Stolen Security

[AcroPilot]

Hi All,

Some time back there was a thread on dingy security at the dock and whether to lock it to the dock or not. Also there are reported incidents of dingys been stolen from the mother ship.

So, whilst buying an AirTag for my motorbike I suddenly realised this would be an excellent device for a dingy, so I'm getting one for mine, I'm actually going to put it in the dingy motor.

For those not familiar with AirTags, they are a device that can be tracked with an iphone etc, they're not very expensive and you can track them from anywhere in the World. So if you motor gets stolen from the back of your boat whilst you are at home, even in another country, you know about it and where it is!

Just thought I'd pass on my thoughts!

Peter S.

[Orion Jim]

I have one who’s primary mission is to keep track of my car keys but my intent is to use it as needed. Using it as a dinghy or boat sitter are uses I figured would be helpful. Since they are mobile and not associated with a particular item I think they are the cheapest watchdog ever. I will buy additional discs only if a dedicated task seems logical.

[PaulCrawhorn]

They only work when iPhones connected to the internet are very close to the tag

[AcroPilot]

Originally Posted by PaulCrawhorn

They only work when iPhones connected to the internet are very close to the tag

Mmm, maybe not such a good idea for dingy security. Thx for the input.

[grantmc]

Thank you AcroPilot, the original OP, for bringing AirTags to my awareness. I live in the Android world and had never heard of the devices. And so I've had a little read and agree entirely that these cool little devices are an awesome defence against loss of valuables. My boat was recently the victim of a robbery and just as with a house the thieves took electronics. The boat was without people and so the attending dinghy and its outboard were together safely tied up at the marina's beach. Not so a laptop, tablets and some nav units on the mother ship.

But now that I've discovered the equivalent SmartTags for my Samsung, for the future, I can better protect my gear, and have a good chance, with Police help, to retrieve stolen gear.

And certainly AirTags/SmartTags etc are not the perfect solution for sure. Nothing is, but For many items it's a very good solution. One on the dogs collar for example would be of much value.

[Sun and Moon]

But the problem is that if the thief has an iPhone, Apple will very quickly tell them that someone has attached a stalking device to them and allow them to disable it.

It's a good idea, but this implementation won't work for your purposes. Maybe some other company makes an AirTag-like device that won't alert the thief to its presence!

[Anders]

The AirTags will start beeping after a while when not close to the owners iPhone. There are also apps available that will scan for AirTags and when found can make them beep. Great for finding out where your bag is but I would not use them as a security device.