Want to Bury Your AirTag? This Gadget Will Keep It Running for Years
Credit: ElevationLab
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While Apple’s AirTags offer pretty decent battery life for their size, there’s a new accessory for folks who want to leave their tags somewhere long-term — or simply don’t want to deal with the hassle of annual battery changes.
A clever new accessory from ElevationLab promises a decade of battery life for your AirTags, so you’ll almost never need to worry about replacing the battery.
Appropriately dubbed TimeCapsule (not to be confused with Apple’s now-defunct hard-drive-equipped routers), the gadget is based on a surprisingly simple idea. It replaces the CR2023 lithium coin cell battery that normally powers an AirTag with a pair of standard AA cells. The AirTag “docks” into the accessory like it’s got a massive battery on its back and the entire kit can then be securely sealed shut for the next ten years or so using premium CNC-machined screws.
In addition to providing up to 14 times more battery life, depending on the AA batteries you use (the developer recommends Energizer Ultimate Lithiums), the TimeCapsule also protects your AirTag in a waterproof casing that offers an IP68/IP69 rating. This means it can survive immersion in at least one meter of water for up to 30 minutes (IP68) and is also protected against high-pressure and high-temperature water jets (IP69).
ElevationLab already makes a wide assortment of AirTag cases and mounts, so TimeCapsule was right up its alley. In a blog post, the accessory’s creator explains that they were inspired to design TimeCapsule after having their car broken into and $10K worth of camera gear stolen — in a bag that contained an AirTag with a dead battery for three months.
While your iPhone should give you ample warning to change your AirTag batteries, these are too easy to ignore or put off since you’re likely to see them when you or your AirTags aren’t in a convenient position to do so.
TimeCapsule mostly solves that problem — or at least ensures you’ll only have to deal with it once every decade or so. While it’s much bulkier than an AirTag alone, at only 0.75 inches thick, it can still easily slide into a bag. Plus, as ElevationLab explains, it’s ideal for places where you may leave an AirTag longer-term, like an RV or a boat, or even hidden inside a hard-to-access place in your car. As the name implies, you could also bury it in an actual time capsule.
The nondescript look also offers stealth value. By now, most thieves know what an AirTag looks like and often search for one before making off with high-value items. It’s reached a point where some folks are hiding multiple AirTags in their vehicles in hopes that thieves will miss at least one of them. However, TimeCapsule has no markings beyond the ElevationLab branding, so it’s not easily recognizable as a tracking device.
While the price of TimeCapsule means you probably won’t save any money on batteries in the long run, it’s worth it for the convenience and subtlety, especially if you’re planting AirTags in hard-to-reach locations. TimeCapsule is available on Amazon for $19.99 for a single unit, $29.99 for a two-pack, or $39.99 for a four-pack.
