Best tracker for suit cases when flying??

[WriterOnDeck]

On 7/15/2022 at 4:59 PM, ger_77 said:

I just ordered 2 Air Tags directly from Apple because I can't find any local retailers who have them in stock.  Even the Amazon Canada site says they are currently unavailable.  Both DH and I have an iPhone, so we should be able to keep tabs on our luggage if it doesn't arrive with us.

I bought 4 on Amazon last week -- they arrived on Sunday. It was part of the Prime promotion so they were slightly discounted. But not hard to get.

[SLC1954]

1 hour ago, firsttimer1971 said:

But you can't use an airtag on multiple iPhones and I believe that is the issue for @ivanidea

I am able to track my airtag at the same time on 2 separate devices. My iPhone and my iPad, both have different phone numbers.  It is all about having each device set up to locate the airtag in the registration process.

[firsttimer1971]

8 minutes ago, SLC1954 said:

I am able to track my airtag at the same time on 2 separate devices. My iPhone and my iPad, both have different phone numbers.  It is all about having each device set up to locate the airtag in the registration process.

 

They both have separate phone numbers but do you use the same Apple ID on both? Because as far as I know you can only connect an Apple Airtag to one Apple ID, not multiple. So, I might have phrased it incorrectly.  

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by firsttimer1971

[OHCruiser]

On 7/15/2022 at 9:28 AM, firsttimer1971 said:

I am an android user as well and after carefully looking at the alternatives I finally decided on buying a secondhand iPhone 7 and Apple Airtags. Most of these tags either depend on bluetooth and/or a person walking by with a specific app installed. With Apple Airtags all you need is a person with an iPhone walking by and you can view the location of the airtag/luggage.

 

For a test i put the airtag in my wife's purse (with her knowing of course) and all through the day I could track the whereabouts of the airtag because she was in the vicinity of people with iPhones. 

I'm an Android user, so I'm really dumb about stuff like this.  I'd appreciate any help here.  Thanks in advance.

If I buy a used Iphone + Airtags, do I need to add the phone to my provider account in order to use it?

Do I need a separate SIM card?

Without actual cellphone service, can I still connect to wifi, like I would with a tablet or laptop?

 

I"d really like to do this, as we have several cruises that require flights with stopovers.

[Mywh82work]

41 minutes ago, OHCruiser said:

I'm an Android user, so I'm really dumb about stuff like this.  I'd appreciate any help here.  Thanks in advance.

If I buy a used Iphone + Airtags, do I need to add the phone to my provider account in order to use it?

Do I need a separate SIM card?

Without actual cellphone service, can I still connect to wifi, like I would with a tablet or laptop?

 

I"d really like to do this, as we have several cruises that require flights with stopovers.

If your android phone is a Samsung galaxy, you can use Samsung equivalent - SmartTag.  

[firsttimer1971]

3 hours ago, OHCruiser said:

If I buy a used Iphone + Airtags, do I need to add the phone to my provider account in order to use it?

 

No, you don't.

  

3 hours ago, OHCruiser said:

Do I need a separate SIM card?

 

No, you don't

  

3 hours ago, OHCruiser said:

Without actual cellphone service, can I still connect to wifi, like I would with a tablet or laptop?

 

Yes, you can. That is what I do. I have no Sim in my iPhone and just connect to Wifi and that works. Should I be in an area without WiFi I can always create a hotspot (*) on my android phone and connect the iPhone to that WiFi hotspot.

 

*=a WiFI hotspot is using your mobile phone to create a WiFi network. You are then able to connect devices to that hotspot and they will have internet using your cellphone service.

If you don't know how to create a WiFi hotspot on your android, just google "how to setup a wifi hotspot on android" or similar and you will get all the instruction (videos) you need.

[HamOp]

If you declare you have an UNLOADED firearm in your checked bag (and yes, it's legal to do) the airline will pay special attention to the location of your bag and it will not be lost.

If you are not comfortable with a real gun, buy a starter pistol that doesn't fire rounds.

 

Of course if you're flying to a cruise, that might not be the best option😁

Edited July 19, 2022 by HamOp
Additional information

[OHCruiser]

20 hours ago, firsttimer1971 said:

 

No, you don't.

  

 

No, you don't

  

 

Yes, you can. That is what I do. I have no Sim in my iPhone and just connect to Wifi and that works. Should I be in an area without WiFi I can always create a hotspot (*) on my android phone and connect the iPhone to that WiFi hotspot.

 

*=a WiFI hotspot is using your mobile phone to create a WiFi network. You are then able to connect devices to that hotspot and they will have internet using your cellphone service.

If you don't know how to create a WiFi hotspot on your android, just google "how to setup a wifi hotspot on android" or similar and you will get all the instruction (videos) you need.

Thanks so much for taking all the time to do this.  I really appreciate it.

[firsttimer1971]

3 hours ago, OHCruiser said:

Thanks so much for taking all the time to do this.  I really appreciate it.

 

You're welcome. I have learned so much on this board from other helpful people, glad to be able to help somebody else. 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Well I think the Tile Pro 2022 is for us ..

[Hlitner]

On 7/19/2022 at 10:15 AM, HamOp said:

If you declare you have an UNLOADED firearm in your checked bag (and yes, it's legal to do) the airline will pay special attention to the location of your bag and it will not be lost.

If you are not comfortable with a real gun, buy a starter pistol that doesn't fire rounds.

 

Of course if you're flying to a cruise, that might not be the best option😁

We would not recommend that "option" if on an International flight :).

 

Hank

[Definitas]

14 hours ago, firsttimer1971 said:

 

You're welcome. I have learned so much on this board from other helpful people, glad to be able to help somebody else. 

I feel exactly the same and I am also grateful for your advice regarding using an older iPhone. I have an iPhone 8 which I had been advised wouldn’t work. Now I know it will work exactly as I had planned, I am goto order some airtags. Thanks for your help

[Nymich]

As someone who worked 20 years in the airline industry "lost bags" were an extreme rarity. I left the industry in 2002.

Nevertheless that was then and this is now.  Happy tracking to all.

[Charles4515]

On 7/18/2022 at 10:54 AM, firsttimer1971 said:

 

They both have separate phone numbers but do you use the same Apple ID on both? Because as far as I know you can only connect an Apple Airtag to one Apple ID, not multiple. So, I might have phrased it incorrectly.  

 

Not being able to share an Airtag is a privacy measure. 

[aa7yy]

I just painted some really big bright ugly stripes on our luggage. Should take care of the "accidents."

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Between current airport conditions,  this thread, and several review articles, we decided to get a 4 pack of Apple tags for our luggage before flying to our B2B2B2B in September. They have far and away better reviews than the competition.
Downside, they are sold out everywhere. We pre purchased a 4 pack from our local Best Buy. They’ll be here in a week. No one who sells them can keep them on the shelves. The day the order comes in, they’re all gone. Purchasing in advance or online directly from Apple seems to be the way to go.

[Charles4515]

5 minutes ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Purchasing in advance or online directly from Apple seems to be the way to go.

 

I order them from Apple because they engrave them for free. I have my initials on the one attached to my keyring and different symbols on the other three. I plan to order another four pack in the fall.

Edited July 20, 2022 by Charles4515

[Horizon chaser 1957]

2 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

I order them from Apple because they engrave them for free. I have my initials on the one attached to my keyring and different symbols on the other three. I plan to order another four pack in the fall.

Oh, good thinking. Too late for me!

[firsttimer1971]

9 hours ago, Definitas said:

I feel exactly the same and I am also grateful for your advice regarding using an older iPhone. I have an iPhone 8 which I had been advised wouldn’t work. Now I know it will work exactly as I had planned, I am goto order some airtags. Thanks for your help

 

An Airtag will definitely work with an iPhone 8 (with iOS 14.5) but if you have an iPhone 11 or up you get "Precision Finding" which will give you the exact distance and direction to the airtag if you are near to it. But that isn't necessary for me in the case of my luggage.

 

[ivanidea]

4 pack of AirTags are currently $89 +tax on Amazon.  The best price I've found (not fussed about engraving since I put my own labels on them).

[54Carol]

Just purchased a 4 pack of Apple Air Tags from Amazon.  My question, can you put them inside your luggage or do they need to be attached to the outside?  

[Charles4515]

25 minutes ago, 54Carol said:

Just purchased a 4 pack of Apple Air Tags from Amazon.  My question, can you put them inside your luggage or do they need to be attached to the outside?  

They work fine inside, they are allowed inside and inside is the best place. Luggage is often mishandled at airports and outside tags sometimes get torn off. Also don’t want a thief to steal the AirTag. My luggage happens to have some small pockets inside so I drop the AirTag in one of those. 

[kb4683]

We will only be using our AirTags for travel.  My question is -- do you store them between trips with the battery removed?  Next trip isn't until November.

 

TYIA

 

[Cailey53]

1 minute ago, kb4683 said:

We will only be using our AirTags for travel.  My question is -- do you store them between trips with the battery removed?  Next trip isn't until November.

 

TYIA

 

We plan on leaving the batteries in--they should last up to a year and the type of battery is easy to find on Amazon. 

[Charles4515]

40 minutes ago, kb4683 said:

We will only be using our AirTags for travel.  My question is -- do you store them between trips with the battery removed?  Next trip isn't until November.

 

TYIA

 

I have left the batteries in. They are supposed to last about a year. I have had my AirTags one year and three months and no low power warning yet. That said I plan to buy a pack of 4 batteries at Target next week and replace the batteries as I don't want to be caught short. A 4 pack should run about $8. I don't only use them for luggage. I have one on my key ring and one in my wallet. (wont fit in all wallets but I use a zipper wallet that I keep in my front pocket) By the way batteries go bad even if you leave them out. My mother had hearing aid batteries and being OCD she bought a huge supply. By the time she used half of them the unused batteries had gone bad. 

Edited July 31, 2022 by Charles4515