Apple Air Tag . . . How do I locate a swiped bike?

[Expidia]

need more than pepper spray round here lol.

Cyclist suffered several stab wounds after collision with car

The incident happened in Podsmead at 9.30pm last night (September 21)

www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk

Thanks for that shockwave. From the article it looks like he was potentially already targeted though: "we believe that this likely was not a random attack on a stranger".

 

[Ushtang]

I do think it's a good idea to hide the tag, but not if the signal is cut down because it is shielded by an alumimum frame. I have to find a spot to conceal them on each model. For, now they are under the water bottle holders on my Trek black frame, it does not stand out. The dark blue frame Giant is also not so easy to spot.
emtbPhil's post in #24 was very informative as he answered a few questions I was going to look up. I have to look up what the tags range is while mounted under the water bottle.

The real dependency is that an iPhone has to be close by for the Airtag to be located. If your bike is in a location where there are no iPhones around, you won't be able to locate it.

 

[Expidia]

But murdering people is so much more fun especially when it’s morally acceptiable. You’re doing society a favor!!

But murdering people is so much more fun especially when it’s morally acceptiable. You’re doing society a favor!!

Is that what they mean by being . . . WOKE

 

[RickBullotta]

this also sends out a ‘ping’
View attachment 97880

A couple times a second too! "Reach out and touch someone..."

 

[Howz]

Mine is gaffer taped to the top of the battery on my Levo and I can see it’s moved into the LBS workshop (6 miles away) today for its new motor.

 

[Mcharza]

Remember that you have to change the battery about every year.

 

[RickBullotta]

Remember that you have to change the battery about every year.

If you keep Airtags within range of a phone or iPad, you'll need replace them more often than that typically.

 

[Mcharza]

If you keep Airtags within range of a phone or iPad, you'll need replace them more often than that typically.

I have Airtag on my car keys and house keys, and my phone is always with me at the same time. Battery lasted a year on both Airtags

 

[RickBullotta]

I have Airtag on my car keys and house keys, and my phone is always with me at the same time. Battery lasted a year on both Airtags

Yeah, it's only for my keys interestingly. I hate that Apple took away the ability to see Airtag battery health from FindMy (until it's already low). Still, they're super useful! I just wouldn't count on one to track my bike.

 

[Gavalar]

That vid was great. Very informative as to how the Apple device works. I supposed you could drive to where it is indicating the bike may be and then call the police and let them check around with your help. Maybe someday the police can link into your Apple Airtag, so I don't have to walk into a building myself looking for my bike only to find a big dude with a knife!

Good luck getting the police to actually give a toss about your imaginary stolen bike.

 

[Moshe]

Just hope the thief doesn’t have an iPhone, otherwise they’ll get a notification that they are travelling with someone else’s AirTag due to the anti stalking tech.

They are pretty good thou, I use them for my luggage when travelling. Mostly to find out if it’s in the same country.

How often do you find that your luggage is in the wrong location? Here in the States, It happens a lot.

 

[Expidia]

For now as I mentioned above I'm using the under water bottle holder to hold the airtags on each bike. I don't think it is really noticable to the average junkie that tries to swipe my bike.

Soon, I'm going to pull off the Bosch motor plastic cover to see if there is any room in there.
They are really small . . .

 

[congerball]

I use one, I’m not relying on it…I have insurance for that…but if it gives ME a small chance to go hunt the cun*s down…well it gets a thumbs up from me

Heres an alternative…Knog Scout Bike Alarm & Finder - EMTB Forums

also…let’s not start to publicise our favourite places to ‘hide’ it.

 

[Dax]

How often do you find that your luggage is in the wrong location? Here in the States, It happens a lot.

Surprisingly not very often. Pre-covid I was travelling for business roughly 1/4 weeks and never lost a bag, the only time it happened was flying to Prague for a stag do. I went for the air tags for a month long vacation in Canada and the US, involving flights, multiple trains and buses, the air tags worked really well for that.

 

[wkearney99]

It's kind of a shame Apple hasn't implemented some sort of more nuanced scheme for managing discovery for theft recovery devices.

I'd be fine with a scheme that perhaps required payment or some other kind of 'activation' to allow getting location info of a theft tracking device like this. As in, not being able to find it *by anyone* until steps are taken to activate it due to actual theft. It'd raise the bar beyond the simple stalking-for-free risk that the airtags pose. Couple it with a limit on the number of times this can be done and you further raise the bar for these being abused for stalking purposes.

But apple doesn't really give a damn about actual customer interaction. The less they have to actually interact, the more profit they make. They only care that you buy, repeatedly, and anything beyond that represents a financial cost to them. One could argue this is true of many companies, which casts them all in a pretty unfavorable light, so calm your teets fanbois.

 

[hogicid]

There's, as usual, a hint of apple bashing on most of these threads but in reality -
- once the airtag has left your location it takes 3 days to start making a noise
- the anti-stalking stuff isn't instant either, it's only if the airtag is travelling with you for a prolonged amount of time
- it's not GPS and isn't designed to be

they're very cheap and in the real world if someone nicks your bike they are likely to ride away and then store it, or throw it in a van and drive off. the idea behind the airtag is during the theft they're going to be more concerned about getting away with the bike than searching for an airtag, throughout that period you'll get pings of locations

by the time the airtag warns them that it's nearby or starts making a noise they will likely have stopped and started stripping the bike or checking over what they've got anyway - but hopefully you will then have a "last known location" which will be handy for the police

for the cost of them chucking one inside the frame where it's not immediately visit (or those bizarre mucoff valves that put the airtag inside your tyre for you to destroy on a rock drop lol) - at least offers a slight chance that you could follow someone who nicked it outside a shop while you were getting a sandwich, or get a rough "last known location" after a theft

the visible mounts (under water bottle, seat etc..) are pointless really

I am going to be putting a double ladder stand up next season and I am thinking of hiding an Apple Airtag tracking device inside it just in case it grows legs and walks away. Battery life is supposed to be more than a year so lasting a hunting season should be no concern. Does anyone have experience with these and how they might help tracking stolen stand? Thanks

 

[RustyIron]

I am going to be putting a double ladder stand up next season and I am thinking of hiding an Apple Airtag tracking device inside it just in case it grows legs and walks away. Battery life is supposed to be more than a year so lasting a hunting season should be no concern. Does anyone have experience with these and how they might help tracking stolen stand? Thanks

I have an AirTag on my bike, and one on my trailer that I keep somewhere else. The one on the bike his hidden within the frame, and the speaker has been removed. There are YouTube videos showing how to remove the speaker.

The one on the trailer is hidden within the steel frame, and it's kept behind an aluminum door. I can check the location from anywhere, and if the trailer leaves the area, I'll get an alert. As I sit here at my desk, I can see that the last time my trailer "checked in" was 21 hours ago. That's about right, as not many people go there, and even fewer on a weekend.

I wouldn't know what to do if someone stole your stand. The thief is going to be some inbred fool who wanders the hills with guns, looking to supplement his welfare checks with free food and things to steal. The police probably wouldn't care enough to help. Do you want to roll up on a ramshackle hovel in the woods, demanding that the occupants give you back your stuff?

 

[Ou812]

I have an AirTag on my bike, and one on my trailer that I keep somewhere else. The one on the bike his hidden within the frame, and the speaker has been removed. There are YouTube videos showing how to remove the speaker.

The one on the trailer is hidden within the steel frame, and it's kept behind an aluminum door. I can check the location from anywhere, and if the trailer leaves the area, I'll get an alert. As I sit here at my desk, I can see that the last time my trailer "checked in" was 21 hours ago. That's about right, as not many people go there, and even fewer on a weekend.

I wouldn't know what to do if someone stole your stand. The thief is going to be some inbred fool who wanders the hills with guns, looking to supplement his welfare checks with free food and things to steal. The police probably wouldn't care enough to help. Do you want to roll up on a ramshackle hovel in the woods, demanding that the occupants give you back your stuff?

I’d toss the AirTags in the garbage if I were you, they’re pointless now with the updates Apple made a few months ago. If someone steals your stuff and has an iPhone they'll constantly be alerted that there’s an unknown airtag traveling with them. If they click on the alert it basically guides them to the AirTag, it was Apples fix to people removing the speaker.

 

[Christurbo]

To add…….

If you remove the speaker it will be highly likely that the very thin tool you used will cause some sort of mark as you prised the case apart. Moisture will get in and make the AirTag fail depending on where it is.

This happened to mine which I put inside the frame (downtube). Moisture gets in through the cable routing holes.

So 2 options. Put in a waterproof enclosure / plastic pouch. Don’t remove the speaker.

For the low cost, it’s worth doing but not fool proof.

 

[RsGaz]

First job is to disable the speaker in the airtag, very easy to do, shows you on YouTube, pretty pointless if it starts beeping and lets the scum know where it is on your bike.

 

[Ushtang]

I think the AirTag, let alone the beeping is pointless if the AirTag is easily located and accessed on the bike.
But I wonder if well hidden inside of the frame, hard to get to, combined with an alert on the thief's iPhone that an AirTag on their person is being tracked and the beeping, might be enough of a deterrent for the thief to just ditch the bike after they've taken it.

 

[irie]

I think the AirTag, let alone the beeping is pointless if the AirTag is easily located and accessed on the bike.
But I wonder if well hidden inside of the frame, hard to get to, combined with an alert on the thief's iPhone that an AirTag on their person is being tracked and the beeping, might be enough of a deterrent for the thief to just ditch the bike after they've taken it.

Chance of being apprehended by the police is minute so why would it be deterrent?

 

[Mikerb]

I understand this thread is a bout Airtags but those devices are really only designed to help you find your keys etc and they depend on relatively close proximity to an Iphone to be a ble to locate. That may be OK in an area with a lot of people a bout with I phones but not in a relatively deserted area. If the item is valuable enough to warrant the extra expense of a tracker then you need a GPS equipped tracker device.............and they incur subscription charges as well as the upfront purchase price.

 

[johnnystorm]

I understand this thread is a bout Airtags but those devices are really only designed to help you find your keys etc and they depend on relatively close proximity to an Iphone to be a ble to locate. That may be OK in an area with a lot of people a bout with I phones but not in a relatively deserted area. If the item is valuable enough to warrant the extra expense of a tracker then you need a GPS equipped tracker device.............and they incur subscription charges as well as the upfront purchase price.

I don't disagree they aren't perfect but I do think they are better than nothing considering the relatively low cost and ease of use. My ebike was bought used and I didn't spot the airbag on it when I checked it over before purchase. I'm a Samsung user and will fit a Samsung tag as well. One other useful setting is that if set like you might for "forgotten keys" it'll alert you when it loses connection so should alert me in a cafe or similar that my bike has moved.

 

[Ushtang]

Chance of being apprehended by the police is minute so why would it be deterrent?

If the AirTag is well hidden, I don't think your average bike thief is going to have the know how or tools to get to the AirTag. For example if you had the AirTag hidden somewhere where the only way to access it was to drop the motor, I don't think a thief is going to be able to:

1.quickly remove the AirTag
2.know how to remove to remove the AirTag
3.have the tools to remove it

and because of the above, the thief possibly may not want to bother to attempt to remove it at all and may simply ditch the bike. Your bike may still be taken but you don't think having an AirTag that can't be removed by the thief might be a reason for the thief to ditch your bike rather than risk being tracked by the owner, or the owner and the authorities after having contacted them after tracking the thief's location and being ready to meet the police there.

I understand this might not be possible everywhere. But if my bike were stolen and I am able to track it to a residence, I'd be able to contact the local authorities and have them meet me at the tracked location

 

[irie]

If the AirTag is well hidden, I don't think your average bike thief is going to have the know how or tools to get to the AirTag. For example if you had the AirTag hidden somewhere where the only way to access it was to drop the motor, I don't think a thief is going to be able to:

1.quickly remove the AirTag
2.know how to remove to remove the AirTag
3.have the tools to remove it

and because of the above, the thief possibly may not want to bother to attempt to remove it at all and may simply ditch the bike. Your bike may still be taken but you don't think having an AirTag that can't be removed by the thief might be a reason for the thief to ditch your bike rather than risk being tracked by the owner, or the owner and the authorities after having contacted them after tracking the thief's location and being ready to meet the police there.

I understand this might not be possible everywhere. But if my bike were stolen and I am able to track it to a residence, I'd be able to contact the local authorities and have them meet me at the tracked location

Your so-called "average bike thief" is statistically likely to have a Samsung phone or at least an Android phone, and very likely be perfectly aware of Airtags and how to locate and remove them. It's part of a thief's job to know about these things. Successful thieves aren't successful because they're stupid or even lucky, they're successful because they're clever.

 

[TheSnowShark]

You are unfortunately right

 

[Ushtang]

Your so-called "average bike thief" is statistically likely to have a Samsung phone or at least an Android phone, and very likely be perfectly aware of Airtags and how to locate and remove them. It's part of a thief's job to know about these things. Successful thieves aren't successful because they're stupid or even lucky, they're successful because they're clever.

Being aware there is an AirTag on the bike giving your current location away to someone that is tracking the AirTag could be helpful too no?

If the thief isn't aware there is an AirTag, owner has more of a chance of locating the bike in time. If the thief is aware, I'd expect they would try to find the AirTag so that they can remove it as quickly as possible so they are no longer being tracked.

I fully expect a thief will have capable bolt cutters to cut through any lock securing the bike, or be more than capable of breaking into most any outside storage location containing a target bike. But sorry I don't expect your average thief to have specialty bike tools to remove the bicycle cranks so they can access the motor mounting bolts or have the specialty tool to remove the chainring lock washer you might need to get to the mounting bolts. Sure there might be a really dedicated bike thief out there with a full arsenal of Park bicycle tools to rival even the most seasoned of bike mechanics.

But I'm willing to bet if my bike ever encounters a thief, they'll have nothing more than bolt cutters. Yes they'll probably be alerted to the AirTag on my bike, but once they realize how much work it's going to take to find the AirTag and realize the possible hour it could take to remove the cranks, take off the chain ring, remove the mountain bolts, and finally drop the motor just to get to the AirTag that might not even be in that location on the bike, I just can't see them going through the effort knowing they are continually being tracked until they can remove the AirTag and that owner might already be heading toward their tracked location.

 

[johnnystorm]

"But sorry I don't expect your average thief to have specialty bike tools to remove the bicycle cranks so they can access the motor mounting bolts."

A bike thief won't have a handful of hex and torx keys?!

 

[irie]

Being aware there is an AirTag on the bike giving your current location away to someone that is tracking the AirTag could be helpful too no?

If the thief isn't aware there is an AirTag, owner has more of a chance of locating the bike in time. If the thief is aware, I'd expect they would try to find the AirTag so that they can remove it as quickly as possible so they are no longer being tracked.

I fully expect a thief will have capable bolt cutters to cut through any lock securing the bike, or be more than capable of breaking into most any outside storage location containing a target bike. But sorry I don't expect your average thief to have specialty bike tools to remove the bicycle cranks so they can access the motor mounting bolts or have the specialty tool to remove the chainring lock washer you might need to get to the mounting bolts. Sure there might be a really dedicated bike thief out there with a full arsenal of Park bicycle tools to rival even the most seasoned of bike mechanics.

But I'm willing to bet if my bike ever encounters a thief, they'll have nothing more than bolt cutters. Yes they'll probably be alerted to the AirTag on my bike, but once they realize how much work it's going to take to find the AirTag and realize the possible hour it could take to remove the cranks, take off the chain ring, remove the mountain bolts, and finally drop the motor just to get to the AirTag that might not even be in that location on the bike, I just can't see them going through the effort knowing they are continually being tracked until they can remove the AirTag and that owner might already be heading toward their tracked location.

Airtag max range is ~10m/33ft unless within range of Apple Find My network. Undoubtedly the thief will have an iPhone linked to the network