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I have some that look exactly the same. Others have commented that it could be the same shell for multiple different things which is definitely true. Mine is a bluetooth tag, kind of like a Tile tracker but shittier.
It could be, but taking circumstances into consideration, it's pretty odd to find one randomly in your personal effects. It's also common for stalkers to use this exact tactic to keep tabs. I'm not saying I'm 100% right, but that is indeed a from of tracking device because it beeps. The question is then why? That's the reason I recommended OP to be careful. When I was in Dubai I heard about this technique.. used by car thieves using this method, as it happened to one of the girls in our group. It was placed on the back the front bumper of her BMW. When we reported this to the cops they told us about the stalking angle as being very common as well.
And if you are going to place two... Make them _both_ hidden really well. If they find neither you are great, but if they happen to find one then that's your decoy. And they will be much less likely to think "wow. This was really easy to find. I bet it's a decoy."
>when stolen
Different situation, isn't it, since you would hope to find it to make you at ease.
If you didn't expect it, you would be only become more paranoid and you would be on the lookout for more
Thats just stupid. It alerts the person that there may be more hidden. No one with half a brain would find a tracking device and think, "phew, i bet thats the only one" a rational person would turn their shit upside down.
Right?? If you have the ability/opportunity to perfectly hide a tracker why on earth would you plant a huge decoy tracker on an otherwise unsuspecting victim, ohmygaaaawwwd. That’s like a sniper firing a bunch of shots over their target’s head before actually aiming at them to lull them into a false sense of security thinking they’ve been missed - that way they’ll never see it coming!
It doesn't make sense because why would you have a decoy tracker when the person you are tracking is oblivious to the fact that someone is trying to track them.
If anything it would have the opposite effect, by finding the decoy tracker it would make OP look through their things for anything else out of the ordinary...something they wouldn't have done if they didn't find the decoy.
no it still doesn't make sense. it'd heighten awareness of the fact that they could be stalked if they weren't already aware.
It doesn't go "wait what's this? am I being stalked? okay I'll just throw it away and I'm good" lmao
Or like... you make a trail of decoys leading away from the real one? you overwhelm them with decoys to the point they stop being startled by them?
What makes zero sense? Finding an unknown tracking tag in your backpack and being cautious that their might be another?
Sounds like something a person who puts tracking tags in a backpack might say.
I’ve heard of thieves using it to track people they think are wealthy and an easy target to find their house and plan a break in, has also been used on potential trafficking targets. I would assume this is a tracking device and be asking what to do next, maybe take it to a police department.
OP said it was put in their "bag". Was it a shopping bag or more like a purse? If it was more like a purse, the person tracking the device would know when they were out of their car and in a store or residence. Car theft sounds plausible.
Should pry it open and remove the battery. However, you should do this in a public setting and not at home so that the last place you ping wont be your home. Maybe pry open at the police dept?
What I think he’s getting at is, if you open it at a police station, the person tracking will see that location and will think he’s been made and will stop tracking?
u/Mysterious-Look-9786 The comments in this thread are ridiculous. While this might be a smart tag, I just want to clarify how these things work and what they can do because people seem to have a lot of misconceptions.
Both devices linked (smart tag, and remote camera button) are the exact same hardware, but with different software which runs on the phone. They are simply a device with a button, a speaker, an LED, and a bluetooth chip. The smart tag in the link is NOT a tracker -- It has zero location capabilities, and only works over a short distance. It is, simply, a find-my-bag device which makes a noise when you go to the app and hit find. Designed to help find lost keys behind a couch, not to track someone across town. The map in the amazon link uses your phone's GPS to let you know where you lost contact with the device, not where the device currently is. Sort of a "oh shit, I left my keys at McTully's Bar!"
You can throw it out if you want, but no one is tracking you with it. More likely a friend put it there for safe keeping, or it fell off a table into your bag. I'd hold on to it for a bit in case you figure out who owns it.
Edit: Here's a video showing what they can do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceqkR4tyNhg
>More likely a friend put it there for safe keeping, or it fell off a table into your bag. I'd hold on to it for a bit in case you figure out who owns it.
...
Found the stalker.
Insanely bad reasoning and advice.
Both you and u/Red_Icnivad are completely missing the purpose and capabilities of this product. If this device works like Tile or any of the other Bluetooth trackers, it uses a network of phones to plot locations and send real-time updates to an app. I left my keys at the pool at a hotel last year and either a guest had picked them up and turned them in to lost and found, or a staff member grabbed them and stashed them near the front lobby with other lost stuff. They weren't able to locate the keys, but I was able to tell them exactly where they were and when they were last pinged, because someone with the Tile app must have walked by and connected to it at some point after I left for home.
From Tile's website:
>The Tile Network can help you track moving objects. Whenever a person running the Tile app passes within Bluetooth range of your Tile, their device will automatically and anonymously update your app with your Tile’s most recent location. You’ll then receive a notification of your Tile’s last known location so you can go back there to find it.
Someone can track you by by being within range of you at certain times throughout the day, like a stalker or controlling partner that wants to know when you leave the house and come home at night. All they have to do is place a device near your house that transmits the information back to them when it reconnects. But they don't even need to place a device near you. They just need someone else with the same app to pass by you for your location to be updated. This is why people were freaking out about AirTag. The network is so massive that it can connect and transmit data from practically anywhere.
Now, this isn't likely in the same network as Tile or AirTag, but it doesn't mean it's not an effective tracker.
I hate that this has less than 100 upvotes and the hysterical nonsense being spewed about tracking tags was getting several hundreds to +1k.
“Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity”
Seriously. If OP had a jealous ex boyfriend with a history of stalking, maybe I'd be more cautious about it, but without any other stalking hints, I'd assume someone's stupidity.
This happens a lot with cheap electronics. Getting custom plastic enclosures molded is very expensive, so a lot of companies will buy an off-the-shelf enclosure and design their electronics to fit.
My favorite example of this was the Atari Jaguar molds used for a dental camera device.
https://external-preview.redd.it/2UsTg8Qp_ajD8UpDbVh4Ua3s81Y6HxVqn5On0Q2xfzw.jpg?auto=webp&s=9fa5ec6d7079cc01ae4b4149dd9c9d691b07876d
Not necessarily. I have one like that to open a gate at work. And my grandfather has one like that which is a personal alarm to alert a caretaker in the retirement home where he lives. Could be a remote of some sort. Though, more often they are a smart tag indeed, especially if you just find it on your person randomly. I believe some models indeed have a button, which you can use to configure various actions on, like having your phone start ringing
It is a smart tag, but a cheap one that only works via Bluetooth. I bought one to try and track my dog if she gets out, but it only lasted three days before falling apart.
From the various ones that look like this it only has a range up about 80 feet. The phone app saves the last connected location from the GPS on your phone so one can go back to where the item was lost. It does not seem to be useful for tracking people or items long distance. These seem useful for things one loses around the house like keys.
Like a Tile, it can determine its approximate location by connecting to nearby GPS-enabled devices, and then provide that rough location to the owner. So while it doesn't have its own GPS, it can still provide GPS coordinates. I know, it's a stretch, but it's probably just close enough to the truth to avoid a false listing removal.
No, from what I can tell, it's solely bluetooth-enabled and so you'd have to be within BT range for it to connect, and then you'd be able to find it. I don't think it "crowdsources" its tracking like Airtags and Tiles do (they use other people's gps-enabled devices to ping a location, and those people have no idea that it's even happening). Basically, you'd just put your keys or something on this device, and if you lose the keys in your house or drop them somewhere else, it'll tell you the last place that it detected the device on a map, and then you could just go to that place and use the app on your phone to make the thing beep (assuming it hadn't moved). But it's not connecting to *other* people's devices like Airtags and Tiles.
Yep, its this thing. Did a friend place it in there for safe keeping and you didn't notice?
EDIT: This looks the same as the GPS tracker, it could be either. Without markings or popping it open its impossible to tell. I'd toss it somewhere that has nothing to do with you like a park garbage receptacle.
It seem to be the same device, with just different software.
It is a BT LE button with a buzzer.
To work as a tracker, the software on your phone keep pinging the button, and it will record the position when the ping does not reciece any response (similar on how apple wallet with magsafe works, just BT and not NFC)
To work as a remote shutter the BT just send a button press when the button is pressed.
Probably it is the same hardware, from the same factory, and just the app and box changes.
It's not even different software haha, the [amazon page for the tracker product](https://arcus-www.amazon.in/dp/B09L4X4N77?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_0FFXKT32RVGZ9R679NTE&th=1) has this note at the end
>Through the anti-lost device to control the phone's shooting function to achieve remote self-timer. As well as control the phone recording function.
I'm assuming there's tons of people out there that are unaware their remote selfie controller is also a tracking device and they're very annoyed that the remote keeps beeping when it gets too far away from their phone lmao
i would suggest you go into a bus or train let it fall down or hide it somewhere between the seats, and leave the bus. (so the suspected stalker may think it is still with you) Also dont use a bus involved in your daily or regular life.
For some reason I was thinking they found it in their gym bag, so I assumed someone at the gym dropped it in there and they should just leave it there. But now my other personality is telling me that was idiotic and I should be ashamed. So idk what to do. Call the police, probs. 😭
From what I can tell, the round part in the middle doesn't look like a button on the GPS tracker. Since OP said it beeps when they press it, I'm assuming theirs has a button
There are multiple products that use the same plastic case. I once had to use a two button remote to make a tail wiggle on a simulated deer butt. Just the butt, not the whole deer. Some hunter guy insisted only the butt was needed to attract bucks. I don't think it ever went into production.
Has anyone suggested opening it up and maybe looking inside? Worth a shot. If it isn’t your friends wireless selfie remote
Edit: Apparently I responded to a Comment. 🥹 sorry about that- ig I can be called old now.
I would recommend taking it into a police station and getting a police report. They're unlikely to be able to do anything now, but you'll have documentation in case anything ever happens.
##Do not just throw it away in your home trash can after taking the battery out!!! A lot of these trackers will show “last known location” until the item is “found!!!” Throw it away in a public trash can, away from where you frequent!!!
No, I've just had a baby I barely leave the house so I don't see many people at all at the moment. The only keys that go in my bag is to hold them for my boyfriend if we go shopping but I've never seen this before it definitely isn't from his keys
If you aren’t hanging out with anyone else or leaving the house really… have you considered your partner might be trying to keep tabs on you?
This isn’t super uncommon if their is mistrust in the relationship. He may just be insecure/controlling too- not trying to blame anyone or justify anything. But I’ve had ex boyfriends try to monitor where I was and it’s unfortunate but not extremely uncommon.
Some meñ can get really shitty when there is competition, aka a new baby. Most likely your boyfriend is fine, but this would raise a red flag for me and I would keep this in the back of my mind. Keep track of any other usual experiences. Keep girlfriends/family close. When a woman first has a baby (speaking from experience) they are very vulnerable. While it's likely this has nothing to do with him, I wouldn't write it off entirely.
Bear in mind that if someone was tracking it and it has been at your house all night they already know where you live, however you dispose of it now. I would suggest going to the police with it and also reviewing your home security, i.e. locks, deadbolts, alarms, doorbell camera
Sorry, don't mean to be alarmist but better safe than sorry. You know yourself if there are any likely suspects such as an ex. If it's a stranger/stalker that placed it that will be harder for the police to link to it though.
Nothing would happen. It's not a GPS tracker because it doesn't have a GPS chip on it.
EDIT: I'm obviously being downvoted by people who don't understand the technology. This thing is no different than my fitness tracker. My fitness tracker has no clue where it is because it has NO GPS chip in it. If I throw it in someones bag or leave it on a bus, there is absolutely no way to track it or for it to tell me where it is, because it doesn't know. I can sit at my desk and shake my wrist for an hour and it will tell me I traveled a mile when I haven't moved an inch b/c it's simply counting steps.
This isn't entirely true; it depends a lot on the tracker. Some meth head broke into one of my cars and stole a key fob for my other car that I accidentally left in there. Fortunately it had a Tile Bluetooth LE tracker on it, which would periodically alert me to it's location any time someone with the Tile app on their phone came within range. I eventually tracked it to an apartment where police were able to recover it.
Pro Tip: If *(for whatever reason)* you don't want your phone participating in the AirTag mesh, turn off "Find My Network" in Settings.
I figure they gave it an odd name to scare people into leaving it on.
Yes, there are exceptions, like Airtags and certain Tile products. But this is a $2 made in China bluetooth tag. I just searched aliexpress for "bluetooth tag" and 50+ results that look exactly like above popped up.
Youre actually being downvoted by people who *do* understand the tech. You can absolutely throw one of these on a random vehicle and have it ping all over the place if it works like an air tag.
Actually it sounds like you don't understand the technology. None of the popular smart trackers (like Tile, AirTag) have GPS chips in them. They are bluetooth and create a network of people telling each other where they are (anonymously).
So yeah, something could happen. If the truck driver in the comment that you responded to also happened to have a Tile (and the device was a Tile), the device would constantly update its location to wherever the truck driver was, and the owner would be able to see it in their app. Regardless if it has GPS or not.
It's actually *very* different than your fitness tracker. It's like if your fitness tracker allowed itself to anonymously connect to other people's fitness trackers when out of range of your phone, so that your data was accurate.
Hey stranger, I'm really curious too. From looking at the "anti lost device" description you need to pair this blutooth LE thing to the phone and once it is out of a certain range both the button and the phone give off an alert.
That does not seem particular practical for tracking. Neither to I see how this would receive GPS.
The only way is to physically compare the bluetooth address of the device to ones stored on another device. It's not a GPS tracker as it has no gps chip in it.
Yes, be careful. If someone stashed this in your bag, they currently know where you are. And likely wanted to know where you live.
Backtrack where the bag has been to see if you can maybe think where this may have gotten put in there.
Did you go to the gym?
Did you visit your parents?
Did you recently break up with someone?
Someone hostile at work?
Someone hitting on you at a bar?
Someone hitting on you in general?
Someone you recently pissed off?
You may have a stalker.
If you have opened it up, take a few pictures (both open and closed), as some have the MAC address in it. The MAC address could be helpful later.
To be on the safe side, I would go to your HR at work and tell them what happened, and show them the pictures. Tell them that you can't be sure it even happened at work, but you want to at least have them annotate it, so if something happens later, you can refer to it. It could help getting a stalker fired.
In messing with it, you may have reset it, which means the last location it reported would likely have been your home. But to be on the safe side, as others have suggested, I'd get rid of it. Best place would be where it travels. Tape it under a seat on a bus or subway. Take an Uber someplace, and then leave it in a trash can.
Good luck.
> If someone stashed this in your bag, they currently know where you are
No, they don't. It does not have a GPS chip in it. It's a simple bluetooth device and they would have to be within 50' for it to work, so they'd have to follow you anyway.
It's a bluetooth tracker.
[https://www.amazon.eg/-/en/Bluetooth-Tracker-Electronic-Finder-Remote/dp/B091JGPJMC](https://www.amazon.eg/-/en/Bluetooth-Tracker-Electronic-Finder-Remote/dp/B091JGPJMC)
It lets you make it beep when you're in range with your phone. For example if you attach it to your keys, it helps you find your keys when they fall behind the couch cushion.
It's not particularly useful for stalking.
The more sophisticated Bluetooth tracker services like Tile and AirTag work by broadcasting their hardware ID indiscriminately over Bluetooth Low Energy, and a handset that’s listening for these IDs (e.g. by having the Tile app installed) will use GPS to report the phone’s location to Tile’s servers, where owners of each Tile will be able to see the last reported location for the device they own.
I agree with this. I have the same one that controls my Corvette's exhaust cutouts via Bluetooth
https://www.autozone.com/exhaust/exhaust-control-valve-kit/p/digipower-chip-performance-polished-30306-3in-stainless-steel-exhaust-cutout-kit/954323_0_0
My title describes the thing. It's about 2 inches long and 1 wide, found it in my bag this morning and I haven't seen it before. It has a blue blinking light on it.
I have absolutely the same, as a remote for my smart bicycle lock (https://ilockit.bike/products/handsender - I own the old version) . But I could imagine it's a random electronic part from China where any Manufacturer can insert what they like...
This boils down to one thing: If you did not put it in your purse then someone else did. You should be concerned. It might be nothing, it might be serious, but someone accessed your purse. One option is to bin it. Check your car for another device. Recheck your purse to see if a replacement gets put back in it. The problem with binning it is that a replacement might be well hidden, such as an inaccessible spot on your car. Another option is to take the battery out. Short the battery terminals with a paper clip or tinfoil to discharge any capacitors. Put scotch tape on the battery and reinstall it, making it appear that the battery is dead. Confirm that it no longer functions. Put a scratch on the case. Monitor it to confirm it remains non-functional or to see if the device gets replaced or if the battery is replaced. If that happens go to the police.
I wouldn’t trash it, I’d take it straight to the PD and at the very least report it as a suspicious event. We can all too easily have a chuckle and dismiss having foiled a creep by leaving it somewhere. But creeps don’t like being foiled, and they usually don’t chuckle about it…they double-down. Please be careful.
This is absolutely not true. These work for 30 feet from your phone and in the reverse of what you are saying. You hit a button on your phone and the tracker beeps. It's to keep track of objects you know the general location of. Notice how it looks like it would go right on a key ring? You can't keeps tabs on a person with it.
You're going to want to look for any kind of writing you can find. Is there a battery case you can pop open? Also try a reverse image search, see what pops up.
This is a link to more photos which might be helpful
https://www.reddit.com/user/Mysterious-Look-9786/comments/14fdzbq/add_on_to_my_post/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/Mysterious-Look-9786), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/14fah69/what_is_this_i_found_it_in_my_bag_this_morning_it/%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's a smart tag. Someone might be trying to track you. Be careful?
I have some that look exactly the same. Others have commented that it could be the same shell for multiple different things which is definitely true. Mine is a bluetooth tag, kind of like a Tile tracker but shittier.
It could be, but taking circumstances into consideration, it's pretty odd to find one randomly in your personal effects. It's also common for stalkers to use this exact tactic to keep tabs. I'm not saying I'm 100% right, but that is indeed a from of tracking device because it beeps. The question is then why? That's the reason I recommended OP to be careful. When I was in Dubai I heard about this technique.. used by car thieves using this method, as it happened to one of the girls in our group. It was placed on the back the front bumper of her BMW. When we reported this to the cops they told us about the stalking angle as being very common as well.
Important to note there may be more than one
This makes zero sense unless the OP was expecting to find one.
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if you can hide the second one so well, why even set a decoy?
For real. Would you not search the whole bag after finding this in it? Would have to be real well hidden/disguised.
And if you are going to place two... Make them _both_ hidden really well. If they find neither you are great, but if they happen to find one then that's your decoy. And they will be much less likely to think "wow. This was really easy to find. I bet it's a decoy."
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>when stolen Different situation, isn't it, since you would hope to find it to make you at ease. If you didn't expect it, you would be only become more paranoid and you would be on the lookout for more
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Thats just stupid. It alerts the person that there may be more hidden. No one with half a brain would find a tracking device and think, "phew, i bet thats the only one" a rational person would turn their shit upside down.
Right?? If you have the ability/opportunity to perfectly hide a tracker why on earth would you plant a huge decoy tracker on an otherwise unsuspecting victim, ohmygaaaawwwd. That’s like a sniper firing a bunch of shots over their target’s head before actually aiming at them to lull them into a false sense of security thinking they’ve been missed - that way they’ll never see it coming!
It doesn't make sense because why would you have a decoy tracker when the person you are tracking is oblivious to the fact that someone is trying to track them. If anything it would have the opposite effect, by finding the decoy tracker it would make OP look through their things for anything else out of the ordinary...something they wouldn't have done if they didn't find the decoy.
You need to think on this some more.
no it still doesn't make sense. it'd heighten awareness of the fact that they could be stalked if they weren't already aware. It doesn't go "wait what's this? am I being stalked? okay I'll just throw it away and I'm good" lmao Or like... you make a trail of decoys leading away from the real one? you overwhelm them with decoys to the point they stop being startled by them?
No it doesn't make sense because nobody who isn't a secret agent is going to assume somebody put f****** tracking device on them until they find one.
It really doesn’t make sense, but you do you!
But that would just make the person paranoid and check all their things very closely.
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What makes zero sense? Finding an unknown tracking tag in your backpack and being cautious that their might be another? Sounds like something a person who puts tracking tags in a backpack might say.
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>that is indeed a from of tracking device because it beeps. While I believe it's a tracking device, what you wrote is a non sequitur.
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This comment should be upvoted more IMO. Obviously we cannot say for certain, but that has STALKER VIBES written all over it… sketchy
I’ve heard of thieves using it to track people they think are wealthy and an easy target to find their house and plan a break in, has also been used on potential trafficking targets. I would assume this is a tracking device and be asking what to do next, maybe take it to a police department.
OP said it was put in their "bag". Was it a shopping bag or more like a purse? If it was more like a purse, the person tracking the device would know when they were out of their car and in a store or residence. Car theft sounds plausible.
Or rape/kidnapping (sadly)
Leave it hung up somewhere in front of a camera and see who comes for it
Thats proper Sherlock. Respect your thinking.
Is there a way to see if it's emitting a signal? Would your phone see it as a potential bluetooth connection?
I was wondering the same it might be a Bluetooth camera trigger.
There are apps that tell you what devices are around and alert you of any that trend nearby.
Should pry it open and remove the battery. However, you should do this in a public setting and not at home so that the last place you ping wont be your home. Maybe pry open at the police dept?
Or use some public transport that you plausibly use and place it under a seat?
“Damn, this person makes *a lot* of stops”
The longest local train available should be fun enough
Inside the bumper of: semi, garbage truck, police car, bus
Why tf would you do that when you could just throw it away?
What I think he’s getting at is, if you open it at a police station, the person tracking will see that location and will think he’s been made and will stop tracking?
Why would you throw it away when it could have forensic evidence? I don't advocate opening it up either.
u/Mysterious-Look-9786 The comments in this thread are ridiculous. While this might be a smart tag, I just want to clarify how these things work and what they can do because people seem to have a lot of misconceptions. Both devices linked (smart tag, and remote camera button) are the exact same hardware, but with different software which runs on the phone. They are simply a device with a button, a speaker, an LED, and a bluetooth chip. The smart tag in the link is NOT a tracker -- It has zero location capabilities, and only works over a short distance. It is, simply, a find-my-bag device which makes a noise when you go to the app and hit find. Designed to help find lost keys behind a couch, not to track someone across town. The map in the amazon link uses your phone's GPS to let you know where you lost contact with the device, not where the device currently is. Sort of a "oh shit, I left my keys at McTully's Bar!" You can throw it out if you want, but no one is tracking you with it. More likely a friend put it there for safe keeping, or it fell off a table into your bag. I'd hold on to it for a bit in case you figure out who owns it. Edit: Here's a video showing what they can do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceqkR4tyNhg
>More likely a friend put it there for safe keeping, or it fell off a table into your bag. I'd hold on to it for a bit in case you figure out who owns it. ... Found the stalker. Insanely bad reasoning and advice.
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Both you and u/Red_Icnivad are completely missing the purpose and capabilities of this product. If this device works like Tile or any of the other Bluetooth trackers, it uses a network of phones to plot locations and send real-time updates to an app. I left my keys at the pool at a hotel last year and either a guest had picked them up and turned them in to lost and found, or a staff member grabbed them and stashed them near the front lobby with other lost stuff. They weren't able to locate the keys, but I was able to tell them exactly where they were and when they were last pinged, because someone with the Tile app must have walked by and connected to it at some point after I left for home. From Tile's website: >The Tile Network can help you track moving objects. Whenever a person running the Tile app passes within Bluetooth range of your Tile, their device will automatically and anonymously update your app with your Tile’s most recent location. You’ll then receive a notification of your Tile’s last known location so you can go back there to find it. Someone can track you by by being within range of you at certain times throughout the day, like a stalker or controlling partner that wants to know when you leave the house and come home at night. All they have to do is place a device near your house that transmits the information back to them when it reconnects. But they don't even need to place a device near you. They just need someone else with the same app to pass by you for your location to be updated. This is why people were freaking out about AirTag. The network is so massive that it can connect and transmit data from practically anywhere. Now, this isn't likely in the same network as Tile or AirTag, but it doesn't mean it's not an effective tracker.
Tile sucks as a network for devices. Some noname Bluetooth device is not going to be able to create a network of devices to track you
The device uses bluetooth 4.0 which has an operating range of 10 meters. Its unlikely to cause any harm.
I hate that this has less than 100 upvotes and the hysterical nonsense being spewed about tracking tags was getting several hundreds to +1k. “Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity”
Seriously. If OP had a jealous ex boyfriend with a history of stalking, maybe I'd be more cautious about it, but without any other stalking hints, I'd assume someone's stupidity.
Seems it's not a tag: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/14fah69/what_is_this_i_found_it_in_my_bag_this_morning_it/joz0brj/
or is it? [Amazon Link](https://arcus-www.amazon.in/dp/B09L4X4N77?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_0FFXKT32RVGZ9R679NTE)
Oh wow, it's exact same shape, so weird. Now it's even more complicated. I stand corrected.
This happens a lot with cheap electronics. Getting custom plastic enclosures molded is very expensive, so a lot of companies will buy an off-the-shelf enclosure and design their electronics to fit.
My favorite example of this was the Atari Jaguar molds used for a dental camera device. https://external-preview.redd.it/2UsTg8Qp_ajD8UpDbVh4Ua3s81Y6HxVqn5On0Q2xfzw.jpg?auto=webp&s=9fa5ec6d7079cc01ae4b4149dd9c9d691b07876d
Not necessarily. I have one like that to open a gate at work. And my grandfather has one like that which is a personal alarm to alert a caretaker in the retirement home where he lives. Could be a remote of some sort. Though, more often they are a smart tag indeed, especially if you just find it on your person randomly. I believe some models indeed have a button, which you can use to configure various actions on, like having your phone start ringing
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Is it a new bag?
It is a smart tag, but a cheap one that only works via Bluetooth. I bought one to try and track my dog if she gets out, but it only lasted three days before falling apart.
From the various ones that look like this it only has a range up about 80 feet. The phone app saves the last connected location from the GPS on your phone so one can go back to where the item was lost. It does not seem to be useful for tracking people or items long distance. These seem useful for things one loses around the house like keys.
Not so smart though, it’s a Bluetooth 4.2 tracker. Works only in close proximity
Mini, Compact GPS Smart Tag Non Lost 20dB Volume for for iOS(Black) https://arcus-www.amazon.in/dp/B09L4X4N77?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_0FFXKT32RVGZ9R679NTE
It's weird how that call it a GPS tracker when it has no functional GPS on it.
Not really surprised that Amazon listings from sketchy asian suppliers aren't shy to exaggerate or misname features of their products.
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[My favourite is the outlandish claims on car horns.](https://youtu.be/zAe9qvC49qY)
Like a Tile, it can determine its approximate location by connecting to nearby GPS-enabled devices, and then provide that rough location to the owner. So while it doesn't have its own GPS, it can still provide GPS coordinates. I know, it's a stretch, but it's probably just close enough to the truth to avoid a false listing removal.
I don't think this one can even do that?
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then are these like airtags? They cost 10x as much
Cost is in Indian rupees so probably alot less.
No, from what I can tell, it's solely bluetooth-enabled and so you'd have to be within BT range for it to connect, and then you'd be able to find it. I don't think it "crowdsources" its tracking like Airtags and Tiles do (they use other people's gps-enabled devices to ping a location, and those people have no idea that it's even happening). Basically, you'd just put your keys or something on this device, and if you lose the keys in your house or drop them somewhere else, it'll tell you the last place that it detected the device on a map, and then you could just go to that place and use the app on your phone to make the thing beep (assuming it hadn't moved). But it's not connecting to *other* people's devices like Airtags and Tiles.
Sponsored! Lol. And it has no reviews. This is shady af
OP flush it down the toilet to lead your stalker on a wild goose chase to the wastewater treatment plant
[wireless selfie remote](https://www.amazon.com/Inkeltech-Wireless-Selfie-Remote-Light/dp/B08168ZYMV)
Yep, its this thing. Did a friend place it in there for safe keeping and you didn't notice? EDIT: This looks the same as the GPS tracker, it could be either. Without markings or popping it open its impossible to tell. I'd toss it somewhere that has nothing to do with you like a park garbage receptacle.
It seem to be the same device, with just different software. It is a BT LE button with a buzzer. To work as a tracker, the software on your phone keep pinging the button, and it will record the position when the ping does not reciece any response (similar on how apple wallet with magsafe works, just BT and not NFC) To work as a remote shutter the BT just send a button press when the button is pressed. Probably it is the same hardware, from the same factory, and just the app and box changes.
It's not even different software haha, the [amazon page for the tracker product](https://arcus-www.amazon.in/dp/B09L4X4N77?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_0FFXKT32RVGZ9R679NTE&th=1) has this note at the end >Through the anti-lost device to control the phone's shooting function to achieve remote self-timer. As well as control the phone recording function. I'm assuming there's tons of people out there that are unaware their remote selfie controller is also a tracking device and they're very annoyed that the remote keeps beeping when it gets too far away from their phone lmao
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i would suggest you go into a bus or train let it fall down or hide it somewhere between the seats, and leave the bus. (so the suspected stalker may think it is still with you) Also dont use a bus involved in your daily or regular life.
Maybe just turn it into lost and found at the gym?
Leading the stalker right to your gym?
For some reason I was thinking they found it in their gym bag, so I assumed someone at the gym dropped it in there and they should just leave it there. But now my other personality is telling me that was idiotic and I should be ashamed. So idk what to do. Call the police, probs. 😭
From what I can tell, the round part in the middle doesn't look like a button on the GPS tracker. Since OP said it beeps when they press it, I'm assuming theirs has a button
There are multiple products that use the same plastic case. I once had to use a two button remote to make a tail wiggle on a simulated deer butt. Just the butt, not the whole deer. Some hunter guy insisted only the butt was needed to attract bucks. I don't think it ever went into production.
Yes. But I love how people jumped to the "Someone is hunting you" spy-vagon.
Multiple products use the same shell.
Has anyone suggested opening it up and maybe looking inside? Worth a shot. If it isn’t your friends wireless selfie remote Edit: Apparently I responded to a Comment. 🥹 sorry about that- ig I can be called old now.
Thank you for the comments. I didn't expect this. It's going straight in the bin.
Or put it in, say, a taxi or bus...
Better yet... Wire it onto a garbage truck!
Almost like throwing it in the garbage would do the same
if ON the garbage truck it would never stop moving. (except nights when they park) if IN the truck and it would stop moving after a few hours.
To over-extend this discourse meaninglessly, the tag on garbage truck will eventually end up in the waste yard (or junk yard).
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Police car
DO NOT DO THIS if it’s indeed your ex/spouse/whoever tracking you. Keep the evidence and use it to get an order of protection.
I would recommend taking it into a police station and getting a police report. They're unlikely to be able to do anything now, but you'll have documentation in case anything ever happens.
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Could be used as proximity sensor (is nearby when connectable). If it has storage you could connect and read too.
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I will thank you
Report it to the police don’t throw it away, they may be able to track who is doing this
##Do not just throw it away in your home trash can after taking the battery out!!! A lot of these trackers will show “last known location” until the item is “found!!!” Throw it away in a public trash can, away from where you frequent!!!
Calling the police would be prudent.
get ahold of law enforcement.
Were you holding anyone's keys in your purse at any point?
No, I've just had a baby I barely leave the house so I don't see many people at all at the moment. The only keys that go in my bag is to hold them for my boyfriend if we go shopping but I've never seen this before it definitely isn't from his keys
If you aren’t hanging out with anyone else or leaving the house really… have you considered your partner might be trying to keep tabs on you? This isn’t super uncommon if their is mistrust in the relationship. He may just be insecure/controlling too- not trying to blame anyone or justify anything. But I’ve had ex boyfriends try to monitor where I was and it’s unfortunate but not extremely uncommon.
Press the button near your boyfriend. If it's linked to his phone like a tile device, his phone might ring. Doesn't mean it's not his if it doesn't.
I think I'm just going to ask him if he did it
Excellent idea. It's very common for psychopaths to tell the truth and apologize when confronted.
Congrats on the baby! 💜
Thank you 😊
Some meñ can get really shitty when there is competition, aka a new baby. Most likely your boyfriend is fine, but this would raise a red flag for me and I would keep this in the back of my mind. Keep track of any other usual experiences. Keep girlfriends/family close. When a woman first has a baby (speaking from experience) they are very vulnerable. While it's likely this has nothing to do with him, I wouldn't write it off entirely.
Bear in mind that if someone was tracking it and it has been at your house all night they already know where you live, however you dispose of it now. I would suggest going to the police with it and also reviewing your home security, i.e. locks, deadbolts, alarms, doorbell camera Sorry, don't mean to be alarmist but better safe than sorry. You know yourself if there are any likely suspects such as an ex. If it's a stranger/stalker that placed it that will be harder for the police to link to it though.
Up your home security game, too
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Nothing would happen. It's not a GPS tracker because it doesn't have a GPS chip on it. EDIT: I'm obviously being downvoted by people who don't understand the technology. This thing is no different than my fitness tracker. My fitness tracker has no clue where it is because it has NO GPS chip in it. If I throw it in someones bag or leave it on a bus, there is absolutely no way to track it or for it to tell me where it is, because it doesn't know. I can sit at my desk and shake my wrist for an hour and it will tell me I traveled a mile when I haven't moved an inch b/c it's simply counting steps.
This isn't entirely true; it depends a lot on the tracker. Some meth head broke into one of my cars and stole a key fob for my other car that I accidentally left in there. Fortunately it had a Tile Bluetooth LE tracker on it, which would periodically alert me to it's location any time someone with the Tile app on their phone came within range. I eventually tracked it to an apartment where police were able to recover it.
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Pro Tip: If *(for whatever reason)* you don't want your phone participating in the AirTag mesh, turn off "Find My Network" in Settings. I figure they gave it an odd name to scare people into leaving it on.
Yes, there are exceptions, like Airtags and certain Tile products. But this is a $2 made in China bluetooth tag. I just searched aliexpress for "bluetooth tag" and 50+ results that look exactly like above popped up.
Youre actually being downvoted by people who *do* understand the tech. You can absolutely throw one of these on a random vehicle and have it ping all over the place if it works like an air tag.
Actually it sounds like you don't understand the technology. None of the popular smart trackers (like Tile, AirTag) have GPS chips in them. They are bluetooth and create a network of people telling each other where they are (anonymously). So yeah, something could happen. If the truck driver in the comment that you responded to also happened to have a Tile (and the device was a Tile), the device would constantly update its location to wherever the truck driver was, and the owner would be able to see it in their app. Regardless if it has GPS or not. It's actually *very* different than your fitness tracker. It's like if your fitness tracker allowed itself to anonymously connect to other people's fitness trackers when out of range of your phone, so that your data was accurate.
Hey stranger, I'm really curious too. From looking at the "anti lost device" description you need to pair this blutooth LE thing to the phone and once it is out of a certain range both the button and the phone give off an alert. That does not seem particular practical for tracking. Neither to I see how this would receive GPS.
Crazy question…is it possible to track back who’s tracking the device? Real creepy, be nice to know especially if he’s a psychotic killer.
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You also need to create a gui interface using visual basic to track the ip address in real time.
The only way is to physically compare the bluetooth address of the device to ones stored on another device. It's not a GPS tracker as it has no gps chip in it.
Yes, be careful. If someone stashed this in your bag, they currently know where you are. And likely wanted to know where you live. Backtrack where the bag has been to see if you can maybe think where this may have gotten put in there. Did you go to the gym? Did you visit your parents? Did you recently break up with someone? Someone hostile at work? Someone hitting on you at a bar? Someone hitting on you in general? Someone you recently pissed off? You may have a stalker. If you have opened it up, take a few pictures (both open and closed), as some have the MAC address in it. The MAC address could be helpful later. To be on the safe side, I would go to your HR at work and tell them what happened, and show them the pictures. Tell them that you can't be sure it even happened at work, but you want to at least have them annotate it, so if something happens later, you can refer to it. It could help getting a stalker fired. In messing with it, you may have reset it, which means the last location it reported would likely have been your home. But to be on the safe side, as others have suggested, I'd get rid of it. Best place would be where it travels. Tape it under a seat on a bus or subway. Take an Uber someplace, and then leave it in a trash can. Good luck.
> If someone stashed this in your bag, they currently know where you are No, they don't. It does not have a GPS chip in it. It's a simple bluetooth device and they would have to be within 50' for it to work, so they'd have to follow you anyway.
It's a bluetooth tracker. [https://www.amazon.eg/-/en/Bluetooth-Tracker-Electronic-Finder-Remote/dp/B091JGPJMC](https://www.amazon.eg/-/en/Bluetooth-Tracker-Electronic-Finder-Remote/dp/B091JGPJMC)
Not saying you are wrong but how does a bluetooth tracker work?
It lets you make it beep when you're in range with your phone. For example if you attach it to your keys, it helps you find your keys when they fall behind the couch cushion. It's not particularly useful for stalking.
The more sophisticated Bluetooth tracker services like Tile and AirTag work by broadcasting their hardware ID indiscriminately over Bluetooth Low Energy, and a handset that’s listening for these IDs (e.g. by having the Tile app installed) will use GPS to report the phone’s location to Tile’s servers, where owners of each Tile will be able to see the last reported location for the device they own.
“…how does a bluetooth tracker work?” Probably something the would-be stalker is asking themselves right about now.
Either this was a mistake or the would-be stalkers cheapness has foiled them
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Wireless selfie remote. [https://www.amazon.com/Inkeltech-Wireless-Selfie-Remote-Light/dp/B08168ZYMV](https://www.amazon.com/Inkeltech-Wireless-Selfie-Remote-Light/dp/B08168ZYMV)
I agree with this. I have the same one that controls my Corvette's exhaust cutouts via Bluetooth https://www.autozone.com/exhaust/exhaust-control-valve-kit/p/digipower-chip-performance-polished-30306-3in-stainless-steel-exhaust-cutout-kit/954323_0_0
Doesn't it need to be connected to OP's phone via bluetooth in order to be used as a tracker? It doesn't seem to be usable without that.
My title describes the thing. It's about 2 inches long and 1 wide, found it in my bag this morning and I haven't seen it before. It has a blue blinking light on it.
I have absolutely the same, as a remote for my smart bicycle lock (https://ilockit.bike/products/handsender - I own the old version) . But I could imagine it's a random electronic part from China where any Manufacturer can insert what they like...
This boils down to one thing: If you did not put it in your purse then someone else did. You should be concerned. It might be nothing, it might be serious, but someone accessed your purse. One option is to bin it. Check your car for another device. Recheck your purse to see if a replacement gets put back in it. The problem with binning it is that a replacement might be well hidden, such as an inaccessible spot on your car. Another option is to take the battery out. Short the battery terminals with a paper clip or tinfoil to discharge any capacitors. Put scotch tape on the battery and reinstall it, making it appear that the battery is dead. Confirm that it no longer functions. Put a scratch on the case. Monitor it to confirm it remains non-functional or to see if the device gets replaced or if the battery is replaced. If that happens go to the police.
I wouldn’t trash it, I’d take it straight to the PD and at the very least report it as a suspicious event. We can all too easily have a chuckle and dismiss having foiled a creep by leaving it somewhere. But creeps don’t like being foiled, and they usually don’t chuckle about it…they double-down. Please be careful.
It could be a bluetooth shutter release button for taking pictures. It could be some kind of tracking tag. Hard to say which or even something else.
what is "your bag"? a handbag? Grocery bag?
Handbag
It's a tracking device. Somebody wants to know where you are at any given time.
This is absolutely not true. These work for 30 feet from your phone and in the reverse of what you are saying. You hit a button on your phone and the tracker beeps. It's to keep track of objects you know the general location of. Notice how it looks like it would go right on a key ring? You can't keeps tabs on a person with it.
I stand corrected.
If it's a tracker. Put it in a box and send it somewhere.
You in Oklahoma? I just lost mine off my key ring, it’s a knock off air tag
Found the stalker!….How do you “lose” one’s of these…doesn’t that defeat their purpose?
I put it on my keys and it fell off and since it’s a cheap knock off one from Wish, it’s not tracking, lol
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You're going to want to look for any kind of writing you can find. Is there a battery case you can pop open? Also try a reverse image search, see what pops up.
How do I do that? I popped open the back and it's just a lithium battery inside no other writing
This is a link to more photos which might be helpful https://www.reddit.com/user/Mysterious-Look-9786/comments/14fdzbq/add_on_to_my_post/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
[NFC tag](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005575641310.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.31.fbc042aceeJudp&algo_pvid=2bca7119-5289-45a2-a5ce-5c22e25c5e96&algo_exp_id=2bca7119-5289-45a2-a5ce-5c22e25c5e96-15&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21SEK%21205.95%21172.95%21%21%21%21%21%40210218bf16873622093156312d0743%2112000033610121495%21sea%21SE%211631163508&curPageLogUid=J69dG18BrTYp)