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pompidoo

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Show HN: Undetectag, track stolen items with AirTag

undetectag.com
116 points·by pompidoo·vorig jaar·98 comments

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pompidoo
·6 maanden geleden·discuss
I developed a device that turns an Airtag on and off at specific intervals (roughly 80% off 20% on). While the AirTag is off, it can’t be detected, and when it turns on again, you can locate it and with it your stolen item: https://undetectag.com I'm about to order the new version to check whether it works on it too
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
Well it would warn the person that they are being tracked when the airtag turns back on, so I feel like any other tracker would be better suited for stalking people, and most of the time it wouldn't even track.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
I felt like adding that disclaimer was a nice thing to do, informing the customer and letting them make their own decision. It makes almost no difference to remove that disclaimer (well, it would increase sales). it is not to protect myself. The price is very low and margin is very thin, what happens if Apple bricks the device? There would be very little money left to refund the customers, and most of the refunds would be eaten by transaction fees. Is it worth it for the customers to receive a few cents back? And that's assuming I keep all the money in the company and don't pay myself.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
Yes I think having 2 is a good strategy. I'm also considering offering different timings in the future.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
I understand your point. In this case the price point makes this a bearable risk, especially to protect much more valuable items. A refund is only useful if only a certain % of people have issue or the company is big. Since this is my only product, an Airtag update that bricks the devices would just bankrupt the company and make me unable to refund most people as my margin is very low anyway.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
hardcoded, but I'm thinking of offering different time intervals in the future
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
The Airtag is mostly off and when back on will alert the person.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
Yes, unfortunately it would.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
As it's 4 hours off / 1 hour on, the device is not very suitable for stalking someone. Also once the AirTag is back on and the person starts moving, they will be alerted that the AirTag is tracking them.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
Good catch! Thank you I will correct it now.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
Interesting idea... I think it would increase the price a bit too much
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
Due to its timing, the device is not suitable for stalking someone. Additionally, if you place it in someone's handbag, for instance, once the AirTag comes back online and the person starts moving, they will be alerted that the AirTag is tracking them.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
Yes it's also a good strategy.
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
Yes, I'm thinking of offering various set-ups in the future, if I see that people are interested
pompidoo
·vorig jaar·discuss
https://undetectag.com I developed a device that turns an Airtag on and off at specific intervals. Current Airtags are detectable right away and cannot be used to track stolen property. That device allows you to hide an Airtag in your car, for example, and someone that steals your car will not be able to use some app to detect it. The Airtag will also not warn the thief of its presence. After some hours, the Airtag turns on again and you can find out its location. It’s not foolproof, as the timing has to be right, but still useful.