Who has never dreamed of being able to find their lost keys, bag or laptop anywhere in the world? Me, it’s less dramatic than that, although & mldr; I lose my keys in the house all the time so fortunately that Apple offers its Airtag system.

But the latter has two major drawbacks: its relatively high license price for manufacturers and its closed ecosystem. But the good news is that there is an alternative free And open source allowing to exploit the power of the Find MY network of Apple to create your own Bluetooth tracers.

OpenHaystack Screenshot

OpenHayStack cleverly operates the Find My Network of Apple using this principle:

  1. A pair of cryptographic keys (public/private) is generated on your Mac – the private key remains secure in the system trousseau
  2. Your OpenHaystack tag regularly emits a Bluetooth signal containing the public key
  3. The nearby iPhone capture this signal, collect their GPS position, quantify it with the public key and send it to Apple servers
  4. The OpenHaystack application on your Mac recovers and decipher these positions thanks to the corresponding private key

The coolest is that it all works Without Internet connection For your tracer! It is enough then that an iPhone under iOS 13 or more recent goes nearby so that its position is updated. And iPhones cannot make the difference between your OpenHaystack accessories of official Apple devices.

FindmyoverView

Note that OpenHaystack is capable of:

  • Multi-Appareils support : Manage as many tracers as you wish
  • Cartographic interface : visualize all your devices on the same card
  • History of positions : Consult the latest known locations
  • Data export : save your configurations and historical
  • Mobile version : a smartphone application is available, requiring a proxy server on mac

To set up your personal tracking system, here is what you will need:

  • A mac under macOS 11 (big on) or superior.
  • A low Energy Bluetooth compatible device like a BBC microphone: bit (≈15 €), an ESP32 card (≈5 €) or a Raspberry Pi or other Linux apparatus.

Installation of the application

The first step is to configure your system to allow the execution of openhaystack. Open a terminal and temporarily deactivate Gatekeeper by performing the following command:

sudo spctl --master-disable

This command is necessary because OpenHaystack uses a personalized plugin for Apple Mail which requires special authorizations.

Mail plugin configuration

Once the application is installed, you will need to configure the mail plugin which allows OpenHaystack to access the necessary Apple services. The procedure is as follows:

Launch Apple Mail and access preferences from the menu. In the “General” tab, click the “Manage extensions…” button. If this button does not appear, you will first have to execute the following command in the terminal:

sudo defaults write "/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail" EnableBundles 1

In the extension management window, search and activate “Openhastackmail.mailbundle”. The system will ask you to confirm this activation. Once validated, restart Apple Mail so that the changes take effect.

Creation of an accessory

Now that the installation is over, you can create your first tracking accessory. Launch the OpenHaystack application from your Applications file.

In the main interface, use the “+” button to add a new accessory. A configuration window will open where you can customize your accessory. Give it an explicit name that will allow you to identify it easily and choose an appropriate icon from the proposed list.

OpenHaystack will automatically generate a pair of encryption keys. The private key will be stored safely in your mac’s bitch, while the public key will be used for Bluetooth communications.

Deployment on your device

The last step is to deploy the configuration on your compatible physical device. Connect your device (like a microphone: bit or ESP32) to your Mac via USB. In the openhaystack interface, click the “Deploy” button next to the accessory you just configured.

A window will open allowing you to select the type of device corresponding to your equipment. Choose the appropriate model and follow the instructions specific to your device.

Daily use

Once configured, your accessory will start to issue Bluetooth signals which will be captured by the Find My Network of Apple. The first location reports can take up to 30 minutes to appear on the map. The frequency of updates will depend on the presence of nearby iOS devices which can relay the position.

You can consult the last known position of your accessories directly from the OpenHaystack interface. The card will display all your devices and you can click on each of them to see the details of their last update.

Securing your system

Once the installation is complete, it is highly recommended to reactivate Gatekeeper to maintain the safety of your system. Run the following command in the terminal:

sudo spctl --master-enable

Keep in mind that Openhastack is an experimental project and that the current firmware diffuses a fixed public key. This means that your accessories can be followed by other devices nearby.

By combining affordable hardware,, Open Source Software And existing infrastructure, this project offers a solution accessible to all for the location of objects. So if you are hot to create your first tracer, go to the Openhastack github deposit !


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