The best electronics from Action? I bought it for PLN 26, checked it and chapeau bass

Action bombards us with gadget suggestions, but experience shows that not all of them are worth your attention. What will it be like with Fresh ‘n Rebel locators?

If you use an iPhone and want to protect your keys, backpack or bike, you will definitely be interested in them Fresh ‘n Rebel locators from Action. These are cheaper replacements for Apple AirTag tablets, working in the Apple Find My network. The original Apple locator costs PLN 149, the ones from Action only PLN 87.95. In three! At the time of writing the article, you can buy one locator in the selected color for only PLN 25.59.

Fresh 'n Rebel Locator

What is Apple Find My?

First, it’s worth explaining what AirTag and its competitors are for. Small locators can be placed on your keys, in your wallet, attached to your dog’s collar or – like me – mounted in a discreet place next to your bike so that a potential thief won’t find it too easily. Thanks to them, you can almost always find the locator and the item it accompanies. Their location can be checked in the Find My application – the same one where you can share the location your own or your stuff with friends and find your other devices (iPad, MacBook, AirPods, Apple Watch and devices from other manufacturers that support this communication standard).

Apple Find My – application

The locators do not have their own GPS receiver. They use a wireless network created by Apple devices using the Bluetooth protocol. The devices exchange the locator ID and the place where it was registered. Of course, this does not happen in such a way that everyone in the shopping center knows that “Ania’s keys” have just entered it. However, for information about the location of the locator to be sent to the owner, some other device (iPad, Mac, iPhone) must detect it and send information about it.

Suppose I lost my keys. If one of my devices can still connect to the key finder, I can remotely turn on the sound to help find my lost items. It’s extremely useful at home, in a tent or in a spacious backpack. In a larger space, you can use navigation and, for example, find a bicycle in a large parking lot. I can also share the item’s location with friends who use Apple Find My.

Apple Find My app

If I can’t connect to the keys, it means they may have gotten lost somewhere else. Then it’s worth marking the locator as “lost” in the Find My application. The advantage is that if someone walks by with an iPhone, I will receive information in the Apple Find My application where the keys were registered. If he misappropriates them, all I need is an iPhone nearby to help me find the lost item (and in the event of theft, the relevant services have an easier task).

The third function is to inform you that I left something important. I can set a notification in the application if my phone loses contact with the locator – for example, if the mentioned keys fall out of my pocket. I can also set an address where the keys are safe – for example at home. It’s worth using this strategy to avoid forgetting important things.

Locator with Action next to iPhone

AirTag with Action. Is he missing something?

The Fresh ‘n Rebel locator is a square key ring with an ear to which you can attach a leash, ring, cable tie, etc. The locators include simple chains and, of course, batteries. This makes them self-sufficient – you do not need to buy any fasteners or handles for them. The design is simple, solid, and the device is unobtrusive. The housing material is probably polycarbonate, which appears to be scratch-resistant. However, you need to be very, very careful when replacing the battery. I’ve already broken the latch in one of them.

Fresh 'n Rebel Locator

On the side of the locator you can also see the speaker grill and a recess that helps open it. On the “back” there is a button that turns it on and is used to pair it with the phone. The Find My app takes the user by the hand, and the ready-to-use locator can be tagged with an emoji and given its own name. The button is well designed and I don’t press it by accident.

I had to think a bit when securing the bike. Unfortunately, Action locators are not waterproof, unlike Apple’s AirTags. I must admit, however, that for one fifth of the price I did not expect the IPX8 standard. Fortunately, humanity invented string bags 😅.

Locator with Action

A noticeable drawback, in my opinion, is the quiet “siren”. As I mentioned, you can turn on the sound from the Find My application and help yourself look for something at home or in the tent. This sound is too quiet to be useful in an area larger than one room.

The devices are energy-saving – they operate for several months on one CR2032 “pill”.. I bought my set before the holidays. The locator on the keys is used most often, and it was only in October that the charge indicator in the application stopped showing 100%. The other two have not yet reached this level. It is possible that you will not need to replace the battery for a year.

Locator with Action

Action locators look worse than Apple AirTags, but from the application side there is no difference. They have all the necessary functions and do their job, and I feel much safer thanks to them.