text | Lei Technology leitech
After leaving things behind in the online hailing car for the nth time, Xiao Lei’s colleague ran to the Apple store and bought four air tags in one go, and hung them one by one on the dropped things. This compact anti-lost tracker also attracted Xiaolei’s attention. However, the price of Airtag 249 yuan is prohibitive, and its support for Android phones is relatively incomplete. For the Android party, they need trackers specifically tailored for Android phones.
A few days ago, Motorola suddenly released a Bluetooth tracker called "moto tag". Although will not be released for a few months, and although the official price has not yet been announced, this product has successfully attracted a lot of people's attention. More importantly, there is a high probability that moto tag will not only support Motorola phones, but will be compatible with most Android devices. This is undoubtedly good news for overseas Android users who are eager for airtags.
(Source: Motorola)
are all Bluetooth trackers. What are the differences between them?
Apple’s airtag was released in 2021. Its core selling point is positioning and tracking. Specifically, the airtag has a built-in battery, Bluetooth and UWB chips for precise positioning of the device itself. However, due to factors such as power consumption, size, and cost, airtag does not support GPS. Therefore, airtag needs to be implemented through other means when positioning, and the way Apple thinks of is to use the massive number of Apple devices among users.
said in more detail, the Bluetooth signal emitted by the airtag will be detected by a nearby Apple device, and then the device will upload its location information to icloud, and the Apple server will then pass the information to the owner of the airtag, so Once you get there, you can use airtag to pinpoint your location.
(Source: Apple)
By analyzing the technical principles of airtag, we can find that the technical difficulty of implementing this type of product is not high. The key lies in the number of devices behind it. As the number one player in the mobile phone market, Apple naturally has the conditions to design a usable mechanism for airtags. It is not too difficult for brands other than Apple to make a product similar to airtag.
In 2022, Huawei released its first anti-lost product, huawei tag anti-lost wizard. Huawei tag is lighter and smaller than airtag, weighing only 9 grams, and the price is also cheaper, only 99 yuan each. The specific functions of Huawei tags have basically not changed much. They are also based on Bluetooth signals and are sent to nearby Huawei devices, thereby uploading location information to the cloud for the user to whom the tag belongs to obtain.
(Source: Huawei)
However, there are still differences between huawei tag and airtag in some details. Huawei tag does not have a UWB chip and does not have the directional positioning function of airtag. Many Apple devices are equipped with UWB chips. In addition to airtags, many products in the iPhone, airpods and other series have this function. In actual use, UWB-enabled devices can detect and send more accurate three-dimensional location information, and provide real-time guidance to users on how to accurately navigate to the location of the lost device. For example, in a shopping mall, you can use UWB technology to know whether the lost device is upstairs or downstairs, in front or behind, left or right of your current location.
Compared with huawei tag and airtag, the situation of moto tag is more subtle. It can basically be confirmed that the technical principles and actual functions behind moto tag will not be much different. However, Motorola is a non-leading brand after all. If we purely rely on this brand's equipment to achieve precise positioning, the effect will definitely be much worse. Fortunately, the moto tag solution is directly connected to Google’s search network.
In April this year, Google launched the Android version of the "Find My Device" network to compete with Apple's "Find" network. Interestingly, Google itself does not directly produce Bluetooth trackers, but provides support for third-party hardware brands. The Bluetooth trackers produced by can use hundreds of millions of Android devices (android 9 and above) to achieve positioning after being connected to Google's search device network. Before moto tag, brands that have launched Android version of Bluetooth trackers include chipolo and pebblebee.
(Source: Google)
Of course, it is a pity that since Google has not deployed related services in the mainland, we cannot currently use this type of Bluetooth tracker. The better choices for mainland users are still airtag, huawei tag, etc. product.
Tracker becomes a "tracker", new technology brings new problems
Positioning can be said to be one of the most basic functions of current smart devices such as mobile phones. In addition to providing services such as navigation, its other main use The scene is the search function. A long time ago, domestic brands have explored the search function to the extreme. For example, Meizu flyme's search can even photograph the person who found the mobile phone and send the photo to the owner. In addition to helping users quickly locate and find lost devices, the search function can also protect privacy by remotely locking the device and clearing data.
However, with the popularity of Bluetooth trackers represented by airtags, they have had the side effect of infringing on user privacy. Specifically, , on the one hand, the positioning principle of airtag determines that it must rely on the devices of a large number of strangers in the positioning process, which will inevitably make some users doubtful. For example, if you are eating in a restaurant with your mobile phone, unknowingly, your mobile phone has become a medium for another stranger to find the device, quietly sending information that you do not know. Fortunately, Apple and Google have taken corresponding measures to dispel users' concerns. They have reached a cooperation and added tracker prompts to iOS and Android systems. Once your phone is used as a tracker transfer station, or there is a tracker around you, you can immediately discover it and have the right to deactivate it.
On the other hand, Bluetooth trackers may be used by criminals and directly become "trackers." The airtag is small enough that in theory it can be put quietly into someone else's backpack or pocket for tracking purposes.
(Source: Apple)
In 2022, in order to investigate a "running shoe recycling program," a reporter from Reuters had an airtag hidden in the bottom of the second-hand running shoes provided. Through it, they uncovered the scam behind this recycling program. These second-hand running shoes were not crushed and used to fill plastic tracks as advertised, but were resold to the second-hand market in Southeast Asia. The reporter even went to Indonesia I bought running shoes with airtags hidden at a flea market. To be honest, in this news, airtag became a powerful weapon for investigative reporters. However, from another perspective, this incident will also make people feel chilling - "What if I am also followed by someone like this?"
In fact, before the advent of Bluetooth trackers, devices with positioning functions such as mobile phones were theoretically at risk of being abused. In some film and television works, a character is unknowingly stuffed into a mobile phone in a backpack, and then followed by a stranger with malicious intentions. However, relatively speaking, mobile phones are much larger, easier to detect, and more expensive. Bluetooth trackers, with their small size, low cost and long battery life, can cause greater harm.
Of course, the Bluetooth trackers managed by Apple and Google are always under the attention of the outside world, and they are indeed taking measures to solve privacy and security issues. For consumers, buying products from big brands will be a safer choice.
Intelligent device positioning, there is still more room for imagination in the future
In the past, our understanding of positioning technology was usually limited to satellite positioning technology. After all, for a long time in the past, GPS was almost synonymous with positioning technology, and its usage scenarios were limited to satellite navigation for a long time. At the same time, in order to improve the accuracy of positioning, base stations and wifi are also added to satellite positioning assistance. Subsequently, around positioning technology, security functions related to device search were gradually developed.
In Xiao Lei’s opinion, the emergence of airtag does not bring any revolutionary positioning technology in essence. However, its solution of using other users' devices as information transfer stations to achieve low-power, low-cost positioning is indeed full of ingenuity. Of course, the prerequisite for the emergence and popularity of this positioning scheme is that the corresponding brand has a considerable user ecosystem.The development of various wireless connection technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and 5G has accelerated the intelligence of various electronic devices. The number of smart devices has increased crazily. When the world of "Internet of Everything" has taken shape, the collaboration and interaction between devices will It will also give rise to more new application scenarios and bring unexpected gameplay. Bluetooth trackers represented by airtag are one of the achievements of the intelligent trend.
Returning to the topic of positioning, with the development of various technologies, positioning will also usher in changes in the future. For example, operators are currently promoting the evolution of 5g to 5g-a, and a major new feature of 5g-a is the addition of support for precise positioning. According to official statements, 5g-a can provide centimeter-level positioning, which will broaden the application scenarios of positioning technology. The current mainstream tracker products are still essentially based on Bluetooth. The transmission efficiency of the Bluetooth standard is relatively low, and it can complete simple tasks such as transmitting location information well, but more complex scenarios require more efficient technology to complete.
(Photo source: Photographed by Lei Technology) The centimeter-level positioning technology of
5g-a means that long-standing indoor navigation and other scenarios can be implemented. Users can also get more accurate positioning in shopping malls and parking lots without satellite signals. Locate information in real time for a better experience. At the same time, if the lightweight redcap can be equipped with this positioning technology, it can be widely deployed on products such as airtag to achieve precise positioning through cellular networks and operator base stations, so there is no need to rely on unfamiliar devices to transmit location information. While improving efficiency, it can also dispel users' concerns about security and privacy.
In addition, the characteristics of lifi technology, which has developed rapidly in recent years, also include positioning-related parts. LiFi information transmission is realized through visible light, and related devices can be deployed in LED lights to achieve large-area laying. Every LED light equipped with a LiFi device can become a "signal station" that transmits positioning information. In the future, whether it is a tracker or a mobile phone device, if it supports LiFi, it can achieve precise positioning.
Of course, for now, trackers based on the simplest and most mainstream Bluetooth technology are still the best solution at the moment. It is foreseeable that domestic mobile phone head brands will also promote the implementation of Bluetooth trackers. It shouldn’t be long before domestic Android users can also experience products similar to airtag and moto tag.
