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Using RFID Tags Around the House?
Attacked-by-gremlins writes "I have a larger family and various items in the house (some tools, some pieces of clothing) 'travel' unexpectedly. We joke about gremlins doing that, but it's tiring never to be sure that I'll find an object where I left it two days ago. For the sheer hacking fun of it, I'm thinking of sticking RFID tags on some and trying to triangulate a position with several tranceivers placed in the house. Has anyone have any suggestions for this amateur 'Google Home'? Thanks."
I did a quick search with the Google and found this: http://www.loc8tor.com/
Most effective first step: clean up. Lost items are hard to see when they're mixed in with random clutter. Do whatever is necessary to get everything "put away"; more storage locations, less stuff, pick the stuff up and put it away. Imagine trying to find a pair of pliers in an empty room - now imagine trying to find the same pair of pliers in a child's bedroom.
Organization can help a lot too. Items that travel usually don't just make one hop. The sooner you notice they're gone, the easier it'll be to retrieve them. Things like a pegboard on the wall with the shapes of all the tools painted on it; sure, it might look a bit "anal" but it makes it very easy to glance at the wall and see that the pliers aren't there. You could use various organizational techniques to accomplish the same goal - the "win" here is that you can almost see things leave so you can easily find them - and notice that they're gone and start your search before you actually need the item. Much better to chase that adjustable wrench today rather than in three weeks when the water faucet springs a leak.
And communication is also a great tool - especially if there's children involved. Those "press to talk" cell phones are just about perfect for this. After the kids have been embarrassed by Dad asking about lost tools a few times they'll adjust their behavior.
And finally - put this stuff in its proper perspective. On the scale of big things in life; marriage, children, happiness - well, that lost hammer just isn't very important. Some may suggest that a person who is considering spending thousands of dollars to track his missing tools (that are worth maybe a hundred, tops) may have some "issues". Your mileage may vary...
Teach it to your family, and maybe they'll also understand the value of ensuring that things stay organized and can be easily found. Beats the hell out of throwing technology at a problem, don't you think?