Since the beginning of time, people have been losing things. Even in the modern age, it’s easy to lose or misplace items like wallets and phones. There are plenty of Bluetooth tracker products on the market to choose from to help track your items. Our Ekster Senate review takes a look at a classy cardholder with an optional tracker card which will help you keep track of your wallet and phone.
Specifications
The Ekster Senate Cardholder has the following features and specifications:
- Material: Premium top-grain leather, aluminum
- Storage: Stores 7+ cards
- Strap: Multi-purpose, cash storage
- Coins: Keep them in your piggy bank 😉
- Dimensions: 0.3 x 4.1 x 2.3 in (0.85 x 10.5 x 6 cm)
The optional Ekster Tracker Card has the following features and specifications:
- Tracker Card: Powered by Chipolo® Technology
- Compatibility: iOS 9/Android 4.4 and above
- Coverage: Worldwide Lost & Found Platform, QR Safety Net
- Range: Up to 200 ft (60 m) with BLE 4.0
- Solar-Powered: 3 hours of charge lasts 2-3 full months
- Ringer: Ring your wallet or phone
- Voice-Activated: Compatible with Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri
- Dimensions: 0.15 x 2.7 x 3.9 in (0.4 x 7 x 10 cm)
Design
The Ekster Senate wallet is slim and compact. Crafted from leather, metal, and plastic, the Senate is nicely designed and looks pretty slick at a glance. The outer leather finish wraps nicely around the side edges and the front face. The back face has a nicely stitched seam running down the middle which actually adds to the look. The cardholder itself is 4.1 inches tall, 2.3 inches wide, and 0.3 inches thick.
Looking at the top of the wallet, you can see the metal casing edge. While you can’t feel it, the inside is lined with a soft fabric so as to not scratch your cards while inserted in the wallet. The inside is also lined with RFID blocking technology for an extra level of protection for your cards.
As for capacity, the wallet can hold up to 4 cards with raised numbers (debit/credit cards) or 7 cards without. For my use, I’m able to store three debit/credit cards and my driver’s license in it with no issues. When trying to add one more, even one without raised numbers, it’s definitely too tight. If you do need to carry more cards, there are other Ekster options for you.
The bottom of the wallet has a black plastic push slider. When pushed in, it pops up any cards you have stored in the wallet. The cards pop up in a staggered format, allowing you to easily grab the one you want. During our time with the review sample,
The Ekster Senate also comes with a pouch which has a black fabric elastic band attached to it. One edge of the pouch is fairly solid but is bendable. Attached to one side of this is the elastic, the other has a thin leather piece stitched to it. The top of this piece is cut at an angle and has the Ekster logo stamped in it near the bottom. In addition, the elastic has a square leather piece with the logo stamped in it affixed to the center of it. The wallet also comes with a spare elastic with the same square piece affixed to it.
The use of the pouch is two-fold. First, you can use it to store extra cards or cash. Alternatively, if you’ve opted to get the optional Ekster Tracker Card, this is where you’ll place it. The extra elastic can also be used to hold cash or extra cards against your wallet as well if you so desire.
The Ekster Tracking Card is pretty small, roughly 3.9 by 2.7 inches. It’s also fairly thin — 0.16 inches — and constructed from plastic with a nice 3D cube motif pattern on the front. A round circle with the Ekster logo debossed in it is centered on the front. This button is used for pairing the tracking card with the app as well as ringing your phone when you can’t find it. The top third or so of the tracking card is filled with a solar panel which is used for powering the card so there’s no need for charging it or replacing batteries. The back of the card is pretty plain and has the Ekster and regulator information printed on it.
The card fits very snugly into the Ekster Senate card pouch. In fact, it’s so snug that it takes a bit of effort to remove it once inserted. When placed in the pouch, the solar panel is visible, allowing for constant recharging while the wallet is not in your pocket and faced upwards. When the pouch is attached to the Senate, it covers the seam on the back and the elastic does hold it tight and even after a couple of months of use, hasn’t lost its elasticity.
Our review sample came in the Juniper Green colour but it is also available in multiple other colours. I usually don’t touch on packaging but both the Ekster Senate wallet and the Ekster Tracking Card came in nice matte black boxes which featured the Ekster logo in gloss black on the top. A very nice touch which adds a bit more of a premium feel to the entire package.
Software
Ekster utilizes the services of a company called Chipolo for tracking. The Chipolo app is pretty basic and easy to use. Once installed, the app lets you track the location of both the Ekster card and your phone. Of course, being on the phone you’ll likely not use it for that, however, it does show up on the app.
Other than that, the app is pretty simple and lets you add more Chipolo or partner trackers, set named locations like home or work, enable your phone as a Chipolo, and, most importantly, disable the option for Chipolo to collect location history. The app indicates this is to improve their products so it’s up to you but I disabled it and the app tracked just fine without it.
Setup
If you opt to get the Ekster Tracker Card, you’ll need to set it up. To do so, you’ll have to download the Chipolo app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. For our review, we used the Android version of the app.
After installing the app, you’ll have to create a Chipolo account and then add the Ekster card to it. To do so, you’ll need to select partner products then Ekster. From there, press the button on the Ekster card until you hear a beep from it. Once it does, it should pair with the app.
Overall, the setup of the tracker card is straightforward and simple.
Ease of Use
When you open the app, you’ll see an entry for Ekster and Phone. Both show the current or last known location of each device. One thing I found out early on, whenever you open the app, pull down from the top to refresh the list. If you don’t the Ekster will show an old location. If you do, it’ll show the current location once you tap on it. Tapping on Ekster will bring you to a new screen where you can scroll down to view a map. You can also view a more accurate location within Google Maps as well.
If the Ekster Tracker Card is within range, you can press the button to make it ring so you can find it. If it’s not, you will be given a “mark as lost” button. Pressing this will engage the Chipolo crowd locate network in order to search further for it. Of course, this is largely dependent on how many other Chipolo users are in your area.
On the same screen, you can select the three dots in the upper right hand corner to share your Ekster with friends and family, take a selfie, or customize Ekster like ring tone or name, and even remove it.
Once you figure out that you need to refresh the main screen upon launching the app, it is easy to use and seems to accurately track the location of the Ekster Tracking Card based on our testing.
As for the Ekster Senate Cardholder, a simple press of the lever will pop your cards up, offering quick and easy access to them.
Price/Value
The Ekster Senate retails for US$69 while the Ekster Tracker Card goes for $49. The good news is that if you purchase both together from the Ekster website, you can get the card for only $29. All in, for the combo as we tested it, you’re looking at $98.
While that may seem steep, the wallet is nicely constructed and is made from premium top-grain leather and aluminum. It’s held up well so far and, given the materials, I expect it to hold up for some time to come. The tracker card is optional, of course, but it can be a lifesaver if you ever do forget or misplace your wallet.
Wrap-up
If you’re the type of person who’s constantly losing their wallet, or are simply worried about doing so, the Ekster Senate with optional Tracking Card offers a classy and relatively reliable way to find and track your wallet.
We received a sample of the Ekster Senate Cardholder and Tracking Card for the purposes of this review. In some of our articles and especially in our reviews, you will find Amazon or other affiliate links. Running a website does take money, along with time. Any purchases you make through these links often result in a small amount being earned for the site and/or our writers.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
