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What are the current recommendations for GPS/Bluetooth trackers on Android? (devices & compatible apps) (lemmy.ca)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

4 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I recently got a small keychain device for free as a cheap promotional item. It looks like one of these: https://powerstick.com/powertag/

It asks that you install this app: Spot 2.0 Bluetooth Finder

Some concerns right away:

It requires an account
It said that my password was too long
It seems that these apps will need 24/7 access to location in order to work properly, so I'm not comfortable making an account on some app I've never heard of

So my questions:

Q1: If someone is given a similar device, is there a FOSS app that they can use it with? So far I've found:

BLE Radar (FDroid, GitHub). It looks promising and I haven't played with all the custom profiles yet. While I was able to connect the device and see it on a map, I don't see an option to ring the device from the app. Since it's a key ring, I imagine most people would use it to find their keys in their home, for which the speaker would be helpful.
iTracing2 (FDroid, GitHub). This one is very minimalistic, and while I could get it connected, it seems to only work in the device > phone direction, where you can press a button on the keychain to initiate an action on the phone (ex. ring the phone)

Q2: If someone wanted to get a good quality version of this, which brands do you recommend? Ideally it would be accurate and be compatible with some FOSS app(s).

I remember seeing Chipolo mentioned in some other thread here, but I don't know if they meet those requirements

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I know you said you're looking for an Android app but have you considered using Home Assistant? I've had success with cheap BLE tags I got off AliExpress. I use a few $5 ESP32 chips for various things including BLE tracking. The only thing is I'm not sure how straight forward sending an alarm signal would be. I track if I took my trashcan to the curb on Tuesdays.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I'll look into that, thanks!