With lives extremely fast paced; you are constantly flitting about from here to there, and seem to have less and less time to spare. The last situation you want to find yourself in is to be preparing to head out the door, only to feel your pockets and realize you have no idea where your keys have wandered off to. It may be a minor contemporary problem, but there’s no reason you have to simply accept that. Why? Because, modern problems have modern solutions. Bluetooth technology has created the revolutionary Bluetooth tracker which is a small chip that you can attach or tag to your belongings to track them using your phone.
There are Bluetooth trackers optimized to work with a whole array of small devices. You can track anything from your remote control to your car keys. Until a few years ago, you were reliant on making a strict system to track your belongings. You would have to hang your keys next to the door, place your remotes in pouches next to the couch, or make sure you always placed your wallet on your nightstand. But, even the most dutifully disciplined person can still mess up and misplace their belongings, which is why using Bluetooth trackers is the perfect gadget to have been discovered in the past few years!
What is a Bluetooth Tracker?
At its core, a Bluetooth tracker is basically a chip that emits a wireless signal that can be picked up by Bluetooth receivers on your phone. You can open an app on your smartphone to see where exactly your device or other belongings are located. They are great options for just about any item you are afraid of losing, e.g. your laptop, car keys, wallet, shoes, bags, TV remote etc.
Some people may be hesitant to utilize a Bluetooth tracker to keep track of their things because they don’t want to make them aesthetically unpleasing. The original Bluetooth trackers were gigantic cards that you had to tape to your devices. They were definitely bulky and could be a bit of an eyesore. But the newer generation of trackers are much smaller and handy; you may even forget that they are there. They can look like key chains, credit cards, or even stickers. Once you invest in Bluetooth tracking technologies and realize how much time, energy, and anxiety you save yourself by using them, you won’t want to forgo their use ever again.
How Does a Bluetooth tracker Work?
Bluetooth trackers are pretty simple devices. They function by simply housing a Bluetooth emitter and a battery inside a type of casing. The Bluetooth signal is picked up by your phone’s Bluetooth tethering, and you track your belongings’ location via the signal using the app. The app typically gives you a very close approximation as to your device’s physical location. If you cannot visually locate your belongings when you arrive at the location, then you can use the app to make the Bluetooth tracker to emit an audible signal so you can locate it easily.
The trackers typically have a Bluetooth range of a 100 ft, and you can normally pair them with a variety of different devices via an app, so multiple people can also locate your belongings. They really are the perfect solution for a normal household full of forgetful adults or children. You won’t have to ask your kid where their backpack is ever again. And you may not forget your wallet ever again either, because most Bluetooth trackers come equipped with an alert function that will let you know when you walk out of range of the device. It truly is human’s best friend!
What’s the difference between a Bluetooth and GPS tracker?
Bluetooth trackers have a rather short range, and work incredibly well for finding belongings within the specified short range quickly and conveniently. GPS trackers usually are used to track devices and belongings over extremely long distances. The trackers work in similar ways but have some key differences between them.
Bluetooth trackers
- Bluetooth trackers typically have a range of 50 – 100 feet, which is enough to cover large areas of any average home.
- Bluetooth trackers give a close approximation of your belongings’ location which you can see on an app.
- Bluetooth trackers emit a type of audible or visible signal to help you locate your belonging’s exact location.
- Bluetooth trackers are tethered to your device, and alert you when you leave the range of the tracker, or when you leave your belongings behind.
- Bluetooth trackers can connect to a network of Bluetooth receivers which can extend the range. But this network depends on having users in the area to work.
GPS trackers
- GPS trackers have a global range as they connect to your phone through cellular towers. You can locate your belongings all the way across the world so long as they are in range of a cellular tower.
- GPS trackers can typically be accessed via your computer as they are enabled to work on the cloud.
- GPS trackers tend to have shorter battery life than Bluetooth trackers because they have to emit a stronger signal more frequently.
Typically, you use a GPS tracker for larger items that will travel a long way out of your presence such as your car, or pets or even elderly people on the move. You use Bluetooth trackers on smaller items that normally stick close to you, such as your phone, remote control, lunch box, wallet, handbags etc. Bluetooth trackers have a longer battery life, typically lasting up to a year, so you won’t have to constantly focus on recharging them or spend much time thinking about them. GPS trackers need frequent recharging, so you want to plan to use them while you’re preparing for a trip.
How can you track your phone when it’s on silent mode?
Most smart phones come with their own inbuilt tracking system nowadays. You can access your phone tracker via a cloud app and make it ring; all it takes at that point is a good ear and some patience and you’ll be able to find your hidden phone. Even without the inbuilt phone tracker, you can simply borrow a phone and call it to locate it. But what do you do if you accidentally left your phone on silent mode and cannot hear it ring? That’s when a good Bluetooth tracker comes in handy. Bluetooth trackers work even when your phone is on silent mode. They will always make an audible noise when you activate them (so long as they are charged).
Here’s a simple scenario of using a Bluetooth tracker to find your phone when it is on silent mode.
You are lying in bed, checking Instagram on your phone. After you finish liking a few images of handles you follow, checking the latest timelines, and generally getting prepared to face the day, your pet dog jumps in the bed and distracts you. After five or so minutes of forced petting, you get ready to pick up your phone and check your email. But to no one’s surprise, you can’t find it, even though it should be right next to you.
You toss the covers, throw around the pillows, but still cannot find your phone. You pick up your laptop, and activate your phone tracker, which says it’s right next to you, but when you activate the ringtone, you realize you tragically left it on silent. Thankfully, you installed a Bluetooth tracker and can access the app on your computer. The Bluetooth tracker begins to emit a wonderful 90 decibel ring; you pause to listen and realize somehow the phone fell beneath the bed. Now, thankfully, you can get back to replying to those emails that are waiting on your inbox for you!
That’s how simple it is to make your phone ring even when it is on silent mode. All you need is a handy Bluetooth tracker, and you won’t have to waste any time in finding your phone!
Useful Features of Bluetooth Tracker
The most wonderful thing about Bluetooth trackers is that they are packed to the brim with useful features. They have everything you need to help you find your belongings quickly and without much hassle. Here’s a list of the best Bluetooth tracker features that you should make sure are included when you purchase one:
1.Bluetooth batteries
Generally speaking, Bluetooth batteries last around a year. And, several thin and small Bluetooth trackers come with replaceable batteries. Also, if the trackers are a little bulkier, they might even come with rechargeable batteries. But, Bluetooth trackers that are small and handy are best as they are never a hassle to carry along!
2.Different shapes and sizes
Bluetooth trackers normally come in the form of a card or a type of chip with keyring. The design is such that they easily fit inside a wallet or something similar, and is also better as a key chain that you can attach your keys to. They also come in forms of stickers that you can stick to your TV remote!
3.Audible alarm
A Bluetooth tracker helps you find your device or belongings primarily by emitting some type of audible noise, normally in the form of a chirp or a beep. You can make sure that the audible noise is of a high enough decibel to hear it under normal circumstances.
4.Bluetooth range
Many trackers claim to have a range of 100 feet, but this range is pretty significantly impacted by the environment. Bluetooth signals may have to penetrate walls or travel through disturbances in the air. Choosing a tracker with about 100 feet Bluetooth range is perfect for locating things in an apartment, a room or your office cubicle.
5.Bluetooth app
Early key trackers had a simple call and response mechanism for locating your keys, where you whistled, and the tracker whistled back to you. That technology is now archaic; new trackers come equipped with an app. You can open the app and get real time updates on the state of the tracker, and its location. You can also use the app to activate the tracker and make it emit an audible tone.
6.Selfie Remote
A few smart Bluetooth trackers also come with attractive yet practical features. Clearly clicking a selfie is the new normal today, and a few Bluetooth trackers enable this option.
Wrap up
Ultimately, a Bluetooth tracker is an absolute necessity in your life. It does improve your life and makes things easier by helping you more efficiently keep track of your belongings, and at times click better selfies! When you purchase a tracker, you can spend less time finding the things you need and more time actually using the things you need.