theft prevention

[Mike]

Has anyone considered this kind of solution?  Seems like a very simple theft deterrent.   However, I would think disconnecting the battery totally would cause memory loss on any electronics in the cabin.

 

 

[Patcon]

I use those on several of the classics I have sitting around. I still really believe, the bigger risk for theft is a roll back not a drive off, so battery or not it's gone. That is why I like the tracking solutions

[jwtaylor]

Most keep alive functions for radios/etc.  don't use much power, so wire a small fuse (1 to 3 amp) off the battery directly to feed them.  That will keep the power low enough not to allow starting the engine.

[Mark Maras]

 My son used one on his 81 RX7 after the fire, caused by a shorted map light hot wire. It's use at that time was to prevent another fire while it was sitting after repairs. After a few months of both fretting and confidence building, we took it off. It worked very well. I did notice that if it wasn't screwed down very tight there was a loss of voltage. As far as theft prevention, it's cheap and effective. Just take the green knob off. It can be defeated with a jumper cable though.

 To correct the memory loss in his stereo, we disconnected the radio power wire from the harness and ran a fused wire with a ring connector from the battery terminal to the radio hot wire. Pretty basic and quite ugly until it was secured and hidden with flexible loom covers. A new battery cable with an extra wire would have been a better option.

[Ron Carter]

Hi Guys,

I am one of the principals of www.geoskyalert.com we provide exactly what you are looking for with some additional benefits, this is a partial list: 

1) We provide an anti-theft recovery GPS tracking solution that runs on an App on your Apple or Android device that will allow you to look at where your vehicle is at any time

2) We monitor your battery, so if your battery drops below 10V for more than 10 seconds you will get notification via text or email

3) Our equipment features an internal backup battery that is rechargeable so even if power is disconnected from your vehicle you can still track it.

4) We provide history of where your vehicle has been so for teen drivers you can monitor where they have been

5) We also provide directions from where you are to your vehicle.

6) Our system has two additional trigger wires that can be tied into any electrical switch or a relay for direct notifications to your mobile device

7) We use Google Maps with street view and other features of google maps to quickly locate where your vehicle is

8) we update the location of your vehicle in real time.

9) Our solution works internationally, we do not see borders and will roam to most carriers. We have equipment in Europe and South America.  

We have been in business for 4 years doing Fleet tracking but built our own solution when we have friends losing their cars and trailers and so we built a solution.

We offer 3 different solutions depending on what type of vehicle they are being installed into.  Car, Motorcycle or Trailer.

Please feel free to contact me with more questions:

Ron Carter

760-295-3790 direct

 

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2016 by rc240z

[Captain Obvious]

I'm no expert in the field, but I think the best system would employ theft deterrence, theft resistance, AND aid in recovery in the event that the deterrents and resistance didn't work.

Stickers and a flashing LED from Harbor Freight might provide a little deterrence, but won't provide any resistance.
Pulling the rotor provides theft resistance, but no deterrence since there is no prior indication that there is a theft resistant force in play.
Tracking and recovery aids are great, but are deployed later than desired. It would be best to keep the car from getting stolen in the first place.

Who's got that for a non-Ferrari price?

[Ron Carter]

Resistance is relative as a tow truck will not be phased by disabling the vehicle.

A deterrent is a good idea, but most alarms are ignored these days...flashing lights are just that.

we feel that the faster you have notification of someone attempting to steal or access your car the less likelihood that your car will be damaged. LoJack supports this claim indicating that if your vehicle is recovered within an hour of your car being stolen there is a less than 10% chance of there being damage to your car.

as for cost, we are very affordable, even more so when you look at the discount your insurance company will give you for having GPS tracking installed on your car.

 

[sweatybetty]

2 minutes ago, rc240z said:

as for cost, we are very affordable, even more so when you look at the discount your insurance company will give you for having GPS tracking installed on your car.

 

how much?

[Ron Carter]

Discounts from your insurance company can be as much as 33% of your comprehensive policy...

all of our pricing is listed on our website, take a look at www.geoskyalert.com

[Ron Carter]

For a 240, 260, 280Z I would suggest our Moto unit installed under the center console. For a ZX I would suggest our auto unit for more installation options.

[Captain Obvious]

rc240z, Don't get me wrong... I wasn't poo-pooing your product in any way, nor was I talking to you specifically. I was talking about systems in general.

 

But you're right about "resistance" being relative is exactly why I used the phrase "theft resistance" instead of "theft proof". I do not believe there exists a system that is theft PROOF. The trick, however, is to make the car deterrent enough that does not become a target and resistant enough that it at least not is a successful target. And if all else fails, make it recoverable.

 

I think the perfect system goes something like this:

Make it deterrent enough that most threats are dismissed before they start.

Make it resistant enough that most threats which were not deterred are at least thwarted without success.

Make it trackable and recoverable such that threats which ARE successful can hopefully be reversed.

 

Some additional details that I think are important would be:

The deterrents should be non-ugly, non-intrusive, and low on the false alarm scale.

The resistance measures should attempt to minimize damage done to the vehicle as part of the theft process.

The tracking should be very surreptitious and difficult to defeat.

 

Haha! You can send my consulting fee checks for high level system design.  

[Ron Carter]

Captain Obvious- didn't get the impression you were having an issue with our product at all. 

We have designed our product to fit a specific niche, which it does very effectively.

I agree nothing is theft proof, we just want to improve your odds of recovery with minimal or no damage, which is what we do.

ps your check is in the mail ;-)