We've all been there. You slap an AirTag on your toolbox and then twelve months later, you get that dreaded low battery notification. You dig around for a spare battery, discover it is already flat, and the whole tracking setup grinds to a halt.
Elevation Lab's answer to this is the 5-Year Compact Time Capsule - a clever housing that ditches the coin cell battery entirely in favour of two AAA batteries and promising up to five times the capacity of a standard AirTag.
Setup is easy. You remove the AirTag's existing battery and door, rest the empty AirTag on the contact inside the housing, drop in two AAA batteries, and seal the screws with the included hex tool. The whole thing took me under five minutes.
The build quality is noticeably solid. An IP69 waterproof rating means it can handle being hosed down, rained on, or submerged. For something destined to live on the back of a boat trailer or outdoor equipment, that matters.
The single pack comes with a 3M adhesive backing so you can stick it anywhere (the downside being it is permanent!).
That said, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- You can't use this one as a keychain as there are no loops.
- It is quite thick so it is unsuitable for wallets.
- At around $37, it's a meaningful step up from just buying a fresh coin cell battery each year (though honestly, the peace of mind of a multi-year battery is probably worth it for the right use case).
One other thing worth noting: Elevation Lab recommends against alkaline batteries, specifying lithium-only for best results and battery life. Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries aren't cheap, so factor that into the running cost.
Is it a product for everyone? No. If your AirTag lives on a keychain or in your wallet, there are better options in the Elevation Lab lineup. But if you've got gear that travels long distances or simply doesn't get checked often, the Compact Time Capsule is one of those quietly excellent solutions that just makes sense.
The Time Capsule works with both the AirTag 1 and 2 and its dimensions are 6.6cm x 4.06cm x 2.03cm (aka half the size of the original Time Capsule).
