GPS Tracker for Security

charlottenewbies

Was recently speaking with a fellow RVer, who had his camper stolen from a locked, "secure" storage facility.  Of this was before he installed any type of locks (wheel lock, tongue lock, etc.).  Just curious if others use any type of GPS locator device with app ? If so, what are you using, cost (initial and recurring), battery life, and performance ?  Thanks so much !

Dalehelman

Had one in a collector a while back. Cost around $35 dollars for the receiver transmitter. Then what ever a prepaid phone card cost every 90 days. It needed its own cell numbers

pthomas745

Here are a bunch of threads.  The rarest of posts here is of: stolen Tabs.  Sad when it does happen, of course.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk03F6Ad73RUOIFagmc92K4ykzkZasg:1615406005548&ei=tSNJYJ3UILL29AO-qIfIDQ&q=gps+site:tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com&oq=gps+site:tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAM6BwgAEEcQsANQmg9Y-yNg5SxoAXACeACAAYUBiAHpC5IBBDE4LjKYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6yAEEwAEB&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwjdgoOpwKbvAhUyO30KHT7UAdkQ4dUDCA0&uact=5

Marceline

I have a Spot Trace. It is a true GPS tracker, which means that it sends and receives all data (including location updates) via satellite, not by cell towers. That makes it more expensive than the trackers that use satellites to get their location but send that data back to you via cell service. The advantage is that your trailer can be found in locations that are out of cell phone range (although it does struggle a little in heavy tree cover).
You pay for the unit (about $100) and then a satellite plan ($10-15/mo). I occasionally see deals. 

Bclarke

I too have the Spot Trace.   I have used other Spot devices for communication / emergencies in some very remote places on the globe and have been very pleased.  

charlottenewbies

Thanks so much for your input
 !

N7SHG_Ham

For not much more than the cost of the reoccurring tracker fees, you can buy good insurance.

Unless you are on the tracking immediately or the police are, chances of recovery in a condition you want back are slim. In just a few hours rattle can paint and/or stuff removed and usually not gently.

Inside a building the signal to satellite and sometimes cell is iffy due to metal roofs and siding on a typical warehouse, so signal may be lost. loJack is different in that it uses radio signals and is tracked with a reciver on the ground typically by police agencies. That service is not available in all areas though.

I take reasonable precautions to secure both my Tab and cargo trailers and buy insurance and hope for best. My cargo trailer at times has way more value in it than a Tab. And no theft since 2005. I think a lot of Tab owners are new to a trailer and while more than pocket change, in the big scheme of RV's, there are a lot that are way more expensive and not harder or easier to steal than a Tab. If it is a felony, then why waste time on a $30k theft vs a $100k+? Jail time is same and potentially much bigger returns. I would lay money that no trailer thief is doing it because they want to go camping, they either are going to chop it and sell parts or flip it ASAP often after giving it a $10 paint job.

Go camping and worry less

Marceline

N7SHG_Ham said:

For not much more than the cost of the reoccurring tracker fees, you can buy good insurance.

Unless you are on the tracking immediately or the police are, chances of recovery in a condition you want back are slim. In just a few hours rattle can paint and/or stuff removed and usually not gently.

Inside a building the signal to satellite and sometimes cell is iffy due to metal roofs and siding on a typical warehouse, so signal may be lost. loJack is different in that it uses radio signals and is tracked with a reciver on the ground typically by police agencies. That service is not available in all areas though.

I take reasonable precautions to secure both my Tab and cargo trailers and buy insurance and hope for best. My cargo trailer at times has way more value in it than a Tab. And no theft since 2005. I think a lot of Tab owners are new to a trailer and while more than pocket change, in the big scheme of RV's, there are a lot that are way more expensive and not harder or easier to steal than a Tab. If it is a felony, then why waste time on a $30k theft vs a $100k+? Jail time is same and potentially much bigger returns. I would lay money that no trailer thief is doing it because they want to go camping, they either are going to chop it and sell parts or flip it ASAP often after giving it a $10 paint job.

My Spot Trace pings me as soon as my trailer starts moving, so yes, I am "on the tracking immediately." That's literally how it works. And it continues to send a fix at regular intervals (2½, 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes, depending on how you set it up). It may have a hard time getting and sending fixes once someone parks it in a garage, but you can see the trail leading right up to that garage. And even after the trailer stops moving it sends a daily fix until it runs out of battery, which is months. So unless the thief 1) finds it and 2) figures out what it is and 3) removes it, I am going to find that trailer.  

You do what's right for you. But I didn't even get the tracker to recover a stolen trailer. I got it so my family members can find me if something goes wrong while I'm traveling alone. I bought it right after this incident in which a woman went missing for a few days after taking a wrong turn on a forest road from a campground that I had been at just a few months earlier. 

charlottenewbies

Good input from everyone, and I thank you for taking the time to comment.

rrcbov

A late comment on this thread - there are considerations beyond insurance.  Finding and buying a replacement, dealing with the insurance company, buying/installing all the stuff that was in the trailer, redoing any mods you might have made, etc.

I’m considering a tracker to address these concerns.   

Anything new on the market in the past year?

SLJ

100% replacement insurance coverage but I have so much work in modifications I would hate to loose and then have to wait for months for a replacement. Only time I worry about it is when we're camping and it gets left alone for long periods while we're out canoeing or hiking. At home it's stored in a locked garage with motion and video. True GPS tracking is the way to go when you camp a lot out of cell phone range.

gulfarea

As my 320 is so nimble when I travel with it I just take it whever I go, don't unhook. I aways park it where I can see it from windows of restraunts.  Leaving it hooked up with its alarm on makes me rest eazy. In my backyard it is well protected.  Most museums and places have rv parking lots. Just my 2 cents Art