Homing Device for Tracking Missing Packages

[Haytil]

Hello,

I've just learned that some of my packages delivered to my apartment building have gone missing before I could get to them, and some of my neighbors are also missing packages that have been confirmed as delivered by UPS.

I'd like to find out which one of my neighbors is stealing our stuff, so I'd like to use a bait package. I'd like to place some sort of homing device inside of it, so once it is stolen, I can track which apartment it is taken to (i.e., by walking through the halls and seeing where the signal is strong).

I don't know anything about this kind of technology and am looking for suggestions. What is cheap and small, but strong enough that I could detect it from a few dozen feet away, through a wall or two?

 

[JonathonWally]

Put a rabid animal in a box, when the thief opens the box and gets their face bitten off, listen for the screaming.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

... or one of those exploding paint cartridges that they sometimes put in money bags to taint stolen cash. Open the bag -- poof! -- the bag's contents, the thief, and his suroundings get sprayed. Probably illegal in my particular country (UK) if you're not in the Police. I think it would act as a deterrent even if you don't catch the perp. Remember not to open if you do receive it after all.

 

[Amaris]

Put a rabid animal in a box, when the thief opens the box and gets their face bitten off, listen for the screaming.

This idea is so full of win I demand that you try it immediately, Haytil.


J.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

Mail yourself a cell phone. Make sure it has a proper charge.

Either mail a decent one that has GPS activated, most companies have a tracking feature available that lets you Google the phone and see exactly where it is. It may not narrow down which apartment, but you will see it when it gets to your building and you know it's not in your mailbox.

Or just get a cheap one and when you're sure it must have arrived then phone it. Walk through the hallways and listen for the unique ring tone you've set.

 

[Haytil]

Mail yourself a cell phone. Make sure it has a proper charge.

Either mail a decent one that has GPS activated, most companies have a tracking feature available that lets you Google the phone and see exactly where it is. It may not narrow down which apartment, but you will see it when it gets to your building and you know it's not in your mailbox.

Unfortunately, the problem isn't that I don't know if things are being stolen - it's that I don't know WHICH apartment is stealing from me. So if I can't narrow down which apartment it's in, I haven't learned anything new.

Or just get a cheap one and when you're sure it must have arrived then phone it. Walk through the hallways and listen for the unique ring tone you've set.

I've thought about this, but I worry that I won't be able to hear it through the walls (cell phones aren't THAT loud).

Does anyone know of any beeper thing that I can activate wirelessly, that is small and will make a REALLY loud noise, like "car alarm" loud?

I've thought about putting such a device hidden inside a fake box labeled for me (don't have to actually waste time mailing it, can just address it and place it in the hallway per usual), and then activating it at 3 AM and walking the halls, listening for it. But it'd have to be small, LOUD, and only make noise when I summon it (i.e., with a transmitter device or something). I don't know what such a thing would be called, unfortunately.

 

[Plecostomus]

I did this with a beehive once. Nothing spells revenge like a cloud of angry hornets.

 

[B.J.]

If you can be around when the package is stolen (in the building at least), you could just get an air horn and rig it to go off when the package is opened. You're sure to hear it, and the thief gets an earfull!

 

[Holdfast]

RFID technology is pretty cheap, isn't it?