Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

Re:Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices v... by miki123211 on Monday January 27, 2025 @03:56AM (#42838878)

I wish we had more / more easily accessible networks that let you do this.

Something that would let you send extremely tiny (<1kB) packets, using a wireless protocol that could be implemented extremely cheaply, piggybacking on the bandwidth of nearby internet-connected devices in a privacy-preserving way.

Amazon has a network like this called Sidewalk, using Alexa devices as gateways, but I don't think it's very open to third-party experimentation, and it's definitely not an interoperable standard on the gateway side.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices v... by amenghra on Monday January 27, 2025 @11:18AM (#42842673)

Too bad Fon didn’t work out, it could have been a global mesh network useful for this kind of thing.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices v... by bhelkey on Monday January 27, 2025 @12:09PM (#42843247)

I don't particularly want my devices transmitting arbitrary packets from unknown parties.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices v... by darknavi on Monday January 27, 2025 @12:12PM (#42843294)

Starlink's Swarm (or what ever they are calling it now) might be nice if they ever release the hardware and pricing.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices v... by Tijdreiziger on Monday January 27, 2025 @04:12PM (#42845676)

How about LoRaWAN?

[ Parent | on HN ]