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True! I believe the unique paring here with the Apple tags is that the device is very small and piggybacks off of iPhones, and has a year+ battery. I don't beli
by rtpg 5y ago
True! I believe the unique paring here with the Apple tags is that the device is very small and piggybacks off of iPhones, and has a year+ battery. I don't believe GPS + cell devices can get there on the battery department, but I might be wrong.
Putting something in someone's car once is a lot easier than putting something in someone's car and then recharging it once every couple of days.
- withinboredom 5y agoYou can write firmware that puts it in a low power state (like the airtags) when it isn't broadcasting. My custom door-unlocker uses bluetooth and wifi, it has a single 18650 battery and lasts about a year (with locking/unlocking daily) before needing to be recharged. I assume if you didn't have a giant servo, you could wire up a modem and it'd easily last years on a single charge, checking in every 10-15 minutes. It wouldn't be as small and inconspicuous as an airtag though.
- resoluteteeth 5y agoHaving to use both gps and cellular instead of just Bluetooth uses MUCH more power
- withinboredom 5y agoYou can cut power to those systems if you’re not actively using them. Especially if you don’t have any command/control.
- resoluteteeth 5y agoYou're still not going to get a year of battery life.
- tinus_hn 5y agoThe unique part is that it’s Apple. These devices have been on the market for years, it’s only now that Apple has made one that it’s a problem.