How to locate Bird Scooters?

Thread Starter

Roy Peled

Joined Nov 11, 2018
6
Hey guys I have no idea if i'm in the right place but PLEASE HELP!
Basically I'm a Bird scotter charger. often when I go to locate a Bird scooter I get to an apartment building which i'm sure the bird scotter is located in (I can see it very clearly on the map of my phone).

As far as i know the scooter broadcasts its location all the time (as long as the battery is ok) using some sort sim card (this i'm sure of).
What happens is I usually get to the apartment building where the scooter is but I have no way of knowing exactly where the scooter is! most of the time some tennant has it hidden in his apartment!

What i want is some sort of device that could tell me the excact location of the scooter! signal direction, signal strength... etc...
I KNOW this is possible, I've heard it from another bird charger who does not want to reveal his methods (obviously).

PLEASE HELP!
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Welcome to AAC

Is a bird scooter charger something like a repo man for cars with unpaid liens?

Edit: It appears your location is Israel. I was worried it was Chicago, Detroit,... and was going to suggest a different occupation. GPS will give reasonable location. To pin it down further, maybe an RFID tag or similar low power ID tag might help.
 
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Thread Starter

Roy Peled

Joined Nov 11, 2018
6
i have no idea whatsoever u are talking about.
I have no backround in electronics.
I will need a link to an amazon/ ebay page to get exactly to what i need to buy.
:)
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Hey guys I have no idea if i'm in the right place but PLEASE HELP!
Basically I'm a Bird scotter charger. often when I go to locate a Bird scooter I get to an apartment building which i'm sure the bird scotter is located in (I can see it very clearly on the map of my phone).

As far as i know the scooter broadcasts its location all the time (as long as the battery is ok) using some sort sim card (this i'm sure of).
What happens is I usually get to the apartment building where the scooter is but I have no way of knowing exactly where the scooter is! most of the time some tennant has it hidden in his apartment!

What i want is some sort of device that could tell me the excact location of the scooter! signal direction, signal strength... etc...
I KNOW this is possible, I've heard it from another bird charger who does not want to reveal his methods (obviously).

PLEASE HELP!
The app relies on GPS. Sometimes accuracy of standard is as much as 50 feet. Usually it is far more accurate. But since the Bird Scooter" is inside the apartment, it can't be using cell phone triangulation to find the "Bird Scooter". The app vantage (obviously) is it works indoor. Disadvantage is it is far less accurate than a standard GPS used outdoor.

The "find my phone" feature has a similar problem. You will know the phone is somewhere in your house but won't tell you where. But "find my "phone" (supposedly, I have never used it) has a feature to have the phone make a noise so hat you can locate it more precisely I would speak to the manufacturer and tell them your issue. They might be able to enable such a feature.

OK what is a "Bird scooter" and how are you able to go inside someone's apartment to get it? ;)
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Did you try searching on the term,"RFID?" Amazon has some interesting and relatively low cost devices. If you put an RFID "lock" (i.e, switch) in each scooter, that switch could activate a loud alarm when you are near. So, you go to the nearest apartments indicated by your "sim card" and stroll by while trying to activate the alarms.

Since you want a link: https://www.amazon.com
 

Thread Starter

Roy Peled

Joined Nov 11, 2018
6
Did you try searching on the term,"RFID?" Amazon has some interesting and relatively low cost devices. If you put an RFID "lock" (i.e, switch) in each scooter, that switch could activate a loud alarm when you are near. So, you go to the nearest apartments indicated by your "sim card" and stroll by while trying to activate the alarms.

Since you want a link: https://www.amazon.com
i dont have access to all the scooters and they dont pass through me. i'm just an ordinary charger. one amongst hundreds.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
As others have told you, unless you have access to the scooters and can install some sort of "pinger," RFID tag, etc., you are out of luck. Why not convince the owners of the scooters as a group to install a security device or collect a substantial guaranty at the time of renting?

EDIT: Here's a link I copied from elsewhere that is relevant and doesn't require one to sign in to see:
 
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spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
"Capturing birds and releasing them. "

On brother!


All those features and they don't have a "make bird tweet" feature? OK maybe it is in there but I didn't see it skipping through the long boring video. Put a freaking electric horn on it and make the app activate the horn on command.
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
On the other forum I asked where in the world do adults ride a kid's rented scooter to work.
On this forum the Bird ad shows a huge electric scooter that might be used in one weird country. Another weird country has adults renting bicycles. Here in North America we rent cars.
 
..... Another weird country has adults renting bicycles. Here in North America we rent cars.
Yeah, I guess you might think that your southern neighbor is a "weird country", but surely you believe that it is still North America.

https://www.capitalbikeshare.com/

It is a fledgling industry but, to me it can, potentially make sense in some area. Electric bikes also.
Edited to add: Toronto also.
 
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Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
I did not know that rented bikes are in Washington DC.
I read recently that many cities already are banning cars downtown.
Wait a minute. Most Americans are obese and cannot ride a bike. They ride wheelchairs but are any wheelchairs rented?
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
I did not know that rented bikes are in Washington DC.
I read recently that many cities already are banning cars downtown.
Wait a minute. Most Americans are obese and cannot ride a bike. They ride wheelchairs but are any wheelchairs rented?

I would not put that just on the Americans. The problem is pretty much every where where food is abundant and affordable including Canada.
.
 

Thread Starter

Roy Peled

Joined Nov 11, 2018
6
On the other forum I asked where in the world do adults ride a kid's rented scooter to work.
On this forum the Bird ad shows a huge electric scooter that might be used in one weird country. Another weird country has adults renting bicycles. Here in North America we rent cars.
Well Tel Aviv is mostly a city with youngsters and they rent these scooters A LOT! :)
There are tens of charger guys (like me) who have a lot of work!
 
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