Tracker Suggestions and Information

Hi All,

Second post here, so be gentle (would have been more but the forgotten password link doesn't seem to be working for me).

I have recently acquired a 90, and am looking at security options. I have purchased a pedal lock from Paddocks, and am seriously considering a tracker. I have read a number fo the threads on here - all very useful thank you - and done quite a bit of research online. I think I have decided on the following set up, on the basis this offers both VHF and GPS/GSM/GPRS options, and thus offers trackability and security from underground car parks & containers:

1. A Tracker Retrieve VHF tracker (if they still do it), with support from tracker with a monthly subscription. £149 + £119 annua fee.
   
2. A tracker similar to this one from Amazon - around £30.

The alternative is just something like a Sky Tag GPS system, which seems pretty good value, but doesn't have the VHF benefit.

I am sure all this has been discussed in one way or another, but I couldn't see a precise match or answers. Hopefully you guys have some opinion/advice on the above.

Thanks for looking.
Charlie.

Sky Tag gets my vote, really helpful staff, easy to use, and not crazy money.

benpalmer said:

Sky Tag gets my vote, really helpful staff, easy to use, and not crazy money.

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That’s what I’ve heard too, although leaves the risk of underground storage and container in evidence.

You still get the tracking up to where it goes in a container so you know where it last reported it was.

Not all systems are perfect. I have seen a sky tag repeatidly fail when trying to track it online while it's moving. They do something to get it working again when you tell them. If you report stolen they stop your access and look for it themselves. Some have had their vehicles recovered with it. Same as other brands.

Tracker UK Ltd is the best and all cheaper options are lesser.

Defender defender is another option. Cheaper but they don't track it for you. It's up to you to do it. It has a remote activated cut oft option which is interesting if the keys are taken if it's powering itself driving away.

Whatever tracker you buy you need to test it regular. Operators like skytag will check it monthly but not tell you when. They can also pass it when there's no tracking history.

[QUOTE="Operators like skytag will check it monthly but not tell you when. They can also pass it when there's no tracking history.[/QUOTE]

I get a message when the test is complete stating if it passed or failed. I also get notice if the battery is disconnected.

Hippo said:

skytag will check it monthly but not tell you when

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They send an email once a month to let you know it is working ok (or not). Recently they have had problems communicating to yahoo and aol accounts, when I got touch they advised me they are working to fix this but with so many customers this is taking a while. They are now sending me an email (so mine is working again) and a text. On a couple of occasions my main car battery has run low, they sent me an email to let me know the tracker was not getting its share of the volts. When I took the car battery off for charging / replacement, they emailed within seconds to let me know the battery was disconnected. Gives me high confidence that they will be right on the case if the car goes awol.

benpalmer said:

I get a message when the test is complete stating if it passed or failed. I also get notice if the battery is disconnected.

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Yes we had the same. I fitted it to someone else's car on ere and it became faulty in some way. They kept resetting it but the fault just came back. We also got emails confirming it passed monthly. After some discussion we gave up. It maybe a one off but anyone who has a tracker needs to test it themselves in anger regular. Especially those who provide their own sim and follow the DIY route. SIM operators make changes to their platform which they don't warn you about. Hence the need the test in anger regular yourself.

Wimblowdriver said:

They send an email once a month to let you know it is working ok (or not). Recently they have had problems communicating to yahoo and aol accounts, when I got touch they advised me they are working to fix this but with so many customers this is taking a while. They are now sending me an email (so mine is working again) and a text. On a couple of occasions my main car battery has run low, they sent me an email to let me know the tracker was not getting its share of the volts. When I took the car battery off for charging / replacement, they emailed within seconds to let me know the battery was disconnected. Gives me high confidence that they will be right on the case if the car goes awol.

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That's good to hear. He had the same when it was working but things then stopped and the he felt their was a problem with honesty when they said it was working but couldn't tell where it was or where it had been. The annoying part was they said it passed but didn't have tracking records for over 6 weeks. Not many go for the web access option as it costs more. This owner did. Without it he would never have known. I'm not knocking them as a supplier. I have fitted a number of them as well as other devices. All to other peeps cars.

It had nothing to do with email or install. It kept disappearing. We then found we could trigger this to happen ourselves by monitoring it on the web when it was moving. It would then dissapear. They had to do something to make it work again at their end. After calling it would work again. They had plentry of time to resolve or admit a problem. In the end it had to go after fitting another suppliers device which worked.

As above... Users of trackers should test it themselves in anger regular. If any supplier tells you it's working and you take it for an 8 hour trip but they can't tell you where it went... Then something is wrong.