GPS tracking theft retreival

O

Ozziebike

100 W
Joined
Dec 8, 2014
Messages
105
Hey guys. I'm considering getting one of those handy hidden GPS units for my Ebike so If I am unfortunate enough to get my bike nicked I am able to track it down.

I was just wondering if anyone here uses one and could suggest?

I have had two trains of thought;

1. Get a generic GPS tracking device that I mount in with my battery pack that I leave locked to my bike (I will make a dedicated, bolted to frame battery pack box). The down side of this being that I can't activate/ deactivate "movement mode" easily if it's all bolted away.

2. Get a bike dedicated unit (head stem variety like http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/bike-gps...533?pt=AU_Electronics_GPS&hash=item4ae26ac735 ) The positive of this is that it has a near field communication "key" to it so it can be armed and unarmed for movement sensing. The negative being that it looks a tad obvious to the trained eye...

What do you guys think?
 
Well I just bought a Oxford Magnum D/U lock, which is one of the most badass locks out there (normally sell for around $160+!!!) I'll also get some wire rope to go through my front wheel or just use a second regular bike lock, but with a D lock, a front wheel wire rope and a hidden GPS tracker I think i stand a fairly good chance of keeping the bike (but will spend about $200 doing so, which I guess isn't too bad considering it's a 2k bike...)
 
I did a brief search and only came up with questions, rather than answers...

I'll keep looking though...
 
A couple of points about that tracker. How long does the 700maH battery last? It looks a bit awkward to keep removing for charging. To get the tracker's position, you have to have an account that has a 15 day free trial. How much does it cost after that?
 
Yeah, I read that, but I didn't understand what it meant by 15 day trial... There's an Android app for it too, and it doesn't seem to suggest that you need to pay for that so...
 
Ozziebike said:
Hey guys. I'm considering getting one of those handy hidden GPS units for my Ebike so If I am unfortunate enough to get my bike nicked I am able to track it down.



2. Get a bike dedicated unit (head stem variety like http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/bike-gps...533?pt=AU_Electronics_GPS&hash=item4ae26ac735 ) The positive of this is that it has a near field communication "key" to it so it can be armed and unarmed for movement sensing. The negative being that it looks a tad obvious to the trained eye...

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Kind of looks like a decent one there, the ebay ad has instructions as well. Often they just say GPS with really dubious confusing data and I am afraid I won't know how to use it if I get one but I feel more confident with that one.

If you get it what phone sim plan will you get? Thats the other half of research I have been thinking about.. whats the best bang for buck plan in oz? have you looked into that yet?
 
There's a $10 aldi 365 day sim, so as long as you don't get it to use its data constantly it should really only be $10 per year.
 
$10 a year is great.

What happens if the thief lives in a block of flats.
Will you expect the police to act upon your information? It is unlikely to be approved, so it's location accuracy will be in question. I doubt a warrant would be issued.
Bike stem mounted? seat post? What bike thief doesn't know about that.
It should be powered off your bikes pack, hidden within it. Before the bms. They will no doubt run it flat then shelf it till it's sold or they get a charger. This is your window of time to find it in the thieves hands. Or have it chew the battery up before it see's a charger again.

What you actually need is the type you can ring and listen in on. They provide the missing information. Names can be heard, and actions viewable through the crooks window can be confirmed by listening. So you know you have the right flat. Not an ignorant police force or jail for kicking in the wrong door. Also keeping a call open nails the pack much more quickly.

Most used to accept calls as they are phone based. Now few do, as they run more specific parts and firmware.

No audio, No good.
 
Yeah I saw some of them can listen in...

I think mounting them in the battery pack is an excellent idea because even the top bike thieves wouldn't really know what they are looking at in a battery pack...

I thought about powering it off the main battery, but I'd be too concerned about completely draining it and ruining the pack... Perhaps if there was some sort of low voltage cut off power supply or something... The only thing that this sort of GPS system would be lacking is a movement sensor that sends you an SMS, which could be really handy if a thief starts tampering with your bike, the precious time that your lock grants you might be enough to make it to where your bike is locked up and catch them in the act...

The whole point of this bike for me is that it is a super all rounder bike that can be taken anywhere and have anything done with it. It sort of loses its usefulness if you can't lock it up... I mean there are millions of motorbikes parked up all over the world that don't get clamped to unmovable poles, and while yes, they still do get stolen, they mostly don't because it is simply too much work to knick them. This is what i aim to do, put such tough security on the bike that no crim could be bothered to take it, and if they still somehow manage to, I can track them down.
 
cook ur own arduino and sensors, sms sheild or phone that takes serial commands directly , lipo cell and bms , under 100?? :mrgreen:
 
Ehhhhhh :/ that sounds like a ton of work... what have other people used for this situation?
 
Ozziebike said:
There's a $10 aldi 365 day sim, so as long as you don't get it to use its data constantly it should really only be $10 per year.
Click to expand...
Gee that is a good deal.
I have been thinking about instead of these dedicated tracking devices going with a cheap Andriod phone.
Looking at fasttech they got some pretty good looking deals.
Spreadtrum SC7715 Android
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1101/10012149/2063106-mini-g3-3-5-inch-single-core-1-0ghz-android-4-4-2
Or maybe a phone watch.
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1101/10012235/2077701-s28-1-54-inch-touch-screen-bluetooth-v3-0-gsm

I think I could fit even the phone in my pack that I built my self. Just feeding of one the the 4P cells inside the pack, each cell is 2900mAh.
The phone specs say it has a 1800mAh battery which is a dubious claim considering the iphone 5 has 1440mAh.
Anyway lets say the phone could last an ordinary 7 days in standby on a 1500mAh battery. If I have a total of 11,600mAh on 4P then I could run the phone for 54 days before needing a recharge.
I have a Android kitkat 4.4 phone and they have a lot of battery saving options so could vary greatly.
More details on my battery pack here.. http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=60517&start=125#p995156

More details on that phone.
http://www.tinydeal.com/android-phone-mg7-45-spreadtrum-sc7715-android-44-3g-phone-p-140888.html
http://wayestar.en.e-cantonfair.com/products/newest-3-5inch-screen-smart-phone-sc7715-spreadtrum-3g-phones-570092.html

Then once I get a sim I would just need to go looking at android tracking apps, anyone got any recommendations on that?
 
Oh hooooo this is looking pretty promising! This opens up a world of opportunities of installing apps and the like...

I wonder if there is an app that will sense when it's moved and alert via SMS... Would be hard to activate though, it would have to be via 3g in some way... complex...

Oh, one thing about these phones, I can't see if they have GPS...
 
Ozziebike said:
Oh hooooo this is looking pretty promising! This opens up a world of opportunities of installing apps and the like...

I wonder if there is an app that will sense when it's moved and alert via SMS... Would be hard to activate though, it would have to be via 3g in some way... complex...

Oh, one thing about these phones, I can't see if they have GPS...
Click to expand...
Good spot on the GPS, Fasttech.com says GPS but the other sites interestingly say nothing. Fasttech is known for inaccurate details on its products.

Here is a search aliexpress for 3.5 GPS androids, maybe one of these..
http://www.aliexpress.com/premium/Android-3.5-GPS-Phone.html?g=y&needQuery=n&SearchText=Android%2B3.5%2BGPS%2BPhone&CatId=0&shipCountry=au&initiative_id=SB_20150119070016&SortType=price_asc&filterCat=5090301&groupsort=1
 
Oh yeah, the only thing I can't see is if they send a SMS warning to you when movement is sensed...

I personally wouldn't use the horn alarm, because it makes it obvious that the system is there.
 
Ozziebike said:
Oh yeah, the only thing I can't see is if they send a SMS warning to you when movement is sensed...

I personally wouldn't use the horn alarm, because it makes it obvious that the system is there.
Click to expand...
Yep, within seconds of any vibration (3 sensitivity levels available) you get an SMS notifying you.
 
This thing is so cool!!! I can't wait to get it and hook it all up. I can't believe there is such a complete unit out there for our bikes!
 
I'm looking forward to your report :)

I have a couple of sim based toys from china, but they won't work.
 
friendly1uk said:
I'm looking forward to your report :)

I have a couple of sim based toys from china, but they won't work.
Click to expand...
I've heard that some of the trackers out there are extremely picky about the SIM you use. Out of interest, which SIM's have you tried?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
GPS tracker
2 3 4 5 6
Replies
148
Views
38,559
izy
I
Back
Top