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Which Tracker is best?

us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Which Tracker is best?
Reply #30 on: March 11, 2024, 11:24:10 PM
  All depends upon what you want as a tracker. There are others like Knog Scout which is similar to an Apple Find My tracker, but I really do not care for it. Have it installed on my recumbent trike as it was made to be placed underneath a water bottle. It is an additional tracker that I reviewed on Amazon.

  Galeo is my preferred tracker. Have a Galeo Ride that lasted almost 3 years before I started experiencing issues during the colder months. The company replaced the device once, and was going to do so again but I bought one instead. The first one was an Amazon Review and the company actually gave these to be reviewed, so essentially I was not going to continue to have them pay for something I never paid for initially. To make things right I bought one.

  There are options for activation and tracking. Monthly, Yearly, Every Three Years. Very affordable plans using the LTE bandwidth, Bluetooth, and GPS. It can be tracked world wide, although there may be areas that are spotty, and the tracker needs sight of satellites, and a cellular signal helps a lot. I think it uses cellular to send updates, and changes can be made through Bluetooth.
  So what I opted to do is run it in silent mode, tracking only, no alarm. Maximum battery for tracking. If the trike was stolen other cheaper forms of alarms go off. The Knog is a pitiful backup. Have two Apple AirTags hidden. The Galeo is also hidden, although there is only so much room one can hide things on bikes and trikes, and the company has a trailer/equipment version with a 1 year battery. The ride is a few weeks on battery.

  More than one device can be tracked in the app. The app has numerous settings, options, and maintenance tasks. Far too many to post here. Even has its own location map that can be zoomed down to a few yards. Can triangulate by cellular, GPS, and Bluetooth all can add additional location assistance. So there is more going on there and just a silly tag. Yet for $250 you get your money's worth if the equipment it is attached to is valuable.

  Was shocked when I opened the Galeo Ride case and found this round tracker that is 47mm wide, 55mm at widest point, 18.20mm thick.


  When the previous one kicked the bucket, and I tried everything to recover, the cellular just would not connect anymore. GPS and Bluetooth still functioned. Tore the casing off and found this. But I did try to break it apart without much success. Sucker is well sealedl!
 

  Galeo Ride in Case
 

 

  So while you cannot slide this into your wallet for fear of siting on a large lump, there are other applications it can be used for. And the company does help law enforcement track down and recover the stolen merchandise it is connected to. They can also perform firmware updates, app updates, device updates, and they can even reset the device parameters through their end. I helped change the device for the better and the company is trustworthy and have been very helpful - even to the bitter end when most companies would have written you off long ago.


  For me I have the device set to Silent mode to maximize battery life. Cheap set of alarms go off and they are quite loud. Knog is a secondary. These alarms can trigger the Galeo's motion sensor, and that in turn notifies me via cellular and Apple watch - I do not use an Android device, but the Galeo works as well with Androids too.
  If I should need proof of the tracker/trike is mine, and if in Bluetooth range, I can set the alarm off to prove to the LEOs it is indeed mine. There is no notification sent to someone that there is a tracker there like with Apple's AirTags.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2024, 11:31:34 PM by Outback in Idaho »
¬ Outback in Idaho

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ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Which Tracker is best?
Reply #31 on: March 12, 2024, 09:21:56 PM
That definitely is a different animal entirely.  I am glad that those types exist as well, and don't rely on the external network of other people's phones.

Speaking of other people, Tile has a function where you can see how many other Tile users are in your area.  Currently my Tile app says there are 1,777 tile users in my city, which sounds like a lot, but it really isn't.

The population of my city (Halifax Regional Municipality) is over 431,000 people, and that means less than one half of one percent (or one in 200 people) have the app and therefore can find a Tile.  If you figure a relatively even split of Android and iPhone users (probably not an even split, but I don't have the specs on Apple vs Google users) then that is roughly 215,000 Apple users.  Even given Apple's limited range (30 feet versus Tile's 250 feet) that really slants the advantage to the Airtag.

That having been said, I have still gotten a faster response from the Tile app at the airport than the Airtag, likely due to it's longer range.  As I said, the Tile could be anywhere on the airplane and I will almost instantly know whether my luggage has made it to the destination or not.  Not so with the AirTag.

So, I guess maybe the best idea is to consider the Tile more for sparsely populated areas, like outdoors gear and the Airtag more for in town use?

One other feature I haven't really talked about that makes the Tile a bit more enticing is the ability to use it backwards.  Rather than using your phone to find your Tile, you can use a Tile to find your phone,  Simply double press the button and the phone starts ringing.  I don't think the AirTag does this?  If it does, please let me know how to do it as I have yet to find a button on it.

All in all, I am still leaning towards Tile as the better option, but again, Apple is gaining ground fast.

Def
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ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Which Tracker is best?
Reply #32 on: March 18, 2024, 05:54:40 PM
I am no an Apple guy, as I mentioned above, but I just happen to have an Apple enthusiast in my house- Megan actually has not one, but TWO iPhones.  She has had Android devices in the past, but mostly prefers iOS since there is no more Blackberry for her to enjoy.

Needless to say, I found it quite shocking when she told me she preferred Tile to Airtag as well, mostly for the reason I posted above- the greater range means that when you turn on your phone while landing, you know your bag has made it to your destination.  The 250 foot range means there's a good chance it will ping long before you get off the plane and let you know it's there.

Also, I got some Tile Stickers, which are small, circular trackers similar to the AirTag.  I'll post some comparison pics later, but I was surprised to find that they are quite a bit smaller than the AirTag.  That was a bit of a surprise, as they look in photos o be somewhat thicker than the Airtag- but that is a bit of an optical illusion as the Airtag is quite a bit wider than the Sticker.

That having been said, the Sticker is slightly thicker at 9mm versus the Airtag's 8mm thickness- a minimal difference really.  The Sticker is 26mm thick versus the Airtag's 32mm.  I haven't got a weight handy on them, but I can't imagine there's much of a difference- I will update this thread when I have that info though.  I don't think either of them is significantly heavy though!

The Sticker, like the AirTag, doesn't have a key ring hole built in, which means it won't hang on your keys very well, however it does come with an adhesive on the back, covered by a thin sheet of plastic.  I would imagine this ability to stick to things is largely why this model is called a Sticker.  :D

The neat thing is, despite the smaller size, it still has the same 250 foot range as the Tile Mate.  Not too shabby if you ask me.

This is why I chose it to put on my dog's harness.  I had a Tile Mate on him previously, but on such a small dog, it was very bulky and rattled a lot on his tags.  I will probably also put an AirTag on him, as I've grown quite fond of him and want to make sure I don't lose him!

Given that both dog theft and car theft are both quite prevalent in Canada these days, I think I am going to also equip both my Jeep and Megan's Volvo with both Tile and AirTags too- with the investment we have in both of these vehicles, it's worth ensuring that we can follow them if they wander off without us, even if the AirTag will be sure to warn any potential criminals of ot's presence.   :ahhh

I guess that's the bottom line- in typical MTO fashion, get both....  :tu:

Def

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Leave the dents as they are- let your belongings show their scars as proudly as you do yours.


 

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