Knowing your baggage is safe and secure when travelling is essential to your peace of mind. Especially when travelling internationally, somewhere you are not familiar with.
What is the best luggage tracker around? Depending on your needs, there are several options. For collecting luggage from the airport, Apple AirTags are a solid close-range option.
Your demands from a baggage finder can vary. We all know the frustration of watching an airport carousel roll endlessly without spotting your belongings.
A short-range locator will work fine in that scenario, but for lost luggage, you'll need something with more tracking potential, over a greater range.
A compact tracker is the industry standard size, as you don't need something clogging up vital space in your bags, or adding extra weight and causing extra charges.
Essentially, a luggage tracker is a small device with an embedded microchip and an antenna. The tracker is then attached to one of your companions' bags and hidden inside another bag.
You can then activate the device by sending it a unique code via text message or email. This sets the signal and informs it of your current location.
This more modern spin on luggage trackers is essentially just a GPS tracker inside your bag, and they tend to be more expensive trackers than the far simpler Bluetooth versions.
These clever devices use microchips and a unique signal frequency to relay information to your smartphone. However, Bluetooth models have a far smaller range.
Both versions can be effective trackers if used correctly, as user error is generally the largest issue facing these different products.
Trackers can also be used for children's baggage. In this case, the child sets the signal and sends it to the tracker via their parent or guardian.
Most trackers use GSM technology, which can be received anywhere in the world by using a standard cell phone. A GSM tracker is reliable and unlikely to break on you.
However, there are other options available if you live in a far-flung area or have an older phone model that doesn't support this format.
The benefit of a Mobile/GSM-based luggage tracker model over a GPS tracker is that the GPS will need some form of connection to a satellite in order to be located.
Stuffed inside a cramped bit of luggage will obviously make this difficult; let alone having that bag in an airport carousel going around and around.
Most people use luggage trackers for two primary reasons- convenience and peace of mind. Especially when it comes to travelling abroad.
The former is obvious: leaving your bag behind is a huge pain in the neck that leaves you searching for both bags to find your missing item and your misplaced bag tag.
Using a tracker eliminates both problems by alerting you if one of your bags is left behind. It also lets you know exactly where it is that you left it in the first place.
It's also great for business travellers who want to make sure their expensive items don't get lost or damaged during extended stays in less-than-ideal hotels or work environments.
You will no longer have to worry about losing important items since we can contact our bags directly with a simple code phrase via text or email.
Additionally, children no longer have to worry about losing their favorite toys since they'll always have their favorite bag to tag their belongings with.
There are various different considerations to take into account when choosing a tracker for your luggage, all of them being equally important.
The most obvious of all of these is the battery life. The tracker is of no use to you if it is off when you actually need to connect to it and retrieve your belongings.
Rechargeable batteries are a Godsend in situations like this, but even so, you will be wanting something with extended life for when you travel.
Going abroad, or even domestically, can have you on a plane for hours at a time. So your tracker needs to be able to endure the whole journey.
GPS & Bluetooth trackers, with their limited range, can be problematic. On the other hand, GSM and mobile trackers will always demand a far higher price tag.
When it comes to protecting valuable items, you can't really afford to be cheap. Especially if you want the peace of mind knowing that your tracker will last the entire flight.
For a long-haul flight, GPS & Bluetooth versions are perhaps not the best choices. This level of technology is much better suited to a house party than an airport.
The difficulty is that there are thousands of products advertising similar functions, and if you are tech averse then this problem becomes inflated ten times over.
When buying a tracker, always check the product in question. Read the product reviews, if anyone online is testing products by this brand, if it is a brand you recognize.
When it comes to a luggage location device, you can't get more high-end than TKMARS. If you use any mobile device then this is for you, and they really do work.
This would be our tracker of choice. While it works as well as other tracking devices, TKMARS are designed to go the extra mile as a luggage tracking device.
The design philosophy of TKMARS isn't to use this product to locate keys, or other smaller objects to which you can attach them.
Instead, GPS and 4G tracking mean you can find whatever you stick this in from incredible distances. Some even use them to track elderly loved ones who wander and get lost.
While TKMARS isn't a leading innovator in mobile tech, its GPS device is unlike any of its other breakthroughs in consumer tech. In fact, they are actually quite simple.
TKMARS have a relatively decent battery life compared to competitor baggage trackers, but come with a rechargeable battery life if you're ever in need.
A quick recharge can have you finding your bags again, and in a larger space, you can locate your specific luggage with a tap of your phone.
Using cell phone tech, a PAJ GPS Tracker is a smart way to keep track of your belongings. This includes luggage and baggage at an airport.
It is a cell-tower-connected technology and doesn't works using an internet connection. You may have a few questions in mind hearing this, such as how Airplane mode might affect the tag.
An all-important standby mode is available on the tracker, and once you land and restore your connection you can find your baggage with total ease.
The PAJ GPS Tracker isn't a bad device, with a decent battery life thanks to a lithium metal battery inside the tag itself. In standby, it can last up to two full weeks
This battery type usually comes with several battery warnings, mainly concerning overheating and fires. After all, your phone battery is also a lithium ion model.
However, the size of this battery and device means you don't need to stress over safety issues with these stellar luggage trackers.
A PAJ GPS Tracker is a proper luggage tracker, designed specifically with airport baggage in mind. As such, we highly recommend it.
ReWire trackers are designed to comply with all air safety regulations, so leaving them inside your luggage will not get you pulled over by TSA.
Instead of replaceable batteries, they come with polymer-coated steel batteries that can be recharged. Simply plug the device into a charger.
This 10 day battery life isn't even the best part. ReWire works globally! That's right, anywhere in the globe you can find your luggage, 24/7.
Using either an internet connection or your device network for a more limited range, you can easily discover where your bags have been left when you need to retrieve them.
Complimentary technologies such as an easy-to-use app and pay-as-you-go services on your phone make ReWire a top choice when it comes to a bag tracking device.
Air travel consumer reports find that frequent flyers rate ReWire more highly than competing brands in the same luggage tracking field. So don't just take our word for it.
