GPS Tracker on Trailer
Submitted by 721daryl on Tue, 2022-02-08 10:15
Just wondering if anyone has recommendations for a GPS tracker mounted on the boat trailer. Not far off having a new boat delivered and a bit worried about the shiny new trailer disappearing at the ramp.
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Bad days fishing beats a good day at work
NORUN NOFUN
Posts: 1018
Date Joined: 15/08/11
Not sure about trackers but
Not sure about trackers but buy a damn good hitch lock, and chain, and padlock, and rottweiler, take the wheels off the trailer whilst parked up - hope that helps lol
Far** cretins of society need to be squashed.
dmck
Posts: 406
Date Joined: 07/03/19
Not a lot...
.. of places to hide a tracker, on a trailer...
You cant mount it inside the box sections... it wont pick up the mobile phone signals.
TorquenFish
Posts: 321
Date Joined: 30/12/12
Fake electric brake
Fake electric brake controler box (made of plastic) probably the best bet.
scotto
Posts: 2470
Date Joined: 21/04/08
GPS trackers
Dont GPS trackers need a constant source of power to transmit?
excuse my ignorance, but do modern electric braked trailers have a full time battery? the GPS tracker units ive seen are small. one could be very well concealedat the top end of a trailer if there was a constant power source.
Reefsta
Posts: 281
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Need power but not much
I've used small satellite trackers that run off 2 X AA lithium batteries, which last about 2 weeks continuos tacking at 10 minute intervals. I think on a trailer you could just turn the tracker on when needed, like a trip to the thieving boatramp, or just swap out the batteries using rechargables every couple of weeks. Some 4G trackers can do much better and also can switch into standby mode.
Reefsta
Posts: 281
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Tracker features to look for
Have used trackers in my work, but they have been satellite-based SPOT ones, which give 100% coverage onshore and offshore around Australia. The downside is they require a subscription service that will cost a minimum of about $15/month. Some plans go year by year but you can get a plan for a little more that only requires a minimum of one month. I think a cheaper way to go, particularly in cities, would be a mobile phone style of tracker that uses the 4G network. Basically wherever the mobile phone coverage is means the tracker can send info. So I'd be looking at a 4G tracker and put a cheap simcard in it that has a long expiry time, like one year and uses a network with good 4G coverage. I'm not sure what the data use rate is for those trackers, but should be low, so the cheapest prepaid sim that uses Telstra, Optus or Vodaphone should do the trick.
The other features I would look for are robust waterproof construction,
The longest battery life you can get (some require battery changes, others have built in rechargeable).
Daily location message, motion detect and alert (so you get a daily ping saying where it is and an alert if it moves)
Tracking (ideally you want position sent to phone or a website, not just a movement alert)
Easy to use app to check it and change settings, like battery status, and also allow friends or family to access. For example, if you are on a road trip away, or decide to switch the tracker to your boat for the day etc.
squidvicious1
Posts: 821
Date Joined: 22/07/10
One of those 'Tile' trackers
One of those 'Tile' trackers from apple small enough to put in a dummy plastic junction box on the draw bar.
Reefsta
Posts: 281
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Tiles short range
I think the tile type trackers use Bluetooth, so the range is maybe at best 100m , probably less. Fine for finding the carkeys in the house, but figure they'd be no good on the trailer if you are out in the boat.
Darren253
Posts: 570
Date Joined: 23/07/16
They apple ones use the "find
They apple ones use the "find my iphone" network so any apple device will feed/ping it in the background via bluetooth.
Reefsta
Posts: 281
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Need a connection though
I'm no expert about this stuff, especially as I don't use iPhones, but my understanding is that the "find my iphone" app needs an online connection to show its location on a map. If it is offline (out of network range or dead battery) then it only shows the location when last online. The tile communicate to the phone via bluetooth. So, it's no good if the tile is on the trailer and the trailer is taken, as the tile wouldn't have enough range to communicate with an online device. Once the tile moves out of bluetooth range from the phone, say 100m, then it loses is connection with your phone and can't communicate its location. So all you'll get is the tile's last known location, which would have been where you parked the trailer at the ramp before walking back to the boat and going fishing. That's how I understand it all to works anyway.
Darren253
Posts: 570
Date Joined: 23/07/16
My understanding is that the
My understanding is that the tile/itag will ping from anybodies (joe bloggs) iphone in the background. So long as that tag is within range (100m) of anyones iphone at any point in time it will ping/record its location.
7.2 bilion iphones on the planet currently so i hope it will ping from one of them if someone decides to take my property. I'll do some tests and report back...
Reefsta
Posts: 281
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Very cool info
Very cool that those tile/tags can ping to other tiles, as well as phones.. Learn somethign everyday!. In my use of datellite trackers each tracker is registered but it is a closed look to the specified user. I just Googled on the tiles and it seems like Darren 53 says,. At least for the iphone tiles they just have to get within Bluetooth range of any iphone, which the'll ping and give you an updated location. In addition the same goes if they get within range of another tile. Not sure if all the brands of tiles work the same way though. So, just have to hope the thieves take the trailer past an active phone or tile.
COASTALJOY
Posts: 79
Date Joined: 11/05/12
notify
I think they also notify an iphone that is real to them when you check on it that they are being tracked. There was a model in America that had one slipped into her jacket pocket and she was being tracked by someone as she walked home, its a feature apple added in i think.
He fishes, He fishes, He fishes, its the only thing in life. All he ever gets is hell from his fed up wife
dodgy
Posts: 4563
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Yep. They give themselves
Yep. They give themselves away. We get it every now and again on our phones saying someone is tracking you. Wife freaked out thinking she was being stalked but it was the daughters AirPods.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
sea-kem
Posts: 14853
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Was on my front deck the
Was on my front deck the other night with the misso having an ale. Watched a female native wander down the footpath and her bloke as they do about 30m behind.
The scumbag wanders across the road making a beeline for our neighbour's Prado as she'd forgotten to close the door properly and the interior light was on.
I jumped up and and asked him what the fuck he wanted, " yeah g'day mate" was his reply and he jogged off down the road.
Fucker didn't see me sitting there. Pricks will take any opportunity.
Love the West!
brown364
Posts: 247
Date Joined: 25/08/15
we use the tiles
for the kids in there school bags. make sure they arrived at school etc . works for a couple of k for that purpose
TorquenFish
Posts: 321
Date Joined: 30/12/12
We use the GeoForce GT0
We use the GeoForce GT0 units at work. Pretty inexpensive and amazing battery life / coverage.
https://www.geoforce.com/