The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ruled in spring 2023 that suitcase trackers don't pose a safety risk. — Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/dpa
BERLIN: Luggage doesn't always arrive at the same time as the traveller. Sometimes your bags don't make it onto the plane and, in the best case scenario, are delivered to you later. Other times your luggage ends up on the wrong baggage carousel at the destination airport.
When things like this happen, it's good to know where exactly your luggage got stuck so you can at least work out whether it's worth sticking around at baggage claim.
That's where luggage trackers come in handy. However, they have their limitations too. Here are some answers to the most pressing questions.
Are trackers allowed in suitcases?
Yes. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ruled in spring 2023 that suitcase trackers don't pose a safety risk.
According to the ICAO regulations, trackers are allowed in luggage if the batteries do not exceed a lithium content of 0.3 grams or a power output of 2.7 watt hours (Wh).
What trackers are available and how do they work?
Popular trackers include Apple Airtags and Samsung SmartTags, and there are also devices from manufacturers such as Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee. They generally cost around €30-40/US$30-40 (about RM136-182). The basic principle of how luggage trackers work is the same for all.
The trackers establish radio contact using Bluetooth with any nearby smartphone that is compatible with their respective system. Then the rough location of the tracker is displayed on your smartphone.
Your phone can also locate the tracker if it's within Bluetooth range, provided there's nothing to weaken the signal such as walls.
That range can be from 5 to 50 metres, according to tech journalist Patrick Bellmer. Problems arise if the tracker is farther away than that, for example at a different airport from you.
Then you have to hope that it's within range of someone with a smartphone that has Bluetooth enabled and who uses the same kind of tracker as you.
Which trackers are best?
Apple's Airtags are currently the best solution, says Bellmer. That's because iPhones are set to automatically register active Airtags and enter their location into the system.
"With Samsung, for example, users have to give permission for their device to register SmartTags in the area and share the data – many don't do that," he says.
And with providers such as Tile, the smartphone owner has to have the Tile app installed and have given data approval before the phone will forward a radio signal from a Tile tracker.
To sum up, whether or not a suitcase that didn't make it onto the plane can be located depends on whether other compatible smartphones pick up the tracker's signal and pass it on to you using the tracker's network.
How precise is the tracking when the suitcase is nearby?
Bluetooth is quite inaccurate. The displayed location can be off by several metres. Trackers with ultra-wideband (UWB) functionality promise more precision. These provide an almost radar-like accuracy due to a higher radio frequency, Bellmer says.
In some cases, you can navigate to the suitcase using arrows on the smartphone screen. However, the UWB range is sometimes limited to just a few metres and your smartphone has to be UWB-capable for it to work. So far, only some of the newer top models have this technology on board.
If you don't want to bother putting a tracker in your luggage, the German Air Transport Association (BDL) advises travelling with an eye-catching suitcase.
Otherwise, a coloured ribbon or a special sticker not only allows you to spot the suitcase faster on the baggage carousel, it can also help locate it in an airport's lost and found office. – dpa
