Anti theft GPS trackers that actually work?

[tommydog]

Does anyone know of any anti theft GPS trackers that actually work? There have been many products that look promising over the years, but they tend to be started on crowdfunding sites and never get to market.

I have looked at the Sherlock bike tracker that goes inside the handle bars, but the reviews are just terrible. I have also looked at Spybike, which again suffers from terrible reviews. Then there is Boomerang, which quite frankly looks like a joke - it's a clearly visible tracker which fixes to the bottle mounting points. It's plastic and could easily be smashed off with a hammer.

Then there is DanTracker which is also sold under the brand name of the oxford tracker. It's marketed for motorcycles / cars, but is battery operated. I have no idea how well it would work in a carbon seat tube?

Does anyone have any insight into something that actually works? I thought about hiding a cheap phone in a plastic light casing and using a tracking app for it, but I would prefer a dedicated product if possible.

I am not looking to start a debate as to the usefulness of a tracker. In my opinion it's very useful, if it's hidden. I already have decent locks (kryptonite) and have previously had these cut off (2 of them) with a cordless angle grinder. These days cordless grinders are so light and powerful that they are at the disposal of any thief. If they want it they will steel your bike, and the only hope you have to get it back is a hidden device that can track your bike. Yes I could get an insurance policy, but that's kind of defeatist. For me it's not just about money, I get quite sentimentally attached to a bike and it really annoys me that someone can just violate my property like that.

[[XAP]Bob]

Velocate looks got

[tommydog]

Velocate looks got

Thanks for that suggestion, it does look to be the most promising. I have just been reading the reviews on Amazon Germany and they are mainly positive. What I don't get with these trackers is why the subscription model? It must be possible to develop a product with a pay as you go sim that would send it's coordinates via text message to an app? The coordinates could then be overlayed on a map very simply. It's not just the cost aspect of a subscription, I don't think ongoing reliance on a single company for a product to work is good. What happens if the company goes out of business (which has happened with almost all bicycle tracking companies) You then have an expensive paper weight.

[mjr]

What I don't get with these trackers is why the subscription model? It must be possible to develop a product with a pay as you go sim that would send it's coordinates via text message to an app? The coordinates could then be overlayed on a map very simply. It's not just the cost aspect of a subscription, I don't think ongoing reliance on a single company for a product to work is good. What happens if the company goes out of business (which has happened with almost all bicycle tracking companies) You then have an expensive paper weight.

Companies don't want to go out of business, therefore often structure services so it's not in the customers' interests for them to go out of business either. They may hope that fear will encourage customers to promote them to others in preference to alternative products.

Also, I suspect that a company selling trackers at a cost-only price and making profits from the subscriptions finds it easier to sell trackers than ones who have to cover all their costs and profits with the tracker sale price.

[[XAP]Bob]

Velocate looks got

Thanks for that suggestion, it does look to be the most promising. I have just been reading the reviews on Amazon Germany and they are mainly positive. What I don't get with these trackers is why the subscription model? It must be possible to develop a product with a pay as you go sim that would send it's coordinates via text message to an app? The coordinates could then be overlayed on a map very simply. It's not just the cost aspect of a subscription, I don't think ongoing reliance on a single company for a product to work is good. What happens if the company goes out of business (which has happened with almost all bicycle tracking companies) You then have an expensive paper weight.

I know - I don't like that aspect either.
There are Chinese clones which do the 'just by SMS' approach - I have spoken to velocate, but they have no interest in selling me a version with a consumer SIM.

I'm not entirely sure about the Chinese clones though...

[Psamathe]

I've no idea about the product http://www.spybike.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=50 but their web site says if you us etheir provided SIM you have to top-it-up through them but if you put in your own SIM then you don't have to pay them anything

You can also use your own SIM if you wish in which case our service is free and you will pay your SIM provider instead.

But could not see anything about notifications coming directly to you rather than through the company infrastructure so probably if they went bust you'd still have an expensive paperweight (but that is my assumption, not something I've read on their site).

Ian

[tommydog]

I've no idea about the product http://www.spybike.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=50 but their web site says if you us etheir provided SIM you have to top-it-up through them but if you put in your own SIM then you don't have to pay them anything

You can also use your own SIM if you wish in which case our service is free and you will pay your SIM provider instead.

But could not see anything about notifications coming directly to you rather than through the company infrastructure so probably if they went bust you'd still have an expensive paperweight (but that is my assumption, not something I've read on their site).

Ian

Spybike seems to be junk, the reviews are just terrible.

[tommydog]

Companies don't want to go out of business, therefore often structure services so it's not in the customers' interests for them to go out of business either. They may hope that fear will encourage customers to promote them to others in preference to alternative products.

But the reality is almost all GPS tracking companies for bikes have gone bust. I think the first Chinese clone that actually works that drops the subscription model will make a killing.

[[XAP]Bob]

I really like the velocate packaging - dynamo driven, is a rear light as well...

Just needs a sim tray and a firmware version that runs a query service

[tommydog]

I really like the velocate packaging - dynamo driven, is a rear light as well...

Just needs a sim tray and a firmware version that runs a query service

I could not agree more. Most of the trackers suffer with the limitation that if you don't locate them within hours / days then the battery will be flat. At least having it hooked up to a dynamo and as a working light, you don't have to worry about that problem.

I wonder how hackable the product would be to enable you to use your own sim? I have a friend who is a genius with this sort of thing, he is always reverse engineering software and modding circuit boards. The manufacturer seemed to insinuate (when I mailed them) that there is no sim card at all, but an Embedded SIM on a chip. I wonder if this chip could be reprogrammed or swapped out / de-soldered from the board?

[[XAP]Bob]

Won’t be unsolderable, certainly not with home tooling.

The ‘own sim’ option would, I am sure, sell better than the services version.
£40 a year? I can get a sim and top it up £10 which will do an sms/day for a whole year. Or, given that it only needs to do one a week for confidence seven years worth of activity for £10...

I can’t work out £40/year

[Psamathe]

Companies don't want to go out of business, therefore often structure services so it's not in the customers' interests for them to go out of business either. They may hope that fear will encourage customers to promote them to others in preference to alternative products.....

A bit off-topic but I've been looking at the cycle computer/GPS/routing (high end cycle GPS systems) and one of my frustrations is how closely each manufacturer ties their product to their own server systems (i.e. they do the routing, you upload your tracks/position to their servers, etc.).

Might be that they are a bit more open but even reading the instruction manuals they are at best vague and only really want to to upload your tracks to their servers, get your navigation from their routing, share your routes through their servers, etc.

And they don't charge for their servers. Do they push you ads or is it just like the Apple thing where you get tied into their ecosystem so when they bring out a bigger/better/faster unit you ignore even considering superior competitor units (as all your historical stuff is locked in their systems). Or is their free offering is "limited" any you can pay for the proper functionality?

Probably more of a separate thread discussion.

Ian

[Mick F]

Considering that Apple do a Find my Phone app and it costs nothing, I can't see why you can't have a Find my Bike app. All it needs is a small "phone".

[RickH]

Considering that Apple do a Find my Phone app and it costs nothing, I can't see why you can't have a Find my Bike app. All it needs is a small "phone".

I recently discovered that there are really tiny phones - there was an article about the guy convicted recently for an acid attack in a nightclub & he has had his sentence extended as he has been found hiding one of these tiny phones in his crutch (medical support rather than anatomical). I've also seen a call to make them illegal as their main raison d'etre seems to be for smuggling into prison. But, if they fit in the tube of a crutch then they should fit in the tube of a bike.

Edited to add: I don't know if they have GPS built in though.

[PH]

I'm thinking that as soon as bike thieves find out a rear light might contain a tracking device you'll only track it to the nearest bin.