Best value tracker system for a freelander

[freelanderowner]

Hi - can anyone recommend a good value tracker system for a Freelander?

Had a our previous Freelander stolen recently and there is currently a spate of Freelanders being stolen in our area. I'm looking for a system that has a one off installation and initial set up cost rather than ongoing maintenance fees. I guess GPS is best option v's radio signal - anyone help on this?

[bananahead]

They have subscription fees.

[Esqulax]

Seen one guy do a bodge job one, which is quite clever really.
he bought a Pay-as-you-go phone, and installed it under the dash, connecting it up to the car battery (switched) to keep it charged. set it to silent, Auto-answer, then registered with one of these "keep an eye on your kids phone wherabouts"
which can be viewed online

[freelanderowner]

Intriguing concept - I guess it should work! I've heard there are some systems you can track yourself online via standard web browser so would work in same way.

Work colleague advised me today thieves are likely to have sophisticated equipment that can locate any transmitting tracker. Once found they either simply remove or place lead box over the unit so no signal is received rendering any tracker pointless - anyone know if this is likely to be true?

I'm now wondering whether spending out on tracker system would be a waste of money but with local news paper reporting 10 Freelanders stolen in our area in last two weeks I'm at a loss to how else to protect against what seems might be an inevitable theft - again!!

[Esqulax]

Meh.. id say most robbed cars are by opportunists. all the high tech stuff i would imagine would be used on really high end cars

[tonymccandless]

Can you give them my address and get them to come steal mine ? :biggrin:

[RyderUK]

Tracking: You are right that GSM technology is probably the best to opt for at the moment. The reliability of the networks has improved so much over recent years that the necessity to use text messages to trtansfer the information has been superceded by the availability of a simple GPRS always on connection. This in turn has meant that the speed of positional update being returned from the vehicle has improved.

There are a couple of things to watch out for though. When using GPRS abroad you will find that the roaming charges can be excessive and may rise quite quickly. Having said that I provided tracking to a team travelling across Algeria at the beginning of this year and they haven't reported dramatic costs - they did restrict their position reports to once per hour though.

Cost wise: The equipment will range from £100-£500, sometimes more. Howver, don't be tempted to go for the cheapest option. Inevitably you wil find that it fails at the precise moment you need it most...(it can be embarrasing if you have used remote control to immobilise the vehicle as well ;))

Any other info you need pls let me know, or I will be in danger of turning this post into a lecture!

[Satancom]

I had a traffic master Trakstar fitted to my scooby doo. I never had to rely on it but it cost £11 a month to run and probably £200 to have fitted! It was an insurance requirement for my car but I doub't I would fit one again unless it was a very high end or special car.

A tracker wont stop your car getting stolen, it just means you have a good chance of getting it back..

[Llanigraham]

Hi - can anyone recommend a good value tracker system for a Freelander?

Had a our previous Freelander stolen recently and there is currently a spate of Freelanders being stolen in our area.

Are they just stealing the motors, or breaking in and stealing the keys first?
What area?

[RyderUK]

I had a traffic master Trakstar fitted to my scooby doo. I never had to rely on it but it cost £11 a month to run and probably £200 to have fitted! It was an insurance requirement for my car but I doub't I would fit one again unless it was a very high end or special car.

A tracker wont stop your car getting stolen, it just means you have a good chance of getting it back..

To be honest that's not a bad price, although I would expect a system you could use from day to day rather than a simple after theft recovery system for that money.

[RyderUK]

Intriguing concept - I guess it should work! I've heard there are some systems you can track yourself online via standard web browser so would work in same way.

Work colleague advised me today thieves are likely to have sophisticated equipment that can locate any transmitting tracker. Once found they either simply remove or place lead box over the unit so no signal is received rendering any tracker pointless - anyone know if this is likely to be true?

I'm now wondering whether spending out on tracker system would be a waste of money but with local news paper reporting 10 Freelanders stolen in our area in last two weeks I'm at a loss to how else to protect against what seems might be an inevitable theft - again!!

Any system that transmits a signal can be jammed. GSM jamming devices are not very widespread in this country at the moment but if the thief is carrying one he will be able to stop the transmission of the location back to the central server. However, this is a short term solutioni and finding a skillfully installed tracking device is time consuming for someone who just wants to get off as quickly as possible.

Additionally, with some devices you can set the system to detect whether the vehicle is being moved illegally and automatically disable the engine, this doesn't use any transmission and is not so easily disabled.

[greyhound]

You can get GSM triggered remote electric gate openers, on the disco3 forum they've been using these to operate the FBH.
It would be easy to use one of these to track a stolen vehicle or just phone it up and it could operate a fuel cut off solenoid.
They were on ebay from a gate company.

[RyderUK]

Yeah I guess that would work too!

I have to say though, despite the fact that my system will disable the engine it is illegal to do so. If someone steals your vehicle it is unlawful to stop them driving it in this way (mad huh!)

This requires a more sophisticated programmable solution. Maybe slowing the vehicle to a crawl before firing a stake up their ass!