It took just minutes for me to extend my AirTag's battery life by 5 years - here's how

2 hours ago 17
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Elevation Lab 5-year Compact TimeCapsule

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

  • Elevation Lab's 5-year clip capsule is disposable now, starting astatine $20.
  • It boosts AirTag artillery beingness up to 5 years, and is AAA powered, truthful it doesn't adhd other bulk.
  • They're not arsenic large arsenic AirTags, but they're large enough.

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Regular readers volition cognize that I'm the Apple AirTag's biggest fan. These tiny UFO-shaped finder tags person saved maine nary extremity of headaches erstwhile it comes to misplaced items. I person AirTags connected beauteous overmuch thing that I tin connect AirTags to, but the small saucers aren't the astir convenient signifier to connect to things.  

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Elevation Lab is 1 institution that makes accessories to code this problem, and I've go a immense instrumentality of everything this institution makes. Need a mode to connect an AirTag to keys, bags, bike, jackets, and adjacent your cat oregon dog? Elevation Lab has you covered with its lineup of artillery packs. 

One particularly absorbing merchandise from Elevation Lab is the 10-year TimeCapsule -- a artillery battalion for an AirTag that replaces the CR2032 fastener cells with two lithium AA batteries, boosting artillery beingness from months to a decade. 

The occupation with the 10-year TimeCapsule is its size. It's a spot chunky, astir the size of a candy bar. It's large for putting into a conveyance oregon luggage, but alternatively bulky for smaller items. 

Also: The 9 tech gadgets I couldn't unrecorded without successful 2025 (and astir acceptable successful my pocket)

I recovered myself wishing that the institution would marque thing similar, but smaller. Maybe making usage of AAA batteries arsenic opposed to AA. Yes, this would trim artillery life, but it'd inactive beryllium measured successful years. 

Well, the folks implicit astatine Elevation Lab person delivered -- a smaller, compact TimeCapsule powered by smaller AAA batteries, giving the portion a five-year runtime. 

Assembly is speedy  and easy.

Assembly is speedy and easy.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The tag is IP69 rated to support retired h2o and dirt. It's casual to assemble (the hex cardinal you request comes with the kit), and each you bash is adhd a mates of lithium AAA batteries. The capsule is besides good built, conscionable arsenic I'd expect from Elevation Lab. There's a prime gasket betwixt the parts to support schmoo out, and adjacent the fasteners are captive truthful they don't autumn retired and get lost. 

When the AirTag is installed successful the case, it works similar normal, and portion the talker is somewhat quieter, it's inactive large capable to assistance you find your mislaid item.  

This could person travel successful useful the different day, erstwhile the AirTag that I'd secured to my hiking backpack died unexpectedly. I had the archetypal informing successful the morning, and it abruptly died aboriginal that day, leaving my cogwheel susceptible to loss. 

A captious  AirTag artillery  died abruptly  portion    I was away.

A captious AirTag artillery died abruptly portion I was away.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

ZDNET's buying advice

The Elevation Lab Compact 5-year TimeCapsule is simply a merchandise I've been waiting for, and the terms is right, with singles, two-packs, and four-packs disposable for $19.99, $29.99, and $39.99, respectively. 

I modified excavation somewhat by adding immoderate double-sided concern Velcro to the backmost of the tag truthful I tin affix it to things, but they enactment conscionable arsenic good retired of the box. 

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