[Anonymous]

[Tete_de_cuvee]

To be released in June, a GSM based tracking device attached to your luggage which will identify its location.

The size of a mobile phone, lug loc is slipped inside your baggage, is guaranteed to work worldwide and can be located instantaneously. Cost around $40.

Travellers and airlines alike will love it, hopefully it should even reduce travel insurance costs.

[LuganoPirate]

How can we buy it Tete? Is there a link for more info?

Seems to operate on the lines of “find my iPhone” but much cheaper.

[MartynSinclair]

I wonder how many passengers who travel on a wifi connected aircraft will find they are going one way and their luggage another!!

Better still, can put it in my sons school bag so I know where he is. Leave one in my mistresses car (only kidding…………………)!!! Interesting possibilities though!!

[Tete_de_cuvee]

Here is the link LP – unfortunately as it is the FT, it usually requires a subscription

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b9478692-78f8-11e1-9f0f-00144feab49a.html#axzz1qX5UYrQZ

Apparently Nicolas Keglevich, who established AssistCard, is launching it with his company Bag Tracking Systems SA

[RichHI1]

Although the FAA are reexamining use of cellphones on planes, we are currently not supposed to use hem on planes. What stops these things working when on a plane?

[LuganoPirate]

Cell phones simply don’t work 3,000 ft above ground unless the aircraft is adapted to allow GSM phone use.

[RichHI1]

Agreed but if a case is sent to the wrong place, returned and as the plane negotiates its ways back into heathriow approach the case starts communicating, could be nasty. Or maybe there is a pressure switch that detects being airborne?

[MartynSinclair]

Does GPS tracking techno require a cell connection??

[Danwolf]

Interested to see how this works.

My work blackberry automatically switched on during a flight once (didn’t notice it as it was in my carry on) and had a ‘Welcome to Estonia’ text message (was flying from HKG to UK), which leads me to believe that you can get a signal even at high altitudes…

…or does anybody know any different?

[LuganoPirate]

Pressure switches and electrical devices could make for an interesting time?

Martyn, GPS tracking needs clear access to a satellite, usually 5 of them. It won’t work in buildings and certainly not inside a bag inside a baggage handling terminal.

Danwolf, GSM technology works by line of sight transmission from a tower to your phone. They are powerful so the signal can penetrate cars, trains, buildings etc. Because of this the signal is aimed horizontally and not vertically so technically it’s not possible to receive a signal in the air.

However, atmospheric conditions do strange things to electronic signals, so that is one explanation. Another could be a military plane flying nearby may have provided a link without anyone realizing it.

[MartynSinclair]

Of course it may only work in baggage or storage halls and not whilst on the move.

Realistically, with apps like mobile me etc, you could quite easily create a small tracking device now, the main challenge being how long it could be powered up for.

[RichHI1]

I had a Nokia phone (only once) and that used to turn itself on in carry on when people moved the bags. Would always arrive at LAX with txt messages saying Rogers welcomes you to Canada. Registration ia different to use though. My understanding is there is software that trips if you can see too many cells. I remember analog service at the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii was amazing but now with digital it ia very hard to complete calls even with 5 bars.

[Henkel.Trocken]

This sounds like a great invention, almost so obvious you wonder why no one ever thought of it before. I will definitely get as many as I need.

Maybe I’ve been lucky, I’ve only lost a bag once which was with Iberia and had them badly damaged twice, once Iberia and once BA. That’s in over twenty five years of regular travel. I wonder if anyone can better it?

[Tete_de_cuvee]

Here is the (just launched) website

http://lugloc.com/

which allows you to pre-order the device. You will need to charge the battery each time before a trip.

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