A number of laptop makers (Lenovo, HP, ASUS, INTEL, etc.). are embedding Tile trackers in their laptops. That way you don’t have to figure out a way to attach a tracker and nobody could easily separate the tracker from the laptop. Might be a nice thing for Framework laptops. They need to be powered 24/7 so plugged in as an expansion card module might not be practical.
Not interested. Not unless I am the one physically placing it in the device myself sourced from components I’ve selected. Last thing I need is for another method to track me.
Easiest way to DIY something like that is to take an AirTag or the like, take the shell/housing off and wrap it in electrical tape and double side tape it into one of the RAM slots. You lose RAM capacity obviously but it would be a pseudo-embedded tracker for you.
The idea of being able to install a tracker in your laptop is pretty great, but I’d most likely just try to add my own. I use Samsung products, so I’d prefer using their system. compared to tile, both Apple & Samsungs network is a lot bigger. so if you lose ur laptop, you would have a higher chance of it getting pinged.
Clearly using a tracker is a personal decision but anyone who uses a cell phone, credit card, or transit pass, or carries anything with an RFID chip (credit card, passport, electronic toll collection device, etc.) can’t avoid the possibility of being tracked.
If they ever offer an embedded tracker, Frame.Work isn’t likely to offer three kinds of trackers especially when only one (Tile) works with both Android and iPhones.
In any case, adding a built-in tracker in a laptop has several advantages:
- It would be completely hidden.
- There isn’t a practical space inside to hide an off-the-shelf tracker. I think few people would find reducing the laptop memory capacity by half acceptable.
- It could be powered by the laptop battery so no coin battery to go dead or require replacement
- It could be enabled/disabled via a BIOS setting.
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@Richard47 The fact that I must carry a cell phone isn’t justification for including more tracking within a device. The best option is for an expansion card, that would be the most elegant option. Anything other than that would permanently eliminate any interest I have in Framework and I’m certain others on the forum would feel the same way as I.
I expect an embedded tracker would be an option not a required element and even then I would want it to be possible to disable it via the BIOS. However, I don’t think it could work as a Framework style expansion card because I don’t think those ports provide power when the computer is off.
They very much do, that’s part of the problem why battery life on the FW is so poor, those ports are powered when they should be on standby.
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