Nerds! Is there a location tracker (like a physical tag) that I could put in a backpack and attach to an app so my family could see where I was at any given point in time? Ideally I'd like one that draws a fun little map with my route. AirTags? Do they draw a little map or just say current location?
[NOTE: I am not recommending anyone else does this, and it won't be permanent, I just have a limited use case for which I would like to use one of these things]
@girlonthenet so it's not a tag-based solution but you can share your location with specific people via Google maps for as long as you are away and then turn it off when done. (I'm assuming here that you'll have your phone with you on the big trip!)
I've used it quite a bit (when out walking so my SO can see where I'm up to) and even if you're not using navigation/maps on the phone it works and doesn't drain the battery - not 100% on the details but it generally seems to use cell tower/ wireless network info and only reports when they check)
Will also do specific trip notifications, i.e. you set a route for the day and your ETA and it will only allow them to see you for the duration and turn off when you get there.
https://support.google.com/maps/answer/15437054?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
@girlonthenet Is this a different use case than just sharing your phone location for a limited time?
I think there are running apps that track a route, and folks use them occasionally to draw penises on the map
@girlonthenet @lipow FWIW I use Apple’s phone Find My location tracking all the time without any real impact on battery. If you're concerned then I'd suggest trying it - phone location services are nowhere the battery hogs they used to be.
People think me & my wife are weird because we can know where the other is at any time, but it has saved a lot of burnt dinners over the years! And when we were both driving around the country caring for elderly parents, it showed we arrived safely
@thirstybear @girlonthenet @lipow the Check In feature may also be of interest to you:
https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-check-in-iphc143bb7e9/ios
Basically does nothing if everything goes well, but provides info and notice if you don’t arrive at a certain place by a certain time.
@lipow @girlonthenet we use AirTags for this and it definitely provides real time tracking.
We have one on our dog collar, and as long as someone with an iPhone is near him, we will always get real time info. I was able to share the tag so my whole family can see him.
We also have a bunch of them for luggage and backpacks. But we tend not to share those.
IMO if you have an iPhone, it’s by far the easiest solution.
@nmeth @girlonthenet Mostly for later processing, but obviously all is possible.
And, to be honest, happy to work on such a project, but one has to wonder - get an iPhone and find my friends?
Yes, I could make something way more privacy preserving, if needed.
TBH battery management on any project is the biggest issue.
But yes, say it you want me to have a play... I've done this on a cruise ship once.
@girlonthenet I believe if you're ok Apple AirTag can share with others, but you need to be near to other AirTag reading devices, so if you're hiking it probably won't work well, same for the Samsung ones I believe.
If you're out hiking or similar you may need an active GPS tag or similar, unfortunately I don't know much about them beyond they exist, but some sports kit places may do them for personal safety.
@deviantollam I don't suppose you've got any insights as you've tested the fudge out of stuff like this?
@girlonthenet tractive dog tracker - anyone on your account can watch in real time, see history on a map, etc. watchers can activate "live mode" for short periods of extremely high accuracy... they can also turn on a light and make your tracker "beep" so... that could be a problem 😅 premium subscription gives you 365 days of playback history on a map and heatmap view.
or i have friends who use things like Queclink's GL310MG for endurance racing, but i don't know if it is easy to self-serve mapping/apps outside of an event. you can subscribe to services like gpsgate but i don't know if that is crazy expensive. they might integrate with strava. anything that integrates with services like strava could allow real time tracking - but most wearables would probably struggle to do a full day without charging on an always-on live tracking
i have a friend who recently did a 2-3000km hike with a tracker dot... i'll see if i can find out what they used
update: they used garmin messenger so relied on phone to update online- might not be ideal
@girlonthenet my best friend and her family have been using the free version of Life360 for a couple of years. She finds it brilliant.
Unfortunately, not a tag though.
@girlonthenet are you a user of a smartphone?
Because if you're going to be hiking or out someplace away from other people, any tracker type device you use is just going to be pinging off of your own personal phone most likely.
If that's the case, eliminate the middle step and just share location with people from your phone directly maybe? Or is there a battery life issue that's a concern or is there a different concern
@girlonthenet If you're going to be super-remote, you might want to look at something like this https://www.findmespot.com/en-us
I helped beta-test these a way long time ago and they still worked when you were way off the grid because they talked up to satellites rather than cell towers
The world has evolved since then, so there may be way better stuff available, but I think the key concern is to make sure your device can talk to something when you need it to
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