Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Roam Smart Tracker
3.5
Pros & Cons
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Dual-platform tag with Apple’s Find My and Android Find Hub. -
Louder and cheaper than AirTags. -
Very durable.
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Range doesn’t quite match the AirTag.
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I think finder tags such as the Apple AirTag have been some of the most game-changing tech to land in consumers’ hands this side of 2020 (feel free to tell me I’m wrong). Personally, eliminating the headache of lost keys and temporarily misplaced wallets or passports has saved me no end of time and frustration.
I can’t imagine going back to a time when I paid a steep price whenever I didn’t pay heed to grandpa’s wise words: “a place for everything, and everything in its place”.
But AirTags aren’t perfect, and Apple knows this. The speaker on the first-generation units was so weak, Apple made the next-gen tags 50% louder and modulated the tones to make them easier to find by ear.
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But I and many others still don’t think that the speaker is loud enough, so I’m always impressed when I find a third-party finder tag that dares to be different. The Roam Smart Tracker is just such a tag. And best of all, these tags are cheap.
Testing the tags
This is a dual-platform tag that works with the Apple’s Find My (iOS devices running iOS 14.5 or later) or Android Find Hub (devices running Android 9 or later with Google Play Services) networks. If you change platforms, you can reset the tag and bind it to a different network at a later date.
Note that the tag can’t work on both networks simultaneously (and before you ask, I don’t know of any that do, but it seems a lot of consumers think they do, and I see negative reviews based on this).
I’ve tested literally dozens of finder tags from a range of manufacturers, and while there’s no doubt that the AirTag is, overall, the tag to beat, there’s plenty of room for the competition to make an impression.
One metric to test is range. Under ideal conditions, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has a range of 100 to 400 feet (30 to 120 meters) in open, unobstructed conditions, and it’s the AirTag that comes closest to this, delivering a clear line-of-sight range of 100 to 130 feet (30 to 40 meters), with this dropping to 50 to 65 feet (15 to 20 meters) indoors.
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Remember, there are a lot of things that can affect Bluetooth, from radio-frequency (RF) interference to the antenna in the smartphone, and my indoors is going to be different from your indoors, so take my tests as ballpark estimates, not something written in stone.
The Roam wasn’t far behind the AirTag with a clear line-of-sight range of 85 to 100 feet (25 to 30 meters), and about 50 feet (15 meters) indoors.
Not as good as the AirTag, but a very good range. In fact, up there with some of the best I’ve tested.
Note that the AirTag is the only finder tag that offers the precision finding feature that guides you right to the tag. No third-party tag offers this for the iPhone, and for Android systems you’ll need both a smartphone kitted out with Ultra-wideband (UWB) tech and a tag that supports UWB (such as the Moto Tag 2, Galaxy SmartTag 2 or the upcoming Google Pixel Tag).
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The tag is powered by a CR2032 button cell — like the AirTag — and this offers about a year of service before it needs to be replaced, about the same that you’ll get from an AirTag.
It’s also a pretty tough tag. It’s been built to IP67 standards, so it has enough water and dirt resistance to survive life in the great outdoors. I had a tag on the outside of my backpack while roaming the Lake District, and it had no problem surviving several days of heavy rain.
The three big features
Let’s get onto what separates this tag from the competition.
First, it has a really neat built-in elastic strap that makes it easy (or at least easier) to attach the tag to things. Anything is easier than trying to attach a smooth UFO-like disc to something, but this attachment system that’s made up of shock cord and a plastic clip is a nice touch.
There’s also a little loop on top, perfect for attaching the tag to keys or a bag. Sure, none of this is as tamperproof as an AirTag holder by Elevation Lab, but it’s far better than what comes with most tags.
On the tag is a laser-engraved QR code that is key in helping to reunite you with your lost property. When setting up the tag, you scan to create an account. Now, if someone finds the tag and scans the QR code, they can send you a message and optionally send you the location of the tag — a handy additional recovery mechanism for when things go bad!
Then there’s the tag’s built-in speaker. To my ears this feels like it’s louder than the AirTag’s ping, and this is backed by my testing with a smartphone app, but again, testing acoustics is a specialist thing, and I’m earholing it and using an uncalibrated app.
But then when it comes to the crunch, it’s ears we’re going to be using to find a lost tag, so a group of us carried out a blind test where we hid this tag and an AirTag in various spots, and said which one we felt was the loudest, and most of the time the lineup said that it was the Roam tag.
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So, in my testing, the Roam tag beats the AirTag in terms of volume. It’s not as melodious as the AirTag, but in terms of sheer “finding your keys when they’re behind the sofa cushions,” loudness, I prefer the Roam tag.
ZDNET’s buying advice
You can pick up a Roam Smart Tracker for $14.99, and they come in a variety of colors. You can also pick up a twin-pack for $30, and a six-pack for $80 if you want to go to town on tracking your stuff.
For the price, these tags offer excellent value for money, and given their durability and the power of the loudspeaker, they get a double thumbs-up from me. They’re not AirTags, but these Roam Smart Tracker tags are more affordable than the AirTag’s $24 price tag.
