Review: Nio Tag

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Today's travellers rely on various technologies and apps to make their trips more pleasurable and convenient. There are various accessories and gadgets that have come to market which, while not specifically positioned for travelling, make a whole of a lot of sense. Here is one of the most notable one's we've tried.

Nio Tag is a small, battery powered device that is the world's first Bluetooth Low Energy security tag. It's compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 enabled mobile phones. 

Simply attach a nio Tag onto any items you want to keep track of, or carry a nio Tag with you so you don't lose your iPhone/iPad. Any sudden movement or change in distance or proximity sets off a loud, vibrating alarm that alerts you that either the item that the Nio is attached to has been moved or that you've left your iPad or iPhone behind. 

Thanks to sensors like an accelerometer and a motion sensor, the Nio Tag can quickly react to a change in movement. It also has a buzzer, an LED light as well as vibration to notify the user as the case may be. They also include a belt-clip as well as a lanyard so the Nio has many ways to be applied.

Nio Tag, which comes in white and black is ideal for tracking mobile devices or conversely, using mobile devices to track small childrem, luggage and belongings. it's a simple idea that works well thanks to great software and hardware working well together.

I tested the Nio Tag with by strapping it on my Timbuktu messenger bag which has my MacBook Pro, my Surface Pro, a Sony NEX-6 camera, an LED light,  two lenses, headphones, a mobile WiFi hotspot, pens, notebooks, a copy of William Gibson's Pattern Recognition, as well as a water bottle and portable chargers. This is basically my office on-the-go and everything I need to cover events. 

The Nio Tag tucks safely inside the bag so it is out of sight but it is constantly tracked by the software and in my experience was very quick in alerting me once it sensed motion or if I strayed too far from my bag. Best of all, I found I could tailor the Nio Tag to my needs in various situations. Very cool. 

You can never have too much security and by using the Nio Tag in situations where you can potentially lose or misplace your devices, you can at least eliminate human error with a quick and responsive accessory that will notify you if you've left your valuables behind and which can also deter thieves if they run off with your device. That's a great functionality for a $50 accessory.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5