Tile (Bluetooth Missing Things Finder) for my Russian

jsheffield

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I got an email from Tile this afternoon asking me to come back (I never left, but I haven't bought anything from them in a few years... I guess that's what they meant).

sticker2_transparent_1000x1000.png

The device that caught my eye is their new "Tile Sticker" which is a small round tracker that works through the Bluetooth networking in our phones to help you keep track of easily misplaced items, to ping them (making them beep) if close-by, see the last known location on a google map, and to crowdsource everyone who uses the app to help you find the lost item all over the whole wide world.

How it works!

The discounted price point was just good enough to tempt me to buy one for Chili, my Russian Tortoise. He along among my torts who enjoy some outside time seems capable of, and interested in, defeating the walls and barriers keeping him in the outside enclosure.

My thinking is that I could glue the tracker to the top of his shell, avoiding scute edges, and then if he did get out, I could try:
  1. pinging/ringing him if he's still within the 150-foot perimeter
  2. find the last place he was trackable, and try pinging him from there
  3. walk a series of gradually growing circles, trying to ping him every 50 feet or so
  4. failing those, more likely, options, alert the TileApp network and hope someone comes near enough him to register his presence on their phone (which then should alert me).
I don't think it'll be a stand-in for a well-constructed enclosure and keeping an eye on him, but it should be a nice backup.

Jamie
 

vladimir

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I've thought about them for our Sulcata, but the limited bluetooth range makes it less likely to be useful than it would be with a little tortoise like Chili. I would actually prefer if it used WiFi instead of Bluetooth, as I have outdoor wireless access points that provide coverage for several hundred feet around the outdoor enclosure. If it were tracked via WiFi, I'd be able to find anything within my wifi network coverage, not just anything within the bluetooth range from a phone.

It's definitely an interesting idea. I'm curious what you think of it once you try it out. I've considered building something custom using a Raspberry Pi Zero-W and a portable battery pack to provide wifi tracking, but just haven't had the time to play with it.
 

jsheffield

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The
I've thought about them for our Sulcata, but the limited bluetooth range makes it less likely to be useful than it would be with a little tortoise like Chili. I would actually prefer if it used WiFi instead of Bluetooth, as I have outdoor wireless access points that provide coverage for several hundred feet around the outdoor enclosure. If it were tracked via WiFi, I'd be able to find anything within my wifi network coverage, not just anything within the bluetooth range from a phone.

It's definitely an interesting idea. I'm curious what you think of it once you try it out. I've considered building something custom using a Raspberry Pi Zero-W and a portable battery pack to provide wifi tracking, but just haven't had the time to play with it.

The technology is getting better and cheaper and smaller for GPS trackers, and eventually they'll be great for finding lost torts, but in the meantime, I think this'll work for me as a backup system... I'll report back in the spring when I mount the thing on Chili and get him outside.

Jamie
 

Maro2Bear

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Yep, and you don't want to put your arm down the wrong hole to pull the wee dear out...at least not out here!
(Rattle rattle rattle!)

But, at least if your tort is lost & then geolocates/pings to an unid hole in the ground - you can camp out & retrieve when your lost tort exits.
 

Kipley

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Just ordered a 4 pack of these that will arrive today. I have an 8 year old Redfoot and a yearling Sulcata - I want to know which bush they've crawled under or where in the garden they're hiding come summer - hopefully this will enable that.
 

KarenSoCal

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I use Tile for my purse, tablet, credit cards, etc.

I think the Sticky should work well, IF you have really good hearing and it's quiet where/while you're looking. The tune they play isn't very loud.

I would not put the Sticky on the top of the shell since this area gets scraped in a burrow. Maybe put it lower, above Chili's butt?

I'm interested to see how this works for you, too.
 

jsheffield

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I use Tile for my purse, tablet, credit cards, etc.

I think the Sticky should work well, IF you have really good hearing and it's quiet where/while you're looking. The tune they play isn't very loud.

I would not put the Sticky on the top of the shell since this area gets scraped in a burrow. Maybe put it lower, above Chili's butt?

I'm interested to see how this works for you, too.

Thanks Karen!

The order includes two fo the stickers, and I've only got one Chili, so there's a backup in case he manages to scrape off the first tracker.

What glue or epoxy would you (or any TFO-folk) suggest I use to affix the tile to Chili's carapace?

Thanks,

Jamie
 

jUMPSu1t

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I’m not sure exactly what glue would be best, but definitely use a less viscous (less runny) kind of glue. I think that would stick better and wouldn’t accidentally run into Chili’s scute edges. How big is the Sticky versus Chili’s average scute size?
 

LaLaP

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When I first built my outdoor enclosure (and after Diego escaped twice) I bought a tile and used painters tape to attach it to him. It was great! I used it several times since in the beginning I didn't know his hiding spots and he has many. I figured if he really escaped again I'd have to walk a lot since (like mentioned) the range isn't great but since it was my backup emergency plan I was ok with that. That's great that they are making them smaller now... I had to retape it often cause he'd scrape it on everything.
 

KarenSoCal

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Thanks Karen!

The order includes two fo the stickers, and I've only got one Chili, so there's a backup in case he manages to scrape off the first tracker.

What glue or epoxy would you (or any TFO-folk) suggest I use to affix the tile to Chili's carapace?

Thanks,

Jamie
The only thing I have ever glued to Chug is a piece of paper with my phone number on it. I used J&B Epoxy. Just like J&B Weld, it comes in a double tube that mixes equal portions as you push the plunger down.

It will run a bit. I used a toothpick to apply it and catch the drip. It sounds funny, but I did a practice run before Chug was involved. Then after, I kept him on the kitchen floor until the epoxy was no longer tacky, about 2 hours for us.
 

JMM

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Depending on the formulation, adhesives such as epoxy can be irritating. Painters tape is probably ok as long as it is removed and not left on long-term. Instead of epoxy, I would suggest surgical glue which has similar ingredients but is formulated to be not irritating and non corrosive.
 

tortoisenana

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no, I don't. I just googled for adhesive+gps+sea turtles. After reading several websites I ordered what they said they used. I don't have empty tube so I can't get the name. Sorry.
 

lynnedit

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no, I don't. I just googled for adhesive+gps+sea turtles. After reading several websites I ordered what they said they used. I don't have empty tube so I can't get the name. Sorry.

I did google as you suggested, and they use marine epoxy. They also use this when using gps unites to track box turtles, and a putty epoxy when attaching gps units to Western Pond Turtles. Plenty of ideas!
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...=wAeGnVIJIOY&usg=AOvVaw0AuPU9fl7seOjEN3KnOCPy
 
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