Bluetooth trackers help us keep tabs on our most important items, both at home and away. If you’re interested in using crowdsourced networks to find your gear, you’ve probably heard of the Apple Find My and Google Find My networks. The top tracker for each network is the Apple AirTag 2 and Motorola Moto Tag 2, but they both have the same problem. They’re powered by disposable CR2032 coin-cell batteries, and they don’t last forever.
I used a gauntlet of five AirTags to track my keys, bags, and luggage for years, and ran into the same frustrations. Since the AirTag’s battery is only rated to last about a year, the ones I owned always needed replacing right around the time of my annual summer vacation. So, as I was packing bags, booking flights, and renewing passports, I had to remember to stop at the store and buy new batteries before my trip. When I forgot, they ended up dying mid-trip — until I found a new category of Bluetooth trackers entirely.
I always seemed to get low battery warnings before a trip
It’s hard not to love using AirTags to track your items. I used them for all sorts of things. I put one inside my old car to track its progress as it was shipped across the country. I took them to Europe, on Caribbean trips, and from coast to coast across the United States. I knew I could count on them to locate my items in the event they were lost or stolen, thanks to the Find My network. It uses crowdsourced location data from hundreds of millions of Apple devices, so your trackers can’t go far without their location refreshing.
Google Find Hub trackers are just as useful for Android users. The Moto Tag 2 is one of the few with ultra-wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth 6 support. Both the AirTag and Moto Tag 2 have UWB, which enables precision finding features. It’s great for when you need your phone to guide you to your Bluetooth tracker with near-perfect accuracy at close range. Motorola’s tracker has the better battery life, lasting around 500 days on a single charge.
Eventually, all battery-powered Bluetooth trackers will die, and you’ll need to hunt down a CR2032 battery for replacement. These are easy to find at drugstores or supermarkets, but they’re not batteries most people keep in their homes. If you’re like me and only travel a few times each year, you might be replacing a Bluetooth tracker battery every couple of trips. That gets old fast, and there’s nothing worse than a tracker dying in the middle of your trip.
I’ll never buy a tracker without wireless charging
Sorry, AirTags – you’re not good enough to be worth the hassle
A dead Bluetooth tracker leaves you flying blind, without the peace of mind that comes from seeing crowdsourced location tracking. After one-too-many Bluetooth trackers died in the middle of my trips, I started avoiding ones with disposable batteries altogether. As it turns out, it’s easy to find trackers with rechargeable batteries.
The Pebblebee Clip 5, which has a similar footprint to the AirTag and Moto Tag, sports a rechargeable battery lasting up to 12 months on a single charge. Then, you can power it up again using a standard USB-C cable. I opted for a thin, card-sized tracker. So, I went with the Peak Design Beacon Card, but the Pebblebee Card 5, Eufy SmartTrack Card E40, and UAG Metropolis Card are similar alternatives. All these cards have one thing in common — they recharge wirelessly on any Qi charger.
Switching to rechargeable Bluetooth trackers was simpler and cheaper. I didn’t have to buy replacement batteries every year, and the rechargeable trackers aren’t much more expensive than the ones that use disposable batteries. Moreover, I didn’t have to plan out purchasing and swapping coin-cell batteries before every trip. I started charging my trackers using cables or wireless pads in the airport, for free, or anywhere else it was convenient.
Wireless charging adds more than convenience
These trackers are slimmer and more water-resistant than AirTags
A tracker using disposable batteries can’t be completely sealed. It’s thicker, and has a removable access door that lets you swap out the coin-cell batteries. This means they aren’t watertight. Rechargeable trackers are thinner, and without the access door, they can have better water-resistance. The Peak Design Beacon Card I use is rated for IP68 dust- and water-resistance, which edges out the AirTag’s IP67 support.
With all these advantages, leaving my AirTags behind for rechargeable Bluetooth trackers was an easy sell. Some of them, like the UAG Metropolis, are cross-platform — providing flexibility as I switch between iOS and Android. As long as I use rechargeable trackers, I’ll never need to buy a CR2032 battery before leaving for a trip again.
- Material
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Plastic
- Connectivity
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Apple Find My
- Battery
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5 months between charges
- Range
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50 feet
- Water Resistance
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IP68
The Peak Design Beacon Finder card is a water-resistant tracker that works with Apple’s Find My network. It supports connections up to 50 feet away and IP68 protection against dust and water ingress. The tracking card lasts five months on a single charge, and recharges via MagSafe.