Should You Use AirTags to Track Your Milwaukee Tools? 5 Things to Consider

Milwaukee power tools are valuable and sometimes expensive products. It goes without saying that you’ll probably want to keep a close eye on them if you can, both because they’re valuable to you and because replacing them would be costly. This is especially true if the Milwaukee tools you use are owned by your employer, who rents tools to employees for use on a jobsite. Either way, you need a good way to track those tools.

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When it comes to tracking objects in today’s world, one of the first options that may come to mind is a Bluetooth tracking device, such as the Apple AirTag. In theory, an AirTag would be the perfect way to track your Milwaukee tools. They’re readily available and well-known for their tracking effectiveness via the Apple Find My app. However, attaching an AirTag to a professional-grade Milwaukee power tool isn’t quite the same as attaching one to a slippery set of wrenches. There are a few factors you may want to take the time to consider before you go out and buy a huge stack of AirTags.

The first, and perhaps most obvious, question to ask in any AirTag scenario, including attaching an AirTag to a Milwaukee tool, is whether you actually have the ability to attach one. AirTags are designed to attach to a variety of different objects and surfaces through the use of various accessories, including adhesive pads and mounts, key rings, and wire cable holders. One of these approaches might work for some Milwaukee products, especially simpler ones like battery packs, but certainly not for all.

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Let’s say, for example, you’re using one of Milwaukee’s M18 impact wrenches. There’s not really anywhere on the tool where you could hang a keychain or cord holder, other than maybe the belt hook if you’re not using it, and that’s if you don’t mind it wiggling around while you’re using the tool. As for the sticker backing, you’d specifically need one small enough to fit on the tool’s surface, though no one knows how long the adhesive would last against the high vibration force of an impact wrench.

While Milwaukee’s tools may be quite valuable, AirTags are no slouch when it comes to price, either. A single one of these items costs around $30, and if a potential thief were to manage to detach it from whatever you stuck it to, there’s a good chance they’d make off with the tag itself. That’s why many AirTag users prefer to hide their AirTags, either by placing them in an out-of-sight pocket on a bag or by building some sort of special holder from scratch.

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It’s theoretically possible to make an AirTag mount for a Milwaukee tool that hides its presence to some extent, but it’s certainly not easy. Unless you’re a skilled craftsman with a good understanding of the AirTag’s dimensions, not to mention the dimensions of the tool you’re trying to stick it to, any mount you create is likely going to stand out like a sore thumb. Even if you can hide the big Apple logo from view, bad guys might still be intrigued by the big hunk of plastic you’ve attached to your power drill.

AirTags, to their credit, are surprisingly tough little gadgets. They have an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, and according to tests by publications like CNET , they can withstand the occasional spin in the washing machine or an accidental drop onto a hard surface from a height of a few feet. However, the kind of punishment an AirTag can endure in everyday use is a very different beast than the kind of horrors it can endure on a professional job site.

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Job sites are a microcosm of physical punishment and filth, with workers and the tools they use regularly subjected to constant drops, scorching heat from the sun, occasional splashes of thick mud, and more. AirTags can only operate in a temperature range of -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit; beyond that, in either direction, you’re in trouble. Not to mention the potential for sudden impacts and vibrational force an AirTag can be subjected to when attached to a Milwaukee power tool. An AirTag may be able to withstand the occasional scratch, but there’s not enough information on anything beyond that, so trying to use one on a job site would be a gamble.

If you only have one Milwaukee tool that you want to track and that belongs exclusively to you, an AirTag might do the trick. However, if you’re looking to add tracking functionality to a variety of tools on behalf of your business or jobsite, using AirTags might not be such a good idea. That’s because AirTags, once activated, are exclusively tied to a single Apple ID. Only their original user can track their location via the Apple Find My app on a paired iPhone, Apple Watch, or Mac computer. Unless you’re particularly comfortable sharing your Apple ID credentials with coworkers, no one else will be able to track the tags’ location, which poses a security risk.

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Even putting that aside, attaching an AirTag to a tool doesn’t allow you to track the tool itself. You can only track the AirTag, and if the AirTag is dropped, stolen, or otherwise misplaced, you might be able to find it, but the tool might be gone forever.

One of the main reasons why attaching AirTags to your Milwaukee tools may be a bad investment is that some Milwaukee tools already have a built-in tracking system. Milwaukee has a proprietary tracking system called One-Key, which is operated through the Milwaukee smartphone app. Several high-end Milwaukee tools, particularly those in the M18 and MX FUEL lines, will have a One-Key Bluetooth tracker built into their handles, allowing the app to catalog and track them. Granted, the One-Key tracking system isn’t as comprehensive as AirTags, since an AirTag is backed by Apple’s network of devices, but if you’re only tracking tools on a single, small jobsite, it’s less of an issue.

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Even if you’re using lower-end Milwaukee tools that don’t come with One-Key trackers, Milwaukee also offers standalone One-Key trackers that can be attached to other tools and important items. These tags have built-in holes for screws, rivets, or zip ties to hold them securely to their targets, not to mention a shock-resistant body similar to an AirTag. These tags have a simpler, more discreet design, which could make them a less high-priority target for theft than the popular AirTag.