The TimeCapsule is a sweet bar-sized enclosure that replaces an AirTag’s CR2032 coin cell battery with {an electrical} contact and slots for a pair of AA batteries. It’s product of “fiber strengthened polycarbonate” that received’t block or scale back the vary of Bluetooth or UWB indicators, in accordance with Elevation Lab’s Casey Hopkins. The case additionally has an IP69 ranking, which provides the best safety towards water, mud, and dust ingress. No level in a ten-year tracker that may’t deal with a puddle.
There are tradeoffs, in fact. The TimeCapsule weighs 3.5 ounces with the batteries put in, in comparison with .39 ounces for a regulation AirTag. And the case does muffle the quantity of the AirTag’s chirps by a few third, probably making it tougher to find by ear. But for conditions the place you actually don’t wish to be changing your AirTag’s battery yearly, that looks like a small value to pay.
The firm recommends utilizing Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAs to maximise battery life and keep away from the leaks and corrosion that alkaline batteries are recognized for. You may also use nickel–steel hydride batteries, however they received’t fairly final as lengthy earlier than needing to be recharged.