Nice review. One could get the impression from this video that you have to get a new AirTag once the battery is dead but it uses a standard CR2032 coin battery which can be easily replaced by twisting off the silver plate.
@@BikeShopGirl I don't know about poor battery life, but if a replacement battery isn't working entirely, it could be due to a bitterant coating getting in the way. Duracell puts this bitterant coating on all their batteries now, so I recommend avoiding their batteries for AirTags.
@@BikeShopGirl you mentioned getting insurance to help you recover your bicycle or replace your bicycle and things on it? What type of insurance do you have that will cover a stolen bicycle?
The Knog Scout Bike Alarm and Finder was a disappointing buy for me, in my opinion the 85 decibel is not loud enough to frighten a thief. I was not convinced it would deter theft due to its very timid sound, so I returned it after testing it for two weeks. Instead I bought a very loud 115 dcb alarm online and use an AirTag for tracking, this is a better alternative I think.
I recently bought a 3500€ Bike and I am using a AirTag with unbreakable tagplus case together with ABUS XP540 Lock and a 110db alarm. I hope that’s enough 😄
lost me at needing an apple phone, and having to torn the alarm on of off with an app, which makes it utterly impractical for my apllications. neat device, and good, honest review, though.
Im really disappointed by the bike teackers out there. This comes the closest to what I want, but doesn't quite hit the mark. I wish I could get a notification with my bike is being touched as well as an alarm. That way if someone is tampering with my bike I can know about it and either tell police or go stop it before the bike is even stolen. I couldn't find it so I'm attempting to make it. Maybe I'm being too paranoid, but wish me luck 😅
Just got mine and you really cannot step that far from it. The only good use case is if you have it in your garage and your inside the house. You cannot leave it on a bike rack and go shopping or to class
Do you mean for the alarm to alert you? I think the alarm is more to scare away thieves as an added layer but it’s basically a fancy rechargeable AirTag after that.
I have the Knog and use it whilst bikepacking/camping. So when my bike is next to my tent it’s ideal if someone moves my bike at night whilst I am sleeping
that is a great idea. Have you gotten a sense of the battery life on a full charge? I am hearing some reports that it is less than 2 months. What has your experience been like?
I am locked out of the App … no customer service … i tried resetting password via email but the App still responded with incorrect credentials … the alarm will not turn off .. very frustrating ,,, removed from bike .. and looking for alternative … the bottom line … you pay for what you get … cheap solution!
pro tip the cops will do nothing BUT if you call them and tell them you are about to go to this address and end whoever stole your bike they will probably show up and start asking questions.
I absolutely love mine. It’s screwed onto my bike frame and is hidden under the bottle cage. They must have done some updating on the alarm sound because it’s very loud now. I love that I get a notification on my phone when the battery is running low so I can remember to charge it before it dies.
Great review. The deal breaker for me is that it requires an Apple iPhone. Android holds a 70% share of the phone market, and I'll never use an Apple product. This item is very appealing... but I'll just have to settle for a basic motion sensor alarm combined with something like a TILE. The Cyclotrac looks good too, it's supposed to send a text to your phone if tampered with.
How about an in-depth review of the Cycloop Bike GPS Tracker and the Gen 2 GPS Bike Tracker? Both of these devices utilize a phone network for tracking, offering a level of reliability that far surpasses that of an AirTag, especially for protecting a high-value e-bike worth $5,000 or more.
@@BikeShopGirl So ones useless and the others a con, when I asked my local bike shop for information on the new Bosch alarm module I was told that the first year was free and then a subscription thereafter, when I told him that paying a subscription was therefore a con his reply was "that's the way things are these days" so when I asked him did he pay a subscription for his car alarm his reply was "well no", so making it a complete con for a bike alarm if you are mug enough to pay for it.
@@davelangley2965 you aren’t paying for an alarm for the subscription… you are paying for the gps part. There are many easy to use alarms for bikes, abus makes one of my favorites, none of them need a subscription. 🙌
I just installed the Scout on my bike this weekend. It is amazing. Very easy set up. My local bike shop Green Bay Cycles recommended this device. I knew I was making a good purchase to protect my Liv Invite. Hopefully Ill never need to use it. But I feel peace of mind knowing my bike is protected. For $60.00 I think it was a great investment
Three days after you installed the Scout, I did too. I alarmed it, disarmed it, and left the bike in the garage. Three miles away later, I checked to see if I could see my e-bike, and it said disarmed. From a few miles away I would put the alarm on, but couldn't? I suspect I can only alarm it within a short distance? I still need to figure out how to use it.
So does this tag work outside America and Canada? Would it work in say Scotland , part of the UK or GB as it is better known, across your side of the pond (Atlantic Ocean)?
Many thanks for posting this and your other video, it's been what I've been waiting for. Mine arrived today and I can't wait to fit to and feel that little bit safer about leaving my bike around.
The one thing I'd like to add is that the price becomes even better vs an air tag when you need to pay another $20 or so for an air tag mount for your bike if you're not storing in a tool bag etc.
My local authorities will do nothing. Often they won't even take a police report. I have a Gen1 Tern GSD. We're moving soon (yay!) but where we are moving is even more of risk for bike theft and even bike-jacking where a team of thugs on motorbikes surrounds you and steals your bicycle. I'm considering only using the GSD for the school drop off (if necessary) and just switching to a junker bike or a bike share for running errands and such. I'd considered a folding bike like a Brompton, but those are frequently a bikejacking target. Bike theft when it's locked up is something that I can deal with, but getting jacked by violent criminals while I'm riding? Heck no, not going to risk that. This is why we can't have nice things.
@@BikeShopGirl I've never talked to the police here. But we have organized bike theft rings. San Francisco Bay Area is nuts. We're planning on moving near London, UK. That's where the bikejacking gangs are. Hopefully we'll be able to find a neighborhood where that isn't so common.
I think because they use the Find My iOS network. I bet there is a stipulation that they can’t use the network for an android app. I bet they pay license fee to use it as well. No way apple will allow android use their perks
If you put anything in a metal frame you will reduce the signal in this case the Bluetooth. So the find my feature works by pinging any internet connected iOS device to upload the gps location. I think Bluetooth has somewhere around 15m range and inside the frame it was 1m. This I tested on an AirTag which I can imagine is the same performance effect. So if you wanted your location ping then the iOS user would have to be next to the bike not just near the bike. It’s sort of a compromise which is why you find most airtag accessories is under the seat or bottle cage for max range.
Reviewing some of your previous videos on the Scout: Do you have any results about battery life? Especially cold weather (since winter is ending in the near future)?
It hasn't gotten below 20 here long enough to get good results. The two times it did hover around 23-25º, I had at least 50% (from 100%) in the morning.
Typically an AirTag only notifies when you’ve arrived home/work, some location you goto often, or within 6-12 hours. I’m not going to over think the stalking notice of an AirTag.
Thanks for the nice review! I understand you can arm/disarm from the device itself as a complement to doing it from the phone. What about silencing the alarm from the device, when it has triggered? Let's say the alarm has triggered and my phone is dead, or the bluetooth conn is just not operating, what then? I get that silencing from device is bad from the perspective that the thief can then silence it too... Just curious!
Hi, GREAT review - Can you answer for me; If it relies on Bluetooth, the range is limited so Ian't there a risk that theft wont be transmitted to your iPhone?
If it works like other Airtags, it uses Bluetooth to talk not just to your phone but all iPhones. So it would have to be moved out of range from all iPhones (and anything else in Apple's network) to lose track.
Great review, kept answering my questions as soon as I thought them :-) We're mostly Apple-free home but we have one iPhone for tracking our family's lost airtags occasionally. The airtag network is really impressive and as of 2023 it's more reliable than Tile (I use both on my bikes). BTW airtags do have replaceable batteries, just like some tiles, just not rechargeable. Thanks for mentioning the bluetooth Abus lock, I missed that one!
I have had terrible luck when replacing the airtag batteries. Using top quality batteries I don't get nearly as good battery life as I did with the original. Have you had any experience with this?
@@BikeShopGirl I have used Tile for years and no real issues, I only replaced Airtag batteries once I think. Some of my batteries did sit a long time in a drawer before being used so this may vary, we'll see, but I'm gonna set some quarterly reminders just in case.
@@superseiyannegligible. If you lose the device, normally you will depend on other people's phones being in Bluetooth range of it, and those phones will relay the position to Apple (and then to you). It works surprisingly well.
Hello, thank you for this review. I’m considering buying this and I’d be very grateful if you answered one question: what if, despite low sensitivity set, the alarm goes of by accident (unintentional knock or something) - when does it stop? Would it go endlessly until I come over and disarm it? Thank you.
i don’t know how to add it in (find my), alarm is easy to set and it’s working but i can’t add it in find my, and there is no video on youtube to set it
Thank you for the review. How does the alarm perform when you leave you’re bike outside and you go into a store? When the alarm goes off and you are in the store how does the notification performs? Does it has to be connected with bluetooth?
Was disappointed by its range. Unless your 30-50ft in point of sight… it will disconnect. Peace of mind gone. I’m wondering if I should use an Apple Watch and leave my phone in my backpack with security of the stores i frequent. I wonder if that will notify me if set off? Thanks for the examples Arleigh!
Hi, pulling the trigger, finally, on getting the Knog Scout. In your review, you briefly mentioned a gps tracker. Would you be willing to share the brand you are using, or like the best? I'm trying to cover my bases with multiple points of defense! Any feedback would be most appreciated.
@@BikeShopGirl New all terrain touring bike, the Co-Motion Divide, so I don't want to get stranded on a tour. Lots of bags and a couple flat surfaces for mounting. Including under rear pannier platform rack and on the Pinion internal gearbox (in between the cranks where normal bottom bracket would be). That's probably the bigger question, where/how to mount such a thing so it doesn't easily get separated from the bike after theft. That's what I like about the Knog Scout, put some tamper proof screws on it and it's not going anywhere quick. Plan be might be to double or triple team it by adding a Tile and Air Tag somewhere else as well. I'm nearing 12k into this thing, and I'm told it's not paranoia if they're (bike theives) really out to get me.
@@BikeShopGirl I would also like to know this. I have a road bike that I would love a GPS tracker as a backup. I've been doing a fair amount of research and only find ones available in the UK.
Air tags last a long time. I still haven’t replaced the batteries yet on most. I think it’s been over a year. Ymmv if you are sounding them off or putting them in lost mode which I found drained out the battery in a few weeks on one of them.
Do you have a picture or video how you mount the knog scout on yout bike to hide it? I dont have a bottle mount option on my bike and dont know how to secure this product
I love the visibility and easy access charge port. Concealing and extracting Airtags and GPS trackers for charging/battery replacements is a chore I'd love to be free from.
This is full-on bollocks. Bicycles really don't need this kind of stuff, just don't leave your key in the lock and chain it to something solid, and you'll be 'right
