This is a cool project, though. One thing I didn't see is, how much does it cost to make this in practice?
I'd love to own the data from that collar, but I also looked into the BOM of doing this, and (considering what my time is worth doing the full-stack embedded electronics thing) it was absolutely cheaper to buy it and lose access to the data. It's a lot cheaper than fully fencing 2.5 acres out in the country.
why not get him an Apple watch and put it in an exercise mode so it records GPS coords as he goes, synced to his own iCloud account?
He's an 80lb Belgian Malinois, a breed known for their high drive, and for being pretty scary looking. People out here keep goats, horses, chickens, etc. He knows not to go after our chickens, but do the neighbors know he won't go after theirs? The last thing I want is for him to wander onto a neighbor's property and get shot because he looks like he's helping himself to their livestock. He'll get shot for that (or less), and I'd have zero recourse, even legally.
The Halo collar is the exact same price (including data plan) as the apple watch, but I trade remote feedback to him if he leaves the property (and a collar ruggedized to the rigors of an active dog), vs owning the data, but on a device that's not at all designed to be worn by a dog that likes to roll in dead fish and coyote shit. Meanwhile, adequately fencing the property (so he won't jump over it) will cost me between $12k and $30k. Compare that to $700 + $5/month.
> a dog that likes to roll in dead fish and coyote shit
that is like every normal dog, at least I know exactly what you describe!
No, I won't wish I had fenced the property. I'll wish I'd done a better job of training my dog.
It's cheaper than fencing thousands of feet of perimeter, anyway.
Personally, I would be jumping in if I could buy a fully populated PCB and take care of 3D printing, final assembly and software. However, doing electronics like this is far out of my wheelhouse.
I only know very roughly where the tag is. Its location is still being updated after two years. (Lost mode activated: Sept 6, 2021. Last seen 16 minutes ago.) I used to think it was two doors down, but its somewhere near the end of the block.
That's it. I have no better idea, because I have to be near it to make it beep, and I can't make it beep. The arrow mode doesn't trigger because I'm not close enough to it. Once -- and only once -- did the signal get strong enough to trigger mode, but it went away before I could do anything.
AirTags kind of suck. Even when I was playing with the tag in the house, I could only get the beep/arrow mode to work when I was in the same room with it, and at that point, I could literally see it.
My only hope is that in the future Apple designs an AirTag mini of sorts. Right now they're juust on the edge of being too big to keep strapped around their necks. They don't really seem to care, even at the current size, though.
I think the problem is that these trackers get a lot of their benefits from network effects. I own a bunch of Tiles, and I find them really useful, but if I lose my luggage somewhere I'll only get a ping if they happen to be in range of another phone that also has the Tile app.
Meanwhile, with AirTags, given the prevalence of iPhones in the US, you're much likely to be in range of someone with an iPhone at most times.
> In addition, Google is updating its Find My Device experience to make it easier to locate devices by ringing them or viewing their location on a map — even if they’re offline, it says.
> This, too, will arrive later this summer, along with new support for Bluetooth trackers from Tile, Chipolo, and Pebblebee, as well as audio devices like Pixel Buds and headphones from Sony and JBL.
https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/10/googles-find-my-device-net...
But that doesn't sell phones via lockin.
Any way to shrink/lighten the AirTag?