Lost drone locator

Mickey G · Feb 1, 2018

Has anyone ever used the TILE LOCATOR to assist in locating a list Drone?
I have a P3P and I want to get a locator of some sort that hooks up onto the drone So if it were to get lost and crashes, this unit will help in locating it.
I heard about the TILE, and Imbwondering if it' any good, or is there another brand out there.
These drones are getting too expensive not to find them after a mishap.

msinger · Feb 1, 2018

Tiles have a very short range. It might be helpful if you're in a situation where your Phantom lands/crashes and you're not able to see it (e.g. in a field of tall grass). You would of course have to know about where it's located though.

If you're ever going to do any long range tracking, then you'll want to invest in something like a Marco Polo, Trackimo, or one of the other commonly used trackers here.

Providian623 · Feb 1, 2018

msinger said:
Tiles have a very short range. It might be helpful if you're in a situation where your Phantom lands/crashes and you're not able to see it (e.g. in a field of tall grass). You would of course have to know about where it's located though.

If you're ever going to do any long range tracking, then you'll want to invest in something like a Marco Polo, Trackimo, or one of the other commonly used trackers here.

Agree about Tile being short ranged. It works well for what it does. I personally have two (2) Trackimos. One for my drone & one for my dog when I let him run free (live in the country). Have had to use them both and they worked well. Found both quickly. (The dog isn't supposed to run off, the Standard A, not so sure about).

El Diablo · Feb 1, 2018

Don't waste your money on the Tile to find a drone. I have had two on keychains for over a year. I selected both as "lost". But only twice in 10 months have they been "found". Tile depends on users (or even non-users) continuously running the Tile app and sharing results. There is not enough critical mass for it to be a useful crowd-sourced locator.

Mark3710 · Feb 1, 2018

I know several drone owners who have great results finding their drones with the Marco Polo.

captainmilehigh · Feb 1, 2018

Yep, I use the Marco Polo for my birds. Testing has given great results with ‘pings’ up to 2 miles away. Fortunately I’ve only tested this tracker and haven’t had to use it in a search yet. But it’s there if I need it.

It’s a bit pricy, but I have limited to no cell/gps service in some areas I fly, so a Trackimo would not work for me. It all comes down to personal preference.