regards Chris
 

Woodyboy

Active member
Dec 10, 2020
70
248
Uk
The dog went swimming today with one attached, I won’t give away the location to avoid assisting thieves ? The good news, it’s still working so not concerned about rain/water .
 

Homeyjay

Member
May 12, 2021
14
30
Uk
What we need is a sticker that says “Protected by AirTag. I will find you with my baseball bat before you find the AirTag”
 

Tubby G

❤️‍🔥 Hot Stuff ❤️‍🔥
Dec 15, 2020
2,696
5,421
North Yorkshire
I've just been mailed by Muc-Off about this new AirTag holder for your bike. I'm sure it's pretty and well made, but I'd have thought that that was the last thing you want to make blingy:

View attachment 83190

I had the email from Muc-Off and the same thought. Why put an AirTag in an obvious location and then make it stand out like a blingy sore thumb
 

SquireRides

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Sep 4, 2018
540
556
UK
I've just been mailed by Muc-Off about this new AirTag holder for your bike. I'm sure it's pretty and well made, but I'd have thought that that was the last thing you want to make blingy:

View attachment 83190
If it uses tamper resistant bolts, it would be a nice solution. Either the crim doesn't recognize it and you can therefore track them, or they'd have to spend ages trying to remove it, which is as good a deterrent as a decent lock.

I guess even if MucOff don't use tamper proof bolts you could buy some?
 

lightning

Well-known member
Apr 5, 2021
715
410
UK
Would an Airtag work inside the battery compartment or would the frame block the signal?
 

Jamze

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2020
391
720
Oxfordshire
Plastic covers on my battery, so not an issue I reckon. Interested to know how well it works in that alu holder though. I use Tiles, and they don't work in metal boxes.
 

Tim1023

Well-known member
Aug 25, 2020
660
584
Hamburg, Germany
Do you use the tiles just around the house or also to track things (bike?) away from the house? How ell does it work?

I think it's clever / obnoxious (depending on your standpoint) how Apple just uses everyone's iPhones without their express permission. Clearly Tile has no chance to gain the same level of coverage, even though there are more Android phones out there than iPhones as they can only use phones with the Tile software installed on them, which must be a pretty small percentage. They tried to sue Apple over unfair competition last year, but can't find what happened. I assume they lost.

If I were to put something of this ilk on my bike, I'd want the AirTag to abuse people's iPhones for my benefit, but wouldn't be able to track it from my Android phone because, you know, Apple. So the whole concept just doesn't work for me.
 

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