GPS Tracking anyone?

[jrhone]

In light of more 02s being stolen these days I was thinking with the current technology it should be simple and fairly inexpensive to install a GPS tracking system on a car and be able to locate it via an iPhone app. A quick google search returned a few options but I wanted to post here if anyone had personal experience with any of these kinds of things. Is LoJack an option still these days?  

[jrhone]

LoJack Classic is available for $695.  No monthly fees and it's a self powered system that's designed to not affect the battery.  More than I wanted to shell out but it may be worth it. Looking into more options. 

[adawil2002]

This is less expensive https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JG8KCLO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[2002Scoob]

I've seen that little tracker thing in my research into the subject. Only issue is it's 25 usd a month subscription, and that adds up.

Would be rad if there was a 2-300 dollar activation fee, and it's free till you need it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jrhone]

Yeah the LoJack is a one time fee for service and hardware...So its $700 and thats it.  $25 a month plus the $50 for the hardware is 2 years until its more expensive than the LoJack system.  Still gotta be something thats $100 and no service needed, just use GPS.  The beauty of LoJack is law enforcement uses and recognizes it.  If the law enforcement in the area wont use a certain type of tracking then it doesnt really help in returning the vehicle.  If its on private property you would need a search warrant to get it back and by that time, it could be moved.  I know people who have found stolen phones, ipads and computers using "Find my iPhone" and the local law enforcement wont act on that because they dont recognize it.

[jrhone]

Found this...

 

https://www.findmespot.com/en/?cid=128

 

This is a company that sailors use for GPS emergency beacons in boats.  So pretty solid company.  $99 for the device. $10 a month for the service.  

[danco_]

Funny that this thread popped up, because I've been developing a solution for this exact scenario. I already have the tracking units themselves, and the whole system works wonderfully.

 

I was going to offer it to my favorite car buddies for BETA testing, before I release to the public. 

 

As a classic car owner, our cars are never truly safe. I mean sure we have garages or warehouses or guns or anger issues, but none of that matters when a thief is determined to relieve you of your vehicle. We've seen this time and time again. 

 

 

John, catch me when you have time. I'll discuss this with you. 

 

[Zorac]

some diy solutions with an arduino, then you could put it on a $5/month cell plan and avoid the $25/month that some of the location services use.  i was thinking of going the diy route.

 

the spot trace solution mentioned above seems like a good solution and it works out of the box.  might go that route now!

[svgarage]

Here's an interesting solution.

https://hot.legendarymotorcycle.com/news/760/how-to-find-your-stolen-motorcycle-with-tile/

 

Found here on Amazon. For $25, very cost effective. Sill somewhat new, but found to actually work.

https://www.amazon.com/Tile-Mate-Finder-Anything-Finder/dp/B01L3VEC08/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1485914065&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=tile&psc=1

Edited February 1, 2017 by svgarage

[Adamha]

I have used a SPOT for backpacking and it worked well. I would inquire about how well the Trace unit will work when hidden.

[jrhone]

The Tile....thats bluetooth and thats short range...like 20-30 feet.  The way that works is the tile network accesses every phone using tile.  Its looking for all lost items.  If any phone using tile comes within 20 feet of the item, it alerts you on a map that its been found.  For a stolen car...that doesn't seem that great.  The story linked was an MV Augusta motorcycle that had a tile in it.  The bike was stolen and he got a signal 3 days later that it was just sitting on the street.  The police were notified and they found the bike on the street with 300 additional miles on it.  So they were joyriding.  My fear is in 3 days the car can be chopped or shipped out of state or country.  If its out of state and you get a notification that your car is across the country...what do you do?  Out of state police probably won't work with you over the phone with a GPS location because you are out of their jurisdiction.  A lot of red tape while your car is being sold, stripped, chopped, etc...My hope is you are notified nearly instantly that its been stolen or moved, and you can track its movement within minutes and find where its being stashed.  Get the car back before it leaves your local area.

[MitchaPaLoOza88]

So if you are looking to do the DIY route you can always use an HC-12 transmitter and Arduino. Here is an example,

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/projects/gps-transmission-with-the-hc-12-transmitter/

 

Will give about a half mile range but there are no contracts or fee's. You could also find a way to improve the antenna for better range. I made one of these a year or two ago for my street bike and it actually worked really good. Had a friend take my bike and played a little manhunt to test it. Mine only spit out numbers so mapping it would be much better.

 

 

 

The other DIY method with using a SIM card for transmitting location isn't a bad option either. I never tried it but you can probably just get some burner phone SIM card for cheap that would last forever. We are not talking about a lot of data being transmitted. I would wire both directly to the car battery, the drain would be minimal. The damn clocks in these cars probably drain the battery more.

[Zorac]

anyone use trackimo?  that seems to be a decent option as well with a low monthly fee ($5/month).

[pmg]

Trackimo looks like white label hardware with an app on it. $99 is spendy. Those cubes usually go for $8 in Shenzhen. Could be fine.

 

For data try 'Ting' - I used one of their sim cards on my bike. Pay what you use. https://www.adafruit.com/products/2505?gclid=CJWlqYjA7tECFcVefgod8wwKQQ - 2G is on the way out (and has been for a long while) but it's fine if you're looking for GPS coordinates only. (Edit: oops, looks like they are out of Beta. A basic voice 'line' is $6 a month + $3 data. Don't know if you can just get data. Twilio lets you get a data sim for $2 a month.)

 

You could combine that with a white label automotive tracker from AliExpress. Just confirm it's for the right cell bands.

 

Alternatively use a dedicated Android device with bluetooth paired to your 123Ignition+ and install the Prey app + a t-mobile / google fi subscription.

Edited February 1, 2017 by pmg

[2002Scoob]

Hey Guys,

 

This here might be the answer-

 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ping-the-world-s-smallest-global-gps-locator-bluetooth#/

 

99 bucks, with a yearly data plan for only 36 a year (3 a mo.)

 

Battery life is 3-5 months expected, so if you charge it a few times a year you should be fine. Dunno how it charges but I'm sure it likely could be hard-wired. 

 

Pretty cool!