Experience using Apple AirTags

[mj_holiday]

I have Apple AirTags and got them set up for our suitcases.  To follow our suitcases, I am understand I will need either access to wifi or data.  So, would like lessons learned etc on using the AirTags and getting wifi in airports etc.

[uktog]

15 minutes ago, mj_holiday said:

I have Apple AirTags and got them set up for our suitcases.  To follow our suitcases, I am understand I will need either access to wifi or data.  So, would like lessons learned etc on using the AirTags and getting wifi in airports etc.

Which airports?  
 

Ours were so helpful one tip I would give is practice using them before going. My husband went walks in our neighbourhood with each tag and I then set out 20 minutes later to locate him!  Having done this I was very confident using them when it mattered

[mj_holiday]

Just now, uktog said:

Which airports?

Lisbon, London Heathrow, Munich to start with.

[uktog]

Heathrow has free WiFi. Open your settings in WiFi and select - it says Free WiFi in its name 

[FlyerTalker]

3 hours ago, uktog said:

Heathrow has free WiFi. Open your settings in WiFi and select - it says Free WiFi in its name 

 

And hopefully you are all using a strong VPN (not one of the free ones) when you are using these "free" wifi services.

[harrodsfan]

Yes praise a bit before hand. 

[blag]

51 minutes ago, harrodsfan said:

Yes praise a bit before hand. 

I don't understand this comment. Am I being dense? Please explain! 

[Chilcotin]

I think they meant practice not praise … silly spellcheck.

[blag]

4 minutes ago, Chilcotin said:

I think they meant practice not praise … silly spellcheck.

Oops! I think you mean silly predictive text! 

[Chilcotin]

Just now, blag said:

Oops! I think you mean silly predictive text! 

Thanks for figuring out what I meant 🙂

[excitedofharpenden]

It's also worth mentioning that if you have an iPhone 11 or up it will give you precision finding that gives you a much more accurate locator eg walk 20 ft to your left rather than your tag is within so many yards like I had on my iPhone without Ultra Wideband technology. 

 

Phil 

[roberts2005]

I just purchased a pack of 4 from apple.  I also purchased 4 key chains on eBay for less than $10 which the air tags can be inserted.

 

when ordering from Apple they included free engraving. I numbered mine 1 to 4.

 

when setting up on the iPhone it is possible to rename each tag using the number

Edited August 13, 2022 by roberts2005

[marymar]

Do you place the AirTag inside the luggage or outside?

 

[takemewithyou]

28 minutes ago, marymar said:

Do you place the AirTag inside the luggage or outside?

 

Best to put inside your luggage so they are not stolen.

They work fine inside.

[Leo_On_Geo]

26 minutes ago, marymar said:

Do you place the AirTag inside the luggage or outside?

 

I keep mine in an outer pocket of my luggage, and I have had no problem  tracking them. Of course you can always put your tags on the outside in holders such as shown in the photo. Those cost extra money, and I would worry about them being lost in transit. I have lost many Luggage Tags over the years.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Best to put inside your luggage so they are not stolen.

They work fine inside.

I put them in the inside pocket of my cases, and had no trouble tracking them.  

 

But I don't have hard-sided luggage (and especially not with metal outer castings that might interfere with the signals –  the way the aluminum siding on my house interferes with radio and TV and cell phone signals).

[uktog]

We have hard sided cases with metal outer shells. The air tags worked perfectly inside the cases in July. It was very comforting to know the cases were making the connection at a crowded Heathrow. 
The only time they work less well (and it’s irrelevant if they are inside or outside your case) is once the airline puts them into the metal loading bins and hoists them into the plane. 

[lisiamc]

10 hours ago, marymar said:

Do you place the AirTag inside the luggage or outside?

 

I keep mine clipped inside the case. For what they cost, I don’t want to take a chance on someone stealing them.

[terry&mike]

We purchased 2 Air Tags and used them on a 28 day trip in August to great results. We kept one inside each of our suitcases. We have soft sided bags, but I'm not sure if it matters. 

 

If you are unfamiliar with how they work, the Air Tag sends out a signal.  This signal pings off of a nearby device, and that is how you know it's location.  As the world is full of cell phones, especially in airports, there are almost always "devices" nearby to ping off of. For example, your bag is checked in, your Air Tag will send you a message that your item is no longer with you. When a baggage handler, who likely has a cell phone in his pocket, picks up the container of bags that your bag is in and moves it next to the plane, you will be able to see where your bag is. So in looking, you are always seeing your bags last known/tracked/pinged location, which is likely still the same location. 

 

We had stopped for a few days in Washington, DC and were trying to fly to NYC on August 4, to board a Queen Mary 2 transatlantic on August 5. United kept delaying and cancelling our flight all day, and put us on an early August 5 flight. When we arrived at the airport, they cancelled this flight as well. We made the decision to rent a car and drive the 5 hours to make the sailing. We went to United Baggage Claim Desk and were able to show them exactly where our bags were moved to last. This allowed the representative to make 1 phone call and have our bags brought directly to us. She said she loves these devices, because they make here job easier when someone has them, as they don't have to search out where your bags are, they know where to start. We did make the ship. 

 

We also got off this ship on August 12 in Southampton, UK, and boarded the Island Princess for 16 nights sailing around England, Ireland, Iceland, and Greenland.  We could see when our luggage was put on the ship, when our bags had been delivered outside our cabin, and so on. Very helpful, and comforting. It's also really nice to know when your bags are about to come down the delivery belt at the airport.

 

An interesting note in regards to using Air Tags when cruising. When we would leave the room, we would get the message that our items were no longer with us. At some time a bit later we would get a message notifying us of our items location. We quickly discovered this was when our Room Steward entered our room to clean, and the tags pinged off his phone. We could always say, oh, our room is getting serviced now.  

 

As to marking them, as we did not have them engraved, I put a small piece of blue painters tape across the back of each one. I put a T on one and an M on the other, and in our phone we named them Terry's Bag and Mike's Bag.

 

We really liked having them, and always knowing where our bags were. 

[uktog]

Great review of using them and the reassurance AirTags give.
On several days onboard ours told us they were in the harbour…..😂

[excitedofharpenden]

I just got a new iPhone 12 which gives a more accurate Airtag location using Precision Finding. I think I have just discovered how to pass the time away when I'm at the airport!🙂

 

Phil 

[aliaschief]

We used them on our recent European travels and I will attest they give one a lot of peace of mind especially when a luggage piece is late coming to baggage. We kept tracking a piece and watched as it kept getting closer and closer to the carousel.

[marymar]

Thank you all for your feedback! 😃

[JK300]

On 9/4/2022 at 12:08 PM, terry&mike said:

We purchased 2 Air Tags and used them on a 28 day trip in August to great results. We kept one inside each of our suitcases. We have soft sided bags, but I'm not sure if it matters. 

 

If you are unfamiliar with how they work, the Air Tag sends out a signal.  This signal pings off of a nearby device, and that is how you know it's location.  As the world is full of cell phones, especially in airports, there are almost always "devices" nearby to ping off of. For example, your bag is checked in, your Air Tag will send you a message that your item is no longer with you. When a baggage handler, who likely has a cell phone in his pocket, picks up the container of bags that your bag is in and moves it next to the plane, you will be able to see where your bag is. So in looking, you are always seeing your bags last known/tracked/pinged location, which is likely still the same location. 

 

We had stopped for a few days in Washington, DC and were trying to fly to NYC on August 4, to board a Queen Mary 2 transatlantic on August 5. United kept delaying and cancelling our flight all day, and put us on an early August 5 flight. When we arrived at the airport, they cancelled this flight as well. We made the decision to rent a car and drive the 5 hours to make the sailing. We went to United Baggage Claim Desk and were able to show them exactly where our bags were moved to last. This allowed the representative to make 1 phone call and have our bags brought directly to us. She said she loves these devices, because they make here job easier when someone has them, as they don't have to search out where your bags are, they know where to start. We did make the ship. 

 

We also got off this ship on August 12 in Southampton, UK, and boarded the Island Princess for 16 nights sailing around England, Ireland, Iceland, and Greenland.  We could see when our luggage was put on the ship, when our bags had been delivered outside our cabin, and so on. Very helpful, and comforting. It's also really nice to know when your bags are about to come down the delivery belt at the airport.

 

An interesting note in regards to using Air Tags when cruising. When we would leave the room, we would get the message that our items were no longer with us. At some time a bit later we would get a message notifying us of our items location. We quickly discovered this was when our Room Steward entered our room to clean, and the tags pinged off his phone. We could always say, oh, our room is getting serviced now.  

 

As to marking them, as we did not have them engraved, I put a small piece of blue painters tape across the back of each one. I put a T on one and an M on the other, and in our phone we named them Terry's Bag and Mike's Bag.

 

We really liked having them, and always knowing where our bags were. 

Thanks for your very useful info & feedback. We just ordered a couple airtags. 🙂

John

[excitedofharpenden]

21 minutes ago, Siena219 said:

Can you track an air Tag with an IPhone 7 since I really don’t need an expensive gadget.

Absolutely. It won't give you precision finding. When I used one with a 7 it just said your tag is so many metres away, but with no direction of where it was. 

 

Phil