However, Tile's thickness makes it less desirable as a tracker for your wallet and other small objects. Tile and TrackR work well, and I recommend both of them. (A replacement battery for TrackR bravo cost me about $5 at a local hardware store, but five of them go for $4.29 on .) You could also stick it inside an eyeglass case, though you'd probably want to use packing tape to better secure the device and keep it from scratching your glasses.Īnother advantage of TrackR bravo compared to Tile: You can't swap out Tile’s internal battery when it dies, though the company says it will sell you a fresh one at a discounted rate. TrackR bravo is significantly smaller and slimmer than Tile, though, which means you can slip it into your wallet (unless it's super-slim), hang it on a key fob, or drop it into a backpack or purse. The new Tile is noticeably louder than both the first-generation model and the new TrackR bravo, in my experience. In comparison, Tile, a thicker competitor, emits sound at 97 decibels, or 30 decibels more than its last version, according its manufacturer. However, I compared the sound from a previous-generation bravo to the new one, and I didn't notice a big difference. The TrackR's audible alert, which can help you locate a missing object, also got an upgrade with the latest version it's now about 80 decibels (in close range), or 4 decibels more than the previous version. TrackR currently has about 100,000 users in the United States, which limits the value of crowd GPS. TrackR also has what it calls a 'crowd GPS' feature, so if you lose your TrackR-equipped wallet miles away, another TrackR user could pick up the device's signal when in range and alert the lost object's owner. (TrackR bravo's user-replaceable CR1616 battery should last about a year.) Neither technology is currently a viable option for small, thin, low-cost trackers such as TrackR bravo. Cellular and GPS also drain significantly more battery than Bluetooth LE, and they typically come with some sort of monthly subscription fee. However, both of these technologies require larger devices than TrackR bravo. The latest version of the device recently received a hardware upgrade to expand its signal range from between 30 and 50 feet to about 70 to 100 feet, according to Chris Herbert, TrackR's CEO and cofounder.Ĭellular-connected and GPS devices can share their locations from further away, of course. TrackR bravo is a Bluetooth-only device, so it has a limited signal transmission range.

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