Hands On With The New Tile Pro Series Trackers

I’ve been using various Tile trackers for the last couple of years. These thin, plastic devices contain a Bluetooth beacon that communicates with your Android or iOS smartphone so you can keep track of where your keys, or any other device you hook a Tile to, are. Today, Tile has released their new Pro Series trackers, the Style and the Sport, giving their trackers a stylish new look as well as a tech upgrade.

I’ve had the old models, the Tile Mate and Tile Slim for a while now. I have Tile Mates on my car keys and house keys, while I keep a Slim in the bag or backpack I’m using. The Slim is a larger device that can be slipped into a bag, wallet or purse.

The Style and Sport are made for hanging from a set of keys and offer a longer Bluetooth range than the older models – about 60 metres, up from 30 metres – and are also waterproof. Throw in the louder speaker and you get a pretty decent update on the previous models.

I’ve got a bad habit of leaving my keys lying around the house when I rush in. I have two points of entry at home and I tend to just leave my keys on whatever flat surface I get to first. And I usually dump the keys under whatever else I carry in.

Finding my keys is simply a matter of launching the app and tapping on the Tile I want to find. It beeps and I follow the sound.

As the Tile is in regular communications with your smartphone, its location is tagged on a map. So, if you leave a set of keys behind or lose them, you can at least see where they were when they last pinged your phone.

As a runner, I often carry my keys in a securely zipped pocket or pouch. But I like having a tile connected just in case they get lost. And, if you’re into organised running events, being able to get your Tile to beep when someone is searching for your gear at a bag drop can make finding your bag much easier.

As well as being able to use the app to find your Tile-connected keys, you can press the button on the Tile to find your phone.

The Tile Pro Series is available online from Tile, as well as retailers from today. The Tile Style and Tile Sport retail for $50 each or $90 for a two-pack. If your budget is a little tighter, then the Tile Mate will save you a few dollars but it’s not waterproof, has a shorter range and isn;t as loud.

That’s not cheap but given the cost of replacing a car key, or replacing the locks on your house if you lose some house keys, the Tile range of products could save you a few bucks.