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Universal Bluetooth trackers. That’s our subject this time. What are they? Why use them? How will it make my life better/easier?

A while back Apple introduced Air Tags, a small Apple-only device that you could put in your luggage, for example, and its location would pretty much always be available to you. The tag “talked” to nearby Apple devices via Bluetooth and the tag’s location was communicated back to Apple and, ultimately, to the owner. It worked because there are so many Apple devices out and about.

Eventually, other companies recognized tags’ value and, soon, Google added trackers/tags to their Find My Device program. Companies now have tags that work on both Apple’s network as well as Google’s. And they have taken on other form factors. Instead of just a small circular tag, you can get credit card-sized trackers that fit in your wallet. Some have replaceable batteries, others can be recharged with a cable, and yet others can be recharged wirelessly.

But they all work in pretty much the same way. They make a Bluetooth connection to any nearby device and that device reports the tag’s location back to the associated “Find” hub. The relaying device has no idea who the tag belongs to, it simply has the tag’s identifier and reports it back to the hub along with the time, date, and location. Most tags also have an app that provides extra controls and can alert you when your tag is no longer near you.

Most tags also have a speaker which can sound an alarm when the tag is physically handled in a certain way or via the tag’s associated app. So, if you drop your keys behind your dresser, you can use the app to play a sound through its speaker to help you find the tag and whatever is attached to it.

Tags, regardless of who makes them, are not terribly expensive, with well-known brands selling tags for in the $30 range, and credit card-sized tags in the $40 range.

Of course there’s Apple’s Air Tags but if you’re looking for a good tag that works on both Apple and Android, there are a lot of choices. Two of the most popular are from Chipolo (https://chipolo.net) and Pebblebee (https://pebblebee.com). They both make credit card-sized trackers as well as the more familiar circular tags. Both the Chipolo card and the Pebblebee card provide support for wireless charging. For a key chain-style tracker, I prefer the Pebblebee mainly because it can last up to a year on a single charge.

Pebblebee has just introduced a new personal safety device called Halo (https://pebblebee.com/products/halo). It has a strobe light and a siren which can be activated very simply. The app will send an urgent text message to your contacts when the safety feature is activated — we cover this in a bit more detail, below.

You can add contacts to both the Chipolo and the Pebblebee app. Chipolo allows you to include as many contacts as you want but those contacts can only help you find the tracker.

Pebblebee works a little differently. It has a “Safety Circle” — contacts who are given access to your tracker’s location when you deem it necessary. There is a free tier, which allows for one contact to be in your Safety Circle. That person will get a static map of your location via text message when you activate the “Alert” feature. Its premium tier provides the “Alert Live” feature and allows you to add up to 5 contacts to your Safety Circle, each of whom will get a map that updates with your location in real-time when you activate Alert Live. The personal safety feature is available on Pebblebee’s Clip 5 and their new Halo. If you purchase Halo you get Alert Live free for a year.

I hope you have a better idea of what universal Bluetooth trackers/tags can do. Chipolo and Pebblebee are just two of the many possible alternatives. If they don’t appeal to you, your favorite AI can introduce you to others. But don't hesitate to write to me if you have questions!

As always, I aim to help you understand the basics and equip you to search for more detailed information.

Please feel free to email me at [email protected] with questions, comments, suggestions, requests for future columns, newsletter signups, or whatever. Or just drop me a quick note and say HI!

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If you like, you can read my most recent newsletter in the Hillsboro Times Gazette at https://go.ttot.link/TG-Column - I should have that link updated shortly after this edition of the newsletter appears in the online version of the newspaper.