The Tile Mate tracker uses Bluetooth to determine whether or not an object it is linked to has been lost. While this is not a complete GPS tracker(You may be interested in BrickHouse Security Spark Nano 7), knowledgeable users may utilize location services to search a larger region.
What you get with this, as opposed to a GPS gadget, is a battery performance that lasts a whole year before the inexpensive battery is changed. It also indicates that the gadget is very compact and discreet, making it possible to connect it to your keys to prevent them from being misplaced.
This also has a button that enables it to control additional tasks on a linked phone, such as making an alarm noise that may assist you in locating the phone. This nifty little gadget is included in our rundown of the top personal GPS trackers because we think it’s one of the finest.
Design and Features
The Tile tracker Mate is a Bluetooth gadget that is very tiny, making it possible to connect it to your keys in a way that is virtually unnoticeable to other people. It has a battery similar to that found in watches, and it can last a whole year without being replaced.
The little device also has a button that, when pressed, causes a signal to be sent to the smartphone that is attached to it. This has a wide range of applications, with the only restriction being the capabilities of the linked app. When upgrades are released, this device’s capabilities and features expand.
A tiny speaker is also included within the Tile Mate. This indicates that it can be triggered from a linked smartphone to produce a noise that will assist you in discovering it, should it (and your keys) have slid out of sight.
Since the device contains a hole in the top corner where a connection may be looped through, it is suitable for keys and attaching to other things, such as bags or even the collars of tile mate pet trackers. When joined, this weighs less than one ounce and is hardly noticeable. It is also designed to resist splashes, which means it can tolerate weather exposure without damage.
The tile mate tracker size is a little plastic square that is 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches by 0.3 inches in size. A button on the front of the tile mate item tracker Amazon has a small concave shape, but it is still quite simple to locate and identify by touch. On the rear are three tiny speaker holes and a QR code.
Although the Mate does not have a metal frame like the more costly Tile Pro, its material is still heavy-duty plastic and can withstand the environment. Since it has a grade of IP67, you won’t have to worry about it being damaged if it falls into a puddle or the sink by mistake. The battery in the Mate is expected to survive for three years, but once it dies, you won’t be able to replace it. The Tile Pro is better if you’re worried about electronic waste or want to retain your tracker tile mate for a long time. You may be interested in Samsung SmartThings Tracker.
Performance
According to the manufacturer, the Tile Mate has a range of up to 200 feet, the maximum distance that can be covered via Bluetooth to reach the phone. The 400-foot range of the more costly Tile Mate Pro sets it apart from the competition.
When we conducted tests in the real world, we discovered that the Tile Mate had a range closer to the mark of 90 feet when obstructions such as walls and objects were considered. If you are outside and have a direct line of sight, you may be able to see farther than one hundred feet. If you want something more exact and can follow objects more closely, you most likely require the AngelSense Guardian.
Being notified when you leave a Tile Mate out of range is a feature that may be quite helpful. You will thus be reminded if you forget your keys when you leave home. This is not the best option if you are already locked out.
Community Locates is another helpful function that allows you to locate your Mate across greater distances by using the pinged locations of other people who use the program. You will be able to see exactly where a person was located at the time that your device pings them if they have the app and they pass by it. This information will be added to the map.
Setup and App
The fact that the Tile Mate is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones is its primary advantage over the AirTag. The Tile Mate has a wider range of compatibility than Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag, which can only connect to devices manufactured by Samsung.
For Android and iOS, setting up the Mate is rather straightforward: Download the Tile app, register for an account, and then follow the on-screen instructions to make a few configuration changes. After that, on the main screen, choose Add Tile, and then push the button that is located on the front of your Mate. Tracker should link to your phone in a matter of seconds.
Tracker’s name, icon, and ringtone may all be changed inside the program. The Tile app is cumbersome when compared to Find Me on iOS. Since the display area taken up by each tracker on your account is limited, if you use more than three of them, you will need to scroll down to see the remaining trackers.
Perfect for a Backpack or Water Bottle
The AirTag does not have the functionality of two-way tracking, which is accessible with every Tile. This means that you can not only use your phone to discover the thing you’ve misplaced, but you can also double-tap the button on the Mate to locate your phone in the same way. This functionality continues to function even when the volume on your phone is turned down. If you have misplaced both your phone and the Mate, you may start a search from a smart speaker or even an Xfinity Voice Remote, provided that you have already programmed any of these devices. Sadly, Tile does not permit location tracking from their website.
According to Tile, the tile mate bluetooth tracker has a range of 250 feet and communicates to phones through Bluetooth (as opposed to the AirTag, which utilizes ultra-wideband). Tile asserts that this range is achievable so long as there is a clear line of sight between the two devices and there is no interference in the signal. This assertion is not useful since it is very improbable that you would ever find yourself in a real-world scenario that has these perfect circumstances. As a result, we tested the range on our own.
We tested the range of the Mate on the highest level of a parking garage and in the lobby of an apartment complex that was quite active. The Mate could only go 55 feet in the garage. We lost roughly five feet of range in the lobby. Yet, there is a great deal of interference at each of these locations.
The maximum level for audible notifications on the Mate is 116 decibels; however, if you are more than a few inches away, the sound will only go up to 87 decibels. That’s roughly the same level of loudness that you’ll hear from a speakerphone at its highest setting. The polyphonic ringtones of the Mate have a high pitch, and we were able to hear them even in an apartment where many white noise makers were operating at the same time. Yet whether you’re at a pub or train, your experience can be quite different. Want to select the best train sets for your kids?
If you want to find your item after the Mate has left the range of your phone, you will need to open the Tile app and press the Notify When Found button. This puts the tracker into Lost mode, at which time its whereabouts may be picked up by anybody within range of the gadget, which has a phone with the Tile app installed on it. The procedure is hands-free, and the individual who finds your device using the Tile app will have no idea they did so.
In a crowded high-rise lobby, we “lost” the Mate as well as an Apple AirTag. When the Tile app indicated that there were 10,893 users within a few miles of our location, we had the assumption that the Mate would be spotted very fast. Nevertheless, it took under three hours before we received a message that the Mate had been found. In comparison, our misplaced AirTag was found in less than a quarter of an hour. Because of this, the number of individuals who can report a missing AirTag is far more than those who can report a missing Tile. This is due to the fact that Tile is restricted to the number of people who are running the Tile app on their phones.
Our Mate received precise address information from the app. Since we concealed it near the rear of the lobby, we had to move around quite a bit before the Tile app would recognize it as being in the vicinity. After it was linked, we hit the Locate icon to activate the auditory warning and followed the proximity rings in the Tile app, which change green as you move closer to the object you misplaced. The procedure is not as straightforward as the step-by-step instructions provided when searching for a misplaced AirTag, but it is effective.
Stay Safe
Trackers are simple to employ to stalk someone since they are affordable and simple to conceal and do not need direct access to the target. Shortly after the introduction of the AirTags, Apple put extra safeguards on them, and Tile aims to introduce Scan and Secure function in 2023 that will inform you if there is an unassigned Tile nearby. There is no foolproof method to defend oneself against stalking that is enabled by technology; nonetheless, the internet is filled with helpful tools created by specialists who are trained to deal with such dangers.
A Good Tracker for the Money
In the end, the AirTag is superior to both the Tile Mate and the Tile Pro, but it is only accessible to users of Apple devices. While the Tile Mate tracker is, the best buy if you want to save $10, the Tile Pro is better than the Tile Mate in terms of build quality and lifespan. Having said that, because of the fact that its battery cannot be replaced, the Mate basically has a three-year expiry date. We thus give the Pro our highest recommendation.
Should You Get the Tile Mate?
Anybody who often misplaces their keys and is looking for a gadget to assist in preventing this problem in the future should consider purchasing the Tile Mate. It is also useful for tracking down a lost connected smartphone. Nevertheless, this GPS tracker is not practical for monitoring over extended distances; thus, it cannot be used, for instance, to monitor children. And if you need a more specialized tracker for exploring, the Spot Gen4 is the better option. Yet this is undeniably a valuable choice at this price and with that lengthy battery.
