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A 10-Year Battery for AirTag

(www.elevationlab.com)
673 points dmd | 2 comments | 18 Dec 24 18:17 UTC | HN request time: 0.415s | source
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drdaeman ◴[19 Dec 24 19:14 UTC] No.42464753[source]▶
Are AirTags actually useful for anti-theft purposes?

I threw one in the trunk of my car (just in case - I ordered a 4-pack and I had a spare one), and every single time I drive somewhere it chirps loudly when I'm exiting my driveway, making its presence immediately obvious without any delays, and despite my phone being with me in the car.

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carlgreene ◴[19 Dec 24 19:21 UTC] No.42464809[source]▶
Yes, but only if you remove the speaker which is well documented on YouTube
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kube-system ◴[19 Dec 24 19:23 UTC] No.42464834[source]▶
Even if you do that they will still notify a thief with a notification on their iPhone.
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omgwtfbyobbq ◴[19 Dec 24 19:39 UTC] No.42464976[source]▶
I think that's ok though, right?

As long as you do a good job placing/hiding it, the thief can't easily find and remove/disable without the speaker.

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kube-system ◴[19 Dec 24 19:56 UTC] No.42465119[source]▶
How big is your item and how hard is it to search? If you know a bag has an airtag in it, it won't take that long to find.
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wholinator2 ◴[19 Dec 24 20:01 UTC] No.42465149[source]▶
True, a suitcase could be quickly dispatched but you could hide it very very well on something like a car.
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kube-system ◴[19 Dec 24 20:20 UTC] No.42465320[source]▶
Maybe, but is any old car thief on the street going to hang on to a car they know has an airtag in it? They probably were going to joy ride it for the afternoon, maybe commit some other crime, wreck it, and dump it regardless.

I have an airtag in my car, but I don't think I'm going to get much value out of it other than finding my car when I forget where I'm parked.

If you want to catch a criminal in the act, you usually need to observe surreptitiously or they'll change behavior.

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1. RandallBrown ◴[19 Dec 24 21:30 UTC] No.42465873[source]▶
> but is any old car thief on the street going to hang on to a car they know has an airtag in it?

No, and that's mostly the point right? If they get in the car, get an alert they're being tracked, then dump the car, at least you find it faster.

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2. kube-system ◴[19 Dec 24 21:38 UTC] No.42465945[source]▶
By the point it's stolen, it's probably already too little too late. Not only will it probably be going to some impound lot before I can get to it -- it'll probably be on track to be my insurance company's car at that point. Seeing it on a map might be fun for curiosity's sake at that point, I guess.