Hot Rods What gps tracking and theft protection systems do you like

Anybody have a suggestion. I am looking for alternatives to LoJack.

Thanks

 

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Wow, maybe I am just naive or a product of living in the Northern Plains, but that is something I have never even considered for any of my cars. The GPS is folded up neatly in the glove box and the anti-theft system is under the seat.

My GPS


Anti Theft:

 

^^^^. A locked garage ( not always an option) is best. Guys have talked about a cheap cell phone wired into the car and safely stashed out of sight. Car gets stolen, call the phone.

 

Glock 36 with hollow points.

Sorry couldn't resist.

 

I use an ignition kill switch that no one could ever figure out.

Gary

 

Usually take the key out of the ign. if I am out of sight of our roadster. Had the car 16 years, driven it over 75000 miles and have probably stayed in a hundred motels, never had a problem with theft or vandalism. Don't even carry a Glock or a Ruger Blackhawk!!!!!

 

buy a cheap Tracfone ($10) and put some minutes on it. then sign up for Moble Phone Locate...that's $7.95 a month. i have my `28 Tudor in storage in a garage about a mile away with a Tracfone in it , i can check to see if it's still there anytime from my computer or smartphone

the last few years staying at a motel for BTT50's i had a Tracfone in the glove box of my `36

 

Doesn't matter what you do...



Take reasonable care, the odds are in your favor that they'll steal someone else's car. Don't worry about it, go have fun!

 

The simplest method I've used to ward off thieves is to make the system for starting the car a puzzle. There's no typical ignition with a key. the switch that functions as an ignition switch is not labeled, and it's not located where someone would expect to find an ignition switch. I use a separate starter ****on, which is likewise unlabeled. That gives me confidence that the average car thief would be puzzled about how to hot-wire the car and get it started. it wouldn't work at all like 99% of the other cars out there. Add a battery cut-off switch and it would be another useful layer of protection in the system.

 

9mm two clips and a box of shells!

 

the only way to keep them from stealing your car is to sleep in the shop right next to it with your choice of weapons. unless of course you live in a country where weapons and self defense are banned/against the law.

 

The OP didn't ask about anti theft devices, real or comical. He asked about alternatives to Lo Jack, and that's what I subscribed to in hopes of learning something new in this ever changing world of electronics and tracking devices.

 

Hit Amazon and look at the TK103 and its myriad Chinese clones. Cheap, small, easy to hide somewhere in your car, and will tell you if it moves when it shouldn't, as well as being able to tell you where it is. Optional sensor inputs for door open, ignition switch on, I case you want to know about that. Send it a message and have it turn the car off.
It won't stop a thief, like a LoJack won't stop them, but it might make finding them quick, and when looking for stolen stuff, the sooner you find it, the better.

 

I watched an article with former car thieves now consultants on preventing car theft. The club was about 6 strokes with a hacksaw to cut the steering wheel & hot wired. The car with the alarm went off when they broke the window then they popped the hood to tear the wiring of the alarm & hot wired. The third car they could not get to start. It had a hidden switch with a relay that required the switch to be depressed so the relay closed the circuit so the ignition switch could work. They tried every way to start the car & gave up. With the relay open the ignition could not function or be hot wired. My friend had a push ****on located under the carpet beside the driver seat so he pressed the ****on and turned the key.
A SPOT Trace could be wired in as it a low cost GPS that gives the location.

 

We sell these at work. They are called "Spot Trace" and it is a very small, self contained tracking device that alerts you if your item is moved and you can track it's location. There is an annual fee (about $100 I think) and the unit goes for about a hundred bucks too. A lot of marine insurance companies will not insure your boat unless you have one of these on board, they think that much of them.

It would be easy to hide one in a car too.

Don

 

I am wondering if Tile has any potential for tracking in less populated areas? Seems good for cities with lots of people, but I live and travel in the hinterlands.

 

Rocky Mountain Tracking is who I use.

 

Odd, when I read the thread, the first thing I thought of was my SPOT personal tracker, but I thought it would need longer lasting battery technology if you were going to leave it running all the time. I had never heard of SPOT's Trace device.

I've used their personal tracker for a decade while hiking and motorcycling, but it's purpose is a bit different: to allow your loved ones to track your location while you travel. It also allows you to send messages to select people telling them you are OK, or that you have a problem that is not an emergency. You can also use the device to summon an ambulance or a full-on wilderness rescue.

If they've re-worked their service to track cars and boats, it would be a great device. One reservation I would have is that the personal tracker only works when it can "see" three or more sattelites, using direct line-of-sight. There are some locations, like deep canyons and forested areas where it cannot track your location. If you stolen car was parked in a warehouse awaiting stripping, I wonder whether the SPOT Trace device would be able to transmit the location?

I have some studying to do!

In general, I've been very happy with SPOT's personal tracker service. The $100 a year service charge is well worth it for the peace of mind my wife gets when I'm traveling alone.

 

The trouble with satellite trackers like SPOT is that you can't really hide them, because they have to be mounted on the vehicle so that they can see the sky. If you hide one under the dash, it won't be able to see the satellites that allow it to track your car.

The SPOT device I've used for a decade while hiking and motorcycling has to be mounted on your body or on your bike so that it has a clear view of the sky. It works fine laying on the dash in a car, or in a clear map pocket on the tank of your motorcycle. It doesn't work at all inside a backpack or in your pocket.

 

Did you read the ***le?

 

Electric Driveshaft parking brake. Ignition interrupt, fuel cutoff.

You really can't beat LoJack. All the agencies are connected.

 

Growing up we had an attached carport, but an enclosed garage is the way to go on a lot of different levels as I've gotten older. Casual petty theft on the street, *****s with pellet guns, hit and runs, scratches, critters, sun UV damage, snow, rain, leaves - the list is endless. Every car really needs a garage, I'm convinced. Keeping thieves at bay is part of it too.

All of the cl***ic car insurers require a garage before they will write a policy afaik.

 

Your mobile phone, and your Garmin type devices, work fine in your car. They're using the same cel and GPS services that these things use.

 

This gets my vote because any self respecting lowlife thief "trains" and knows what he's gonna do going in. They are opportunists and seek out things they can grab and go. They don't want to work for it. Their methods are often a crude but effective means to an end. You've gotta throw em a curve. Like asymmetrical warfare, you exploit their weakness. They work off of intelligence too. Going out of town? Keep that tidbit under your hat. Need to know basis only. Loose lips sink ships. Seems extreme but I like the little bit of **** I've got and intend to keep it. But in the end, as Squirrel said, if they want it they'll get it, by hook or by crook.

 

Don't have time to research right now, but you could.......and then tell me about it.

http://improvedmindset.com/trackr6/...Whvb1wuXGNvbV9fYWlkLi5fX2FiLi5fX3NpZC4u&ad=G1

 

This is an interesting read. I tend to agree with several posters on the installation of a GPS device that doesn't have access to the open sky. If any of my cars are in the garage, there's no Sirius/XM signal. The Zipper has a battery cutoff keyed switch and no steering wheel when I park it and put the tonneau cover on.

 

That 'TrackR' seems to work pretty well, and low cost too, but only if you know your car is gone. Some of us might not even know our Rod/Custom is gone for several hours or several days depending on where it's stored since it's not a daily driver. I'd much prefer the notification feature on some of these other devices.

 

Rusty - you ain't right in the heard but that's what I like about you! HRP

 

Danny neither one of us is quite right in the heard or the head.