Car tracking: Apple AirTag v Samsung SmartTag+ v GPS comparison review: Which is best?

[@CarExpertAus]

Just a note regarding ‘Lost Mode’ on the Apple AirTag. A few people mentioned that it improves accuracy - it actually doesn’t help find the device. Lost mode enables an NFC message for when somebody finds an AirTag with your details. Given the nature of the AirTag, it has no internet connection until an Apple device is near it, so it would never be able to receive a command to improve its accuracy until another device was near at, at which point it would relay its location regardless.

[@kushalraj]

I reckon putting it in lost mode increases the polling rate of the iPhone to Apple servers for the AirTag. Privacy is more of a focus with the AirTag. So it’s definitely not the best for frequent updates to location. If the car is stationary, I suppose apples larger network would come in handy there.

[@mondotv4216]

The other problem with the Apple device - if the car thief has an iPhone then it’s going to notify them after a set amount of time that there is an air tag tracking them that is not paired witn another iPhone in their vicinity. After 3 days of not being paired with the owner’s phone it will start to beep. Part of Apple’s privacy protection. So you can’t spy on or track people with it. So as a theft protection device it’s marginal. It’s designed to track lost things.

[@tims728]

@@mondotv4216 thanks for the explanation, currently looking at Husqvarna and Stihl tags that record location of items its attached to. Trying to understand if this is an option as well for device tracki g, ie knowing where tools are located as several users take tols from storage and use at different locations arou d our city. Think it will help locate an item either at the storage location or offsite.

[@mplscarsales6652]

@@mondotv4216 cut the speaker wire to speaker 🔈 that beeps

[@bradarmstrong3952]

Calling the Airtag out as worse, after this side-by-side comparison, without looking into Apple's stated design for the device makes you appear fair, but is dishonest. The Airtag is deliberately designed not to be a motion tracker (stalking) and also to have long battery life. It only sends a signal every 7 min so in order to meet these design goals.

[@a1inMil-Experience]

This is how a Tech Review should be demonstrated. Kudos! Thanks

[@mangothing1604]

Self-confessed geeks/engineers reviewing cars and car tech 👍🏽 You guys cover more of the safety, tech, comfort and practicalities of vehicles instead of just the zero-to-crash times 🙏🏽

[@CarExpertAus]

Glad it's helpful!

[@brainsmatterpodcast]

Agreed!

[@DILLY_DING]

@CarExpertAus Please consider making an updated video with Smart tag 2 and any other equivalent devices to compare. Your test is by far the best tag testing video. Thanks

[@deltaxsingh]

People seriously underestimate the number of Samsung devices in the world. It eclipses Apple, that's the real reason the trackers work so well.

[@donalddrane2795]

I noticed that he said 1.5B apple users, didn't mention how many Samsung, i think there are more Samsung devices.

[@coryascott]

Yeah but your car isn’t going all over the world. It’s probably staying in North America which is dominated by Apple

[@richardkent]

@@coryascott The majority of cars in the world spend no time in North America.

[@donr62]

@@coryascott dominated? Market percentage for both is close to 50/50

[@TenFoldNow]

Not Samsung devices but Samsung galaxy devices alone

[@DeadlyFists]

It’ll be best if both companies apple and google work together to allow lost item tracking on either devices you use, then it’ll have even a better chance to locating your lost car or items like they did with CoVid alerts 😅

[@wildingnemo5869]

@@dgmenace73 i use tile for my wallet because of the card shape and Samsung tag+ for my keys,car and motorcycle i also use another wired gps on it just in case and my bmw has gps already so all have 2

[@samjam6989]

@@dgmenace73 Tile is garbage as you need tile users lol

[@dgmenace73]

It must be a lot of Tile users in my area of NC as well as VA...my friend just used Tile to get his stolen ATV back....He lives in Madison, NC and the ATV made it to Northern VA in less than a week. 5 days and got it back using a Tile Slim!! I know he is very happy now.

[@AAAdvantageDoors]

I hardly think Samsung, Google or Apple are concerned about people finding their lost valuables, as much as they're concerned about the bottom line. They will collaborate when hell freezes over.

[@UnboxingTVofficial]

SmartTags are a Samsung product, Google has nothing to do with it. So Samsung and Apple would have to workt together.

[@EntropyOCD]

This is an excellent real world review. Really appreciate the effort and time putting this together. This will help seniors with cognitive disabilities and younger citizens who are cognitively disabled or are capable to wander off.

[@CarExpertAus]

Thanks for watching!

[@rlvsun]

Even for kids and pets. In the case of a missing person the first hours is important.

[@canerrenac3263]

Even for foreigners from all of the world. (Turkiye) thanks.

[@danielmarino5647]

Not if they go in the bushland no cell reception useless

[@jahcomputer4743]

this will help everybody not just seniors anybody interested in being able to track their car

[@MauiXoXo]

Great review! Samsung Tag WINS! Accuracy, simplicity and practicality!! ❤

[@sonnyhe2002]

Very accurate reviews. I lost my keys before on the beach, the keys never moved from the position where it was lost but the Airtag I had only reported an inaccurate location of half a mile away. Lucky I remember where my exact spot where I lost it.

[@rubymclovely747]

Finally a good video actually testing real world and the features that matter. Touché guys and thank you 😊

[@timb8095]

Would be interested to see how these work once they are hidden away somewhere unseen eg: glovebox, boot etc to see how that effects the signal strength and detection range.

[@CarExpertAus]

Yep that’d be the next test - to see how accurate it is when the devices are tucked away.

[@Noddydc]

Wingmirror behind the glass. Plenty of airgap to let a clear signal out.

[@DJSekuHusky]

@@Noddydc Why not find the antenna lead on the PCB and solder it directly to the frame of the vehicle? Use the body as the antenna structure? If you tuck it in the headliner and solder it to the roof skin, it'd be like having a satellite dish rigged up to it, in theory at least.

[@4u2dsire]

@@CarExpertAus Did you end up testing these in a hidden spot somewhere within the car?

[@JS_71]

@@DJSekuHusky the thing is that some vehicles' frame might be made either with non-conducting materials or have junctins between it... reducing its range. Also soldering it directly to the frame is easier said than done.

[@kdegraa]

That’s a bit disappointing as my tractor has an Airtag hidden on it. Tractor theft is a big issue. Tractors can cost a lot of money. Mine cost a bit over $40k. Tractors are generally common keyed so a thief only needs a few dozen keys to start up most tractors. Tractors are generally not registered for road use so there is no database of serial numbers and even if they were registered and used on a road the tractor if stolen could have a productive life without being registered again. Last May we were working on our farm and we saw a car stop where the road passes our farm. My neighbour had their fairly new tractor parked within view of the road where this car stopped. We stopped our work and watched the driver get out, get through the fence and come onto my neighbour’s farm. A medium sized truck then pulled up. The driver went back, talked to the truck driver. The truck drove off. It came back down the road the other driving back to where it came from. We decided to have a closer look and drove in our farm UTV towards this fellow. He looked at us, we looked at him. He got in his car and drove off. I’m pretty sure he was a scout looking for farm vehicles to steal.

[@CarExpertAus]

Wow that’s a crazy story. It’s definitely worth sticking one of these on it. Just don’t rely on either brand to be super effective - but at the end of the day it’s better than nothing.

[@davidjacobs8558]

Lojack ?

[@syoung20001]

Wouldn’t the thief get a notification that they’re being followed by an unknown AirTag in which case they’d know to listen for the chimes or try and quickly locate the AirTag and remove it?

[@kdegraa]

@@syoung20001 maybe but there are a million places an air tag can be hidden on or in a tractor. Anything that can cause a thief to have a bit of angst and worry is worth it.

[@nibblessss]

@@kdegraa If it makes noises... it will obviously narrow down that location very quickly... so it'd become extremely easy to just grab, throw it out... and continue..

[@Perplexer1]

A few important things were not talked about in this video, which are probably very important to somebody deciding what to get. Firstly the battery. I know the Apple AirTag battery for example can last for about a year. But how long does a GPS module's battery last? Also, the Apple AirTag can only be tracked with high precision if you are using an iPhone or iPad with a U1 chip. If your iPhone doesn't have the U1 chip (for example iPhone SE 2020) then the location shown on the map will be a rough approximate and you won't be able to guide yourself to it like shown in this video at 12:09. So these are some things to know before you decide what to get, or get some more info from some other video in regards to a GPS module battery (if it runs on one at all) to see if that's good for your use case.

[@coolcat-nq4mj]

apple played them selves

[@Robjohnson123]

Both tags will be good as a backup, I don’t think they’re great for car tracking. Good insight guys, nice video!

[@CarExpertAus]

That’s true - they’re so cheap that it’s worth just putting them in the car.

[@Shadow__133]

I have an airtag on my headphone case. When I leave my car I just leave the case behind. If someone steals it, maybe I have a chance of recovering the car and I didn't have to buy a spare airtag that may or may not work just for that. I also have a very old gps tracker hard-wired, so maybe not that much necessary.

[@fleet1stgps]

Simple: Apple AirTags are bluetooth trackers so they are great for keys or your wallet. They can also be easily found. So do you secretly track a car? If so, a hidden GPS tracker like SpaceHawk is your best pick

[@Ryanh-q6x]

Totally. I used the tracker to catch....well you know!

[@jasperc4572]

This channel is supreme! Like it you explain the car tech in a simple English and test it in a friendly way. Good work Paul and the team!

[@CarExpertAus]

Thank you very much!

[@MathewBT81]

That was a great review 🏆 Definitely think you should also try replicating with it hidden within the car to see how signal is like 👍

[@CarExpertAus]

Good idea!

[@ContraVsGigi]

It is the second test I see with the same results between the tags. The other one was in the UK and I was very surprised to see Apple not working that great. Maybe in the US it is different as there are more iPhones per capita, but in most other places, Samsung SmartTag seems to work much better.

[@kennethgentry62]

Definitely not different. Apple tag sucks got it to track my dog and it hardly works. Thinking of getting the Samsung tracker n download the app

[@andreworourke6629]

Thank you for the review, you have just sold the idea of the Samsung smart tag to me.

[@walrusgumboot]

Nice test! Another idea may be to leave a car in a quiet car park and see which one updates location the quickest. Simulating a stolen car being abandoned. May get the same result but maybe not. Perhaps the Samsung is better at updating while moving? In theory the airtags should have more users updating the location given there are many more iPhone users in Australia

[@jacksbackable]

Is it not possible that , the AirTag may deliberately only be updating every 10 minutes or so, to give better battery life.....!?

[@redchilli450]

@@jacksbackable That's not how it works. It updates everytime an iPhone is in proximity (bluetooth range). If an iPhone remains in proximity for a few minutes, it will continue to update every minute. The test above is very surprising, since there are more iphones in Oz than samsungs. Perhaps iPhone users don't take that route at the time of the day or they just have their bluetooth turned off!!

[@jaideepa.s176]

@@jacksbackable you people have reasons because you want to support the scrap Apple

[@Junispro31]

​@redchilli450 It could be that most Apple users don't have the feature to relay the location turned on. Most Apple users don't like to mingle in their settings either. They just use it as it is. Meanwhile android users like to explore their settings. Could explain why more samsung users were available to ping.

[@billyjack.]

The Samsung communication hardware is more advanced & has longer range. eg. Apple tags have

[@franciscofredviana743]

I was about to buy Airtag for my dog and now I think I will put both Airtag and the Samsung one on his collar. Thanks for the review

[@softwarephil1709]

Ultra wideband is used for precision location. Bluetooth is used for location reporting. Any iPhone with Bluetooth turned on can relay the location. They don’t need UWB.

[@ed_moustachio]

Great video, thanks Paul and Scott. Samsung Smart tag seems like a good option. Just a thought - As Paul mentioned, If the Samsung smart tag uses "Samsung" and other "android" devices to triangulate its location, would it be benefit from "other" Android based in car infotainment systems to help with location detection? Something like Android Automotive, which is starting to be used for Infotainment systems in Ford (US) and Volvo, if its all compatible with Samsung smart tags, it seems like a good choice for now (and for later).

[@CarExpertAus]

Sorry, should clarify it's just Samsung devices. Other Android devices can't relay the location of a SmartTag+, just Samsung devices.

[@20tea]

Homes with a Samsung tv used to help track? Curious?

[@Turki-968]

@@20tea probably yeah

[@daijoubu4529]

@@20tea I really doubt TV does tracking, it's most likely only Galaxy mobile devices

[@awsomef2004]

@@20tea Unlikely, as their TVs aren't android

[@roobtoob2]

You are leaving out a very important fact that the airtag will alert the occupant of the vehicle that there is a tracking device nearby that does not belong to the person receiving the alert. I don’t know whether or not the Samsung device will behave the same way. Apple introduced this feature as a way to prevent people from stalking other people by placing an AirTag in their possession, without their knowledge in order to follow their movements. If you use an AirTag for the purpose described in this video, understand that the thief will be notified (on their iPhon) of the presence of an AirTag in about an hour after the AirTag leaves the location of its owner.

[@dal5225]

This was an interesting one.

[@CarExpertAus]

Thanks!

[@davffwatto77]

@@CarExpertAusWould have been nice to see Scott in an underground car park with a smoke machine and some hand painted burnout marks :) not sure why you kept saying you were surprised by how badly apple performed? then again you've sunk the boot into android in the past

[@kerravon7545]

@@davffwatto77 cutaways of scott eating in the car, parking in a car park next to battered cars - could have had so much fun with this but an entertaining take

[@Justforfun-wq7mr]

Yes, it sure was.

[@weanwean72]

I am wondering Samsung smart tag would connect to a thief phone and they would be warned that they are being tracked

[@MrGiodude17]

I have a problem this is the only good review I have found online and I dnt know If I belive car expert now

[@epicskye]

What phone did the driver was using? That can makes whole lot of difference

[@nrmerchant]

He is using google maps .. so definitely using an android… so this is not 100% accurate… he shud have used a dumb phone to get more accurate results…

[@JoeGillian0]

2 comments : was Samsung phone in the car completely off or just in air plane mode...I think trackers still work even if phone is in airplane mode... Also Apple trackers last 4 times longer than the Samsung ones (24 vs 5-6 months),might explain the slower refresh rate

[@NativelyBornAmerican]

Always suspected the Samsung was better than the apple tags. Thanks for the objective comparison!

[@medicalcenter-z5g]

hi, good review, but u have not mentioned from where to buy a good gps tracker, any specific brand ?

[@FlexDRG]

Sadly though, the gps-lte would need a payed service for the data connection. Making it more expensive. Both in initial purchase and with the gsm subscription (or pre-pay). But when using it as a tracker in rural or aquatic areas the tags are practically useless whereas the LTE would shine.

[@emilecloete1458]

Only uses about 10 to 20 MB per month though.

[@leolego2]

Just get a secondary sim for your plan, should cost pennies

[@FlexDRG]

@@leolego2 in general a secondary sim will not do simultaneous connection with the primary active. It is either one or the other.

[@reeced5521]

@@FlexDRG Vodafone offer the Curve which is £2 per month to cover the cost of the eSIM required for it to function. I'd say that is pretty cheap for a half decent tracker

[@Seersniper-wq3ik]

can you suggest a good LTE device to buy please? Instead of samsung or Apple

[@dgmenace73]

First, Thanks for your video! Secondly, I am an Android user and have been using Tile for years now and they have helped me find lost keys, cell, & wallet...even keep track of where my teen is (or is not...lol). Lastly, I have switched to the Samsung and I absolutely love the AR feature. I, myself have did test and even though the Tile uses Apple AND Android, my results were about the same as yours. These tracker devices are really helpful for people that don't like losing items or lose/misplace items often. I intend on purchasing more trackers and this video has made it easier for me to know my tests and opinion is correct. Thanks again

[@Guy-mx4fb]

Do they have a battery?

[@dgmenace73]

@@Guy-mx4fb yes

[@alb.4089]

@@Guy-mx4fb No they run off water.

[@KarmIsrael-oh8vz]

You said the apple AirTag can only be seen by the owner but when you call Apple they say any iPhone can find it in the Find My app?

[@RevRod92]

Just keep in mind that the cold will destroy the battery. I left the Samsung tag+ overnight at 15°f/-9.4°c in my car and it is nearly dead after that.

[@johnames6430]

Need a plug in option for cars so you can keep it charged via usb port on the car

[@spd8300]

Right, my friend's car got stolen yesterday in London, and just to let everybody know, thieves do not care about trackers. They simply block everything with a laptop in their hand . Unless you are using a premium tracker with anti signal jamming, which costs £400-£600 with subscription fee.

[@outdoors5352]

You could check accuracy of the tags by having a second car with a Samsung and Apple phone in it following the tag test car.

[@JTSBMW]

So the same tech that can help someone steal your car can help you find it as well?

[@jeffreychow8853]

Since the tags depend on either an Apple or Samsung device nearby, I can’t imagine a single test is enough to draw conclusions. There’s so many variables out of your control that could influence the tracking frequency that have nothing to do with the device’s performance. I suggest doing repeated tests to see if they’re consistent.

[@NoNegotiations]

I mean it's pretty accurate, it all depends on how many users are near by that device.

[@nepaliiiiiiiiiiiiiii]

@@NoNegotiations Does the tracker only work if the Bluetooth on nearby Samsung devices is turned on during a lost event?

[@Turki-968]

@@nepaliiiiiiiiiiiiiii no it works even if it is off

[@sikandar-ali1]

So GPS is winner. But no where do you share WHERE I can get this GPS device???

[@ratgreen]

Great video. I watch this as someone who has a normal GPS tracker on my car, but seeing as it's parked up 99% of the time with the battery disconnected, I'm getting sick of the tracker battery dying. So I'm looking for something like a tag and deciding on which one I want. Also a GPS tracker is fairly big and would be fairly easy to find. I could hide an air tag in places that people would never find it even if they knew it was on the car. Do Samsung phones have the tag tracking turned on by default? If its not on by default then I question the coverage. I need to research some more

[@axelvdp1]

.

[@berniemackattack86]

Why not find the way to put it like inside of the glove and lock the glove ?? my car is an older car so my glove isn't so safe for tiny items as there it some space visible in between. The glove compartment and the actual crevices of the insides of the engine, battery etc so tiny items like coins or pins etc have a chance of falling into there and out thru the bottom of the car. If it is similar in size to his GpS tracker maybe try gettin little magnetic strips or Velcro strips if you fear the magnetic stuff might effect your tracking in low signal areas with those you can then get creative with where you put it like reaching under spots in the trunk or other areas. . feel me ?

[@notflanders4967]

this is cool but after some research I found out my found doesn't support UWB connectivity :/

[@philz417]

Would be cool to see you recommend some actual GPS trackers that are known to work.

[@CarExpertAus]

The one we had was pretty average. I’ll have to try a few of them out.

[@tpv59]

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

[@glynmoore3730]

Some very impressive testing. It's something (air tags) that I know nothing about. But, I do understand the tag is picked up by other people's phones to send a location, but is that other persons phone needing anything in particular to be already running .... like it's Bluetooth or it's gps or neither ????? My s20 for example only has Bluetooth or gps switched on when I need it, otherwise it's off to save battery.

[@elmin2323]

New Ford mustangs have it now! My mach 1 you can track and remotely start unlock etc on your phone

[@CarExpertAus]

Yes! FordPass Connect is great 😁

[@PaceyPimp]

How did it compare with the new Smart tag 2? Video needs update

[@philipdw6954]

This was a great review. Well done. So many disappointed Apple fan boys in the comments section. This was an unbiased review and we all saw which product was better.

[@ty.2015]

You clearly have a problem with apple LMAOOO and you can look this up btw, but apple AirTag updates every 15 minutes to save battery so it can last longer.

[@roodick85]

🤣🤣 I figured it was shit and it is. Their marketing is top notch

[@Long0214]

@@ty.2015 And you have a problem with any brand other than apple. Apple fanboi! Did he say anything wrong?

[@RonaldoTalison]

@@ty.2015 but it lasts the same as Samsung, so it doesn't work.

[@nibblessss]

@@ty.2015 This is actually not a good thing, i would rather a smarttag in a situation where i need to track down a stolen asset, more frequent updates allows both the police and me to track down my stolen asset. The airtag as a result of its delayed updates makes it only viable if the asset has stopped at a location, otherwise its useless. On top of the "anti-stalker" measures making it easy for the thief to prevent themselves from being tracked.

[@soca1460]

What is the maximum coverage? It said, 120M, if so how can you track the car or whereabout the car?

[@magnoliastreetproductions3076]

a sample place to buy or look at the gps unit would be helpful, we can easily find the samsung and apple devices. thank you

[@canuckwineguy]

I will be using for luggage tracking only, I think both will work well. I’m also looking at Atuvos tracker. I worry about battery life on most GPS trackers (3-5 days) unless you purchase an extra external battery.

[@SSH01]

Maybe samsungs last about 2-3 months on a cr2032 battery

[@hundredlives3910]

​@@SSH01it last almost a year on a single cell idk where you got 2-3 months from

[@matthewzuber9823]

would have liked to have seen more GPS tracker updates and less of the BMW tracker on screen.... after coming to the end of the video, it seems like you didn't show the GPS location as much because it was on par with the BMW tracker.

[@satya.anandakrishnan]

Good luck in the Lockdown Paul! Hope carexpert can keep the good content flowing while we are home

[@CarExpertAus]

Thanks mate. We have a few videos up our sleeve :-)

[@PhilipMarcYT]

You meant home arrest.

[@arnaud4875]

Which kind of phone did you get in the car ? Any Samsung device ? Because if I understand how the smart tag+ work, it uses Samsung devices around (only samsung) to get the current location

[@gr8pies]

Just a thought. With some cars becoming extremely valuable I have often thought how easy something like these units “which are fantastic when used by the owners” could be slipped into a rare car at a car show etc by others , then tracked to where the vehicle is stored. Any others have the same thoughts?

[@frostedbutts4340]

Sure, Apple (and I assume Samsung)etc thought of that, and your phone will alert you if an unknown airtag has been 'following' you for a certain time

[@EdsPlace]

@@frostedbutts4340 seems like car theives could use that feature to identify if they are being tracked.

[@ratgreen]

@@frostedbutts4340 yes but by the time they notify you of you being tracked by a random tag, it's too late, the theives already know where you live.

[@fetchstixRHD]

@@EdsPlace: + aren't the Apple Airtags at least set up such that they'll start sounding out after a while if they're around a "stranger" but not its owner or something? Always found (ha!) the idea of these tags to be pretty "interesting" - you have to trade off between making it easier to track (and stalk) something/one and making it harder to trace someone who doesn't want to be tracked (including those who just stole your stuff)...

[@BLACKLOTUS104]

Either Apple or Samsung is not ideal for “Live” tracking. Because as you said it relies on the same brand to locate it. I did an experiment of this. I left the apple tag inside my car drove early morning when one one is around. The tag still showing im still at home but im already 30 minutes away and back. Because theres no people around with iphone the apple tag cant relay its location. I also did the same experiment when i was in europr where most phones are samsung. Same problem. So appletag will work in airport or where a lot of people using apple. Lets hope that the person who stole your car uses applephone.

[@jmbiz7]

Excellent and we'll thought out review.....based on these results I will buy the Samsung device

[@CarExpertAus]

Thanks for watching!

[@lorandkovacs5793]

How do you turn off the smart tag tracking in your phone? And what if everyone is turning it off?

[@domc9026]

Much better to buy a car with built-in gps 😅 Thanks for reviewing those Paul.

[@CarExpertAus]

Very true!

[@TsarOfRuss]

and you don't think thieves have found a way to hack that off ???

[@TsarOfRuss]

What if i bring a signal jammer along when stealing ur car?? will your GPS save you?

[@donalddrane2795]

I don't drive modern cars, only classics.

[@realgreencookie]

Is the Samsung tag updating using whatever phone Scott is speaking through? (Assuming it’s an android)?

[@patrickclark9008]

To get an fast update using airtags all you need to do is quit the app and open it. My partner and I do this everyday, and it updates as soon as the app restarts. The automatic refresh is bad due to 10-15 minute wait, but quit and open it the app again and it works fine.

[@CarExpertAus]

We tried that before the first checkpoint but it didn’t update. You can see in the video footage it’s occasionally updating but it doesn’t get a new location.

[@Bootsz2010]

How about if you leave it in a parking place to try to find your car? Might be difficult if there was driven by it recently?

[@Pipsicle330]

Didn’t even realise my BMW had this already built in. Just checked the App on my phone and it’s correctly showing it parked outside. 👍🏻

[@CarExpertAus]

Love it! There you go :-D

[@m2comp369]

@@CarExpertAus Not a 100% certain but, the BMW in-built tracker isn't a live tracker. You'll only know where the vehicle is after it's parked and engine turned off.

[@MicDropBBQ]

Being a 3-series (I have the 2019 330i), your BMW may have had integrated Wi-fi. I wonder if that's why the Android was always updating. My vehicle is setup for both Android Play and Apple Play. The Wi-Fi module is in the trunk next to the battery, at least in mine.

[@CK-297]

I wonder if it's possible to keep an old mobile in the car (sound muted) with data sim card activated and then use 'Find Me' to track the car down? What do you think Paul? (Plenty of different options to keep battery alive)

[@CarExpertAus]

Yep that would definitely work. It's just the battery draining that could be a problem.

[@capriconcap7531]

If you can put an old phone. What's the necessity of the tag. There are apps to track and pin point the accurate location using GPS

[@absolutium]

@@capriconcap7531 You can have a tracker everywhere.. car keys ..spare wheel .. your backpack and track every single one of those without paying data for each.. with a loong lasting battery.

[@capriconcap7531]

@@absolutium what do you mean? I don't think a tracker that can fit in car key with GPS, using data service would last more than 3 hours of battery. Either you need to plug it somewhere to get activated or it should be something internally mounted to the car's power source.

[@absolutium]

@@capriconcap7531 Oh I never said gps ..Im talking about the featured Samsung and Apple products.

[@rrassoc]

Chances are excellent that the person who stole your car will have a cell phone. I'm still learning, but I believe one or more of the tag trackers can use either Apple or Samsung/Droid? networks. Boom.

[@CoolTies]

Interesting, I wonder how "Tile" would have done given it also has a network of Tile owners. While likely not as many as these two it would be an interesting comparison.

[@roodick85]

I love tile I just wish they had replaceable batteries 😭

[@jkxss]

@@roodick85 they do... The pro series

[@Tommy-my8xx]

Best gps/ audio spy for android straight talk? Please and thanks.

[@schweinhund7966]

Excellent video of a pretty well designed test. The conclusion was superlative in that you mentioned jammers can still defeat them. The manufacturers should hire you for additional real world testing.

[@jbranche8024]

Ideally you want a multi-layered defense. Insurance that covers theft, tracking, car parked in secure or well lit location with security cameras. The problem with the jammers is they have to be on, working properly and close to the car. They are not going to know if your vehicle has tracking and the equipment would have to stay by the vehicle until it is found and defeated. The equipment gets expensive used that way. What others have said is thieves look for an easier, less time consuming and less risky opportunity most of the time.

[@gate-a-mation]

I use Apple Find My on a daily basis on a fleet of vans. When using Find My on an iphone, the app will not refresh very often at all - it even said it in your video - last refreshed ten minutes ago. All you can do is click on the tag again and hope it will refresh, which it often does not. The mistake you are making is that you think the tag is not refreshing very often. In order to see immediately where a moving vehicle is at you need to Stop and restart the app to get it to refresh all devices immediately. The reason? As usual Apple is saving your battery and not giving you any user options. I boot the program and reload and find vehicles immediately multiple times a day to let customers know how long they will be. In urban areas it is quite reliable. Polling is about every two minutes. In known blackspots I can see how long ago they disappeared and if I know which direction they are headed I can determine when they will pop out in the next town. Maybe the question should be will a thief be more likely to have an iphone or a Samsung :) The excellent AutomatricsMTrack channel shows cars often parked in tin sheds or containers to foil GPS and RF trackers. Love your channel Paul.

[@BobbyDazzler888]

The devices on the the dashboard increases their range. Somewhere like glove box would give you a more real indication

[@CarExpertAus]

Good point.

[@raddpetersdc]

You could probably mount it on your rearview mirror?

[@frostedbutts4340]

@@raddpetersdc Yeah you could stick it wherever with some double sided tape. Parcel shelf, under the dash or wherever.

[@shanechiang4141]

Can you do a comparison for this independent tracking device, Tack GPS, its cheap, 30 days battery life and low monthly subscription according to Amazon. This GPS tracker built by former Apple, Nokia, HTC and AT&T folks.

[@4x4simon4x4simon]

Good review. I'd like to see a side by side review of 3 of Australia's more affordable after market hard wired GPS tracking devices. I know the idrive is popular. Thanks

[@Haywoodjablomie100]

The iDrive is just a generic Chinese item they slap their logo on and resell at a hefty markup.

[@keithmcnie5836]

Has anyone actually calculated how much data a GPS unit uses? I realize the more movement the more data used. But, a data usage per hour for instance, would help me choose a suitable plan to purchase.

[@Nutta1]

What's the battery life on all 3 devices? 🤔

[@markyruss]

Tag shows you if it's going flat - it last a year ish, you can replace

[@izoyt]

@@markyruss in cold etc probably a lot less..

[@Icebeater1]

Both are estimated one year battery life. Sure gps runs of car OBD2 probably

[@asiedu4wd1]

You keep refreshing the bmw and Samsung but how many times did you refresh the Apple tracker 🤔

[@gzhang207]

The frequency of updates depends on the area density of iPhone/Samsung phone ownerships. So more Samsung phones would mean more updates. Since such tags have a trackable distance of 800 feet, tracking on highway is not as good as pedestrians dense locations.

[@nibblessss]

Unfortunately this is not completely true, airtag does not allow manual updates on location, you must wait for the automatic update which is roughly 10 minutes. The smarttag updated more frequently not because there were more samsung devices but because it updates automatically more frequently and also allows for manual updates of location. Making it a better option if you are trying to track down a stolen option.. Especially when you consider the airtags aggressive "anti-stalker" features which outright alert the thief they're being tracked in less than an hour of having stolen your car/items.

[@johnames6430]

@@nibblessss they had to add that anti-stalker feature because some woman had an airtag hidden in the wheel well and went to the media maybe hoping to get a payout from apple for her trauma etc. I'm sure she had some things planned out about how distressed she was and of course needed money. I don't think there was a lawsuit or that she got any money but I didn't keep up with the news about it.

[@krelllab6366]

@@nibblessss Out of about 100 friends and coworkers, I know exactly one with a Samsung. I was at the airport the other day, I saw no phone other than iPhone.

[@nibblessss]

@@krelllab6366 Yeah, i recommend doubling up personally. I use ipad and connect that with airtag and my samsung phone to smarttag and it makes for a great combo. Its more expensive but it really depends on the cost of the item you're tracking, like for a car its justifiable. I use it on my electric scooter that cost me $5k and its justified in this circumstance. Just remove the speaker from the airtag and you're good.

[@nibblessss]

@@krelllab6366 I have changed my opinion since making the comment you replied to, As i said, double up. It truly is the best way to go about it, especially since samsung lets you see tracking history allowing you to more accuretly find it and follow where its going or has been. Airtag updates more consistently though from my experience, although it only updates every 15mins it works consistently, which I cant say the same for the samsung, althought samsung one does have better software and is better at doing its job in my opinion.

[@rickyrick6065]

Cost ? Battery lasts ? Weather protection ?

[@Cdto2021]

Can you please review car accessories like Car Dash cams?

[@CarExpertAus]

Will see if we can find some!

[@dalecarpenter8828]

It needs to be remotely activated ! Ictivytidid in your country ?

[@JamesyMusial14]

The only thing missing is the costs I would have loved to know the prices of these 3

[@CarExpertAus]

Good point! Totally forgot to mention that. About $50 for the AirTag, about $60 for the SmartTag+ and about $150 for the GPS tracker (plus yearly subscription fees for the SIM).

[@condor5635]

Nice video but you don’t mention anything about the Apple beeping and alerting the thief. Will the thief be able to know that there’s an Apple device in the car? I know you can disable the speaker, but if the thief is alerted to the presence by a beeping noise, that’s pretty useless for tracking.

[@berdugosocials9854]

Kinda makes sense. Android is pretty good at “tracking “ details about you regardless of the measures you take to be anonymous 😄 great video by the way

[@CarExpertAus]

Thanks for watching!

[@berdugosocials9854]

Great content and format. No c-class acting and no over-selling of sponsored content (I don’t recall you had one 😅). Oh shout out to the video editor, transition is clean mate!

[@presleymeck]

Really? Lol after Apple allowed the US gvt access to all pics on iPhones you think Samsung has a tracking problem lol

[@sarwarimustafa3367]

can we use a Samsung tag on iPhone? or other way around.

[@tonyshelver4931]

We do this as a business (GPS fleet tracking). One big question I didn't see addressed was how long the batteries last? Most battery-only GPS trackers seem to give a life of a few days if reporting position on a frequent basis.

[@FuckingTiTans]

BOth, air tag and for Smart tag + lasts for 1 year

[@tb2324]

It’s not a GPS tracker, so it uses very minimal power to broadcast the RF for nearby phones to pick up and relay the info. It’s harder on unsuspecting iPhone users than that the air tag relative to battery consumption.

[@andrewd7586]

The downside Paul is crims are using such devices to track your classic/special car back to where it’s kept!🤬 Recently in England used for very sinister motives. My classic has a cutout switch plus a good old steering wheel lock. Visually at least it’s a deterrent which may be just enough to put a would be car thief off!

[@CarExpertAus]

Good point! Didn’t think about that.

[@HughRussell06]

Yeah, hidden kill switches in classic cars are a necessity imo

[@Robiam73]

Steering locks are not a deterrent. They delay a thief less than a min of time. Don’t rely on it. Put an alarm in it as this is more of a deterrent than a steering lock being that more time is needed.

[@dylanslaney]

@@CarExpertAus Both Apple and Samsung tags will report to the user they are being tracked / followed by a tag that is not registered to their account (it has to follow you around for a day or so). It will even tell you the account the tag is registered with so you can report it to police.

[@ChristianJamesK]

Just a late thought and as this was a year ago then I should read all comments but is the head unit in the car running on an android OS and thus scanning and updating the Samsung Smart tag location. Was this trial duplicated in an old car or motor bike? Time to redo this test pls.

[@kickinkentv5525]

Absolutely great video love this it answered all my questions

[@hunkenpunken]

WHAT is required for the Samsung tag to show its location? I have a samsung phone.

[@tintuu6546]

g'day aussie :D btw you started promoting apple air tags (Car to apple air tags/apple what a journey haha)

[@christophersz]

It would help if you shut off Apple and Android car play in your BMW and also shut off BMS’s tracking because it, like many other cars and devices, is based on a system similar to Android since Google made it open source and free to use. In other words, you’re BMW was helping Samsung and probably hindering the GPS device. I would like an accurate test; I have GPS devices, like the Model 54, as well as AirTags and even Samsung’s and other 3rd party tags. I’d like to know what's best for my motorcycles. I think a better test would be to use a non-teleconected vehicle. Short of that, it was a somewhat worthless test for my purposes. I hope to see an update at some point. Thank you.

[@moe_1886]

Great stuff Guys! For the most part, it looks like normal day to day driving around Metro/Suburban areas means the tags should work fine... well, except the Apple AirTag, but maybe it was having an off day or didn't want to show off against the Samsung SmartTag+ 🤭Thanks for a great review as usual and I might invest in a Samsung SmartTag+ now 😁

[@nibblessss]

I would reccomend you get the normal smarttag as the smarttag+ needs its battery replaced more frequently.. this depends if you really want that AR tracking stuff.. if not, then just get the normal smarttag. Also this is normal performance for airtag as I have one myself, it tracks less frequently and does not allow for manual updates making it very difficult to follow a moving target, like your car having been stolen.

[@cocoa1harrison]

DO IT GIVE YOU THE ADDRESS OF THE LOCATION WHERE YOUR VEHICLE IS LOCATED

[@darrenossowski8297]

Great explanation Paul, I actually use the air tag for keys and does a great job, maybe there are a lot of Apple phones around where I leave them behind 😁

[@CarExpertAus]

Yeah it's interesting - it could just be harder for it to track when it's moving. I'm not sure what happened there.

[@darrenossowski8297]

@@CarExpertAus good thinkyPaul👍

[@nibblessss]

It just doesnt update frequently, the airtag does not update as frequently as the smarttag. Ontop of that it doesnt allow for manual updates on its location meaning you have to wait for automatic updates which is between 10-15mins for the airtag. The smarttag can update manually and does more frequent automatic updates this inherently means it will tell you where it is more accurately & consistently.

[@stevenharpervw]

Can you use the Samsung gps tag with a apple iPhone. ? I think the thief would more lightly have a Google Android phone so it would make sense to have the Samsung tag

[@MauriceChigumbu]

Great video. Been considering getting the Samsung Smart Tag for a while now. You just gave me a reason to get one ASAP 😂

[@CarExpertAus]

Thanks! Keep us posted on how it goes!

[@televisi]

If I use Android (non Samsung) phone, can I still be able to detect the Samsung smart tag?

[@acbreach]

@@televisi Long time ago but will reply in case useful to anyone watching now... Samsung devices only

[@Jay-hr9ci]

The main issue with the tags the mobile phone users get an alert that there is a tag nearby.

[@VickersDoorter]

Great review, though that said, I'd never want a car back that was stolen recovered, as depending on the condition it's found, could land you an insurance marker on the car that devalues it significantly and makes selling difficult. Sad to say, but sometimes a complete loss is financially better.

[@youtubefields3917]

it can serve not only for cars but for bikes too. i'm gonna test it out

[@wainedodd8055]

As a biker I'm going after my bike. It's a lot less about insurance if someone takes that.

[@SargentRestoration]

Unless you're a car guy. The blood, sweat, tears, and shear sentimental value is worth it. I don't plan to sell my cars that I've put years of my life into.

[@geniferteal4178]

Don't be so quick to dismiss. Mom got her car back after a week. Kind of a luxury car it was stolen in the winter and they were living in it for a week idling it to keep warm. This was in canada. They caught a young kid with another stolen car and when they started questioning them he admitted he knew the location of another car mom's car and a few days later she got it back. I think the only damage was the passenger door lock. We had that car another five or 10 years after that. It was fine. I realize this isn't always a scenario I'm just saying don't dismiss the idea of getting it back until you see what the options are

[@spotlightinspect5540]

Do you have a link to the GPS/LTE device?

[@tylerhaines2023]

What an awesome video! those interior time lapses were very nice and i was so surprised about the results! Being an apple user myself I was expecting the Air tags to blow the test out of the water lol

[@CarExpertAus]

Thanks!

[@davffwatto77]

being an apple user you'd be expected to think it was going to blow the rest out of the water, marketing works .... duh

[@kerravon7545]

@@davffwatto77 pretty much

[@roodick85]

@@davffwatto77 lol yeah Apple tends to brainwash their customers 😅

[@livelifelbw]

No, I expected Galaxy to do better sorry, iPhone people this is an ongoing thing with me and you all just a little fun don't bring the hate just a true-blue Galaxy user always been great👍🏽

[@gilliantuazon6027]

Tbh I was thinking about this when Apple released the airtag. Thanks for the review, Paul!

[@TheStigHCE09]

That's almost a classic "Top Gear Top Tip" Paul! If you want to find your car, get yourself a BMW 😂😂 In all seriousness though it was quite interesting. I also learned that Apple has double the market share in Australia of Samsung.

[@CarExpertAus]

Ha ha, true!