GPS Tracker $99 (Normally $200) at Autobarn

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  pegaxs on 26/10/2018 - 20:57

  +1

  The other thing I have found with the TK series models is that the don’t support many bands. So you will find that they won’t work with, say, Aldi/Telstra sims, but will work with Voda sims.

  A lot of them will say “quad band” but they are only quad on the 2G GSM bands that don’t even exist here any more.

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    outlander on 26/10/2018 - 23:24

    Very good point. Do you have a lot of experience with trackers? Any recommendations for me?

    I get the impression that processing 3g signals requires a lot more energy and than 2g, and with low power usage being critical to prolonged discrete tracking most of the cheap trackers stick to 2g.

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      pegaxs on 26/10/2018 - 23:39

      On your VZ, I wouldn’t bother. The car will get stolen, joy ridden into the ground, taken out into the bush, stripped and burnt before you would be able to find out what was going on.

      If you are serious about tracking things like cars, get a Spot tracker. They are a lot more reliable, more accurate and don’t rely on GSM network to operate, so they operate anywhere in the world. Runs on 3 AAA Lithium batteries that last about a year.

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        eug on 27/10/2018 - 00:04

        If you are serious about tracking things like cars, get a Spot tracker. They are a lot more reliable, more accurate and don’t rely on GSM network to operate, so they operate anywhere in the world.

        It costs $250 a year for basic tracking though!

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          pegaxs on 27/10/2018 - 00:31

          @eug: On a $1500 VZ Commodore, it sure is. But on a $150,000 truck, it’s a pittance.

          The Spot Trace is the one for vehicles, and that is $150US/year.

          It’s horses for courses. I use Spot trackers in my bikes because these trackers work anywhere and are always in coverage. They don’t need to be hard wired in and are a lot less flakey than the cheap Chinese AliExpress trackers.

          Even at $250/year, that’s still less than $1/day or $20/month. I spend more on other more useless shit than this each week…

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            eug on 27/10/2018 - 02:46

            @pegaxs:

            On a $1500 VZ Commodore, it sure is. But on a $150,000 truck, it’s a pittance.

            Sure, I was just replying with the context of the original post.

            I use Spot trackers in my bikes because these trackers work anywhere and are always in coverage.

            I would expect they would suffer from the same problems as any other handheld satellite device with regards to coverage - heavy tree cover, buildings, metal roofs, tunnels, undercover car parks, etc. More well-prepared thieves would just switch on a GPS jammer which would neuter any kind of GPS-based tracking device. Globalstar, which is what Spot uses, runs on the same L-band as GPS, so that could be blocked as well depending on how wide a signal the jammer puts out. I would think if a thief wanted to steal a $150,000 truck, they would be aware of devices like jammers. After all, even some truck drivers use it ;)

            Even at $250/year, that’s still less than $1/day or $20/month.

            Personally I'd rather insure the car unless it had some sort of sentimental value. If a thief steals a car, it'd probably be… driven like it was stolen. I think I'd rather get a payout and buy another one than recover a car with possible engine/suspension/body damage. :)

            In any case, what actually happens if someone steals a tracked car? Would the owner go to the cops with the live tracking page, who would then chase down the thief right away before the tracker is discovered?

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              pegaxs on 27/10/2018 - 08:57

              @eug:

              same problems as any other handheld satellite device with regards to coverage

              I did say… "and don’t rely on GSM network to operate, so they operate anywhere in the world". I was referring to GSM/ GPRS coverage. With 3G trackers, as soon as mobile coverage is gone, so too is the ability of the tracker to report it's location. But yes, sure, they can suffer from "jammers" and "trees". No system is totally infallible.

              Personally I'd rather insure the car

              Of course, insure everything. These are not a replacement for insurance. Far from it. But with all my insurance policies, I get asked "does it have GPS tracking?" I says yes, and I get a discount. As for sentimental value, I pour a lot of parts, time and labour into my bikes, so I want them back, regardless. My cars, meh, who cares. Hence why I don’t have trackers on my cars.

              Would the owner go to the cops with the live tracking page

              Yes. This is exactly what you do. Call the police and report the vehicle stolen and let them know that you have live GPS data tracking on the device. Or, you track the vehicle to it's location, call the police and tell them you have tracked your vehicle to a location. They cant enter the premises without a warrant, but if they can see the vehicle or have reasonable suspicion, then it's game on!

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                eug on 27/10/2018 - 13:39

                @pegaxs:

                But yes, sure, they can suffer from "jammers" and "trees". No system is totally infallible.

                I was replying specifically to this:

                because these trackers work anywhere and are always in coverage.

                They're not "always in coverage" because a tree, building, or indoor car park can block them. Unless you regularly park your vehicle in an area with no mobile coverage but with a clear view of the sky (boats would be a perfect use case, I'm not sure where you'd hide it in a car though), a 3G/4G tracker will have a more reliable signal. Of course, the same US$12 jammer will disable tracking on either device, so buyer beware!

                You were touting it as a device for people who are serious about tracking, without also mentioning the drawbacks. I was just highlighting them in case people blindly buy it without doing some research first. They're great devices but the general public might not know about the limitations of satellite-based devices like these.

                As for sentimental value, I pour a lot of parts, time and labour into my bikes, so I want them back, regardless.

                That's certainly a good reason to get one then!

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                  pegaxs on 27/10/2018 - 15:58

                  @eug: You are splitting hairs and trying to argue for the sake of arguing. You’re reading into it what suits your agenda. I never went into details about the GPS reception, only the communication function, and that it works well outside the GSM networks… There is no wonder why I usually have your comments blocked.

                  You obviously have no experience with this unit or any others, and for that reason, I am not going to bother indulging you any further and just leave your comments blocked.

                  All I can say is that you are wrong. Spot Trace is a great middle ground unit. It’s better than a 3G tracker, but isn’t as good as a units that cost into the thousands.

                  We have 10 of these on work vehicles and I personally have 3. We trialed about 15 different GPS tracking units from varying suppliers with different functionality. I personally spent hours and hours testing, researching and setting up these units. And all I can say, from all this is, you’re wrong.

                  Feel free to reply, but I won’t be. You’re going back to being blocked if you are going to split hairs. I’m out.

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                    eug on 27/10/2018 - 16:23

                    @pegaxs: Huh, no idea why you're taking it so personally.

                    You obviously have no experience with this unit or any others,

                    With Spot, no. But I know it's much easier to get reception on my mobile phone compared to my Iridium phone even with its large helical antenna. Iridium is also a LEO network like GlobalStar. I also have Thuraya and Inmarsat phones - those are even more difficult to get a signal on as their satellites are geosynchronous but that's a different matter.

                    I've read lots of comments about the Spot satellite messengers when I was deciding what device to purchase. The Gen2 units were known to have poor satellite reception while the Gen3 ones have improved greatly - but they still require a good view of the sky like any satellite device.

                    Spot Trace is a great middle ground unit.

                    I never said it was a bad unit. I said satellite devices have important limitations which you did not address when you suggested satellite trackers always have coverage and are for serious use.

                    I personally spent hours and hours testing, researching and setting up these units.

                    So based on your testing, in metro areas, you got as-good or better reception with a Spot tracker than a mobile network?

                    You’re going back to being blocked if you are going to split hairs.

                    Go right ahead, but I think there's a difference between splitting hairs and mentioning limitations. There may be a lot of people out there who don't realise a cheap jammer can easily defeat any of these tracking devices, 3G/4G or satellite.

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  spackbace on 26/10/2018 - 22:18

  Curious, what sort of car do you drive that you're concerned about that?

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    outlander on 26/10/2018 - 23:07

    15 year old Commodore. I recently found out its at the top of the police list for most stolen vehicles. Not worth paying the extra to insure it against theft, but a one of cost of $100 seems like a good move.

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      spackbace on 26/10/2018 - 23:09

      VZ? Wow so not worth the hassle lol modern car theft is either opportunistic, or they're stealing keys. You have little to worry about

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        outlander on 26/10/2018 - 23:15

        The cars still worth five grand. And then there's the hassle of it all. I think it warrants spending a mere $100 and a few hours setting it up if you're not going to have it insured.

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          pegaxs on 26/10/2018 - 23:33

          @outlander:

          The cars still worth five grand.

          You need to look up the definition of “worth”. It’s worth nothing until someone actually gives you money for it.

          And a VZ “worth” $5k? Unless it’s something special, like a SS or limited edition, I don’t like your chances.

          Red book averages these out to about $1000 to $2000 private sale.

          And please… for the sake of this forum, at least get Third Party Property insurance, so next week there isn’t a thread “I ran into a Porsche at the lights and don’t have insurance, what’s the best way to declare bankruptcy and avoid paying?”

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  Ugly on 29/10/2018 - 08:46

  Cheap option (not as good as a GPS tracker, but a lot cheaper) - get a bluetooth tracker like Tile and leave one hidden in the car.
  If the car goes missing, activate lost mode & if anyone with the app is nearby, it will ping you with it's location.

  (Tile also have a premium option with additional features like keeping a 30 day location history)

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  outlander on 05/12/2018 - 12:20

  Just want to add, I did get the App and Web functionality working. Apparently the IP address of the server they used changed, so you have to manually change it to get it to recognise. If you call up support, they can walk you through it