Nomad Announces 'Rugged Keychain' for AirTag, Includes Add-On Engraving Option for Pet ID Tags

[MacRumors]

Nomad today announced a new accessory for Apple's AirTag, called the Rugged Keychain, which begins shipping in August and costs $29.95 to pre-order ($39.95 regular). Similar to other keychain accessories, Nomad's Rugged Keychain protects the AirTag in a polycarbonate shell that can be attached to keys, bags, and -- in Nomad's advice -- pet collars.

The Rugged Keychain includes two enclosure options: an IP67 waterproof back and a speaker-hole back. Nomad is also including an optional add-on feature that lets you engrave your pet's name and your phone number onto a stainless steel insert, turning the AirTag and Rugged Keychain into a Pet ID tag.

While an AirTag can be used to track a pet, Apple VP of worldwide iPhone product marketing, Kaiann Drance, has reminded users that the AirTag was built to find inanimate objects and not pets or kids. When asked about this, Drance said, "If people do that, they just have to make sure that their moving pet gets into range of a device in the ‌Find My‌ network" so its location can be tracked.

Nomad already sells a few AirTag accessories, including a Leather Loop and Leather Keychain at $19.95 and $29.95 respectively. You can also purchase a Glasses Strap for AirTag on Nomad for $29.95, which attaches to any pair of glasses or sunglasses.

If you're interested in the new Rugged Keychain, you can pre-order the accessory today in Black or White on Nomad's website for $29.95. Nomad will begin shipping the Rugged Keychain to customers in August.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Nomad. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Article Link: Nomad Announces 'Rugged Keychain' for AirTag, Includes Add-On Engraving Option for Pet ID Tags

 

[deebinem]

Long hair, sand, ocean, and a big frickin' smile on the doggo's face? I'd be focused more on the upcoming bath than whether my AirTag made it through the day...

 

[applicious84]

Is that a really large dog tag or a really little dog?

 

[rcread]

It might be handy for pets in more urban areas, but if one of our ten dogs got loose, the odds of them getting near a device that would locate them are pretty slim.

 

[duervo]

Tucker sure looks like a happy dog.

This keychain looks pretty decent so far. Wonder how it will do in the reviews. It’s not a complicated product, so if it meets the claims (which should be fairly easy to do) then I suspect it’ll probably sell well.

 

[harveyhanson]

Belkin is $13, this is $30. While I’m sure this Nomad one is better made, is it really worth that much extra??

 

[nutmac]

It's good that both accessories are fully enclosed (stainless steal on one side, polycarbonate on the other). They include two covers, one IP67 waterproof and one with speaker holes. Waterproof seems unnecessary as AirTag itself is IP67 certified. I rather not pay for both.

Nomad's own $19.95 personal engraving option is pretty expensive, and unlike Apple's, only allows text and numbers up to 15 characters. Their website allows entering other characters, but I suspect they won't print.

 

[nutmac]

Belkin is $13, this is $30. While I’m sure this Nomad one is better made, is it really worth that much extra??

Unlike Belkin, Nomad's products fully protect AirTags with nothing exposed. Whether that is worth more than double the price is entirely up to you.

 

[alexandr]

i'm still not seeing any attractive cases that are widely advertised here...

 

[Pezimak]

I wonder if the Airtag and a case like this are a more valid option then the traditional GPS, Cellular pet tracking devices? Because with the Airtag won’t you be advertising your dog is lost if you activate it? Bit concerning because of the pet thefts that occur these days.
what are the risks of making your pet wear a gps cellular tracking device on their collar? Has anyone used one?

 

[contacos]

Long hair, sand, ocean, and a big frickin' smile on the doggo's face? I'd be focused more on the upcoming bath than whether my AirTag made it through the day...

There is not enough peanut butter in the world to make it a pleasant experience

 

[justperry]

Me shakes head harder and harder each and every day.
$40 accessory for a $29 Airtag *which in itself is already too much (* In My opinion)

Apple should have added an effing 1 mm hole.

 

[mksap11]

I like Nomad's products (I have a few Apple Watch bands from them) as they're well thought out and the workmanship has been good. That said, for the same cost as 1 of the Nomad Rugged Keychains, you can get a 3-pack of Elevation Labs' 'TagVaults' which appear to be lower profile and that also fully protect the AirTag

Somewhat related, our dog trainer recently suggested that we put "Needs Meds" on our puppy's dog tag instead of his name. She claimed that that improves chances that someone will actually call the number since no one wants to steal a dog that has medical issues (whether he does or not).

 

[usagora]

Me shakes head harder and harder each and every day.
$40 accessory for a $29 Airtag *which in itself is already too much (* In My opinion)

Apple should have added an effing 1 mm hole.

Or people can just get over the fact that there's not a hole (1mm wouldn't even be wide enough for a sturdy ring to go through anyway) and that they don't have to spend $40 (currently on sale for $30, btw) on this because it's not the only option out there. People need to think these things through before they just start ordering AirTags. If they think the cost is too high once accessories are added, then they can pass ?‍♂️ Seems a lot of people think they're worth it, though.

 

[eyez73]

I've 3D printed a few similar to this for less than a £1.

 

[DogHouseDub]

I wonder if the Airtag and a case like this are a more valid option then the traditional GPS, Cellular pet tracking devices? Because with the Airtag won’t you be advertising your dog is lost if you activate it? Bit concerning because of the pet thefts that occur these days.
what are the risks of making your pet wear a gps cellular tracking device on their collar? Has anyone used one?

I tried for years with Pod Tracker - never really worked correctly. Requires cell signal, so if the dog is off the grid...

AT&T is directly selling the Link collar now - perhaps things have improved?

 

[ani4ani]

I thought Apple stated these were not for use in tracking humans or animals?

 

[justperry]

Snip...Seems a lot of people think they're worth it, though.

Indoctrinated comes to my mind.

I was a huge Mac/Apple fan, still are in many ways, this, Airtags without a hole to sell more accessories, is just silly and that's a huge understatement.

 

[deebinem]

Me shakes head harder and harder each and every day.
$40 accessory for a $29 Airtag *which in itself is already too much (* In My opinion)

Apple should have added an effing 1 mm hole.

$40 accessory is definitely a head scratcher but I'm wondering if you feel the same about Tile's offering's, price wise? The cheapest I've seen from them is $15 for the Sticker ($59.99 for a 4 pack and no holes either) so are those too expensive as well? I'm guessing that the Sticker doesn't have nearly as robust tracking as their Pro version, which bumps your price up to $34.99 for 1.

 

[usagora]

Indoctrinated comes to my mind.

I was a huge Mac/Apple fan, still are in many ways, this, Airtags without a hole to sell more accessories, is just silly and that's a huge understatement.

Or just don't have the same set of expectations that you have. No need to insult people who make different purchase decisions than you do. I wouldn't call you an "Apple hater" for not wanting to buy AirTags. As I've said multiple times on the AirTags sub-forum, you're kidding yourself if you think Apple and others would not still manufacture and sell holders/cases/etc. for AirTags, even if they did have a hole. Not only do they add personalization, but also a measure of protection. Lots of use-cases don't even require a holder/ring.

@pdr733, I'm eager to hear precisely what you disagree with in my above post and rational reasons why.

 

[Pezimak]

I tried for years with Pod Tracker - never really worked correctly. Requires cell signal, so if the dog is off the grid...

AT&T is directly selling the Link collar now - perhaps things have improved?

Thank you for the reply, I live in the UK so don’t have AT&T, but we have similar devices. But I don’t know if anyone with real life experiences with them. I think we can get a similar item to the dollar you’ve linked to.

 

[justperry]

$40 accessory is definitely a head scratcher but I'm wondering if you feel the same about Tile's offering's, price wise? The cheapest I've seen from them is $15 for the Sticker ($59.99 for a 4 pack and no holes either) so are those too expensive as well? I'm guessing that the Sticker doesn't have nearly as robust tracking as their Pro version, which bumps your price up to $34.99 for 1.

I am not really familiar with tile prices, seems like even more expensive.
Most of this stuff is too expensive, these things cost next to nothing to make.

Example, in my place I use Shelly devices for home automation, a shelly 1 is about $9, a so called "branded" automation (Switch) product will cost 3 to 4 times as much.

 

[howywood]

Nomad thinks they're high end. They're not.

 

[deebinem]

I am not really familiar with tile prices, seems like even more expensive.
Most of this stuff is too expensive, these things cost next to nothing to make.

Example, in my place I use Shelly devices for home automation, a shelly 1 is about $9, a so called "branded" automation (Switch) product will cost 3 to 4 times as much.

I mean hey, to each their own, but looking at the User Guide for the Shelly 1, I can imagine some people's heads exploding with the initial setup. Can those be used away from your home center?

 

[justperry]

I mean hey, to each their own, but looking at the User Guide for the Shelly 1, I can imagine some people's heads exploding with the initial setup. Can those be used away from your home centre?

There's (un-official) Homekit support.
It's not that hard.
Problem with (all brands) these switches/dimmers is that they need to be integrated into existing wiring, that is the hard part, setting up is easy.