Track your RAD if its stolen?

[RJ in Tucson]

Lots about locks and alarms in the Forum but I'd like to know what people are doing about tracking your bike if a motivated thief somehow succeeds and filches my RAD? These are my observations currently.
-GPS labels on fenders or frame aren't much of a deterrent to a motivated thief
- Actual GPS trackers work but are kinda large and obvious and invite getting removed or smashed
- Alarms are helpful but

I recently saw the Tile Sticker Its a bluetooth tracker that might be pretty good. About $20 ea. Black and 1 inch in dia and just over 1/4 thick. Connects to anyone within about 120 feet who has the Tile tracker running on their smartphone.  I'm getting one for under the seat and another on the battery. I'll report back how it works. The Tile website calls the universe of Tile users the world's largest search party so we'll see.

Comments and feedback welcomed

[wkindred]

...and always register your new bike with "bike index" -

https://bikeindex.org/

[spencere_epp]

The new apple Air Tag looks pretty promising.  $29 uses other iphones to find items and a battery that lasts a year.  very small and easily concealble somewhere on the bike. 

[RFURTADO]

I got an Apple AirTag. Waiting for the RadRunner Plus to arrive to find a good spot to place it.

There is a YouTube video by BikeRadar where many types and brands are tested: https://youtu.be/BxIbAFnmsIQ

[RiderDan]

Not sure about Tile, but Apple Airtags won't really work if the thief has an iPhone.  If your iPhone detects an unknown Airtag following you, it will alert you and you can disable it.  This is to prevent people from surreptitiously tracking other people for nefarious reasons.

Buy bike insurance!  Bicycle theft insurance is pretty cheap.  And register your bike on bike theft platforms like 529 Garage and others.

Cheers!

[synthesizerman]

Not sure about Tile, but Apple Airtags won't really work if the thief has an iPhone.  If your iPhone detects an unknown Airtag following you, it will alert you and you can disable it.  This is to prevent people from surreptitiously tracking other people for nefarious reasons.

Buy bike insurance!  Bicycle theft insurance is pretty cheap.  And register your bike on bike theft platforms like 529 Garage and others.

Cheers!

an Air tag could still work. I'm pretty sure your iphone won't immediately alert you to unknown airtags. it will tell you when you reach your 'home'. so if the thief disables it there, you know where they live.

[100%Cal]

Day before yesterday while out on a ride on my RadRover 6plus my iPhone fell out my pocket. I didn't realize it until I got home. I broke out my iPad and it located my phone which was about 1.5 miles from my house. It was in the street and had been run over but that's another story. My point is wouldn't it be great if the bike manufacturers developed a locating device and included it in E bikes??? They have everything they need to do it!

[synthesizerman]

The airtags are cheap enough that you might as well put one on there, just in case it works out.

[Joel52334]

Yes, you can do that from your PC or another Android device using "where is my device" until the battery is dead.  I've not searched for a similar Android device to the AirTag. 

For security, you'd want it inside the frame!  Not just glued in/around/under the frame.  IDK.  I've had similar thoughts about those $15 movement alarms.  What's to keep a thief from just wacking it with a players?

IMHO it should be something in the battery or frame similar to an RFID but active, not passive.

[Gus]

I put an Apple AirTag on my RadRhino, and I can confirm it JUST WORKS. 

[synthesizerman]

I put an Apple AirTag on my RadRhino, and I can confirm it JUST WORKS. 

Yeah, I put one on my rad mission and it works pretty well too. I left my bike in my office while I went out for lunch and my phone alerted me that my bike wasn't with me. I think it will be useful, even if it isn't a perfect bike tracker.

[synthesizerman]

so, I put an AirTag on my rad bike and on my camper. my camper was stolen out of my yard last night. It had a wheel lock, but the thieves just dragged it away anyway. I didn't get any pings right away, but about 3 hours later I got a location update. It was in a transient camp not far from my house. I don't have a new enough iPhone to triangulate it, but I was able to see it under some tarps in the camp, because it has a unique shape (it's home made). I called the police and they came and escorted me so I could recover it. I would not have been able to get it back without the AirTag.

[malajo]

I'd say airtag is a good idea, but do not put it inside the frame, that makes the airtag much harder to find for phones.

Check the "door" on the back of the headlight.  Looks to be the appropriate size.  The speaker should be removed from the airtag as well.

Skickat från min 2107113SG via Tapatalk

[machina77]

I use Vodafone tracker and its been great £3 per month peace of mind, the app can be a bit of a pain at times, yet if someone tampers with my bike a get a text message on my phone, was £79 upfront but i've seen it cheaper.

https://youtu.be/4WOx8ApuLqc

[Eric7]

Not sure about Tile, but Apple Airtags won't really work if the thief has an iPhone.  If your iPhone detects an unknown Airtag following you, it will alert you and you can disable it.  This is to prevent people from surreptitiously tracking other people for nefarious reasons.

Buy bike insurance!  Bicycle theft insurance is pretty cheap.  And register your bike on bike theft platforms like 529 Garage and others.

Cheers!

an Air tag could still work. I'm pretty sure your iphone won't immediately alert you to unknown airtags. it will tell you when you reach your 'home'. so if the thief disables it there, you know where they live.

I have and use both the Tile and AirTag together. I started with one and switched to the other so I have a lot of each. Neither one is effective for tagging a stolen bike.

The AirTag will alert an iPhone owner every few hours.  I tag our airplane/travel/vacation luggage.  When we are separated on a trip and her carryon is taged with my tag, my wife is alerted that a tag is following her.  Even if she disables the alert, after a few days (sometimes, not all the time) she will be notified again.  I think it might have to do with updating the phone.

I sent one of my tiles to New York City for fun.  It took a few days to locate and the located area is about half a block.  The update was every few days.