Insights For Success

Strategy, Innovation, Leadership and Security

Lost

Find your iPhone even if it is powered down

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Almost all tech companies have tools to help you locate your lost items, from the built-in GPS applications on smart devices to headphones and anything else with a Bluetooth tag.

Apple has emerged as a leader in location services, and with their latest iOS version, they have added the ability to locate your iPhone, even when it is turned off. Apple uses the Ultra-Wideband chip to perform this magic trick in its newer devices.

What is the U1 Ultra Wideband chip?

Apple's new U1 chip is designed to improve the accuracy of location tracking on its latest devices. The U1 chip can track devices within a radius of one meter instead of Bluetooth's 10-meter range. So what does this mean for you? With Find My iPhone activated, you will have a better chance of finding your iPhone if it were to be lost in your house.

Also, even if you lose your iPhone in congested areas, such as a stadium or concert, Find My iPhone will still allow you to locate it (using the extensive FindMy network created by millions of Apple iPhones worldwide).

Apple iPhone 11 and newer smartphones include the chip.

What is Apple's FindMy feature?

'Find My iPhone' is a feature built into Apple's iOS operating system that allows users to locate their devices. It has been available since 2010 and will enable users to locate their lost or stolen devices. In addition, you can use Find My iPhone to remotely erase all the data on your device if you cannot locate it.

To use Find My iPhone, you will need an iCloud account and Find My iPhone enabled on your device. FindMy can also be used on another iOS device or a computer.

How does FindMy work?

If your device is lost or stolen and Find My iPhone is turned on, you can log in to iCloud.com or use the FindMy app on another iOS device or computer to locate it.

It utilizes the Ultra-Wideband chip, Wi-Fi, and GPS to localize your device. The detection network uses millions of iPhones around the world.

Actvate FindMy

Go to your settings then on “Find My.”

  • Click on the Find My iPhone option

  • Turn Find My iPhone to ON

  • Turn Find My Network ON (if you want to help locate devices for other people securely

  • Turn Send Last Location ON


Trace Me Luggage Tracker will make sure you never lose your bags again

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

As many of you gear up for holiday travel, you may have the lingering concern of losing your luggage. Most airlines will credit you a couple of hundred dollars for a lost and unrecoverable bag, but this rarely covers the actual cost of the contents. You can also buy insurance but that doesn’t help when you are standing around the carousel waiting to start your vacation and your luggage never shows up.

Do bags really get lost?

SITA’s baggage report 2015 provides some interesting industry information. Passenger numbers rose 5.5% from 2013 to 2014. The Passengers Without Bags (PaWoB) statistic rose to 7.3 bags per thousand passengers (previous year was 6.96).

The statistic is more worrisome than some realize.

The low-tech solution

There are many high-tech solutions (think GPS trackers) but these are techniques you have to perform to locate your bag. A less high tech but very effective product is Trace Me.

Trace Me is a plastified card with a unique identifying bar code. You register this code online. When an airport staff scan it (or law enforcement, baggage handlers, etc.), you are notified via text message letting you know where it was scanned . It also tells the scanning agent whom the bag belongs to. Then the airline performs its delivery magic to reunite you with your “stuff”.

Who is SITA and How does this work?

SITA is a Geneva-based airline technology provider. Trace Me uses their WorldTracer global bag-tracing and matching system.

WorldTracer was developed by SITA in co-operation with IATA and is a global lost and found system for luggage. WorldTracer is used at 2,800 airports worldwide so Trace Me will work in most airports worldwide.

WorldTracer stores your tracking information in their database and is a member of the Worldtracer system. As soon as any WorldTracer user scans the unique bar code, they are presented with your information and Trace Me knows your luggage was scanned (when, where and by which entity).

Where can I buy it

If you search the web, there are a handful of online retailers that sell it. The most popular one seems to be TravelSmiths at a cost of $19.