Tracker- Theft abatement

[John in Santa Cruz]

an air tag for theft protection will only work if someone with a powered iPhone comes within 50 feet or so of the tagged item. if your trailer gets hauled out to the woods somewhere to use as a crack den, odds are pretty slim.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

an air tag for theft protection will only work if someone with a powered iPhone comes within 50 feet or so of the tagged item. if your trailer gets hauled out to the woods somewhere to use as a crack den, odds are pretty slim.

True- that’s why it won’t work if it is stolen from a storage facility and you don’t know. But if it disappears from your campsite or driveway or Walmart…you have a good chance of tracking it.

When my mom is on the highway- even in our rural area- it tracks very well.

[Vermilye]

For those that live away from their storage location one advantage of a Trak-4 tracker is you can set up a Geozone (a circle on the map around your trailer location). If the trailer moves out of the Geozone, you will get an email or text (or both) that the trailer has moved (as well as a map showing where it is). You do need cell coverage & a subscription.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

...
When my mom is on the highway- even in our rural area- it tracks very well.

does she have an iphone?

[ghosthunter]

I been researching air tags all week and watched several videos of folks using them to recover and track a variety of items from bikes,cars,motorcycles and rvs.

They are not a perfect or even the best solution. And I certainly would not suggest they be anyone’s sole defense of theft. But , for $100.00 bucks you get four of them, which you could hide in untold number of places on a Escape and with other theft deterrent s in use they sure could help a person sleep better at night.

Now my wife says I am a little over the top in the preparation department.
Drive way chimes
Proven hitch lock
Wheel locks
Solar motion sensing lights
Wireless home security cameras
Three dogs and now AirTags.
But if the time ever comes to turn in a insurance claim I will be confident that I did all I could to deter theft.

[John in Santa Cruz]

since my wife and I are Android users, and since she's *always* misplacing her cellphone, car keys, wallet, purse, I got a bunch of Tile trackers. They only work when one of us is in range of them, but I can pretty quickly determine her phone is in her swim bag in the back of the car

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

does she have an iphone?

No. It doesn’t track every foot- just picks her up every mile or so. (There are other cars but not like she’s sitting in a traffic jam.)

[brjohnso]

Didn't Apple change the software to prevent iTags being updated with other people's phones in response to thieves using the tags to mark cars to steal? I had ruled out iTags for this reason.

[ghosthunter]

Originally Posted by brjohnso

Didn't Apple change the software to prevent iTags being updated with other people's phones in response to thieves using the tags to mark cars to steal? I had ruled out iTags for this reason.

No

You can turn the function off if you do not want tags to use your phone.

But the whole selling point is that other user phones near by ping your lost tag.

What they did was add a feature that alerts you that a air tag not registered to you is traveling with you. But reports are that the notice comes 8 -12 hours after you been traveling with a tag or when you arrive home. It also allows you to find where the tag is.

The tags have serial number so the police could track down who’s account is attached too.

All of this is ok with me because using air tag would be my fourth or fifth defense depending are we’re I am.

There are several YouTube video out addressing this issue.


Here is the most recent statement from apple.


https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/...nted-tracking/

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by brjohnso

Didn't Apple change the software to prevent iTags being updated with other people's phones in response to thieves using the tags to mark cars to steal? I had ruled out iTags for this reason.

Not as of now but they’d be worthless without that except for finding local items. Mom’s car is 145 miles away and I can detect it.

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by brjohnso

Didn't Apple change the software to prevent iTags being updated with other people's phones in response to thieves using the tags to mark cars to steal? I had ruled out iTags for this reason.

For $25 I just tossed one in, beats nothing.

Good luck getting the popo to chase your camper down, they’re pretty much making sure they don’t get into trouble nowadays.
That leaves you playing Magnum PI then calling the police, don’t confront the zombies.

I pulled my expensive tools out of my truck today, gas prices eventually make the zombies very hungry.
Surveillance cameras, broad daylight, they don’t even wear a stupid mask anymore.
From the looks of things where I live drugs must be really easy to get.

[ghosthunter]

Well I am now back from a eight day trip with the Escape.

Before I left I bought four AirTags for 89.00 at Costco. I don’t own a smart phone but my wife does. I installed each tag on her phone and gave them a name.

I put one on the Escape, one I. Wife’s car that we were leaving at home, one in my truck towing Escape and one I. My Utility trailer left in drive way.

I was very impressed. We moved throughout N W Washington and twice a day I checked the tags. Each tags location was accurate including the nearest address. And it told me how long it had been since the last contact with the tags.

I do own two iPads which were with me. And not once did they alert me to a tag not registered to me was traveling with me.

My wife would get alerts that she had left the Escape behind when we we drove into town from campsite.

All in all the darn things are working great for my use.