GPS+Alarm recommendations?

casemon

casemon

10 mW
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Recently someone stole my much loved e-bike, cut through the heavy duty lock and made off with it and several other bikes at the same rack. Didn't have any GPS tracker or alarm on it and so recovery is pretty much impossible.

For the new e-bike, have resolved myself to having both GPS tracking + alarm. Looking online, it seems there are very few viable solutions for this? Totally surprising, given how easy it would be to put together and how effective such a combination is for e-bikes.

Writing here to ask if anyone can recommend a security solution that meets the following criteria?

  • * GPS + GSM tracking; add my own sim (will select pre-paid & pay per use to keep yearly cost down around $30)
    * alarm system with keyfob; theft prevention is always preferred to theft recovery.
    * no bull$hit monthly subscription service (separate from the sim service); there is never a technical need for this, it's just another mindless profit scheme that wastes user's time & money.
    * works seamlessly with e-bike voltages 36V-64V.
    * available for purchase today; have already contributed to several crowd-funding projects for similar solutions (Lock8, others on kickstarter, indie-go-go) but most won't be available for another 3-6 months, so need something for the interim.
Will likely have to have something custom made, as I've searched and searched and just amazed that there isn't an existing solution for such a relatively simple idea. Saw motorcycle alarms, but they are all 12V and I don't know electronics enough to step it down.

Writing here to basically confirm there are not solutions already available, but hopefully someone knows of a good solution that I don't know about!?

Any recommendations? :)
 
Hi. I have installed one on my brothers john deer tractor, I think it was this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Waterpr...68?pt=US_Tracking_Devices&hash=item2584f92a58
There are occasional hoock ups but all in all works good. Gps shows within 20m accuracy. Has vibration function, fence zone. Sends message with link to google maps to track it. Using on pay as you go with unlimited txt's.
You can hoock it up with step down converter like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/24V-36V-48V...72?pt=US_Power_Inverters_&hash=item338483222c
Simple wiring, 2 wires goes to your battery, two goes to your gps tracker and alarm system. you don't need powerfull one so they are cheap.
 
Definitely have a look at http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/ because you can wire them up to charge from the battery by wiring a simple ac-usb adapter from your battery and they sms you when disturbed. Use Tasker on your smartphone to ensure hell breaks loose when your bike texts you!

-Mobile
 
I'm just getting started with a Geogram One and a sim from Telna Mobile. I have been testing it out over the last 2 weeks and I am impressed with the device. The telna service was necessary to make the system affordable. They (Telna) are the only ones that I have found for so cheap. I pay $19 for a whole YEAR and I get FREE unlimited incoming messages (to the GPS) and up to 1000 outgoing (from the GPS unit) per month. There is no way that I will ever exceed my monthly alotment, so I anticipate the $19 yearly fee being my only recurring cost.

It is more of a DIY type device than a polished consumer product, and doesn't include anything other than the populated board and software. You have to choose your own battery, antenna setup, micro USB connector and then configure it on your own. For most of us ebikers with some technical knowledge, it's not too difficult. But any Joe-Blow off the streets isn't necessarily going to like the DIY nature of the device.

But this CON is also a PRO since the system is open-source. This allows you to really do whatever you want and have the aptitude to program. There are also digital and analog I/O pins on the board to connect to external input/output devices. An external horn/alarm that you can remotely activate was a pretty cool idea that I will be looking to implement (Maybe we can start a Geogram One thread to share setups, programming and other things since there are a few on here that have them.)

The GPS is accurate enough to locate your bike and the built-in features like the geofence and speed limit are great for ebikes. The motion detection / low power mode is really cool, but I would like to program it to automatically enter this state after a predetermined amount of time. All in all, it's a great device that will give me much needed piece of mind. I'm preparing to buy another unit for my personal bike soon as this one was for my wife.
 
I have Hawk X50 with 3D sensor and two zone proximity sensor.Works great for more than two years.
 
how about this one?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lock8/lock8-the-worlds-first-smart-bike-lock

It wont be delivered until next year May though

Pat
 
patpatbut said:
how about this one?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lock8/lock8-the-worlds-first-smart-bike-lock

It wont be delivered until next year May though

Pat
Click to expand...

This is a pretty cool idea, but I wouldn't feel that confident with it for some reason. Very smart charging method.

Smart thieves will overcome this thing since it is CLEAR where it is located on the bike. It's also located in very tough place for ebikes. We are already dealing with a lot of gear back there in the rear triangle: hub motor, large axles, phase wires, hall wires, torque plates, disc brakes.

But this is the direction that security companies like MasterLock and such need to head. Comprehensive solutions that integrate the lock, alarm and tracking functions.
 
cal3thousand said:
...(Maybe we can start a Geogram One thread to share setups, programming and other things since there are a few on here that have them.)...
Click to expand...
I'd be down with that. You probably know this already but DSS Circuits already has a forum dedicated to the GeoGram One, http://www.dsscircuits.com/forum/index.php?board=5.0. There isn't a lot of activity there though.

I got Arduino set up to program the board, and made some very minor changes to the software & successfully uploaded. But I have had no time lately to do anything useful with the software, I/O pins, etc.
 
I too have been watching this. From what I can gather it seems even the $20 ones on ebay that accept a GSM sim card work fine, albeit they come with no instructions and many people have trouble getting them set up. The services, yeah, who needs that, you just want coordinates when it's missing and that's what they do, you call it's number, it sms's you back with it's coordinates.
The Geogram One does sound interesting though. For one thing, cheapest service I know of is t-mobile at $10/3 months, $40/year. Max of 100 sms's per 3 mo. period or pay another $10. Although that would probably be just fine, once done testing hopefully you'd never need it to sms.
Also I find it interesting with the I/O stuff. You could have it email or sms mundane, but sometimes important data about your batteries, etc. I run linux and all of my computers are set up that way, emailing me with trivial stuff I'd never pay attention to, but sometimes important and I want to know to fix it. Really.
If I were a thief I'd just slam that Lock8 with a small sledgehammer. And then snip that silly chain in 2 seconds & ride off.
I agree, better to not advertise it's there.
 
I think a Xena 6 and a secret gps tracking tail light with security screws will be best for me. Nobody is going to be able to smash that alarm off, and even if they managed to carry it away without setting it off, tracker baby! :) I'd hardly need to chain it up for short stops.

-mobile
 
yuyuyak said:
I too have been watching this. From what I can gather it seems even the $20 ones on ebay that accept a GSM sim card work fine, albeit they come with no instructions and many people have trouble getting them set up. The services, yeah, who needs that, you just want coordinates when it's missing and that's what they do, you call it's number, it sms's you back with it's coordinates.
The Geogram One does sound interesting though. For one thing, cheapest service I know of is t-mobile at $10/3 months, $40/year. Max of 100 sms's per 3 mo. period or pay another $10. Although that would probably be just fine, once done testing hopefully you'd never need it to sms.
Also I find it interesting with the I/O stuff. You could have it email or sms mundane, but sometimes important data about your batteries, etc. I run linux and all of my computers are set up that way, emailing me with trivial stuff I'd never pay attention to, but sometimes important and I want to know to fix it. Really.
If I were a thief I'd just slam that Lock8 with a small sledgehammer. And then snip that silly chain in 2 seconds & ride off.
I agree, better to not advertise it's there.
Click to expand...

I just told you guys that Telna mobile is $19 a YEAR and you get 1000 outgoing texts (unlimited incoming). That's all you will pay. $19 for the year. Forget that monthly BS
 
Interesting article related to GPS tracking bikes:
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2013/11/the_high_tech_bike_lock_zeitge.php
 
cal3thousand said:
yuyuyak said:
I too have been watching this. From what I can gather it seems even the $20 ones on ebay that accept a GSM sim card work fine, albeit they come with no instructions and many people have trouble getting them set up. The services, yeah, who needs that, you just want coordinates when it's missing and that's what they do, you call it's number, it sms's you back with it's coordinates.
The Geogram One does sound interesting though. For one thing, cheapest service I know of is t-mobile at $10/3 months, $40/year. Max of 100 sms's per 3 mo. period or pay another $10. Although that would probably be just fine, once done testing hopefully you'd never need it to sms.
Also I find it interesting with the I/O stuff. You could have it email or sms mundane, but sometimes important data about your batteries, etc. I run linux and all of my computers are set up that way, emailing me with trivial stuff I'd never pay attention to, but sometimes important and I want to know to fix it. Really.
If I were a thief I'd just slam that Lock8 with a small sledgehammer. And then snip that silly chain in 2 seconds & ride off.
I agree, better to not advertise it's there.
Click to expand...

I just told you guys that Telna mobile is $19 a YEAR and you get 1000 outgoing texts (unlimited incoming). That's all you will pay. $19 for the year. Forget that monthly BS
Click to expand...

Telna Mobile's order page is one of 6 links that made it into my ebike wishlist. You are going to save me a lot of money as soon as steveo's trike arrives on my doorstep. Data is the only thing I expect I might have to pay for. I'm going to use an integratedtrackers rear light (which will probably sit in my locked BikeBin saddlebox most of the time anyway, along with a disc lock alarm, heavy duty chain, and two mini-U locks... =D
 
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=400623597738&globalID=EBAY-US
There are also for few bucks less but this one is from reliable seller.
 
That one uses GPS but anyone buying needs to check the positioning system- a lot of the cheaper ones use LBS which I think isn't as accurate, I think it uses mobile phone masts. If so I remember reading about this type of tracking quite a while ago and it relies on being able to 'see' 3 masts. or 2 for lower positional accuracy. I can't remember what the accuracy was but was less than GPS
 
I'm going to look at adding a second phone to my contract. You can say it is for your kid, and set up tracking that is done by text. No special stuff, just an old phone. Plug a hands free kit to the phone with auto answer, and then you have evidence of where the bike is. Gps is not accurate enough to get the police involved, but hearing the crooks waffling on can be that bit more revealing.

The early trackers were mobile phone based so would provide audio. A facility lost on newer stuff. Even car alarms have gone the same way. Dropping an extremely useful feature for no real reason. Imagine finding out you were actually targeted, not just a random. Or that they have other items of business your interested in.
 
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