Team-BHP - Which are the best Android Tags (like Apple AirTags)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 5892160)

Which are the best Android AirTags? Would love to use them as anti-theft devices in my cars. Open Jeeps are high-risk vehicles. Then, there is also the case of the BMW Z4

Jio has one called the JioTag Air, if I'm not wrong. Goes on Amazon for 1.5K, iirc

Then the Samsung alternative, called the Galaxy Smarttag 2. This one is a little on the pricier side, going on Amazon for about 5-6K

Note - I haven't tried any of these out. But I'm just going by what I've seen and heard on these tags

Edit - The Tile Mate is going for 2.2K on Amazon. But I wouldn't suggest, cause I've never seen anybody in India use this.

My choice would be the Samsung, cause if you have a Samsung phone, it would seamlessly connect and integrate into your ecosystem

I've been using the Samsung smart tag 1 and 2 now and have about 7 of them in circulation.

The tag 2 is fantastic since it has UWB which allows me to locate it even in the dark, without hunting for the sound of it ringing. This can really help if one plans to conceal it in a suitcase that will muffle sounds.
Tag 2 is also waterproof so it's just quite perfect. Takes a regular 2032 cell.

I paid 2k for the old tag and 2.5k for the new tag 2. Got the first lot from amazon / Samsung India. Got the next set of 4 tag 2s from Amazon Canada. The tag 2 is just tremendous value - the form factor and sturdiness has been improved remarkably.

Where do I use them?
* wallet
* car keys - both sets
* the cat 🐈
* airline travel - checked in baggage.

You can set automation to run via the button and reverse find your phone. The universal (this only Apple and Samsung have pole position on) search across the globe via crowdsourced info is particularly helpful. Helped me find my cat once when she'd squeezed through a fence that I thought was impenetrable. Imagine driving 900 kms to reach at 2 AM only to realize the strictly indoor 🐈 had pushed off for a stroll.

P. S. - if you do not plan on using UWB then you can out the tag 2 into power saver and double the battery life. This would be wise for say a vehicle.

Jio was a big miss for me (their OBD port based 4G hot-spot) since it would stay on even after the car had been switched off. This drained the Thar battery a ton. So when I last gave the Thar for a glass replacement, I could see that the service guys had moved it around town a fair bit. Shame on them! Once bitten, I didn't see the appeal of buying a cheap Jio tag. Throw in serious data privacy concerns with 0 accountability from an Indian brand, who sell your data for a living, and I'd steer clear. My 2c..

I’ve been using the JioTag Air for a few months now in both my cars, and honestly, it’s been great. It works seamlessly with the "Find My" feature on Apple devices, and I also gave the JioThings app on Android a try—it works just as well. What I love most is that it’s super affordable and doesn’t require a subscription(in case of live trackers).

Just to be clear, these aren’t live location trackers. Like AirTags, they only update the last known location, and the frequency depends on how many compatible devices are nearby. Luckily, in Delhi NCR, the update frequency is pretty high, so I don’t really miss having live tracking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 5892160)

We already have a great thread on Apple AirTags, but none for tags that are primarily for Android.

Which are the best Android AirTags? Would love to use them as anti-theft devices in my cars. Open Jeeps are high-risk vehicles. Then, there is also the case of the BMW Z4 that got flicked from Kohinoor.

Thanks in advance.

This may be offtopic but I would suggest anyone with an open or an easy to steal car to wire a battery cutoff switch, hidden somewhere inside. This is in my opinion the best anti theft item one can get.
These tags may not be the best as air tags for example, will notify the closest iPhone user, which in a car thefts case would likely be the thief, that they are being tracked by an airtag and would they like to stop getting tracked for their privacy.
This was done because actual theifs would stick airtags on desirable cars, figure out where they are parked during the night and go steal them.

Bluetooth-based tags are largely ineffective for tracking car locations, especially when the goal is to ensure the vehicle's safety.

For a more reliable solution, I recommend opting for a wired GPS tracker. These devices are highly dependable, as they can be installed in hidden or hard-to-reach areas within the car. Personally, I use a tracker from OneLap paired with an Airtel SIM and a five-year recharge plan. This setup provides accurate, real-time tracking and instant notifications whenever the car is turned on, turned off, or exits a predefined safe zone (e.g., a restaurant parking area). Additionally, the tracker features a built-in power backup for few minutes (I guess capacitor based), enabling it to send alerts even if its wiring is tampered with.
The only drawback to consider is the possibility of a thief using a signal jammer

I use this. This company has a larger 10000 mah wireless version as well which will last a week. This one will last a maximum of 2 days. Since I want it to be portable and for limited use I bought this. I use this on my motorcycle and have enabled power using a USB charger.

For Jimny, I got one that is attached to the fuse box. Paid around 3K including the sim and service. The one in Jimny also has a remote disable feature and it works. Live tracking with alert messages makes it a must-have in cars.

The seller can sell different brands of cars I asked him to give me one for a motorcycle and he did say only thing required is to directly hardwire with the battery unlike in cars via fuse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 5892160)

Which are the best Android AirTags? Would love to use them as anti-theft devices in my cars. Open Jeeps are high-risk vehicles. Then, there is also the case of the BMW Z4 that got flicked from Kohinoor.

Short answer: None of them! (especially for car theft).

These tags do not use GPS or satellite for location tracking. Instead, they rely entirely on a compatible phone being nearby to detect the tag and upload its location to their respective "Find My" networks.

How these tags work:

Apple Airtag:

Requires the tag to be near an iPhone with a U1 Ultra-Wideband (UWB) chip (iPhone 11 or newer).

Samsung SmartTag

Samsung claims any Galaxy smartphone can detect the tag, but there are caveats:
UWB support only started with the Note 20 Ultra and the Galaxy S21 series.
It’s unclear if cheaper Galaxy phones have UWB capability.
The person near the tag must have the Samsung SmartThings app installed and active.
Unlike Apple’s “Find My” network (which is an opt-out program), Samsung’s network participation is less transparent. This means many Galaxy users likely don’t have SmartThings set up.

JioTag

Claims compatibility with Apple’s Find My Network (for iPhones) and Android phones that have the JioThings app installed.
But JioTags do not have UWB support, so unclear how they would work with the Apple "Find My" Network

The Problem

The only way these tags work is if the stolen car ends up near:

An iPhone (for AirTags/JioTag), or
A compatible Galaxy phone with the SmartThings app actively running (for Samsung SmartTag).

Apple is transparent with how their Airtags work, (i.e. you know that if there is anyone with an iPhone 11 or newer in the vicinity of the Airtag, you will get a location update).
The problem is iPhone marketshare in India is <2%, so the odds of the tag being picked up are pretty low (this is not an issue in countries like the USA where iPhone marketshare is significant).

With Samsung and Jio, it's really hard to determine how the tags exactly work. The details are not super transparent, but that gives me enough of an indication to avoid both products.

Recommendation

If you're worried about car theft, get any car GPS tracker (given a few links below for popular ones on Amazon). The same companies also make battery operated mini-GPS trackers which can be placed anywhere. Heck, I believe these days there are also dash-cams with built-in GPS trackers and selfie cams (so you can capture the face of your car thief lol:)

Of all the options available to track your stolen vehicle, Airtags, JioTags and Samsung Tags are the 2nd worst option (being only slightly better than having nothing).

OneLap Micro GPS Tracker
Qubo Wired GPS Tracker
Ajjas Light GPS Tracker