Apple Airtags anyone?

[slowgoesit]

We've "salted" expensive items on our boat with Apple Air Tags.

• $108.00 including shipping and tax for 4 of them direct from Apple.
• Arrived in 4 days.
• They may be available cheaper elsewhere, not sure.
• No annual subscription, no fees.
• Batteries last about a year with normal use. Batteries are simple to replace. CR2032, readily available. Cost 7.99 for a 10 pak on Amazon.
• They have some limitations, but overall, appear to be a good product.
• Hope we never have to chase one down after a theft!

And no I'm not concerned that someone who may be considering stealing my dink or outboard in the middle of the night will hesitate and first search the internet to ensure that the owner of the boat in question has posted about using airtags . . .

No affiliation, just a happy customer!

 

[DDW]

They are easily detected, if your thief is at all tech savy. If their iPhone is on they are warned if they stick with it. You have about 4 hours to catch them before that happens. This is done to prevent tracking spouses against their will.

Might work well for a dinghy that comes adrift, as long as it's a populated area though.

 

[11111energy]

It's good to hear that you've found a reliable and cost-effective solution to protect your expensive items on your boat. Apple AirTags are indeed a popular choice for tracking valuable items, and they come with several useful features, such as a long battery life and the ability to locate lost items with the Find My app. However, as you mentioned, it's essential to keep in mind their limitations, such as the need for an iPhone and Bluetooth connectivity to track the tags. It's always better to be cautious and take additional measures to secure your belongings, such as using sturdy locks and keeping them out of sight. Overall, it's great to hear that you're satisfied with the product, and thank you for sharing your experience with us!

 

[slowgoesit]

It's not a fix all, just another tool in the tool box that we hope to never need!

 

[Mac2]

For the low draw of the air tag, the BR2032 has a better temperature range for outdoor use. I've had the air tag on my dinghy for over a year and I've been very happy with it.

 

[slowgoesit]

For the low draw of the air tag, the BR2032 has a better temperature range for outdoor use. I've had the air tag on my dinghy for over a year and I've been very happy with it.

Thanks so much Curtis! Nice to know information. Especially since it is more hi temp tolerant, especially in an outboard, or dinghy exposed to sun, the BR2032 looks like the clear winner. I'll order some now.

 

[Mac2]

:thumb

Thanks so much Curtis! Nice to know information. Especially since it is more hi temp tolerant, especially in an outboard, or dinghy exposed to sun, the BR2032 looks like the clear winner. I'll order some now.

 

[Cargile]

They are easily detected, if your thief is at all tech savy. If their iPhone is on they are warned if they stick with it.............QUOTE]

Please explain. Have never seen an Air Tag. Thanks,

 

[tiltrider1]

I use air tags all the time but not normally as a theft tracking device. I have found that boat thefts are nOt committed by the technology intelligent but by mentally impaired individuals.

The biggest problem of onboard equipment thefts is usually fishing gear by low life fishermen. Not say all fishermen are low life, jUSt those who steal.

My most common use of AirTags is for keeping track of my luggage when flying.

 

[DDW]

They are easily detected, if your thief is at all tech savy. If their iPhone is on they are warned if they stick with it.............QUOTE]

Please explain. Have never seen an Air Tag. Thanks,

There were concerns that people were tracking other people (suspect spouses, mainly), so Apple implemented an anti-tracking feature. If someone has hidden an Airtag in your clothes for example, and you have an iPhone with you, your iPhone (and everyone else's iPhone) picks up the Airtag's signal. If you are not the owner of the Airtag (it is not registered with your iCloud account) then after 4 hours of contact with it your phone will get a notification that there has been an Airtag close to you for 4 hours. So if you are visiting your mistress, better find it. Or if it is in the dinghy you just stole, better find it.

Now I'd agree that many or most thieves aren't going to be tech savvy, and probably own Android phones :lol: so they might not notice.

 

[Fleming]

I've been using them for months on my luggage. Even put one on my dog's collar after he went on walkabout and couldn't find him for hours. Now if he just walks within bluetooth range of an iphone I can find him.

 

[OldDan1943]

I read, awhile back, some guy used it to track his unfaithful wife. Boy was she upset but, it did help during the divorce.

 

[Patemey]

The normal CR2032 battery you buy has a special coating so when put in the mouth by children will cause them to spit it out / cough it up. These will not work with Airtags (I've even tried using sandpaper to scratch off the coating). The CR2032 needs to be an uncoated type, which tends to drive you back to one that is more expensive and typically from Apple since most other battery suppliers do not state if its coated or not.

 

[OldDan1943]

The normal CR2032 battery you buy has a special coating so when put in the mouth by children will cause them to spit it out / cough it up. These will not work with Airtags (I've even tried using sandpaper to scratch off the coating). The CR2032 needs to be an uncoated type, which tends to drive you back to one that is more expensive and typically from Apple since most other battery suppliers do not state if its coated or not.

I wonder if acetone would remove the coating?

 

[Benthic2]

I just ordered these batteries off Amazon and they worked in my airtag.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042A9UXC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Cargile]

They are easily detected............ If their iPhone is on they are warned if they stick with it....................

Care to expound on those statements. I know close to nothing about them.

 

[DDW]

Care to expound on those statements. I know close to nothing about them.

Early on this was not the case. The problem was people were using them to track other people (typically a spouse). You slip an Airtag into their clothes or purse or car or whatever, and then can track where ever they go. Apple saw this as a potential privacy invasion. The solution, implemented a couple of years ago, was to warn a person through his/her iPhone, if an Airtag was close to them for more than 4 hours. If you are the owner of the Airtag, you don't get warned as you are presumed to know of its presence. If you are not the owner and get warned, you can dismiss the warning if you were already aware of its presence.

A thief with an iPhone would get warned after 4 hours and could look for the Airtag and disable it.