Crowd GPS and Tracking Lost Items

[tomwitham]

Does anyone use crowd GPS devices like Tile or Trackr? I would like to use one on my wallet/keys/phone/child and need to pick one. Seems to me like Disney would be the ultimate location for crowd GPS locators. Perhaps a future feature for the magic bands.....

[DizneyRox]

The magic bands can be used by Disney for tracking. They already do this on the ship in the child programs. They can also do this in the parks.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Not sure what use the devices you are talking about would have in a place like WDW. Those devices have a broadcast range of only 100 ft. So to pick up the signal you have to get within 100 ft and then the app can show the direction from the broadcast GPS location. At that civilian GPS has a minimum error rate of 3 m (~10ft) and can easily be 3-6 times that.

As far as a lost child, it's going to quicker and safer to approach a CM and have them start Disney's search procedures.

Lost property might help but if you can't remember where you left the item then you'll just be walking around hoping to locate the signal. If you can remember where you might have lost it (which you likely will) then you can find it just walking there. If it's not there then going to Lost and Found is your best option. The devices really don't provide much advantage in a large space with lots of people who can and will pick things up.

[ransam]

now that is awesome.

[dnickels]

By the time you realized you had lost something like that (phone, wallet, keys, child) it would have either a) been picked up and stolen or b) been picked up and given to a CM who would take it to lost and found.

I can see these maybe being useful if you're constantly losing your keys at your own house, but in a big public place with tens of thousands of visitors a dropped item isn't going to remain left there for very long. Seems like it'd just be a waste of money to get this for a trip to Disney.

[ransam]

i know that cast members are very careful when seeing a small child that looks scared or alone and make sure they are ok.