While services for tracking luggage with RFID tags, bar codes or GPS have been around for a while, a company called Trakdot is taking a slightly different approach. It is putting a radio transceiver on your bags that tells you where your luggage is when it isn’t where it should be.
It costs less than GPS trackers and the company says it is more secure than the RFID tags and bar codes.
The Trakdot doesn’t use GPS, which uses a lot of battery power. You don’t want the batteries to die before you get your bags back. Instead, it sends out a mobile phone signal that lets you find its general vicinity – within 30 feet, the company says – by seeing which cell towers it is near. This uses a lot less power than GPS. Trakdot estimates it can work for up to a month of continuous use on standard AA batteries.
Another battery saver, the Trakdot shuts down when on a plane. It senses when it is moving at more than 100 knots, then shuts down. Both the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration have approved the device, according to the company.
Every 20 minutes the device pops on briefly to check speed, then shuts down again until the plane lands. Then it sends a text to show where the bag has arrived.
The Trakdot is $50, with an activation fee of $9 and a $13 annual fee. The device will be available in April.
The company concedes that a big warehouse might effectively block the signal, and that the Trakdot is as prone to dead areas as your mobile phone. If your bag disappears you should check Buffalo. That’s where my lost luggage goes. Always Buffalo.