Malcolm Owen
Elevation Lab's TimeCapsule is a case for AirTag that adds more battery life, extending the time between battery changes to up to ten years.
Apple's AirTag is extremely useful when it comes to tracking down lost or stolen items, with many stories detailing how it's helped reclaim personal property. However, while it's small and handy, its battery life can be a problem.
The AirTag uses a CR2032 battery, and that cell lasts for about a year before you need to change it out. While this isn't a massive problem when using it on a keyring, it can be a struggle to regularly replace if it's in a well-hidden and hard to access spot, such as underneath a vehicle.
To solve this problem, ElevationLab has come up with the TimeCapsule AirTag Battery Case. A rectangular fiber-reinforced composite enclosure designed to encase the AirTag's main body, and to supply power to it too.
Users have to remove the battery and door from an AirTag before placing it inside the case. Along with the AirTag, the case has space inside its 4.45-inch long, 1.57-inch wide, and 0.75-inch thick casing to hold two AA batteries, which supply power to the AirTag.
The result is a 14-times increase in battery life, with a claimed lifespan of up to ten years. However, this does rely on the batteries being good quality, and not degrading or otherwise failing for such a long period of time.
Using four CNC-machined screws to hold the case together, it's also fully waterproof with an IP69 rating.
TimeCapsule is available now from the company's store and Amazon, starting from $19.99 for one unit. A two-pack is available for $29.99, and a four-pack is $39.99.
Wesley Hilliard
Brian Patterson
Christine McKee
Andrew O'Hara
William Gallagher
6 Comments
Better not use alkaline batteries or they'll leak and corrode all the circuitry in that AirTag.
4-pack of ElevationLab capsules is $40. 8-pack of Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries is about $33. So you get about 10-years life for $73.
4-pack of Energizer Lithium CR2032 batteries is about $6. Lithium CR2032 batteries will probably last in an AirTag for about 3+ years, so you pay about $18 to get a 10ish-year life.
Kinda pricey just to not have to change a battery so often. Still, I can see a use for these given their "rugged" enclosure and IP rating. I'll take 4 please.
It isn’t that hard to change a battery, and I doubt anyone would not have updated their AirTags to teh latest and greatest in that timeframe. I cannot see the value/weight/ portability proposition.