The Problem
We live at the end of the road in Alaska then a mile by boat to the cabin. The community parks their vehicles there. Is their a technology device that I can attach to my vehicle to where I can track down the vehicle if it is stolen? This happens from time to time with the locals. I would like some app on a device so I can pay someone a visit if necessary. Since we live on an island for some reason it is not theft, but joy riding. That is retarded but I can try to change the law, but I refuse to be a victim.
The preppers answer
Answer 1
LoJack would work as a post-theft recovery tool, if local law enforcement has the equipment to track a LoJack-equipped car. I don’t know if there’s a satellite version of it.
Or, prevent the car from being used rather than try to find it afterward.
Buy a 4 ft plastic coated steel security cable with swaged eyes, (Lowe’s, Home Depot or Amazon). Turn the steering wheel to full lock, either left or right, loop the cable around the steering wheel spoke(s) (not the rim), put one eye through the other and lock the bottom eye to the brake pedal with a large padlock. Cheap and makes the car undrivable except in circles. If your car is a less attractive and more difficult target than the others they’ll leave yours alone.
Right until everyone else buys their own cables and locks….
Answer 2
Just saw it advertised! It’s called “Tile”. Here is the link to a Tile tracker on Amazon…
https://www.amazon.com/Tile-Mate-Finder-Anything-Finder/dp/B01L3VEC08/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1514549070&sr=1-3&keywords=tile
Or just go to Amazon and search for “Tile”.
Answer 3
“Tile” only works via BlueTooth. Has to be within ~300 feet of your cell phone in order to locate.
Answer 4
Well crud,
Shoulda investigated it more. I just saw their commercial on TV and it sure makes it seem like you just stick their device on , or in, practically anything, and if it gets lost, no matter how far away it is, you can track it with your smartphone to it’s exact location. Which I took for granted used GPS.
For 20 bucks, I should have known better I guess. Live and learn.
Answer 5
There are a couple of different ways to do what you are asking. The simplest is a small device (Syncup Drive) that is sold through TMobile that will provide a wifi hotspot in your car as well as send you diagnostic updates about your car and show you where it is located. This device plugs into your OBD port, and does require the ability to connect to the providers network. We pay about 25.00 per month for one of these. If you are concerned about OpSec then you can unplug it when you are using your car and then just plug it into the OBD port when you park your car.
The second is to buy a GPS tracking device, they can be used in a car, a backpack, or in a pocket. Their battery life can vary based upon the model and types of batteries you use, but many are about 2 weeks.
I hope this is helpful.
Answer 6
Isn’t this what LoJack is for?
Or could you hide a cell phone in the car (plugged in to a charger, too) so that you can monitor the phones location instead of the car? I’d maybe put a solar panel on the dashboard, too, to keep the batteries topped off.
The list goes on. What do you think?
