Bike tracker UK: what a Bluetooth tag can do after dark

What is a bike tracker?

A bike tracker is a device fixed to a bicycle that helps you find it if it goes missing. There are two kinds. A GPS tracker has its own SIM card and a rechargeable battery, and it sends the location itself, usually for a monthly fee. A Bluetooth tag, such as Beacon Tag, has no SIM and no GPS. It sends a short Bluetooth signal, and Apple devices that pass within range report where it was. Both have a place, and they suit different bikes.

What does a Bluetooth tag actually show?

It shows the last place a nearby iPhone, iPad or Mac spotted it. That is a sighting, not a live track. In a city, where many Apple devices pass, the pin can refresh often. On a country lane it may not move for hours. If your bike is taken to a lock-up in a busy street, you may see the tag appear there; if it is taken to a cellar, you may see nothing.

How does it compare with a GPS tracker?

For a commuter bike, the lack of fees and the tiny size are the reasons to choose a tag. For an expensive e-bike, a GPS unit may justify its cost.

Where do you hide a tracker on a bike?

Hide it where a thief will not look and where weather cannot reach it. Common places, in order of how well they work:

1. Inside the seat tube or under the saddle, fixed so that it does not rattle.
2. In a bar end, if the plug is hollow, wrapped so that it sits tight.
3. In a pannier or a frame bag, if you always leave them on, which makes it the weakest choice.
4. In a holder bolted under a bottle cage, with the colour matched to the frame.

Avoid the obvious spots such as a loose clip on the top tube. Check that the tag does not touch moving parts, and that you can still reach it to change the battery.

What are the limits for winter riders?

A tag is a way to recover a bike, not to prevent its theft. A thief with a cutter takes the lock regardless. The tag cannot find the bike if no iPhone passes by, and it will not help on a long ride where the bike is out of sight for hours. It is not a live GPS tracker. It works with iPhone only, and there is no arrow to follow. And cold affects a coin cell, so check the sound before a freezing morning.

What should you do if the bike goes missing?

1. Open Find My on your iPhone and check the last sighting.
2. Report the theft to the police and quote the tag's serial number if you have it.
3. Do not go and fetch it yourself. Give the location to the police.
4. Switch on Notify When Found, so Find My tells you if the tag reappears.

How Beacon Tag helps

Beacon Tag is a Bluetooth tag that works with Apple Find My on iPhone. It is about 10 g, rated IP67 so rain and puddles are not a problem, and runs on a replaceable CR2032. The box holds two, so one can go on the bike and the other on the keys for the lock. It is built to give you a place to start after a theft, not a promise of a recovery. Choose a box of Beacon Tag before the next dark ride.

Frequently asked

Can I track a stolen bike with a Bluetooth tag?

Sometimes. If the bike passes near an Apple device the tag reports a sighting, which can help the police. It is not live tracking and it depends on where the bike goes.

Is a Bluetooth tag better than a GPS tracker for a bike?

It is cheaper to run and easier to hide, but gives less precise and less frequent location data. Choose by the value of the bike.

Where is the best place to hide a tracker on a bike?

Inside the seat tube or a hollow bar end, where a thief will not look. Make sure it is held firmly and protected from water.

Does a bike tracker work with Android?

Beacon Tag does not. It needs an iPhone, because it uses Apple's Find My network.