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trackers - barney100

Can anyone advise on trackers? I have a car coming Friday and don't want another one disappearing. I've got a stoplock now to hopefully at least delay any more thieves.

trackers - Lee Power

Does your insurance company require a tracker to be fitted for theft coverage?

Thatcham S7 is entry point - its monitored & will track the vehicle but you wont get a theft alert as S7 doesn't have driver recognition detection.

Thatcham S5 is better as they will have a driver recognition tag or card & if the vehicle is moved without this then you will be alerted by the monitoring company straight away.

Some S5 devices can also remotely immobilise the vehicle.

Some S5 devices can also be no tag = no start.

Whatever tracker you decide on it needs to be professionally fitted else its just a waste of money.

What vehicle is it?

trackers - elekie&a/c doctor
I would consider additional immobiliser system like a “ghost “ installation that requires a sequence of pushing buttons on the car to authenticate a start condition.
trackers - edlithgow

I would remove the distributor rotor, if I had ever had a car that I thought anyone would steal.

They'd have to be rather well prepared to work around that.

I'd be a bit concerned that a high tech immobiliser would, like, immobilise me in a high tech fashion at a time of its own choosing.

Edited by edlithgow on 18/07/2024 at 06:30

trackers - Orb>>

I would remove the distributor rotor, if I had ever had a car that I thought anyone would steal.

They'd have to be rather well prepared to work around that.

I'd be a bit concerned that a high tech immobiliser would, like, immobilise me in a high tech fashion at a time of its own choosing.

Cars don't have distributor rotors anymore..

An air tag hidden in the car or glued in place behind a bumper is good. I have an elderly friend who always forgets where she is parked and locates the car like that. but whatever a professionally fitted tracker is best.

trackers - bathtub tom

An air tag hidden in the car or glued in place behind a bumper is good.

Do air tags have to be regularly re-charged? Difficult if glued in a hidden place?

trackers - daveyjp

Airtags have a CR2032 battery which needs replacing every 2-3 years. No need to glue the airtag, put it in a small bag and hide it. Lots of nooks and crannies in a car. Just set the airtag so it can't be found by anyone else.

trackers - edlithgow

I would remove the distributor rotor, if I had ever had a car that I thought anyone would steal.

They'd have to be rather well prepared to work around that.

I'd be a bit concerned that a high tech immobiliser would, like, immobilise me in a high tech fashion at a time of its own choosing.

Cars don't have distributor rotors anymore.

I dont have a car anymore.

But the one I had last year had a distributor rotor.

You can get self contained tags that transmit location and would be easy to conceal, though might possibly be shielded by bodywork. Cost about a tenner equivalent here.

trackers - Adampr

Assuming the tracker.is not needed for insurance, I would also just go for an Airtag.

trackers - leef

As Lee Power says and rightfully so, you need a professionally installed one, preferably an S5.

Airtags might be ok for a cheap car but remember there not GPS trackers,

Some of cons of using one in your car. from autoevelution article.

It needs an iPhone to transmit datato: Apple

The first thing you must remember is that the AirTag doesn't work like a GPS tracker, so it doesn't provide permanent location information.

The AirTag connects to nearby iPhones to access the Find My network and show its location on the map. Without an iPhone, it's useless, as the AirTag doesn't sport built-in Internet access.

If your car gets stolen, the AirTag can connect to the other iPhones on the street, especially if the thief stops at a traffic light. Eventually, you'll get updated information whenever the AirTag helps establish a connection, and you can share these details with the police to help recover the vehicle.

It can alert the thief

As I said earlier, the AirTag wasn't designed to replace a GPS tracker, so it comes with one major drawback. It can alert the thief about its existence, letting them find the device in your car.

The AirTag comes with anti-stalking protection, as Apple wanted to make sure people don't misuse it – they still do, but that's a completely different story.

When the AirTag is moving with an iPhone whose owner is unknown, the device generates an alert to let them know someone might be tracking them. The notification helps prevent cases where someone hides an AirTag paired with their iPhone in someone else's car, purse, or pocket.

The notification is generated on both iPhone and the latest Android versions. Previously, Android users had to scan for nearby AirTags with a dedicated application published on the App Store, but Google has integrated native support for AirTag detection in Android. Make sure your Android device runs an up-to-date version of the operating system to detect AirTags in proximity automatically.

The thief can disable it

And this takes us to the next important thing you must know. The notification allows the thief to make the AirTag generate a sound so they can determine the location in the car.

If they don't have the police on their tail, the thief has enough time to search for the AirTag and eventually find it.

The AirTag doesn't have a power-off button, but simply removing the battery shuts it down. Most thieves don't waste their time with such things, rather crashing the AirTag or throwing it outside the window when driving away in a stolen car.

People online have found ways to prevent the AirTag from producing a sound, disabling the buzzer to keep the device silent. As a result, while it may alert the thief with the notification, determining its location is more difficult.

The operating distance

The AirTag won't connect to an iPhone unless it's pretty close to it.

Apple used the standard Bluetooth integration, so the AirTag has an operating range of 33 feet or 10 meters.

If the thief is waiting at a traffic light and the AirTag isn't planted under a sheet of metal, it can pick up the signal for a f***her iPhone, but otherwise, the smartphone must be very close to the tracker. The connection takes about a second, so the AirTag must be near the iPhone in the blink of an eye to send its location to the master device.

In the best-case scenario, the thief could carry an iPhone in their pocket, so the AirTag wouldn't have any problem providing you with up-to-date information about its location. The downside is that it'll also alert the thief, as I explained earlier.

It doesn't need to recharge

The AirTag doesn't sport a rechargeable battery, so once you install it in your car, you can forget it's there for six months.

The device uses a CR2032 battery, which should provide up to half a year of autonomy. When the battery is drained, you can simply remove the cover and install a new unit – you should only use high-quality batteries, as otherwise, you could end up with the AirTag no longer capable of sending its location out of the blue.

trackers - edlithgow

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, if you hide an iPhone along with your Airtag, you'll get fairly continuous location info.

I could sell you my iphone 6 very cheap. Loathe the b***** thing.

trackers - movilogo

Some cars may allow you to track via companion app.

I can track my Kia using Kia Connect app.

Airtag is a cheap option. You can also put a cheap Android phone inside the car in battery saver mode. Just remember to charge it once a week or so.

If you have tracker what will you actually do if car is stolen?

Police are not going to be interested.

All you can do find some strong friends and turn up at the location with some baseball bats.

trackers - Lee Power

If you have tracker what will you actually do if car is stolen?

Police are not going to be interested.

All you can do find some strong friends and turn up at the location with some baseball bats.

Some Thatcham approved tracker systems come with stolen vehicle guard & recovery in the UK as part of the service.

If you have obtained a crime reference number from the Police & reported it to your vehicle tracking service monitoring company they will normally remove your access to see your vehicle location to protect you from confronting the criminals.

trackers - edlithgow

If you have tracker what will you actually do if car is stolen?

Police are not going to be interested.

All you can do find some strong friends and turn up at the location with some baseball bats.

Some Thatcham approved tracker systems come with stolen vehicle guard & recovery in the UK as part of the service.

Thatchams Snatchems?