Trackers... "DIY"

[AC123]

Hi

First off, apologies if this is in the wrong forum - please move if so.

Looking to put a tracker on a motorbike I've just got. It's not worth too much but fairly desirable to scrotes. For this reason I'd like it to be fairly cheap.

I've seen a couple of options. The GPRS trackers (TK102?) on eBay, that you can import for circa £20. Will these be any use, or will they never get a signal? Mixed reviews on Google.

The second seems to be a VHF tracker that the tracking companies sell. I don't want a yearly cost through a company, I'd rather just fit and track myself on Google maps etc if possible. I can't seem to find any though - can it not be done? From what I read, VHF trackers seem to be much more likely to actually work.

To summarise - cheap tracker wanted that works and doesn't have a yearly cost. Not too much to ask for

Thanks

[Dog Star]

I've got one of the TK102s and a SIM; yet to fit it as I am simply too busy.
I might have a bash this weekend and I'll report back.

They're what LordFlatHead on PH recommends, and he knows his stuff.

[ecotec]

could you not just get one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-GPS-Tracker-Magn...

[Dog Star]

ecotec said:

could you not just get one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-GPS-Tracker-Magn...

That's the one I've got. You can get them a lot cheaper though. Mine was £15.

And I've still not fitted it!

[Sportidge]

Dog Star said:

ecotec said:

could you not just get one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-GPS-Tracker-Magn...

That's the one I've got. You can get them a lot cheaper though. Mine was £15.

And I've still not fitted it!

That's the exact one I've got, and I bought the hard-wiring kit too to make sure it doesn't run out of battery.

You have to be careful with the really cheap versions of these, as there are a lot of poor quality clones out there (Search the Internet for details of some of these), some of which only use GPRS positioning using triangulation of mobile phone masts, and don't have an actual GPS chip in them!

Fitting was an absolute doddle, hiding it behind a plastic fairing panel, and setup was reasonably straightforward.

I'm using Rewire Security's own tracking site with lifetime (free) membership, and all is working brilliantly.

My only initial concern with this was the running costs of the unit using either GPRS or texts. Texts cost 9p each, so I avoid using them where possible.

Switched on to GPRS mode, I have mine updating every 30 seconds. As each piece of data is only around 150bytes, I was out for around 4 hours over the weekend and it cost me a whopping £0.002.

Yes, that one fifth of a British penny..... So that works out at about 73 pence a year!

Mine came with a Lycamobile SIM card, but I'm sure there may even be cheaper mobile tariffs out there.


*I'm in no way affiliated to the ebay seller or manufacturer, just a satisfied customer

Edited by Sportidge on Wednesday 9th July 12:55

Edited by Sportidge on Wednesday 9th July 13:01

[markmullen]

I use a TK102 to track my quadcopter, they're cheap enough and relatively small, it isn't elegant but it works.

[Dave^]

Bit of a bump...

Do these show position in realtime?

Do the simcards come preloaded with credit?

Are they any good?

I often go silly routes to places without knowing where I've been or how I got there...

[Sportidge]

Dave^ said:

Bit of a bump...

Do these show position in realtime?

Do the simcards come preloaded with credit?

Are they any good?

I often go silly routes to places without knowing where I've been or how I got there...

1) Near as dammit, if there's a GPRS signal. It depends on the refresh rate you set - I have mine updating every 30 seconds. If you are in a place with no signal. it will update the next time it gets one.

2) Mine didn't, but it came with a Lyca Mobile SIM, which is cheap enough (See my earlier post about running costs). Topped it up with £10 a few months back and still got plenty credit left. YMMV.

2) Well I think so. It certainly helps with finding out just where you are / have been.

You can see their demo units in as real-time as is possible if you go onto their website, www.gps-server.co.uk and log on with:
Username: gps@demo
Password 123456

Edited by Sportidge on Sunday 9th November 20:03

[Dave^]

Brilliant, cheers for that.

[triple5]

Looking at one of these to monitor an asset in a garage.

Can it be set to only send a text when it detects movement? as I don't need real time monitoring. Can't rely on the GPS as it won't work inside.

Thanks.

[Dave^]

From what I can gather, you can set it to alert you when it leaves/enters an area.

[triple5]

Ok thanks Dave.

[triple5]

Would anybody happen to know if a 4G giffgaff sim will work (although not enabled for 4G), I know the web site says 2G only, but wondered if anybody had tried one.

[triple5]

Well I can confirm that a giffgaff 4G card works in a TK102-Nano, took a bit of setting up and testing but works brilliantly.

[hdrflow]

[Walford]

Does it have to be UK sim and phone network would it work on my boat in Trinidad

[NiceCupOfTea]

Anybody else using these?

Just bought one and I have a couple of questions!!

The manual is not great - it talks about changing the password, but doesn't say what the default is!

[triple5]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Anybody else using these?

Just bought one and I have a couple of questions!!

The manual is not great - it talks about changing the password, but doesn't say what the default is!

left mine at the default, my Rewire Security manual says you only need to change if you intend to share the phone number with other people.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Yes, but don't you need to put in your password for some of the commands?

[triple5]

I don't know if they're all the same, mine is 123456, so to switch the shock sensor on you would send "shock123456".