Jump to content

Near theft of bike. Where to get GPS tracker?


ThaiWai

Recommended Posts

Surveillance cameras showed guys trying to boost my motorbike last night. Any advice on a GPS tracker/alarm with install in Phuket is appreciated.

Mate lost a bike last year, witnesses said the police took it away

Local police stations said that's nonsense, if we had it, it would be here, it's probably in Cambodia by now.... Case closed

Cctv didn't see anything, nobody wanted to help or listen , eventually after a month or two he got half the value back from insurance but still nowhere near enough to buy a new bike....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lady lost her bike in the parking area of Central Festival Mall and Police did nothing to find it..Fully insured and her Claim was half the Amount to replace it...Never seen the Trackers for sale! May be worth while?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A phone shop is likely your best bet, so check on Phuket where you have all those phone shops next to each other, forgot the name, not been there for a while.

I think those trackers have a Sim card fitted (not 100% sure) so check phone/pc shops.

There was an expat some years ago in Pattaya that got his bike back after he & the police tracked it via the on-board tracker.

The burglars were really caught with their pants down, there were 3-4 stolen bikes at their house.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so far. Follow up questions. Do the hard wired ones use a battery backup for when the bike is just loaded into a flatbed not driven away. Also the ones on EBay all require a 2g SIM card specifically stating it will not work with 3 and 4g. Is that an issue?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They work fine with 3g since the Internet connection isn't required anyways (at least not for the models I'm familiar with). All tracking and reporting is done through sms messeges. For example I can send an sms command "google" and receive an sms with the link that starts google maps and shows the vehicle location.

The model that I use has quite a few options. In standby mode, when you connect only 2 wires it will still receive sms commands and send the replies, 3rd wire is additional power wire when the ignition is on, it does more frequent location updates then. It also has an option to shut off the engine through sms command with the addition of the relay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't buy from local dealers, I was quoted 15,000 Baht (!) for a unit plus installation.

Get one of these things instead - super small, waterproof and no installation required. Can be hidden anywhere.

That's exactly the one Inwas looking at. Reviews at Amazon were mixed with the main complaint being no support. But it allegedly has a wake up motion feature and a docking station that I could keep in house or wire to the bike for constant recharges so it does not rely on the thieves starting the bike to track it. Reviews were totally love or totally hate though. So gambling with about $60 USD. Has added convenience in that you can pop it out and throw it in a girls purse or even put it on a dog color. Probably give it a shot. Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got one from lazada. They have plenty different models.

Mine uses gprs, I have a 99 baht per month simcard in it.

Gives me almost realtime -set it up to every 15 min, which can be changed to continously- position, speed, direction etc, through some website that came with the thing. Use google maps to see the position.

Also I -can- use the option to remotely switch off the engine.

Costed me 2500 baht, 6 months ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello ThaiWai,

I did send you a PM but no reply.

Beware the cheap Chinese trackers on Alibaba and Lazada as they generally use low grade components and poor GPS chip-sets.

You can get a very cost effective wired in device with the option of remote disabling and if you go to the right company (wink.png ) you can get a waterproof device with the Global SIM programmed into a chip on the device and that will work in pretty much any country that has GSM networks. These chips are non network specific and will choose the best GPRS signal based on strength. This is ideal if you live in an area where the coverage is poor and where, say, AIS has coverage issues but another network still has decent service.

You have the benefit of a fixed monthly cost and not having to remember to top up your locally bought Sim card or to have to buy a different SIM if you travel cross border. If someone nicks your bike or car and takes it to Laos or Myanmar, for example, you would be able to track it (it is pretty inconspicuous) to their doorstep.

We're a farang-run company that has been in this business for 10 years in Thailand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so far. Follow up questions. Do the hard wired ones use a battery backup for when the bike is just loaded into a flatbed not driven away. Also the ones on EBay all require a 2g SIM card specifically stating it will not work with 3 and 4g. Is that an issue?

Most decent trackers should have a built in backup battery that will maintain the device's configuration and report position for several hours if driven away on a flatbed. The key is to set up a small geofence around your parking spot so that it triggers an alarm if the bike leaves that area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello ThaiWai,

I did send you a PM but no reply.

Beware the cheap Chinese trackers on Alibaba and Lazada as they generally use low grade components and poor GPS chip-sets.

You can get a very cost effective wired in device with the option of remote disabling and if you go to the right company (wink.png ) you can get a waterproof device with the Global SIM programmed into a chip on the device and that will work in pretty much any country that has GSM networks. These chips are non network specific and will choose the best GPRS signal based on strength. This is ideal if you live in an area where the coverage is poor and where, say, AIS has coverage issues but another network still has decent service.

You have the benefit of a fixed monthly cost and not having to remember to top up your locally bought Sim card or to have to buy a different SIM if you travel cross border. If someone nicks your bike or car and takes it to Laos or Myanmar, for example, you would be able to track it (it is pretty inconspicuous) to their doorstep.

We're a farang-run company that has been in this business for 10 years in Thailand.

What happens after you find your bike in another country on Google maps exactly?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you thought about a simple bike lock? Thai criminals arent so smart to have bolt cutters with them. Prevention of theft I would think would be more important. Where are you, condo?

Thanks yes I have. I hate disc locks. Forget it's on once and you are screwed. I like the GPS idea for reasons other than theft also. Loaned out, in the shop, resale perk etc. At the end of the day. A determined thief will get what he wants. I may throw a thick chain around a palm tree at night though for added deterrent. I got lucky last time. Gonna improve my odds for next time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A bit of a late addition, but I picked one up from CNX MotoGear in Chiang Mai for 1,700 Baht (2,200 Baht installed, I think). Pretty small and can be tucked most places I imagine, though it does connect to the bike's battery. Needs a SIM. If an internet SIM, you can download a bunch of "where your bike was in the last month" kinds of stuff. Otherwise, call it to find out where it is now, and if you tell it to, it will call you if your bike gets moved.

Search for "CNX MotoGear" on facebook if you want. The guy who runs the shop is quite a nice guy and terribly honest. :) Call and tell him what you want. Dunno if he takes credit card orders over the phone, but he does in the shop anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope that people installing trackers will do their best to hide them well, at least under the tank. That can cause poor GP reception in turn, so a model with ext. antenna may be needed. Pro thieves are good at finding them, if not immediately they may stop along the way. For storage at night mechanical may be more effective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can vouch for the unit that was linked from Lazada.. If you can find a genuine one.

there are fake copies of that one which apparently don't work or barely work.

I remember from looking into it that the copy packaging was different, they are small units but if I was to GPS something up, i'd get those.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello ThaiWai,

I did send you a PM but no reply.

Beware the cheap Chinese trackers on Alibaba and Lazada as they generally use low grade components and poor GPS chip-sets.

You can get a very cost effective wired in device with the option of remote disabling and if you go to the right company (wink.png ) you can get a waterproof device with the Global SIM programmed into a chip on the device and that will work in pretty much any country that has GSM networks. These chips are non network specific and will choose the best GPRS signal based on strength. This is ideal if you live in an area where the coverage is poor and where, say, AIS has coverage issues but another network still has decent service.

You have the benefit of a fixed monthly cost and not having to remember to top up your locally bought Sim card or to have to buy a different SIM if you travel cross border. If someone nicks your bike or car and takes it to Laos or Myanmar, for example, you would be able to track it (it is pretty inconspicuous) to their doorstep.

We're a farang-run company that has been in this business for 10 years in Thailand.

What happens after you find your bike in another country on Google maps exactly?
Repo.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...