Keys to the lost and found

Ever played that cold, warm, hot, hotter hunting game? Ian Macrae has found an electronic equivalent which might take the luck out of looking for things

You're getting ready to leave the house, in a bit of a hurry and going through that checklist in your head. "Keys, wallet, phone, specs...specs! Where are my specs?"

Then it begins.

You may be the methodical mover of things, or start in on the frantic, frustrating and ultimately fruitless flinging of things about.

Whatever, whether or not you find the errant article will be a matter largely of luck.

But there are on the market gadgets which can make the looking and locating less of a lottery.

Known generically as electronic object locators, they work on the principle of one device sending a signal to another, causing it to make a noise. The receiving device is attached to specs, wallet, keys and the bleeping sound (together with a flashing LED) alerts you to where they are.

The gadgets come in two basic types.

First there are those which consist of a hand-held transmitter (like a remote control) and a number of fobs tuned to receive its signal. Each fob is coded with a letter and can be attached to a given article (keys, wallet, specs again). Press the appropriate lettered button on the central remote and the fob (attached to your keys) begins to bleep and flash. You follow the sound or locate the LED and Bob's your proverbial, or, more appropriately maybe, eureka!

The one we tried is the Doro MemoryPlus 335 and it certainly did its job.

However, the remote transmitter is quite large - so the system's not that portable, and the question always hangs in the air, what do you do if the thing you're unable to find is the remote?

Enter from left field, the FOFA - Find One Find All - Key and Wallet finder.

With this system, developed in the States, there's no central remote transmitter. Instead, each of the fobs is capable of talking to the others.

Example. Let's say you're wearing your sunglasses and need to locate your keys. The product comes with a fob on a double ended lanyard which can be attached to your shades. You press the appropriate button (one of six) on this fob and it sends a signal to a similar one attached to your keys. The keys fob begins to bleep and flash enabling you to hunt it down.

Out of the box you have to programme each fob with its number, but that's an easy matter of pressing the relevant button.

You also have to remember (or note down) which numbered fob is attached to which of your belongings to avoid frustration.

This system is compact, easy to use and flexible.

It even has a proximity detector, enabling you to find an object that's obscured – your keys may be hidden under a cushion, for instance.

It's also cheaper than the Doro.

INFORMATION

Doro MemoryPlus 335 object locator
doro-uk.com
£33.99

FOFA Key & Wallet Finders
Findlostkeys.com
Rnib.org.uk
£24.99 per set
Individual fobs £14.99