Using Key Locators Like Tile, Raven Gadgets, TrackR, etc.. Inside Gun Case?

[TommyGlock]

So the other day someone broke into my house and stole my gun case (with the guns inside) and I was more than pissed to say the least. Do you guys (and gals) use Bluetooth tracking device like Tile or Raven Gadgets device, etc... inside your gun case in order to track them down if they get stolen? or is there a specific device made for gun owners?

 

[nipprdog]

 

[eldirector]

Bluetooth won't work. Range is much to short for any "tracking" beyond 30' or so. Great for lost keys (lost in the sofa cushions), but not great for the outside world.

I am guessing you really want a GPS tracker of some sort. Possibly even with cellular service to track location "live". Most of these are too large for the firearm itself, but would fit in most cases. They take batteries, and typically a subscription (even to the cell service, in some cases).

Or, possibly, GPS and then bluetooth/wifi for "geo-fencing" to alert you when the tracker has left a user-defined area (eg: your house). Won't tell you where it went, but will tell you it is gone.

Then again, if anything is valuable enough to GPS tag, it is valuable enough to lock up, IMHO.

 

[edwea]

Sorry to hear your stuff got stolen. That really sucks. Thieves are the worst! Hope they didn't get them all.

 

[Cameramonkey]

remember most of those tag devices are crowd sourced locators, not GPS trackers. Here is how they work. (in general)
-You sign up with an account.
-You buy the tiles and register them with your account.
-If you lose one of them, you may be able to tell if you are near it (some extended bluetooth can go pretty darned far (up to 300') for just a basic low speed data connection for ID purposes and not to send any significant data like sound).
-If it is stolen you tell the app it is stolen. (or lost) That notifies all the other registered phones of all other customers worldwide to watch for it.
-Then by happenstance another member happens to walk near the object. That phone will "phone home" and tell the server "hey, I was near this lost item and I was at 5th and main about 25' north of the intersection on the west side of the street. " It only really gives you a general location to search.
-You receive an alert that your gun case was somewhere in the general vicinity of 5th and main, in a several hundred foot radius. (at x time)
-At that time you can go to that location and see if you can detect it with your phone. If so, activate the onboard speaker and listen for the tone. It's intent is for: "oh, look. There are my keys. I dropped them while riding my bike on the trail and they fell into the ditch."

Not sure how willing cops are going to be to hearing the activated tone inside an apartment and use that as PC to enter to retrieve your Tile tracker, iPhone, or other device you are able to command to make a noise. I've heard mixed results, Everything from "cops happily knocked on the door and when they were foolish enough to answer and I re-activated the beep in front of the officer he forced them to retrieve it for me." to "sorry, not enough PC, and we are too busy. Call your insurance agent or go buy a new one. Sorry."

Sorry to hear it was stolen. Good luck.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Bluetooth won't work. Range is much to short for any "tracking" beyond 30' or so. Great for lost keys (lost in the sofa cushions), but not great for the outside world.

I am guessing you really want a GPS tracker of some sort. Possibly even with cellular service to track location "live". Most of these are too large for the firearm itself, but would fit in most cases. They take batteries, and typically a subscription (even to the cell service, in some cases).

Or, possibly, GPS and then bluetooth/wifi for "geo-fencing" to alert you when the tracker has left a user-defined area (eg: your house). Won't tell you where it went, but will tell you it is gone.

Then again, if anything is valuable enough to GPS tag, it is valuable enough to lock up, IMHO.

Also those GPS trackers come with an annual contract for data services on top of the cost of the device itself. It essentially uses cell towers to communicate with the tracking servers. So its probably cheaper for most people to just insure the guns and if they are stolen, write them off and use the insurance check to replace them. They typically arent small enough to mount to the guns in a cavity, (so if the tracker is in the case and they throw the case away you are screwed) and you're gonna pay $10 /mo per tracker for the uplink data charge.

And dont forget that Murphy's law says they wont steal it until either the batteries in the tracker are dead, or right before you intended to replace them so it dies shortly after they steal it.

 

[bwframe]

Did they only take the firearms? What about other valuables?

Think they targeted you for the guns? How did they know you had them?

 

[Dead Duck]

WOW!
Did they have a tow truck? That's what they'd need to steal my gun case. It's about 1200lbs empty, then drilled and bolted down......... too deep though. I went right through the hull of the boat.






May my guns rest in peace.

 

[TommyGlock]

Did they only take the firearms? What about other valuables?

Think they targeted you for the guns? How did they know you had them?

They did take a watch and a few small other things but some of my guns were one of a kind engraved guns, the other stuff can easily be replaced.

 

[TommyGlock]

WOW!
Did they have a tow truck? That's what they'd need to steal my gun case. It's about 1200lbs empty, then drilled and bolted down......... too deep though. I went right through the hull of the boat.






May my guns rest in peace.

No, they were in carrying cases (this is where I screwed up).

 

[Sigblitz]

You need to be vigilant.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You need to be vigilant.

But if I'm Vigilant, who will Vigilant be?

 

[Sigblitz]

But if I'm Vigilant, who will Vigilant be?

 

[Vigilant]

Hey now, weren’t we taught that appropriation was a bad thing?