Lost and Found

 

Apple and Samsung both have handy tracking tags that work with your mobile phone and network to help you locate lost valuables.

For example, if you travel and worry about losing your bag, then slip a tag in your bag. If the bag goes missing or is picked up by mistake, the tracking tag will help you locate it. (Note: In reference to our previous blog, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has declared these devices are OK to fly in check-in luggage).

There are many similar devices on the market, however for the sake of simplicity, let's look at the two main players in Apple and Samsung.

Apple AirTag

AirTag is a really easy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack. And just like that, they’re on your radar in the Find My app, where you can also track down your Apple devices and keep up with friends and family.

OS 17 lets you share AirTag with up to five people. So items that everyone uses — like
an umbrella, a bike or the family car keys — can be tracked by friends and family.

Misplacing something like your wallet doesn’t have to be a big deal when it has AirTag attached. You can play a sound on the built-in speaker by going to the new Items tab in the Find My app, or say “Hey Siri, find my wallet”. If it’s hiding nearby — like under the couch or in the next room — just follow the sound and your search is over.

If your AirTag is nearby, your iPhone can lead you straight to it with Precision Finding — which shows you the exact distance and direction to head in — thanks to built‑in Ultra Wideband technology.

Find My

Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map. The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy. And itʼs efficient, so thereʼs no need to worry about battery life or data usage.

Only you can see where your AirTag is. Your location data and history are never stored on the AirTag itself. Devices that relay the location of your AirTag also stay anonymous, and that location data is encrypted every step of the way. So not even Apple knows the location of your AirTag or the identity of the device that helps find it.

Anti-stalking

AirTag is designed to discourage unwanted tracking. If someone else’s AirTag finds its way into your stuff, your iPhone will notice it’s travelling with you and send you an alert. After a while, if you still haven’t found it, the AirTag will start playing a sound to let you know it’s there.

Of course, if you happen to be with a friend who has an AirTag, or on a train with a whole bunch of people with AirTag, don’t worry. These alerts are triggered only when an AirTag is separated from its owner.

Easy set up

A one-tap setup instantly connects your AirTag with your iPhone or iPad. Enter a name for your AirTag, attach it to the item you want to track and youʼre good to go. Want AirTag notifications on your Apple Watch too? No problem.

Initial it. Emoji it.

When you buy your AirTag from the Apple website or the Apple Store app, you can have it personalised with your initials. An emoji. Or both. Itʼs free and easy, and it adds some fun.

Cost and other stuff

A pack of four AirTags will cost you about AUD$165.

Unlike Samsung’s SmartTag 2, Apple’s AirTag is only a small button disk – it does not come with a key ring. In true Apple fashion though, the key ring is available as an optional extra.

The button disk design has caused some issues for Apple in Australia with many retailers still boycotting the product over child safety issues.

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2

With an IP67 dust and water resistance rating*, Compass View and Search Nearby features for intuitive finding, the Galaxy SmartTag2 keeps your valuables located and helps control various IoT devices with a simple click.

No need to retrace where you last saw it. Register a new Galaxy SmartTag2 and get started right away on SmartThings Find. With its intuitive UX experience, you now have a simple method in your hand to locate the things you love.

Search nearby

Something misplaced? Switch on Search nearby and get instructions via Compass View. If you still can't see it, have your SmartTag2 call out to you via Ring Your Tag.

 When Lost Mode is activated, the Galaxy SmartTag2's NFC (Near Field Communication) displays your registered contact information and message on the finder's smartphone, regardless of the OS.

It uses Bluetooth Low Energy and ultra-wideband tech to help you find lost objects or trigger smart home routines. It easily clips to your luggage, bike, or even your pet's collar via a larger, metal-reinforced key-ring.

Galaxy only

The tracker is meant solely for Samsung users because it only works with Galaxy devices and Samsung's SmartThings Find network. If you're in that camp, the SmartTag 2 works great and should be your first choice for a Bluetooth tracker.

An Improved, Smarter Design

The original SmartTag was a squarish device with a small round cutout to help attach it to various items, but it didn't attach to everything so easily. The SmartTag 2 is more of a pill shape with a much larger cutout that features a metallic insert for added strength, so connecting it to a clip or keychain is a lot easier.

The SmartTag 2 has a user-replaceable battery (CR2032) thanks to a hidden coin cell tray. Samsung claims the SmartTag 2 has a 500-day battery life, and the power-saving mode pushes that total to 700 days. In other words, you won't have to replace the battery very often.

To use a SmartTag 2, you need a Samsung Galaxy phone running Android 9.0 or higher with at least 3GB of RAM. You also need the free SmartThings Find app. The SmartTag 2 doesn't support Google's Find My Device network and works only with the Galaxy ecosystem and the SmartThings Find network.

Easy Setup

The setup is pretty straightforward. Compatible Samsung devices should automatically detect the Tag 2 when it is near, but in case it isn't found, you can scan the QR code on the box and press the button on the tag, which then connects the Tag 2 to your phone. The SmartThings app lets you set the location, the room, the name of the Tag itself, and the ringtone it emits, as well as update the firmware. Samsung warns against tracking people without their consent.

The SmartTag 2 is capable of tracking a device up to 120 meters (or around 394 feet) using Bluetooth.

Use Search Nearby if you are already at the same location or address as the SmartTag 2. Use Navigate when you are farther away from it.

Searching for the SmartTag 2 is intuitive. The app shows you how far you are from the tag when you're within a certain range. It pushes a notification saying something like, "Your device is 14.2 ft away." You can tap the ringer to make the SmartTag 2 emit a noise or you can use your rear camera to guide you. These options work one at a time and not together.

Cost

Approx AUD $44 each

Silicone case and rugged case available as optional extras.

*Both Apple and Samsung devices are IP67 dust and water-resistance rated.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ovu ga'hoe! Back cover reveal!

Image
  The following is the back cover text of Ricky Mitio's autobiography. “Ovu ga'hoe!” (I will not go!) These words of defiance were spoken by Ricky Mitio's mother, Mangkeo, as the dawn of a new age of Christianity swept through the New Guinea highlands, delivering its people from a long history of tribal warfare. It was this defiance that kept Mama Mangkeo and her family connected to their land, willing to accept the Light but not willing to go beyond it. It is of this Light, land and resilience that Ricky Mitio was born. In a fascinating story, Ricky Mitio was the first of his generation to gain an education and then lead a national organisation as the head of the lucrative coffee industry in Papua New Guinea. The son of one of the first native Lutheran evangelists in the Eastern Highlands Province, Ricky emulated his father's Christian pioneering spirit, only to find himself Papua New Guinea's most hired and fired state CEO, as his fledgling nation became a paradis...
Read more

Ricky Mitio's book for the ages

Image
In this year of Papua New Guinea's 50th anniversary of Independence, there is no person more qualified to reflect on the highs and lows than Ricky Mitio. I hope you enjoy reading this autobiography of a man who is the son of a tribal warrior born in the Stone Age who later became a pioneer evangelist of the Lutheran Church despite being completely illiterate. Ricky Mitio was among the first people in the country to be educated, learn a foreign language, work for this new means of exchange called money, travel to all districts of the country, and explore five continents of the world.  Ricky Mitio’s name is synonymous with the coffee industry in PNG. When he claims in this book that he is the Papa bilong PNG kopi, he is right. No one can dispute this or take it away from him. It will be his legacy until the end of the world. (From Ovu ga'hoe! Foreword by Tiri Kuimbakul) Ricky's book is due for release in March 2025.   More...
Read more

What's in a name?

Image
BSP’s controversial new logo may well be an indication that the bank, which has outgrown Papua New Guinea, has plans to spread its wings further throughout the Pacific. Bank South Pacific currently operates in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu, alongside its historical home base in Papua New Guinea. But is an entry into New Zealand now on the cards? The new BSP logo bears some resemblance to that of New Zealand’s national airline. It’s as if the brief was, “We want something similar to that of Air New Zealand.” In November 2023, the Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, made a bold suggestion that BSP should consider opening branches in Australia and New Zealand to 'service the Pacific diaspora', teasing the prospect of future expansion of the bank. See:  https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/106571 So, the shift in BSP’s corporate identity may well be a hint at an entry into the New Zealand banking sector and a furt...
Read more

Ricky’s Rules

Image
Papua New Guinea society is characterised by gender-specific roles, developed over thousands of years. These are not roles crafted by subversive foreign agents trying to create their ‘new world order’. Generally, if one looks after their health and food intake with care, life can be enhanced on earth. Some of these vital customary practices and beliefs for men include: • do not eat food from the hands of a girl or woman who is having her menstruation period (to this day, my family is told to uphold this basic rule permanently in the kitchen or household); • avoid walking past or sitting next to girls or women otherwise their scent will weaken your strength and stamina; • sleep separate from women; • avoid eating food from a woman who brought food in a bilum over a long distance because the food may be tainted; • do not get involved in black magic as per Christian teachings. Foreign governments and their subversive agents should be respectful and mindful of this before att...
Read more

eBooks for Christmas

Image
Whether it's a gift or holiday reading, eBooks are now as accessible as ever, with features to enhance your reading experience. Get started by downloading the FREE Kindle app, and then you are set to purchase low-cost eBooks on Amazon!  New to eBooks? Learn more here The Tonda Located in Western Province, Papua New Guinea, way over near the Indonesian border, the Tonda Wildlife Management Area covers 590,000 hectares and contains more than half of New Guinea's bird population plus millions of insects, plants and microorganisms that inhabit ecosystems within the region. Now available as an eBook, The Tonda includes brilliant photography by acclaimed PNG photographer Rocky Roe, as well as words, additional photos, and interviews by the author, Glenn Armstrong. Buy now on Amazon        100 Treks Across the Kokoda Trail A story of reflection on the past 30 years of Charlie Lynn's commitment to the Kokoda Trail and those who served during the WW2 camp...
Read more