I have a problem. My, wife, whose memory is failing, repeatedly lays her e-reader down in some random place, piles papers on top and then cannot find it. Sometimes it takes me an hour to locate it. So I thought of attaching a tracker. Amazon has some very attractive looking ones less than 1/4" thick, but they don’t say anything about how it attaches. From their pictures, it appears that they are made to attach via a chain. I need something that can essentially glued on to the back of her e-reader. Does anyone know if such devices exist?
It depends on the e-reader, and the iOS of the tracking phone (Tile and clones vs. Apple tags).
I used a Tile-Slim for my father’s tablet a few years back, and it worked well and was pretty out of the way and not too bulky, about a doubled/tripled credit card thick and general shape.
A little gorilla glue (I glued it to the case, not the device itself) was all I needed, though if it’s an e-reader case with even a small pocket you wouldn’t need that extra step.
I have Apple AirTag trackers on my wallet, keys and luggage. If you have an iPhone, they may work well. You can get various mounting gizmos from Amazon for the AirTag.
If the device is in a case, you probably can just put a credit card-style tracker in the case.
For a phone, look for a case with a credit card holder, or a case where you can slip in a tether like this and attach a tracking tile.
Use double-sided carpet tape (Gorilla Glue makes one now) to stick one of the flat credit card-sized trackers to the eReader (or its case). Or use poster mounting squares. To remove it, warm it up with a blow dryer to soften the adhesive.
On Amazon search for Air Tag adhesive mounts. There’s at least 24 different ones to choose from starting at a few dollars each.
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With gorilla glue, etc be mindful of not making it impossible to replace the battery, which for me happens approximately once a year. I duct taped an Air Tag to my very expensive hearing aid charging case but then I don’t care what it looks like because no one sees it but me. Your wife might find a sleeker adhesive mount less obtrusive and more acceptable.
I have used both Tiles and Air Tags. I find Air Tags have a better range and longer battery life.
Many thanks. It didn’t occur to me to search for trackers with adhesive mounts. Duct tape is also a good idea.
Duct tape is always a good idea. Always.
I have a roll in my car, in my backpack, in my toolbox and a spare in my kitchen… always a good idea.
Velcro tape or double sided tape is another option
I received one of these as a free gift when I bought some other trackers. It is about as thick as two credit cards, and is meant to go in a wallet. They’re available for purchase on Amazon and other places.
If the ereader is in a case, it would be easy to slide this in. Otherwise it could probably be glued on.
Pay attention to that or. They are compatible with iOS or Android, but not compatible with both iOS and Android. Pick one. You can reset it to change to the other, but you can’t be trackable by both at the same time.
Which I just mentioned a few posts above. Double-sided carpet tape is stronger than double-sided Scotch tape, and is still removeable, especially if you warm it with a blow-dryer. It comes in light-duty and heavy-duty.
How good are these things at telling you it’s behind the couch versus under the cushions?
Aren’t there some models that beep on command? Seems like that feature would be more useful for finding something lost in your house than just getting GPS coordinates.
The Apple AirTag can certainly make a noise when you’re looking for it and the Find My app on the iPhone can also direct you to the location.
This. It beeps, and the app can display an arrow leading you right to it (distance and direction).
We’ve used a Chipolo Card with some success, about 5 years ago. It was disposable (good for ~1 year) back then, but apparently it’s rechargeable now. They say it’s 2.5 mm thick.
The ones that use ultra-wide band (UWB) signalling can get very precise. If in range, an iPhone will point at an AirTag and tell you the distance. Beeping will also help to locate it. Depending how far away the item is you’ll get different levels of information.
Location on a map (my keys are at the office)
Nearby (my keys are in the house)
That direction, 20 feet (my keys are in the next room)
That direction, 3 feet (they’re in the closet)
Audible beeping (they’re in that jacket pocket)
Instead of an arrow and approximate distance, ones without UWB will show the intensity of the signal. You have to walk in circles because your playing the hotter/colder kid’s game.
Android tags also work fine.
I put a credit-card-sized Eufy tracker in my Kindle case - it slips in the case between the device and the back of the case. I haven’t added any adhesive to it, but that might make it more secure.
It’ll need to be replaced once a year or so, I think.
Eufy says about 3 years before replacing. Works only with Apple iOS. Comparable pricing to Air Tags.