Speed & Sound: Plugged In – A Call For Help!
by Dave MacKinnon (www.osmlabs.com)
What if your car could call for help? Imagine a scenario where a thief decides that no matter what you have done to protect your vehicle, they absolutely have to have it? Does this sound like Gone in 60 Seconds to you? It absolutely happens – specific make, model, trim level and colour vehicles are targeted all the time by theft rings because they are wanted by chop shops. Why so specific? Shops often buy a car that has been written off in an accident, then steal an identical car and transfer the VIN numbers to the stolen car and sell it to unsuspecting and seemingly innocent buyers. Unfortunately it happens all the time.
So what can you do to protect your pride and joy when a thief pulls up with a flatbed and drags your car away? You have the police simply go and retrieve it thanks to the marvel of modern GPS and cellular technology. Products from companies LoJack, Boomerang, Titan and BlackLine GPS allow you, to varying degrees, to know exactly where your car is and what it is doing.
For example, the GPS Snitch from BlackLine GPS is designed for convenient consumer use. Once placed in a vehicle, you can visit the GPS Snitch website and see the location, heading and speed of your vehicle. It’s convenient because it can operate via an internal battery for up to a week. For basic operation, there is no installation required. The GPS Snitch is also a great way to keep track of the kids when they borrow the family car.
Moving up in complexity and features is the TT3000 from Titan Tracking Systems. This system adds features such as over-speed alerts, low or disconnected battery, excessive idle time and many more tools that are not only convenient to nosy and cautious parents, but can be beneficial to fleet operators or rental companies. With the TT3000, you know what the driver is doing all the time. The TT3000 also features five inputs and seven outputs, so you can monitor zones such as doors, seatbelts, the parking brake and more, while having control over door locking, parking lights, trunk release and starter disable all via a convenient web interface. The TT3000 is a product that would be professionally integrated into your vehicle.
LoJack is one of the oldest companies in the vehicle tracking industry. They focus primarily on theft recovery, and their vehicle tracking is performed by law enforcement agencies. LoJack and Quebec-based Boomerang operate together in Canada. If and when your vehicle is stolen, you call the police and they deploy a tracking team to get your car back. Often, your car can be found within hours or even minutes. To date, Boomerang tracking devices have aided in the recovery of more than 6,800 vehicles with an approximate value of more than 300 million dollars. Boomerang and LoJack disguise their hardware and make its installation locations difficult to detect, adding another level of security and reliability to their products. You must seek professional installation for either LoJack or Boomerang.
All of these devices use a high sensitivity GPS receiver to locate themselves, then communicate that information back to a central location via cellular technology. This means that these systems carry a monthly charge for the cellular service, as well as the original cost of the product and its installation. That being said, knowing that you can find out where your car is at any time, or have your car let you know that someone is messing with it, is priceless!
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