Best and Worst Wireless Key Finders (Archive)

[PhilipMichaels]

Here are the best Bluetooth and RF tracking devices for finding lost keys, wallets, phones or anything else that is easily misplaced.

Best and Worst Wireless Key Finders : Read more

 

[PhilipMichaels]

Archived comments are found here: http/www.tomsguide.com/forum/id-2918574/worst-wireless-key-finders.html

 

[syl4]

Thank you for the advice on the keyfinders! Now I need one small enough to attach to my glasses so I can find them in order to read all your advice!!!

 

[bodkan101]

I'm using Finderator on Android, it's not tracking or fancy stuff but using Bayesian search theory to optimize the "classic" search by walking and looking

 

[syl4]

I'm using Finderator on Android, it's not tracking or fancy stuff but using Bayesian search theory to optimize the "classic" search by walking and looking

My husband found my glasses in the freezer in the garage--now what was the probability of that!!?

 

[realmadmartian]

The one feature I most want is the croudsource feature for tracking lost luggage. Which finder has the largest network of users? And how close is second place?

 

[harmonyhearsey]

Archived comments are found here: http/www.tomsguide.com/forum/id-2918574/worst-wireless-key-finders.html

Hey PhilipMichaels would you be able to do a review on the Orbit Bluetooth range? They have Bluetooth trackers for your Keys, Wallet and even one for your glasses!

 

[metesting001]

Thanks for the product feature explanation. Tile Mate is very good product. Many of like to use .

 

[ablang]

I need one of these too. My family keeps misplacing at least 1 of the iPad Minis in the house every now and then.

 

[realmadmartian]

So, I tried the following four methods and here are my comments:

1. throw an extra phone in the suitcase and use "find my phone"
2. Trackr Pixel
3. Pebblebee Finder
4. Tile Pro (Style & Sport)

The "extra phone" theory did not work. The extra phone needs access to both LTE and GPS at the same time while it's buried in your suitcase. Also your main phone has to have access to LTE. It's rare during travel that all three occur at the same time. Also, I found the extra phone needed to be rebooted occasionally to be found - not sure why.

The Trackr Pixel clearly has the best Android app - the only one that tells you how close you are to the device. It is also the smallest and lightest of the devices and it lights up - which none of the others do. Were it not for the fact that the Trackr only works in the same room as your phone (even with doors open - nowhere near the advertised range) it would be my device of choice. That said, I decided not to return it as it will be useful for finding things in the home.

The Pebblebee Finder easily had the weakest Android app of the bunch. It is also the largest and heaviest of the devices. However, it does look cool - nice design, though too heavy. It has the same range problem as the Trackr Pixel - same room only, won't detect it until you're through the doorway. Due to having three things I didn't like about it - the app being the biggest issue - I returned it. They REALLY need to work on their Android app.

And lastly, the Tile Pro. Easily worked across three rooms in the house, which the other two did not. Tile Pro wins range by so much that it's really the only choice for travel. It also has the largest network for crowdfinding. The app is ok - doesn't show distance like the Trackr app. You can't change the battery - which really stinks. The Style is slightly smaller and lighter than the Sport. Only get the Sport if you like the looks and it will be visible - otherwise the Style is more practical.

In conclusion, I recommend Tile Pro for travel and Trackr Pixel for finding things in the house (keys, remotes, etc)

Note that I sometimes couldn't find ANY device when right next to it - I had to reboot the phone and all was well. This was the phone's fault, not the device, but be aware of that if it happens. I think my phone was conserving battery by turning off bluetooth when not in use. I suspect this is the cause of a lot of 1-star reviews for all devices. Since I had three different manufacturer's devices "failing" at once, I knew it had to be the phone.

 

[davidjdumont]

Tile "RETILE" replacement program is only 8% WOW big discount
I bought 12 of these for my family and in speaking to TILE you can only
replace the ones registered with one email account !!! it works but the cost
is on the border of ....... well what can I say it sucks

 

[jasonnet]

In the last year I've been pickpocketed twice on my train commute. I'm wondering which product(s) would be best to deal with that. This use case is of course more complex than just tracking lost keys.

I typically have multiple vital objects: keys, (one or probably two) phone(s), man wallet. They need to all stay together with me. The alarm needs to go off before the errant object gets very far away in these fairly crowded environments. Pickpockets will do things like turning off phones fairly quickly or throwing away any obvious tag. It's unlikely that more than one object will be taken at once. At least one object that stays near me needs to alert me of an object getting away.

 

[wheatism]

Whilst I am a Tile Pro user I should point out it is far from great.
1. The map function currently shows my keys as sitting in the UK when in fact they are beside me in Switzerland...so pretty useless! (Yes I have auto update on). I find the view on a map is rarely accurate unless I kill the app and reload it, and turnm off and on bluetooth.
2. Tile app is a huge battery drain (iOS 11 on iphone 6)
3. Their support is one of the worst. I emailed a problem (again about maps) and they answered a different question. It was a "copy/paste" answer to something irrelevant. When I followed this up I was thanked for the feedback and they closed my ticket without any fx or explanation. Grrr
4. On iOS you have to have Apples Maps installed, the Tile app is too dumb to let you use Google Maps or any other map app. This is specific to Tile and not iOS as other apps let you choose
5. Expensive as another poster said, the "retile" discount is minuscule.
Summary: I will NOT renew or replace my tiles. So they "may" be the best out there, but they fall far from what should be expected for the money.

 

[jwieczerzak]

While the tile may be the best choice, it’s 1 year battery life, poor customer service and limited discount for replacements make Tole a very expensive choice. The devices are $35 each and $25 annual replacement cost mean that you will be spending hundreds of dollars to find your keys a few times. I suspect that when the novelty wears off and people see the cost of maintaining these devices is very costly, most will abandon the product. Not the best endorsement for a product...

 

[signupjunk70]

If you lose your stuff at the bottom of your purse or in your house, great. but if you leave stuff behind ... good luck! you'll never find it. the selling point of crowd sourcing is absolute BS and doesn't work. Twice now the Tile product has failed me and cost me a lot of money to replace the lost items.

 

[John Kiser]

Here are the best Bluetooth and RF tracking devices for finding lost keys, wallets, phones or anything else that is easily misplaced.

Best and Worst Wireless Key Finders : Read more

Frankly I don't think the stuff needs to be replaceable, but the fact you cannot recharge the tile is absolute freaking garbage period. It just leads to plastic and a lot of extra junk and waiting for no reason. Tile while a decent product needs a better design, user rechargable battery (even if it's just wireless charging like a smartwatch uses) or something. They try and lock you into a wasteful and costly yearly thing.