Tracker?
- Thread starter Carndearg
- Start date
I have a Global Telemetrics tracker in my Motorhome, which is insurance approved, and on an app, so I can check live location, and texts me if the battery gets low, or they call if it's has any suspicious movement. (They called me this year to say it was going across the channel, when I was in the tunnel)
However, this was not cheap to have supplied and installed, and I have to pay a £200 a year subscription, so I will watch this thread with interest.
However, this was not cheap to have supplied and installed, and I have to pay a £200 a year subscription, so I will watch this thread with interest.
Hi there. I have looked into trackers in some detail. The best value in my opinion is SmarTrack Cat 5 Tracker - Tracker Fit
Remember to consider that the cost is not just the cost of the installation but the ongoing cost of subscriptions. The link to this tracker includes cover for duration of ownership.
Remember to consider that the cost is not just the cost of the installation but the ongoing cost of subscriptions. The link to this tracker includes cover for duration of ownership.
Thank you for the info, unfortunately I cannot understand the huge difference in costs. I have seen a CanTrack Asset which costs less than £300 with a 15 year battery plus 68 a year subs. I can’t afford to pay out more than I need too so an idiots guide from anyone is welcome.
Thanks again
It won’t be as its not professionally installed.
I’m thinking of it in a slightly different way, I have insurance that doesn’t require a tracker but added it anyway, just like having a burgler alarm on your house policy then forgetting to set it they might use it to not pay out if it doesn’t work.
So I have added additional security from my part and at the same time reduced reasons for them to not pay out.
I have also added other delay tactics and also got a key safe for the keys that is visible through the back door, cctv etc.
All of these measures are only really “move along” tactics because a determined thief with a tow truck and a jammer can just take it.
It may be that your location and value of the van means that a Thatcham only subscription tracker is needed for all the insurers, in which case surely you only need the cheapest, cos if they take it and trash it do you want it back anyway, in that case you are only paying to help the insurance recover their property at that point..
I’m thinking of it in a slightly different way, I have insurance that doesn’t require a tracker but added it anyway, just like having a burgler alarm on your house policy then forgetting to set it they might use it to not pay out if it doesn’t work.
So I have added additional security from my part and at the same time reduced reasons for them to not pay out.
I have also added other delay tactics and also got a key safe for the keys that is visible through the back door, cctv etc.
All of these measures are only really “move along” tactics because a determined thief with a tow truck and a jammer can just take it.
It may be that your location and value of the van means that a Thatcham only subscription tracker is needed for all the insurers, in which case surely you only need the cheapest, cos if they take it and trash it do you want it back anyway, in that case you are only paying to help the insurance recover their property at that point..
For what it's worth I have attached the list of trackers I looked at when choosing one for my van. If it doesn't need to be Thatcham approved then the Tk103A/B is around £30, but my insurance company required a subscription-based tracker to be fitted so I went for the SmarTrack Protector Pro, £199 with a lifetime subscription of £399. If you're planning on keeping your van for years then that seems a good option. Actually I have both, because the TK103 acts as a remote door/ignition alarm (by text message) and also acts as a GSM remote control for my MV Airo heater, so the fact it gives location as well is incidental really.
The CanTrack Asset works very different to the other trackers mentioned - if you want to be able to sign in to an app to locate the vehicle and/or track it in real time then this is not the device for you. Also, the 15 year battery life will only be attained if you have it minimally configured to, say, only wake up and report its location once per day. I initially had a bit more configured on mine, e.g. logging any motion, together with position, every 10 minutes, which led to my battery getting depleted very quickly (initially it looked like it was going down at an acceptable rate and my battery was going to last circa 6 years against a promised 10 but then they realised the battery algorithms were not working correctly and an overnight change in the battery algorithms saw my battery suddenly drop from around 85% to around 40% overnight).
As I say, CanTrack Asset works very differently to other trackers - they are a lot more covert and less susceptible to being found and ripped out and/or jammed, i.e. they do not continually broadcast anything until told to do so, thus nothing to latch onto and/or block. In the event of theft CanTrack switch the device on and their own team of trackers then go out with radio locators to find it - success rates are apparently very good.
I also have a more expensive cat 5 Tracker (cost around £700 when I had installed with ongoing costs of nearly £200 per year) on one of my other vehicles - this gives me more sense of security (was able to see when Jo left work yesterday and the route she took home to allow me to get dinner ready lol) but if it came down to it, I'm not sure which I would trust most to get my vehicle back to me with the high tech wizardry the bottom feeders are now using to steal our hard earned stuff.
Some insurers do offer discounts for Thatcham approved Trackers but I am always wary of declaring my Cat 5 on the basis it could give them a bit of a get out if my fob is mistakenly left in the vehicle and/or stored with the keys (maybe me being a bit paranoid lol).
Ultimately, I wouldn't rely on any tracker alone and always use in conjunction with other measures both electronic and mechanical.
