Tracking device to locate your car

[ACUDANUT]

  Why don't they sell these at wal-mart, so we can lock up more thieves.  Get our car back, and say "gotcha".
Hey...Thanks a Job idea.

[69bronzeT5]

You'd think they would sell em at Walmart. Hell, they sell ATVs and dirt bikes there!

[Troy]

Been thinking of making one myself. Electronics are so tiny now and the price for GPS units is actually cheap.

Troy

[Ghoste]

Isn't that what a Lo-jack is for?

[Troy]

Isn't that what a Lo-jack is for?

Why, yes it is. I understand that Lojack is a complete system as well and it ties directly to the police. Ideally, the device is smart enough to know when it's stolen instead of having someone notice that the car is missing and activate the Lojack - mine are 24 miles away and I don't get there every day. Lojack does have an Early Warning System which does something similar. I'd still like to make my own just for fun but only because it relates to what I'm doing at work. I'd like to build an EFI system one day too but with my limited time I'm lucky to be able to make dinner once or twice a week.

Troy

[RD]

Isn't that what a Lo-jack is for?

...with my limited time I'm lucky to be able to make dinner once or twice a week.

Troy

you need a good russian woman named helga to take care of that for you 

[ACUDANUT]

  What a lojacks ??  If I can market something like this cheap, would anyone be interested in buying one ?

[Ghoste]

I don't know exactly but as I understand it, Lojack is an electronic tracking device that you can have installed in your car and then you pay a service to monitor it.  The car goes missing, you call the service and they tell you where your tracking device is.  I don't know the costs or reliability involved though.

[Spike]

http://www.lojack.com/

http://www.microtrakgps.com/

[BigBlackDodge]

A local contractor here in town had troubles with people coming in at night and stealing the a/c unit on his job trailers. He bought some sort of locating device (unsure of the name.....but is fairly cheap considering) and placed them within the a/c unit. Sure enough it was stolen a few days later and they tracked them down and found cache of stolen items!

The good thing about this is that he is able to remove the device and place it in/on other things.........heavily machinery, equipment, vehicles...etc.

BBD

[ACUDANUT]

   Glad they caught them.  I hear there on all HD construction equipment, including skid loaders.  Man, I wish I had invented these 10 years ago.    I am just surprised they are not advertised more.

[nakita7]

So where would you get these devices? looking at something like this for my cars. Lojack is cool, but not available here in Canada, and, because it's regulated, there will be some kind of costs somewhere. I'm looking for something I can install myself and locate myself.

[Ghoste]

Do any of the home monitoring alarm and security places offer it? 

[rrockchrger]

Hello all.  From what I understand lojack isn't like the GPS systems that locate by satellite.  Instead It sends out a radio signal that is picked up by police cars close by that are equiped with a lojack receiver.  The problem is very few police cars are equiped with them and if you don't drive near one, they won't get a signal.  I think GPS is a much better antitheft system. 

[4cruzin]

Troy . . make me a couple too please!   

[Todd Wilson]

A local contractor here in town had troubles with people coming in at night and stealing the a/c unit on his job trailers. He bought some sort of locating device (unsure of the name.....but is fairly cheap considering) and placed them within the a/c unit. Sure enough it was stolen a few days later and they tracked them down and found cache of stolen items!

The good thing about this is that he is able to remove the device and place it in/on other things.........heavily machinery, equipment, vehicles...etc.

BBD

Last I knew DeWalt has a locating deal you can buy for use in construction stuff. I dont see why you could use it on a car.


Todd

[ChargerRT440]

I remember an article on the internet about an idea where you took an old cell phone and put it on something like pay as you go or whatever as long as it included gps tracking services and placed that somewhere hidden out of the way in the vehicle. Other then that do a google search theres lots on there.

[SeattleCharger]

 

[RECHRGD]

I was asking about these things a few years ago for the Charger.  From what I was told, they would not sell them to individuals.  They had to be either the LoJack thing tied to law enforcement or be tied to an approved traking company.  Reason being that if the criminal element has easy access to something like that, think of the fun they could have.  Pick a victim and put the device on their car or person and Booom, you know where they live.   Bob

[Ghoste]

Does OnStar have a tracking capability?

[ACUDANUT]

Yes, On star does have that and I have that in my wifes New (06) Chevy Uplander, but that is a factory install and it has a dead give-a-way by the black antenna on the roof.  I wish they did a better job of trying to hide it.

[nakita7]

I was asking about these things a few years ago for the Charger.  From what I was told, they would not sell them to individuals.  They had to be either the LoJack thing tied to law enforcement or be tied to an approved traking company.  Reason being that if the criminal element has easy access to something like that, think of the fun they could have.  Pick a victim and put the device on their car or person and Booom, you know where they live.   Bob

So, that's makes sense why everyone I talked to was so vague about where to get such a thing. Looks like I;ll have to get one made for myself then.

[Ghoste]

Well, it seems to me that if a service like OnStar can track a vehicle independant of the police, then an alarm service could do the same.  Even though Onstar may be a factory install, the technology exists and the aftermarket could hard wire it into the vehicle like a remote starter module. 

[Brock Samson]

Somewhat related:

  Hughes is Parnering with Chrysler to install On Star type systems in Chrysler products..

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/03/new-system-combines-features-of-onstar-and-sync-coming-to-chrys/

[Ghoste]

Good idea and about time.  I'd sooner have that than the satellite radio they try to push on you.