How To Change Battery In Orbit Without Tool

Our Verdict

The Orbit is one of the best-looking central finders we've tested, only its performance doesn't live up to its looks.

For

Good digital-leash feature
Fashionable design
Well-implemented ii-way discover feature

Confronting

Range is limited
Has trouble reconnecting with phones
Audio alert is hard to hear over ambient noise

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Orbit is one of the best-looking key finders we've tested, but its operation doesn't live upward to its looks.

Pros

+
Good digital-leash feature
+
Stylish design
+
Well-implemented two-fashion detect feature

Cons

-
Range is limited
-
Has trouble reconnecting with phones
-
Sound alert is hard to hear over ambience noise

Orbit adds a bear upon of grade to your cardinal chain, with a amply designed wireless cardinal finder that can help you lot go along track of your keys or whatsoever other particular, like a purse or wallet that you're likely to misplace. I only wish that all of the Orbit'due south features were as flawless as its look and feel. Overall, the Orbit makes our list of the best central finders, but nosotros prefer the Tile Pro.

Orbit Specs

Size	1.33 inches in diameter, 0.35 inches thick
Weight	0.7 ounces
Listed Range	100 feet
Tested Range	35 to 45 feet
Loudness Claimed	90 dB
Battery/Promised Battery Life	Replaceable CR2025/6 months
Compatibility	Android, iOS
Colors	Black, grayness, argent, gilded, rose gold, pink, azure, red, light-green, violet, orange, dark storm

What's Noteworthy About the Orbit

In the nearly 4 years I've been testing cardinal finders, I don't retrieve I've ever laid optics on one as pretty as the Orbit. A 0.35-inch-thick disk that'due south 1.3 inches in diameter, the Orbit central finder is made out of a striking brushed aluminum. My test unit came in an centre-popping "candy red," only there are 11 other options that are sure to suit your taste.

Orbit's central finder invites comparisons to the Tile Pro Series, another Bluetooth gadget that places an emphasis on looks. And while Tile's stylish key finders certainly look good — I'k partial to the Tile Sport, myself — I prefer the pop of color and the brushed-metal advent of the Orbit. That's a matter of personal gustation, though.

Orbit enjoys some other edge over Tile'due south key finders, at least for people who balk at having to replace their Tile when the battery dies: The Orbit'southward CR2025 battery is replaceable, and the company says you should be able to go half dozen months before needing to swap out batteries. When you practice, you'll accept to use an included plastic tool that twists the Orbit open, exposing the bombardment. Information technology's a bit awkward having to keep tabs on a separate tool you'll need only every 6 months or so, but the tool does make irresolute the Orbit's battery a lot easier than it is with the TrackR Bravo, some other key finder with a replaceable battery.

A discreet button on the Orbit'southward side triggers a two-fashion feature that helps you lot observe your phone. (That characteristic requires a double press to prevent your phone from buzzing afterwards an inadvertent button tap.) When you lot're in the Orbit app (Android, iOS), you can likewise use that button as a remote shutter for snapping photos with your phone's camera.

More than: Best Central Finder - Tile vs. Trackr vs. Chipolo vs. Duet vs. Pally

Unlike a lot of central finders with replaceable batteries, Orbit claims that its device is waterproof, though its IPX6 rating means it's protected simply against inadvertent splashes and steady rain. I wouldn't dive into a swimming pool with an Orbit in my pocket.

How the Orbit Performs

Like other key finders, the Orbit pairs with your iPhone or Android device over Bluetooth. When you can't discover your keys, you launch the Orbit app and tap the Discover Orbit push button (which is a footling slender for my taste). A 7-second chime plays and then repeats 2 more than times, helping you pinpoint exactly where your keys are.

That'southward provided you're in range, of course. When I tested the Orbit in a public park, my phone routinely lost its connectedness to the primal finder when I was 35 to 45 feet away. That's a fraction of the 160-to-170-foot range I saw with the Tile Sport and Style, and as well less than the TrackR Bravo, which stayed connected for sixty to 70 feet.

More than troubling is that once y'all lose the connection with the Orbit, you'll take a difficult time getting information technology dorsum. I usually had to be within 20 anxiety of my keys earlier the Orbit app recognized me equally in range again, and often, the key finder wouldn't re-constitute a connection until I quit and relaunched the app. That would exist frustrating if I had lost my keys and was relying on Orbit to assistance find them.

Orbit's alarm isn't very loud, either. The visitor says the warning is 90 decibels (the Tile Pro Serial lists its loudness at 98 decibels), just I had a hard time hearing my Orbit'south chinkle from 40 feet away in a busy park. When I tucked my Orbit into a pile of clothes inside a laundry basket, I could hear the faint alarm from a room away, though merely barely.

The key finder gets a few things right. Its ii-mode find feature means your phone volition never be mislaid for long. When I tapped the Orbit'southward button twice, not simply did my iPhone kickoff ringing, only its rear flash began pulsing, too, and the light show didn't end until I tapped the push on the key finder again.

More: Avoid These Key Finders If You Care About Your Privacy

Orbit also has one of the all-time implementations of a digital-leash feature, in which your phone sends out a notification if y'all get out the key finder behind. I left my keys behind on a park bench, and Orbit's alerts consistently arrived on my iPhone screen past the time I was 85 to 95 feet away. A prophylactic-zone feature keeps the warning from sounding when you're in a designated surface area — say, your house — and you don't want the alert sounding just because yous've gone upstairs.

Bottom Line

In that location's a lot to similar most the Orbit, from its hit blueprint to the way information technology handles features like sounding out-of-range alerts and finding your misplaced phone. But the fundamental finder'due south failure to seamlessly reconnect with my phone once I was back in range makes the Orbit less useful, particularly when the as stylish Tile Pro trackers handle that task with greater ease.

Credit: Tom'southward Guide

Philip Michaels is a senior editor at Tom's Guide. He has potent opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics and old movies. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.