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GPS Trackers... some things I've found researching.

MattBW

MattBW

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GPS Trackers:


It is a sad reality that because our vans are desireable and expensive, occasonally some will get stolen. Sometimes they are sent abroad and other times stripped for parts. It is very rare but why not reduce the risk?

So I thought it worth starting a topic on GPS and police trackers. These are becoming very cheap now, as well as small and easy to hide. The cheapest I have seen (and tested is currently available for the price of a few pints that work on Pay as you go sims. Other services
offer subscription free operation (see VIP discounts).

So what do you need to look for when trying to buy a tracker?


GSM or VHF based?

GSM based trackers use the mobile phone network to communicate with you. Often they will send and receive text messages (they are effectively a phone with GPS capability). Some can work entirely by texts and will send a map link when required. Others can do live internet based tracking, but from my own experience texts have been more than sufficient and are available as long as there is a phone signal.

GPS and GSM signals can to a degree be blocked and for this reason they aren't 100% reliable, however with the cost dropping having a GSM based tracker is certainly better than nothing. Many of the units can be fitted to alert you to doors opening or van movement if wired
correctly. At a most basic level van movement and location is achievable with just a power connection.

Many of then simply work with a pay as you go sim or a cheap contract.

The cheaper units tend to be less user friendly and a little harder to setup. Many internet connected devices use the old 2g network, important to check your providers coverage and support before getting a SIM if you want to use this option.

In practice you can call the number and receive a text back with its location. Most have a variety of features from movement alerts, speed alerts and with proper wiring door alerts or internal mics and cameras in the event of a theft.

VHF based system.
The tracker system is less prone to blocking because it is traced by police scanners not by sms or data connections. This system usually has an annual charge and initial purchase price, but can't really be blocked easily. http://www.tracker.co.uk/about-us/the-police-and-tracker/ It is depandent on the police having the resources and appetite to find your vehicle.


GPS Signal:
GPS signal can travel through glass, carpet and plastic without any issue. Many units have a GPS antenna which can be placed in an optimum location. This means it can be hidden under the dash panels or even inside plastic bumpers (signals can actually bounce off the road and
up underneath the van). however you should be avoided placing it under large metal panels (like the cali roof) because signal can be greatly effected. If you have a fibreglass roof you should get a GPS signal through it.

Subs or sim based?
Many trackers will work with a simple phone sim and you can use them with whatever deal suits you, paying per text or for data useage.

Other options are available with a subs free approach, so you never have to worry about any other costs moving forward. This is a matter of personal preference.

Hard wired or battery based systems:
Decent units are available that can run for 90 or 180 days on a battery. Some even come convincingly disguised as torches or other simple devices. These offer no real advantage other than they dont need to be plugged in and don't drain a vehicle battery. Good if you don't use your van very often, it should alert you when the battery needs charging.

Hard wired take power from a vehicle battery and ensure the device is always on. Many will alert you if the battery gets low or is disconnected. Better if you use the vehicle regularly, a fit and forget device. Power consumption is low but like any vehicle if left on for prelonged period it will wear out your battery.
 
Good research Matt.

I read somewhere recently that car thieves going after high value vehicles are tending to 'pinch and park', that is they 'quarantine' the nicked vehicle somewhere neutral and wait a few days to see if the police come after it. If that's true, then it suggests that trackers give a fair chance of getting the vehicle in good condition.

But I'd only seriously consider a tracker if there was also some deterrent effect, which I guess would mean putting stickers on the van. Or maybe just slap a couple of stickers on and forget the expensive tracker... ;)
 
I girl opposite some friends of ours had her Audi keys "fished" through her letterbox using a bamboo cane they found by her greenhouse.

She woke up to find the car gone, wound back her CCTV and saw them trying all the windows before using the cane.

She recognised a particular limp of one of the guys being similar to one of the guys who washes cars at our local Lithuanian hand car wash but couldn't prove anything. It is possible they saw her address on paperwork left in the car when she had it washed.

A couple of days passed and the Police call her garage to get vin number etc and they said, oh, it's got a tracker...
Police Found it next day in Birmingham parked on its own in a side street.

They had ripped out most of the panels looking for a tracker but didn't find it..
The car is a write-off and she doesn't want it back.
 
I girl opposite some friends of ours had her Audi keys "fished" through her letterbox using a bamboo cane they found by her greenhouse.

She woke up to find the car gone, wound back her CCTV and saw them trying all the windows before using the cane.

She recognised a particular limp of one of the guys being similar to one of the guys who washes cars at our local Lithuanian hand car wash but couldn't prove anything. It is possible they saw her address on paperwork left in the car when she had it washed.

A couple of days passed and the Police call her garage to get vin number etc and they said, oh, it's got a tracker...
Police Found it next day in Birmingham parked on its own in a side street.

They had ripped out most of the panels looking for a tracker but didn't find it..
The car is a write-off and she doesn't want it back.


This seems to be a widespread concern about trackers - would you actually want the vehicle back afterwards anyway?

Personally I'd be in the yes camp - I just don't have that perspective that sees stolen property as somehow tainted if it is returned. That being said, if it's heavily damaged then it does almost make the tracker a waste of time. For me I'd feel re-assured if I could know almost immediately that my vehicle had been stolen so I could get on it straight away - not next morning waking to find it gone when the thieves are hours ahead of you.

I'd be really interested to combine a tracker with some kind of geo-fencing technology. So much of the connected home tech now has this capability, e.g. turn on the lights automatically when you get within a certain distance of home, etc. I reckon you could reverse this so that you're alerted if the car moves outside your geo-fenced area (e.g. your street). I bet the technology exists for it, just a case of connecting up the various devices needed. Obviously you're relying quite heavily on technology working as it should do but I'd be interested in any solution that has the potential to alert you quickly - particularly if we're talking about a key theft where the alarm wouldn't be activated.
 
The back2you tracker has geofencing and also controlled outputs, so with a little tinkering you could wire in an immobiliser to stop it from starting again once the start stop kicked in :)

"Hello police, my car has been stolen and is currently stuck at the traffic lights in the A38" :)
 
The back2you tracker has geofencing and also controlled outputs, so with a little tinkering you could wire in an immobiliser to stop it from starting again once the start stop kicked in :)

"Hello police, my car has been stolen and is currently stuck at the traffic lights in the A38" :)

Thanks! Seems I'm a bit behind on my research.

Looks like a really interesting product - wish it had VHF functionality too but the lack of annual subscription is attractive. The ability to cut off fuel supply is particularly appealing!

Judging by previous comments in another thread, it looks like @Monica @SimonB @daveyboydanger have them. I wonder if you'd be able to give us your thoughts on how good they are? Do the features work as well as they should do? e.g. geofencing and text back if you've used them?

Hope you don't mind me tagging you into the conversation and thank you for any thoughts you can offer.
 
I have a small fleet of vans for my security installation company including 3x Nissan NV200, 5x Vauxhall Vivaros and 1x Renault Master cherry picker, now sadly even in my line of work we are still not untouched by crime.

Very recently we had one of the Vivaros go missing from one of our lads houses, it was a full break in grab the keys and go, all this while he slept (he hadn't turned his alarm on at night). The van was missing for around 6 hours before he knew anything had even happened!

Sadly over 3k worth of kit was taking from the van, however thankfully we got the van back within 20minutes once it was discovered missing, this was all due to the fact everyone of our vehicles is installed with a Live Smart Track tracker, these use a GSM SIM card for the system and cost around 250 installed with an annual subscription. The system is very cleaver as it monitors battery health and signal to so you can create alerts from this, I'm sure they do a light version of what we use .

I will dig out the contact info for the guy who supplied and installed these tomorrow and post on here.

As for me it's much better to get something back than nothing at all.

However as always prevention is the best cure.

So remember people if you do have a house alarm set it at night! And yes while it still won't stop someone fishing for keys through the letter box it gives an added deterrent, also I always tell my clients take your keys upstairs out of sight.

Safe Travels People


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Thanks! Seems I'm a bit behind on my research.

Looks like a really interesting product - wish it had VHF functionality too but the lack of annual subscription is attractive. The ability to cut off fuel supply is particularly appealing!

Judging by previous comments in another thread, it looks like @Monica @SimonB @daveyboydanger have them. I wonder if you'd be able to give us your thoughts on how good they are? Do the features work as well as they should do? e.g. geofencing and text back if you've used them?

Hope you don't mind me tagging you into the conversation and thank you for any thoughts you can offer.
I got a backtoyou unit.
It was rather complicated to set up (instructions not very clear - maybe translation of a translation!). It worked well for a bit but recently started sending me speeding text messages when the van was going about 40mph (rather than the 80 I'd set it up for).
Bought the unit as I'd been renting the van out. Not as bothered now about the tracker. It's a fair size (it's stored in the cubby with the tools), the charging wire looked a little home-made.
The app that goes with it looks like it hasn't been updated for more modern iPhones.
Would think of something more like the Tile tracker you can get if I bought again.
 
Thanks! Seems I'm a bit behind on my research.

Looks like a really interesting product - wish it had VHF functionality too but the lack of annual subscription is attractive. The ability to cut off fuel supply is particularly appealing!

Judging by previous comments in another thread, it looks like @Monica @SimonB @daveyboydanger have them. I wonder if you'd be able to give us your thoughts on how good they are? Do the features work as well as they should do? e.g. geofencing and text back if you've used them?

Hope you don't mind me tagging you into the conversation and thank you for any thoughts you can offer.

I bought mine on "Black Friday" when it was half price, then they deducted the 20% VIP discount as well. A really good deal.
As @daveyboydanger says, the instructions are not brilliant. The sellers have written a shorter and simpler set of instructions that cover the functions I want to use. I have spoken to them about the instructions and they are rewriting them all in the same format as the short instruction sheet.
You set the functions by texting phrases and/or numbers to the device from mobile phone numbers that you nominate.
The Geofencing works well, if the vehicle moves more than a few hundred metres from where you set the tracker you receive a text with a latitude & longitude. I had set it on this function when we went away a couple of months ago. I'd forgotten to reset it as I drove off in the morning and rapidly received a number of texts linking to Google maps showing me my route.
It sends texts automatically to warn you if the battery is low.
I've not set up the microphone function or the fuel switch cut-off and so on.
It is not as sophisticated as the expensive devices, but you get what you pay for. As a basic model it works well and there are no monthly charges. You can track it yourself on your smart phone and it gives a fast and accurate location. It comes with a GiffGaff Sim card with £5 already on it.
Hope this helps.
 
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It is a Bluetooth device, so I think it only works if you are at Bluetooth distance from it, and that is not far enough for our purpose. Correct me if I'm wrong though.


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It is a Bluetooth device, so I think it only works if you are at Bluetooth distance from it, and that is not far enough for our purpose. Correct me if I'm wrong though.


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I think those work with a network of users, like crowd sourcing the Bluetooth data. If your van is in Grimsby then it will only show up if someone with the app is nearby.

They are pretty cheap but they are reliant on being nearby or a big user base to be effective for things that have travelled. I suspect for things like vans they will be hit and miss. For your keys lost in the house they are no doubt brilliant.
 
Have a look at the TK104 if you want something that doesn't need wiring in and can be hidden in the van.
 
I've ‘bumped’ this thread as I did a search on ‘Tracker’ as it dawned on me that maybe I should think about getting one fitted to my Cali.

Lots of very useful advice on the thread, thank you to those who have taken the time to do a lot of research :thumb For a technophobe like me it was a bit mind-blowing (!) but the basic info was there.

I’m still not sure if I’d want my Cali back if it got nicked, however, I’m not sure I want to be in that position in the first place either!!

A friend of mine had a top of the range BMW X5 pinched from his drive in the middle of the afternoon, crazy. The police weren’t that bothered seemingly, so after a day or so he went looking for it, found it down a quiet lane 5 miles from home, so reported it as found. Common issue as others have said, it gets hidden for a while to see if a tracker is fitted. Anyway, long story short, the car was damaged where they’d nicked it, steering column etc, but the insurance company didn’t write it off. He now wishes he’d just left it, got paid out and bought another one. The car has never felt the same, the electrics are always playing up and he now hates it!

However, the burning question for me is, how many Cali's actually get pinched?

Range Rovers, Audis and the like often get pinched to order, Police pounds are full of nicked RR’s. And I know that ‘VW Campers’ generally are very sought after, the vintage ones are always getting nicked sadly, but, what about the newer ones??
 
I've ‘bumped’ this thread as I did a search on ‘Tracker’ as it dawned on me that maybe I should think about getting one fitted to my Cali.

Lots of very useful advice on the thread, thank you to those who have taken the time to do a lot of research :thumb For a technophobe like me it was a bit mind-blowing (!) but the basic info was there.

I’m still not sure if I’d want my Cali back if it got nicked, however, I’m not sure I want to be in that position in the first place either!!

A friend of mine had a top of the range BMW X5 pinched from his drive in the middle of the afternoon, crazy. The police weren’t that bothered seemingly, so after a day or so he went looking for it, found it down a quiet lane 5 miles from home, so reported it as found. Common issue as others have said, it gets hidden for a while to see if a tracker is fitted. Anyway, long story short, the car was damaged where they’d nicked it, steering column etc, but the insurance company didn’t write it off. He now wishes he’d just left it, got paid out and bought another one. The car has never felt the same, the electrics are always playing up and he now hates it!

However, the burning question for me is, how many Cali's actually get pinched?

Range Rovers, Audis and the like often get pinched to order, Police pounds are full of nicked RR’s. And I know that ‘VW Campers’ generally are very sought after, the vintage ones are always getting nicked sadly, but, what about the newer ones??
Compared to the number sold in the U.K. Very, very few.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/jun/25/hi-tech-thieves-keyless-car-crime-electronic-security
 
I have a 'back2you' tracker in mine, despite what they say about battery life I have found it to be a week at most. They replaced my unit when I complained but the replacement is just the same. Other than that works well, can be set to tell you if your van has been moved, it sends text messages with link to Google maps to identify vans location.
 
SmarTrack gps tracker with lifetime cover. For me advantage was total cost including installation with lifetime real time cover was less than £600 and I get instant mapping showing vehicle position. Also if enabled on my mobile or my better half's phone my exact phone location. Monitoring is by Global Telemetric. Got me discount on insurance too.
 
SmarTrack gps tracker with lifetime cover. For me advantage was total cost including installation with lifetime real time cover was less than £600 and I get instant mapping showing vehicle position. Also if enabled on my mobile or my better half's phone my exact phone location. Monitoring is by Global Telemetric. Got me discount on insurance too.

What is the advantage of that over a twenty five quid one from ebay with a cheap SIM?
Not knocking it, just interested to know.
 
Hard-wired with back up battery. Constant monitoring and 3 year warranty as standard. Lifetime active monitoring by Global Telemetric with no ongoing costs and good discount on my insurance. The mapping system is great too indication direction vehicle facing and lets me find where I parked it when I forget. Not knocking cheaper systems but I prefer this.
 
Hard-wired with back up battery. Constant monitoring and 3 year warranty as standard. Lifetime active monitoring by Global Telemetric with no ongoing costs and good discount on my insurance. The mapping system is great too indication direction vehicle facing and lets me find where I parked it when I forget. Not knocking cheaper systems but I prefer this.

OK thanks for the info.
 
Buy what suits your purpose. I like pro installation with guarantee on unit and the discount on my insurance which saved me a lot. 4 years of insurance discount more than pays for the entire package.
 
I asked for a quote with and without tracker and the difference was £40 the main difference was that without any tracker you are limited to only a few insurers.
 

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