There are legions of Bluetooth item trackers that can help you find your keys or your bag. However, there’s a common problem: without always-on data, you might not find them unless someone with a tracking app happens to wander nearby. Samsung might have a better approach. It’s launching a SmartThings Tracker that uses low-power LTE-M data to share its location where Bluetooth and other technologies won’t have the range. You could track your backpack even if if you only remembered it when you got home.

As the SmartThings badge implies, it’s about more than just keeping tabs on lost items. It can double as an arrival sensor if you have a SmartThings hub, so you can turn on the lights when you get home or activate a security camera when you leave. You can alternately set up geofencing alerts to warn when a tracker leaves a given area (say, your dog escaping the backyard) or send a location to friends and family by double-tapping the power button.

Be ready to pay more than you would for a Bluetooth tracker. Samsung’s device will sell for $99 up front with a year of free service when it reaches AT&T on September 14th (a Verizon counterpart is due later in 2018), but you’re looking at $5 per month or $50 per year to maintain the LTE-M connection after that. This is for people, pets and must-have belongings where the subscription is easily worth the peace of mind it brings.

Source: engadget.com