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I'm putting this in General HD Chat as the discussion is intended to see if the newly announced Apple Air Tag might make a very inexpensive yet effective security device for our bikes. The device is 1.26" in diameter and .31" thick, i.e. really small. Battery lasts about a year. I think you need an iPhone or iPad to use it. I don't see any recurring fees. The device cost only $29. My idea is tossing one in your bags or somewhere on your bike (easy to hide) then allows you to ping the Air Tag and find out where it is. I know other GPS devices can do this or even more, but usually they require a somewhat expensive monthly fee. Just sharing a new idea. Apple website info is here: https://www.apple.com/airtag/
It looks like it works like a Tile, which I use for my wife's keys. It will make a sound if your phone is within Bluetooth range, or if someone else with the Tile app is within Bluetooth range. With Apple's it works with their "Find my phone" network, so if the guy who stole your bike has his "find my phone" activated, it might work. But it won't send you a signal if it's sitting alone in a chop shop.
It uses any iPhone or Apple device nearby (secretly) so you don't need to be nearby, and seems to have a lot of well thought out aspects including privacy:
When youʼve left something far behind, like at the beach or the gym, the Find My network — hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices around the world — helps track down your AirTag. And itʼs designed to protect your privacy every step of the way. 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. Just like your other Apple devices, AirTag can be put into Lost Mode. Then, when it’s detected by a device in the network, you’ll automatically get a notification.
As far as losing my Harley in my garage, at my age anything is possible. Even if I went down to check it, I'd probably forget why I was there.
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New Apple Security Device
