Tracker Devices - Recommendations?

Draeger

Draeger

Draeger

Soldato
Joined
4 Feb 2004
Posts
13,430
Location
Écosse
My M340i Touring arrives today........yaaay!!! :D

Can I ask you chaps in Motors which tracker devices you would recommend? I was going to chuck an Apple Air Tag in the car somewhere but also would like a professionally fitted system fitted too.

Cheers.
 
I have a Scorpion tracker when my insurance insisted on one. I chose them as they were about the cheapest to install but more importantly cheapest per year. The software has a lot of features more geared for companies keeping an eye on thier fleet/vans etc but it works fine.
 
Is it a stipulation of your insurance? If so look on their approved list as you don't want to spend the cash and then find out it's not supported by them.

Otherwise do you really want it back if it was stolen? I'd personally rather i never saw it again and just get the payout.
 
I have done umpteen GPS tracker installs for customers and if you don't need an insurance approved one you can operate two trackers on a superb commercial server totally for free, and as many as you want (thousands of you like) on your own server at home or work, or on your phone with other free software.

Be SURE to only buy a 4G tracker, there are ultra cheap 2G ones for sale but gprs data on 2G is closing. EE already had a whoopsie where 2G gprs was accidently shut off prematurely and 2G trackers could only be contacted via text for about a month this year in some areas.

4G will give you some good future proofing. I recommend genuine Teltonika ones. A basic Teltonika is about £60, and with a free server like Ruhavik ongoing costs would just be the data SIM costs, a fiver a month tops.

Finally some cheap trackers are tied in their firmware to a dedicated commercial server that starts off free but then becomes PAYG, and some will only update every minute to the locked in server, to save traffic. You can't put in any other server on these.

Google Traccar for a free if rather cumbersome server software for phones and PC's, and Ruhavik for a free server that allows two devices on their basic package and works flawlessly with an easy to use interface.

Happy to advise further, it's a bit of a minefield.
 
Draeger said:
I was going to chuck an Apple Air Tag in the car
Click to expand...
Don't even bother, that's not the intended use of an AirTag and they're so anti-stalking that within a very short period of time, they'll start announcing their presence.
 
After they steal it, tear the interior apart, and possibly even damage the exterior... would you really want it back? I know I didn't.

Just get GAP and then enjoy a new car if something bad happens, it's an easy car to replace :)
 
Last edited:
Nasher said:
Thieves will take it anyway and either jam the tracker then remove it, or strip it for parts and dump it long before police show up.
Click to expand...
This!

It's just a car at the end of the day, if they want it, let them have it.


Chris Wilson said:
I have done umpteen GPS tracker installs for customers and if you don't need an insurance approved one you can operate two trackers on a superb commercial server totally for free, and as many as you want (thousands of you like) on your own server at home or work, or on your phone with other free software.

Be SURE to only buy a 4G tracker, there are ultra cheap 2G ones for sale but gprs data on 2G is closing. EE already had a whoopsie where 2G gprs was accidently shut off prematurely and 2G trackers could only be contacted via text for about a month this year in some areas.

4G will give you some good future proofing. I recommend genuine Teltonika ones. A basic Teltonika is about £60, and with a free server like Ruhavik ongoing costs would just be the data SIM costs, a fiver a month tops.

Finally some cheap trackers are tied in their firmware to a dedicated commercial server that starts off free but then becomes PAYG, and some will only update every minute to the locked in server, to save traffic. You can't put in any other server on these.

Google Traccar for a free if rather cumbersome server software for phones and PC's, and Ruhavik for a free server that allows two devices on their basic package and works flawlessly with an easy to use interface.

Happy to advise further, it's a bit of a minefield.
Click to expand...
This is interesting, is it DIYable and reasonably priced?
 
Feek said:
Don't even bother, that's not the intended use of an AirTag and they're so anti-stalking that within a very short period of time, they'll start announcing their presence.
Click to expand...

Easy to defeat one of them, take the speaker out, for ~£30 each its worth the punt.
 
Firestar_3x said:
Easy to defeat one of them, take the speaker out, for ~£30 each its worth the punt.
Click to expand...
If a person near them has an iPhone, it sends a notification to the phone if it's in close proximity for an extended period of time. My wife and daughter had a trip to hospital last week and when they got there, my daughters phone told her she had an AirTag near her and showed her a map with their route on it. It was attached to wifey's keyring.
 
Feek said:
If a person near them has an iPhone, it sends a notification to the phone if it's in close proximity for an extended period of time. My wife and daughter had a trip to hospital last week and when they got there, my daughters phone told her she had an AirTag near her and showed her a map with their route on it. It was attached to wifey's keyring.
Click to expand...

Yes, but its much easier to miss a notification on your phone vs noise, especially when your mid theft!
 
-Ad- said:
This!

It's just a car at the end of the day, if they want it, let them have it.



This is interesting, is it DIYable and reasonably priced?
Click to expand...


Traccar software is free and is used on your own phone or PC, there's minimal support for the freeware version though and you need to be pretty PC savvy to set it up. I struggled at first.

Using up to two devices on the Russian Ruhavik server is totally free and most half competent PC users could do it easily.

Setting up a bare bones Teltonika tracking device is daunting at first glance, but to br honest 85% of the features are probably OTT for the average person's needs and can be left at the default settings. Now I have done a few it's a ten minute job.
 
Last edited:
Feek said:
If a person near them has an iPhone, it sends a notification to the phone if it's in close proximity for an extended period of time. My wife and daughter had a trip to hospital last week and when they got there, my daughters phone told her she had an AirTag near her and showed her a map with their route on it. It was attached to wifey's keyring.
Click to expand...

Not just iPhones, you can download an app on Android to scan for them too and it will tell you exactly where it is on a little radar screen.
 
Last edited:
A relative uses a Vodafone tracker which has the "my connected car" app. It's crap, would not recommend at all. Website is full on jank and the app never works properly. Go with something else.
 
Hi all, thanks for all the replies. Went for a Scorpion in the end. I paid cash for the car so there's no finance outstanding, is it still worth looking at GAP insurance though?

Cheers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom