Tracker systems
Speaking to a caravan owner who had their caravan stolen, never recovered, was not over impressed with the payout from the insurance company. Same old story, you never win, or even draw with such loss. They told me that they had now fitted a tracker on their
car and van, but as you would expect it comes at a cost and also ongoing on a monthly basis.
This led me to investigate the market and I found on Amazon a system for £20....Yes Right !
I then found what a thought to be reasonable the Back2you GPS tracker. No monthly fees and a one off cost of approx £200. This has the facility of notifying you if the tracker is moved more than 200Mtrs from a predetermined location, when the battery is
low (60 days life) and connects to Google maps to track with your phone. Seems like a fair investment.
You only pay as you go for the texts sent as warnings.
Anyone have any thoughts or comments here. What is the sort of costs of the texts ( being rediculous does it text every 5 mins to say no I hav'nt been stolen, racking up a hugh bill)
Comments
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I've posted this before and it usually results in a "grumpy?" silence. Nonetheless, we were talking to an independent service engineer, who also deals with security issues. It emerges that professional thieves ie the sort of people who can cut off wheel clamps and hitch locks, buy a GSM signal blocker from Maplin, to prevent the alarm GSM signal from efectively transmitting. They then take the van somewhere without mobile coverage, (not difficult) or a steel barn even, and disable the alarm. Hence GSM based alarm systems are excellent for warning of incidental but benign events like flat batteries, but are no match for a professional thief. Swift fit a VHF based alarm system, which is self contained with its own battery, which is activated when you report your van missing. Not as quick as the GSM based system might be if only it was working. On reporting your theft, your tracker alarm is activated from the central office and reported to the police. Every police force in the country is equipped with car/ van directional signal finders. VHF signals will work from anywhere, including mobile black spots, from inside barns etc. The downside is that your subscription coverage and the alarm battery both expire after five years. I'm sorry to be the bearer of the bad news that GSM based alarms, aren't all that so many people hoped. But you have asked a fair question, here's an honest answer.
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I have professional dealings with trackers on a near daily basis and there are pros and cons to each system.
The vhf systems like those fitted to swift are picked up by equipment fitted in police vehicles and helicopters but the down side is that the police have to be close to pick up the signal so can be some considerable time before its picked up, if at all
and if it is stored somewhere such as a lock up it is difficult to pinpoint where it is. The more modern tracker systems which gave gsm/GPS etc are very clever. If they pick up the vhf signal of a stolen unit it sends it's position to tracker and let's them
know a stolen is nearby. Incidentally blockers can be bought for vhf systems also.The gsm/GPS systems are superior in that they are able to provide a very accurate position in real time when using GPS or a good approximation using GSM only. Again a blocker can be bought to disrupt this system so this isn't foolproof.
The more advanced systems combine all three systems but the price reflect this. The top end units on cars can even remotely inhibit the cars engine.
The biggest threat to trackers is savvy thieves simply removing the unit immediately after the theft. There are only so many places you can hide the tracker and the thieves know them.
The best systems are ones which combine all three but just remember trackers have their limitations and you have to weigh up if their cost is worth the insurance savings.
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Just a thought or two. Would you actually want the van back if stolen by a traveller for example, or would the police actually enter a traveller site to recover the van.
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I've read before that people have been told by security people that Maplins sell GSM blockers, Maplins do not sell them. Whilst I agree that they can be obtained carrying them means that thieves are at a greater risk of arrest and prosecution prior to trying to steal property, specifically for for the offence of going equipped for theft.
There are pros and cons as to installing trackers and they like everything are not 100% effective, but trust me people do get arrested and property recovered because of tracking devices. There another view not yet mentioned that at least by fitting a variety of security devices you are helping to tackle crime and reducing the chances of thieves profiting from crime.
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Just a thought or two. Would you actually want the van back if stolen by a traveller for example, or would the police actually enter a traveller site to recover the van.
Write your comments here...have said this many times , question. 1 NO & 2 NO they won't
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Just a thought or two. Would you actually want the van back if stolen by a traveller for example, or would the police actually enter a traveller site to recover the van.
Write your comments here...have said this many times , question. 1 NO & 2 NO they won't
When we had out last but one van stolen, I was really hoping it wouldn't have been recovered. I was fortunate in that it wasn't. It must be a psychological thing - the though that someone else has effectively violated your space!!!!
David
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Thanks pauldh for an expert and informative overview. Swift's Tracker subscription costs £500 for five years, so it isn't cheap. How much more would it cost for something more foolproof?
Looking around most of the more advanced systems are in the region of £300 plus subscriptions. You have to weigh up the pros and cons of the systems and take into account your feeling about if you would like your caravan back if it had been stolen. I would
not want mine back as you don't know what has happened to it whilst it was in the thieves possession both in terms of people being inside or how it has been towed.I know Stuart Longton had 3 stolen a year or two back and they were recovered quickly using the swift tracker retrieve.
I would also take into account where you van is stored. Mine is in storage so I only see it every few weeks so it is unlikely I would know it had been stolen straight away so the tracker retrieve system is little use to me. My free 3 months runs out in 2
weeks and I will not be renewing.If your van is in storage a system with geo fencing would be more appropriate. This system would alert you if it is moved more then a set distance from where you you store your van.
My main gripe is more with insurance companies as the discount offered is minimal compared to the cost of the tracker systems and subscriptions.
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On a side note some of these tracker blockers are being used in more imaginative ways in busy car parks. The thieves watch you leave your car and activate the signal blocker. You blip your key thinking it locks the doors, but it doesn't leaving your car
unlocked. The thieves then steals items from inside and you return and just think you didn't lock it properly and blame yourself. Always make sure your indicators flash showing the doors are locked or physically check.0 -
I think that you've convinced me that there's no fullproof tracker, that most people don't want their old van back and that insurance discounts don't begin to cover tracker fees. I don't think we'll be renewing ours in two years when it expires, instead
we'll put the tracker fee saving towards any insurance shortfall should we need to make a claim. I guess that we might take a harder look at the value of its contender though, since we won't ever see them again.0 -
Have a look at i track.co.uk,got mine from them and a charger from the caravan battery,works from a phone type sim card and informs on moving,low battery etc, good value.
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