The Tile Mate + Slim is a versatile device that keeps track of virtually anything. The Tile Mate + Slim combo pack comes with a credit card-sized tracker and a keyring dongle style tracker. In the box, both trackers come pre-loaded with batteries and an instruction guide to setup the app on your phone.

Setup

Getting the trackers up and running is a pretty simple affair. After removing the trackers from the packaging, setup is initiated by downloading the Tile App for Android or iOS. The app walks you through the process of setting up and registering in addition to introducing the basic functions. You can specify during the setup what sort of device you’re attaching the trackers to and customize basic alerts. You can also configure the ringtone of the tracker and adjust the sound intensity of alarms.

One thing we thought was missing during the setup was a clear direction as to how to trigger certain alerts, like finding your phone. However, after a few attempts, we were able to figure out how to do it consistently. We recommend trying this a few times to get used to the buttons.

Usability

In our initial testing, we configured the Tiles to track a set of keys, find a backpack and find our mobile phone. Getting both tiles to trigger alerts was very straight forward. We found that the range of the Tile “tags” was pretty good and somewhere in the 60m range (depending on your environment). The device was able to trigger alerts through pretty sold walls and was loud enough for us to hear it from afar.

What impressed us

First, these are more than basic trackers. Having the ability to share Tiles between family members isn’t something that we’ve found to be a common feature among devices like these. You can share all of your configured Tiles to work with your family members accounts and, they will be able to find and alert your devices with ease.

Second, you can discover the last known GPS location of your trackers and the app stores a small history of the most recent. With the premium service offered in the app, Tile lets you store 30 days of history. Also, with premium, you can configure Smart Alerts. Smart Alerts let you trigger alerts on activities like forgetting your keys when you walk out of the house.

Lastly, and arguably the most underrated benefit of the Tile trackers is the “community find” feature. This lets you get anonymous tips from other Tile users about the last known location of your Tiles. This comes in handy in situations like when you lose your keys or other valuables. In that instance, other Tile users will be helping you find them as their device detects your Tiles nearby, thus re-acquainting you with your items.

Where to buy

The Tile Mate + Slim is available from major retailers online (i.e. Amazon) and can be purchased directly from Tile here. Prices vary between retailers but appear to range between $39.99-52.99USD depending on the number of trackers, colours and combination purchased.