MYNT will not just ensure you never lose your stuff but will also alert you if someone tries to take it!
There is a superb saying which I adapted: “It’s better to have a camera and not need one than need a camera and not have one.” Therefore, whenever I travel, I like to take with me my photographic equipment with me for those “just in case” moments.
The problem is that it forces me to be extra vigilant as I need to keep my eye on my camera bag at all times.
I was contacted by Slightech who asked if I would like to check out the MYNT which is their Bluetooth little tracking device. Of course, there are many such devices, however, there was one element which intrigued me: a separation alert. Slightech sent the unit for me to test and since I was heading out on a pre-Thanksgiving road trip, that created the ideal opportunity to give this a real-world go.
The MYNT device
The unit is tiny. It is only 1.8 inches thick, 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. It is simple to setup and pairs with your app that you need to download to your phone (works on Android and iOS).
Once paired, you simply follow the prompts and asign the device to a specific item type eg. wallet, purse etc. I set mine to “suitcase”. I then attached the MYNT device to my camera bag.
How does it work?
MYNT establishes a low energy Bluetooth connection to your cell phone or tablet. During that connection, the device reports its location. Inside the app, you can tap on your item (in my case its “suitcase”) and get its last reported location and even see it on a map.
If I want to locate the item that the MYNT device is attched to, all I have to do is press the button inside the app. MYNT will emit a beeping sound.
Proximity Alert
This is where MYNT gets smart. You can set the app to alert you if the Bluetooth connection between the phone and the MYNT device is broken. In other words, if someone picks up my bag and starts to walk with it out of range of my phone, my phone starts to beep. I used it to keep tabs on my camera gear, but you could easily use it to keep an eye on your pet and even your kids. If the little ones start to wonder away, your phone beeps.
This also works in reverse. If you leave your phone as you start to walk away with your bag, it will alert you to inform you that you don’t have your phone.
Safe Zone
Another feature I like is the Safe Zone. If you are in your home or office and log onto your WiFi you can designate that zone as “safe” so that you can leave your belongings without getting false alarms every time you go make a cup of coffee.
Report Lost
In the event that you do lose your item, you can report it as lost. This information is shared with the MYNT community so should anyone happen to be in.
Remote Control
Another feature that is built into the MYNT is that it can be used as a Bluetooth remote and control various features on your phone and even on your computer! The MYNT allows you to move to the Next Page or Previous Page in a presentation or click on Play/ Pause when listening to music and even use it to snap a photo with your phone.
So in Summary:
While I haven’t used the MYNT as a Bluetooth remote, I did use it as an “extra pair of eyes” on my belonging. I like it as it is small, fits nicely inside the bag and doesn’t draw much power from my phone. I also hung it on my car keys as with the constant packing and unpacking that goes on when changing hotels every night, the car keys were the items I was constantly looking for – this helped with that issue.
Finally, if you have young kids and you want to be able to give them some freedom of running around and exploring but still keep my eye on them, this would be a cool little solution to attach to their clothing.
The price is under $20 and for that, you do get a lot of powerful tech! Check it out here
Note: This is not a paid for review, I was just sent the unit to review. As always, opinions are 100% my own.
