Bluetooth tracker through a wardrobe or cupboard door

What does a wardrobe do to a Bluetooth signal?

The radio in a tag works at 2.4 GHz, and that frequency passes through wood, plasterboard and clothing with modest loss. Each barrier removes a share of the signal, so a 60 m open-air figure becomes a much shorter distance indoors. A closed wardrobe door and a back wall together can take it down by a large factor, though the exact result varies by house and by phone.

The practical effect is that you can usually connect from the next room and often from the landing. Water is the larger absorber: a bag of wet washing or a human body between you and the tag costs more than a thin door.

Does fabric stop the sound or the signal?

Mostly the sound. A speaker rated at 80 to 100 dB is loud in open air, but a tag buried in a folded jumper loses much of that, because soft material soaks up the high frequencies the ear picks out. The radio signal hardly notices the same jumper.

This is why a tag in a wardrobe can show as connected on the phone and still be hard to hear. The fix is placement, not volume: put the tag on top of the clothes rather than under them.

How do different hiding spots rank?

The ranking is a rule of thumb from how the radio and the speaker behave, not a lab result. Test your own cupboard.

What about metal cupboards and mirrored doors?

Metal is the real barrier. A steel cabinet acts as a partial shield, so a tag inside may connect only when the phone is touching the door. A mirrored sliding wardrobe door often has a thin metal backing, and the frame is aluminium, so results vary more than with plain wood.

If you must use a metal cupboard, leave the door a few centimetres open when you search. A gap of that size is often enough for a connection and for the sound to escape.

How can I test it in two minutes?

Stand a metre from the wardrobe with the door closed and ring the tag from the Find My app. Note whether you can hear it. Then move to the doorway of the room and ring again, then the landing. Write down where it stops connecting.

Repeat with the door open. The difference tells you what the door is costing. Do this in the daytime, with the house quiet, and before you rely on the position.

How BlueTag helps

A BlueTag is a Find My compatible Bluetooth tracker. It is MFi certified for Apple's Find My, rated IP67, and runs on a 3 V CR2032 for up to two years. Line-of-sight range is 60 m, and walls and vans cut that down, which is the whole point of this post. Put one on top of the stored items in a wardrobe, give it a dull name in the app, and ring it when you cannot find the box.

It works with an iPhone only, and it is Bluetooth only, with no Ultra Wideband radio, so there is no arrow to follow. See the product page for the box of two.

Frequently asked

Can a Bluetooth tracker work through a closed wardrobe door?

Yes. A wooden door reduces the range but does not stop the connection in most homes. You will usually connect from the next room.

Why can I connect but not hear the tag?

The radio passes through fabric more easily than sound does. Moving the tag on top of clothing, rather than inside it, makes it easier to hear.

Does a metal wardrobe block a tracker?

Often it blocks most of the signal. Open the door a few centimetres or hold the phone against the metal to connect.

How far will a tag reach inside a house?

It depends on the walls, but the open-air figure of 60 m falls substantially indoors. Test it in your own house instead of relying on a number.