The new SmartThings Tracker will help you find your stuff.
What makes it different from other tracking devices is that it doesn't rely
only on Bluetooth.
It uses Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and LTE-M which allows it to track
items indoors and outdoors while conserving battery life, but before we dig in, let's
talk requirements.
First of all, you need to buy the device which sells for $99.
The initial fee includes a year of service, and once that expires, you'll pay $5 per month
or $50 annually.
The service is currently provided by AT&T with Verizon launching later this year, but
you don't have to have cellular service with either company in order to use the device.
You do have to be in the U.S., however, as it only works on U.S. networks.
A SmartThings hub is also not a necessity, but Tracker works with V2, V3, SmartThings
Wi-Fi hubs, the ADT Smart Security Panel, and Connect Home hubs.
I tested it with both V2 and V3 and there were no differences in performance.
Finally, you will need the new SmartThings Connect app as it doesn't work with SmartThings
Classic.
Setting the device up is simple.
If you turn Tracker on before opening the Connect app, you will receive an automated
message prompting you to connect the device and tie it to a location.
If not, head to the Device tab, touch the plus sign, and select Tracker once it appears.
After that, simply follow the on-screen instructions.
The only problem I had during setup was that Tracker kept attaching to the wrong hub because
it was attaching to my default location.
You can change your default location using a SmartThings IDE login so I'll drop instructions
for doing below, but for now, let's talk about tracking.
First, I tried to track it by asking a friend to hide Tracker at a couple of indoor locations.
All Tracker can do is show the last known estimated address of your Tracker on-demand,
which it does with decent accuracy, but an estimated address doesn't tell you that much.
Generally speaking, cheap Bluetooth trackers are better at finding items indoors as they're
often equipped with things like alarms or proximity sensors that can really help you
hone in on an item, all things that Tracker is lacking which why I'm giving it a thumbs
down for indoor tracking.
Of course, if I was trying to find something larger than Tracker, like a car or a person,
I might have had better luck, which is why the device is more useful when tracking items
outdoors, but there is a catch...
Tracker can't map the device's location in real-time.
The best way to track something is to press the live tracking button.
This option will update the device's location once per minute for ten minutes.
By pressing the travel path button, you can also view the device's most recent travel
path and scroll through to see where it was at different points in time.
Alternatively, you can set up automatic location updates from the settings menu.
This option will automatically ping the device's location at set intervals with the shortest
interval being 10 minutes.
Of course, if you're trying to track an item, every 10 minutes is even less useful than
every minute which is why outdoor tracking gets a maybe you should buy it depending on
what you're trying to do.
Personally, I would not trust it to track a child or pet, maybe you could use it to
keep tabs on where you parked your car, but keep in mind that tracking a moving vehicle
or tracking from a moving vehicle is basically impossible.
The device is dust and water resistant so you can use it outside, but of course you
can do more than track so let's talk about that.
First, Tracker can send notifications.
You simply press the power button twice, which sends the device's location to your SmartThings
app.
Second, you can set two geofence locations.
For example, you might set one around your home and one around your child's school.
Third, Tracker can be used as an arrival sensor which means that you can use it in automations.
From the automations tab, click the plus button, select the location Tracker is attached to,
and then custom automation.
You'll see a condition here called “based on a member’s location,” but for me, this
only works with my phone, so I ended up using the option labeled as “based on device
status.”
From here, select your Tracker, and then you can choose enter or leave zone.
If you want, you can add even more conditions like, only if it’s between 11:00 am and
12:00 pm on a Tuesday or Thursday, and then we can add another condition like my security
mode is disarmed.
Under that, you can choose from notify me, control a device, and change this locations
mode.
And again, you can choose multiple actions like change mode to away, and turn off the
lights.
Finally, from the app, you can press the top button to toggle between street and Satellite
view or you can click on the date which drops down and allows you to view your location's
history by day.
I think the bottom line here is that I'm not overly enthusiastic about the Tracker but
I'm also not opposed to it.
It really just depends on why you want to use it.
If you have any questions about Tracker, let me know in the comment section below.
And before you go, subscribe and check out my other SmartThings videos.
And I will see you all soon!