Benjamin Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Could any gizmo techies out there comment on this device please?It's low initial cost and the fact there aren't any monthly charges makes it attractive from a cost point of view but do you think it is any good?http://back2you.com/store/product_info.cfm?product_id=75 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 [quote user="Benjamin"]Could any gizmo techies out there comment on this device please?It's low initial cost and the fact there aren't any monthly charges makes it attractive from a cost point of view but do you think it is any good?http://back2you.com/store/product_info.cfm?product_id=75[/quote]Seems an interesting idea. Basically, this device seems to be a stripped-down GPS-equipped cellphone. You could get the basic tracking function by secreting a GPS-equipped mobile phone in your car and connecting with one of the free mobile tracking services, but obviously not the rather more advanced features that this has. You would need to get it to text you from time to time to keep the SIM alive, so there would be a small ongoing cost. The basic problem will be that if it goes out of GSM range for whatever reason, then it ceases to function, whereas the original tracker systems actively emit a signal all the time that is picked up by the equipment in police cars. As usual, it depends what you want to use it for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardbk Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Look to the forums on gpspassion.com for more info. Apparently they work very well.A colleague of mine has got one this week (exact same model - XT008) direct from the Chinese manufacturer at a fraction of the prices (around 110 USD). They are produced and sold by http://www.xexun.com/ . You can pay by paypal and delivery is very quick.You can get all the data sheets and specs from their site. Be very very careful. There are many copies/clones of these sold on ebay and elsewhere that do not work very well. We have also found some Iphone apps that can configure and monitor the device directly, although we dont think it currently controls the relays (e.g to switch of engine etc). Otherwise you control it through SMS commands or write your own software. We will be testing our system, to be used as a car anti theft device, over the coming weeks. There are some free tracking server systems e.g gpsgate.com or Xexun will even provide you with tracking facilities if you register the device on their system (using of course the GPRS internet conection, rather than SMS) Remember however, that for around 50-100 USD you can buy a GPS+GSM jammer that you plug into the lighter socket of your car. This is totally illegal to use, but it will render the tracker useless! For this reason it is important to have a tracker that is well hidden and with a long standby time, so that when the car eventually is moved it can be traced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyv Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 [quote user="Richardbk"]For this reason it is important to have a tracker that is well hidden and with a long standby time, so that when the car eventually is moved it can be traced.[/quote]There are very few (if any) places to hide such a device where (a) the GPS signal is not impaired, and (b) the GSM signal is not impaired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossy67 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Not so. We used to have trackers secreted in our vans very much in the dash, just out of curiosity, we used to have to connect a laptop to them to download the info. We then changed to GPS phones and used GPS Gate. Very good system and only ever lost signal when the fitters were using their phones, even had gps signal when there was no phone signal. This was a bit of a bonus too though because you could tell when they had been gassing for half an hour. In the UK if you are going to secretly track someone then any information you get can not be used in a court of law as the driver was not informed of the device, there may even be legal issues with tracking someone covertly. Not sure about France though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardbk Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 "There are very few (if any) places to hide such a device where (a) the GPS signal is not impaired, and (b) the GSM signal is not impaired"In the case of a jammer this is true, but you have to work on the assumption that the jammer will not be present for ever. As long as the thieves do not know or can not find the tracker, and the tracker is still functioning, you will eventually be able to locate the car. In respect of trackers being used to track employees, this is another reason why jammers are used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks for the replies. There doesn't appear to be any adverse comment out there.The device would be fitted in our motorhome on the basis that, if it were stolen, then it would be much cheaper to recover it rather than start arguing with an insurance assessor over it's "replacement value".I would prefer to purchase in the UK as I'm not sufficiently tech savvy and it's comforting to know I have English language back-up if needed.Thanks again. [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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