Tile practical test: When the dog finds the smartphone
16.9.2020
Translation: machine translated
The Bluetooth pendants from Tile are designed to help you find lost objects. In the practical test, the small search aid has to prove itself on a dog - and ends up being used quite differently than expected.
Tile advertises the fact that you can use its Bluetooth tags not only to find your keys, rucksack or wallet, but also your pet. As immovable objects are no great challenge, I give my colleague Clarissa a Tile for her dog Willi. Although she is happy with the search function at the end and continues to use the Tile, she can't use it as a helper if Willi escapes due to its short range.
A Tile for every purpose
You currently have the choice between four Tile models: Sticker, Mate, Pro and Slim. The Tile Sticker is the smallest Bluetooth tag and has an adhesive surface on the back that you can use to attach it to smooth surfaces. The Tile Slim has a credit card format and is designed to be put in your wallet. The battery in these two is permanently installed and should last up to three years. With the Tile Mate and Tile Pro, on the other hand, you can replace the button cell when it is empty. Both are designed to be attached to a key ring, an eyelet in your rucksack or similar. The Pro version is slightly larger as it has a longer range and therefore contains a larger battery (CR2032 instead of CR1632).
With dog and Tile in the city park
Clarissa takes Willi to Hamburg City Park to try out the Tile sticker. A dog can easily get lost in the 148 hectares of green space. She hasn't prepared herself. She only downloads the Tile app on site and is surprised that she needs to register: "Great, another user account. I don't want to have one, but I can't get anywhere here without one." The account is quickly created with an email address and then she pairs the Tile sticker via Bluetooth, adds it to the app and realises with delight: "It's practical, I can write what it's attached to right away."
Now Willi has to hold still for a moment. The Tile sticker fits exactly on the back of his dog tag. Remove the protective film and stick it on. "Oh, it says here that it should dry for 24 hours. We don't have that time now." Spoiler: Everything goes well. The Tile sticker remains permanently stuck to Willi's dog tag.
At last Willi is allowed to dash off and disappears straight into the undergrowth. If Clarissa loses sight of him, all it takes is a click on the search button in the Tile app and Willi's collar beeps. This irritates him so much that he stops or returns directly to Clarissa. So there's no need to search at all.
Clarissa, however, is not satisfied with the 45-metre range of the Tile Sticker: "If Willi is too far away, it no longer works. I can't locate him or make the Tile beep."
A few days later, Clarissa reports further experiences: "To be able to find Willi, I not only have to have Bluetooth activated, I also have to make sure that the Tile app is started. I wouldn't be able to locate Willi afterwards if he ran away." In addition, her use of Tile had already changed. Instead of looking for Willi, she uses it to find her smartphone again. "I always don't know where it is in my flat. But Willi can't hide, so all it takes is a press on his dog tag to make my smartphone ring." At least as long as Bluetooth is switched on.
Higher range and a premium account
Clarissa is happy with the Tile Sticker, even if she ends up using it differently than planned. It remains on Willi's dog tag for the time being. Even though the range outside is too short for her. But as Willi has been well behaved so far, he doesn't need to be tracked. The short range is my fault, as I chose the Tile sticker. The manufacturer states a range of 45 metres. The Tile Pro, which would fit next to the dog tag on the collar, has a range of 120 metres. This means Willi could move further away and still be found.
The user account, which Clarissa found unnecessary when setting it up, has several helpful functions. For example, she can use the app to share the Tiles with another person - who also needs a user account - if they are given the key to her flat to water the flowers or take Willi for a walk. The entire Tile community also keeps an eye out for lost items. If a stranger's smartphone locates your reported lost Tile, you will receive a notification and can thank the finder later, who will not be informed beforehand that their Tile app has found something.
Tile Premium is another paid plan. For €3.49 per month or €34.99 per year, you can set up smart notifications where you can define places where you can "leave" your things. You can also share the Tiles with more than one person, get replacement batteries sent to you and see a location history of your Tiles for the last 30 days.
Conclusion: Find quickly instead of searching for a long time - except for animals
The tiles do their job. If you are looking for an item, you can significantly reduce the amount of time you spend searching with a Tile. However, this only applies if - unlike Willi - it does not move itself and you are still within Bluetooth range. Depending on the model, this means within a radius of 45 or 120 metres. If the Tile is out of range, you still have to rely on a bit of luck to find it again, but you have a better chance with the Tile community, which also keeps its eyes open.
For Willi and similarly agile pets, however, the Tiles are not well suited due to their short range. If you want to find your lost four-legged friend again, small trackers with integrated GPS and mobile internet access are the better choice.
Lottery: win four Tile packages
So that you no longer have to search for your things, we are giving away eight Tile sets - four each in Germany and Switzerland. They each consist of a Tile Mate, Tile Pro and Tile Slim. Simply take part by 30 September 2020 and you'll be in the lottery pot.
Find instead of search!
Win one of four Tile sets.
The competition has ended.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.
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