Fitting A Tracking Device

[gsm.terra]

I use one of these hidden under the bench seat, battery life is great, works in 4g. Cost under a fiver a month and you get alerted on your phone if the bike is tampered with as it has a vibration sensor inside. Brilliant bit of kit, sadly Vodafone abandoned customers of their bike tracker which cost around the same amount per month, this is a worthy replacement. https://amzn.eu/d/iUjxGNW

 

[guerney]

I use one of these hidden under the bench seat, battery life is great, works in 4g. Cost under a fiver a month and you get alerted on your phone if the bike is tampered with as it has a vibration sensor inside. Brilliant bit of kit, sadly Vodafone abandoned customers of their bike tracker which cost around the same amount per month, this is a worthy replacement. https://amzn.eu/d/iUjxGNW

That's from the same company which made/rebadged my GPS tracker light, but 4G and no light. About time they went 4G with products, and thanks for pointing this out because my tracker light will eventually have it's network connetion sacrificed to make room for 6/7/85345G or whatever. Looking at the manual...

(PDF compressed into a .RAR file)
https://www.tkstargps.com/index.php?m=Download&a=down&id=30

... yours works the same way as mine, therefore it should be possible to disable the APN, if you want to avoid monthly internet fees and communicate with it more cheapy using SMS messages exclusively, as I do with my WINNES tracker light. After disabling the APN, you'd lose real-time tracking via the app and website, but still would receive it's location after sending a SMS, or if you have enabled shock detection. Works out ultra cheap if using just SMS, only the cost of SMS messages and the minimum top-up necessary to keep the Giffgaff PAYG phone number alive. Minimum top-up is £10, and I haven't topped up for well over a year - I think provided you send it a text every 179 days or fewer, the telephone number remains yours.

 

[guerney]

I've noticed they also do a larger waterproof version with magnet and higher capacity "9000mAh" battery...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C813977J

...which according to the manual, can also work very inexpensively using SMSs only, like my GPS tracker light....

4G TK905 & 4G TK905B User manual-GPS Tracker User Manual-TKSTAR WINNES TK-STAR GPS TRACKER - Powered by Yourphp

4G TK905 & 4G TK905B User manual

www.tkstargps.com

...so can this smaller one with magnet...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D1VH2Y4D

...as can this smallest:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLP5M4RZ

Manuals:

https://www.tkstargps.com/Download/UserManual/

Thieves can scan for an AirTag using an iDevice, almost none will be able to scan for this type of GPS tracker. If someone tries to sell you a bike covered in foil...

 

[gsm.terra]

That's from the same company which made/rebadged my GPS tracker light, but 4G and no light. About time they went 4G with products, and thanks for pointing this out because my tracker light will eventually have it's network connetion sacrificed to make room for 6/7/85345G or whatever. Looking at the manual...

(PDF compressed into a .RAR file)
https://www.tkstargps.com/index.php?m=Download&a=down&id=30

... yours works the same way as mine, therefore it should be possible to disable the APN, if you want to avoid monthly internet fees and communicate with it more cheapy using SMS messages exclusively, as I do with my WINNES tracker light. After disabling the APN, you'd lose real-time tracking via the app and website, but still would receive it's location after sending a SMS, or if you have enabled shock detection. Works out ultra cheap if using just SMS, only the cost of SMS messages and the minimum top-up necessary to keep the Giffgaff PAYG phone number alive. Minimum top-up is £10, and I haven't topped up for well over a year - I think provided you send it a text every 179 days or fewer, the telephone number remains yours.

You can use your own SIM in the one I linked to. But just used the one provided and am quite happy to pay the sub.

 

[gsm.terra]

I've noticed they also do a larger waterproof version with magnet and higher capacity "9000mAh" battery...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C813977J

...which according to the manual, can also work very inexpensively using SMSs only, like my GPS tracker light....

4G TK905 & 4G TK905B User manual-GPS Tracker User Manual-TKSTAR WINNES TK-STAR GPS TRACKER - Powered by Yourphp

4G TK905 & 4G TK905B User manual

www.tkstargps.com

...so can this smaller one with magnet...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D1VH2Y4D

...as can this smallest:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLP5M4RZ

Manuals:

https://www.tkstargps.com/Download/UserManual/

Thieves can scan for an AirTag using an iDevice, almost none will be able to scan for this type of GPS tracker. If someone tries to sell you a bike covered in foil...

There's a magnet on my one, but the bike is aluminium so I used velcro stickers

 

[guerney]

There's a magnet on my one, but the bike is aluminium so I used velcro stickers

Maybe I can hide one of the tiny GPS trackers inside my handlebar? Independently powered with cheap and nasty Chinese 18650s, so that when they explode the GPS unit is propelled like a bullet into whatever car happens to be alongside at the time. I could bodge a waterproof USB charging port into a handlebar-end perhaps, along with exit for the wires for the GPS antenna? Wouldn't get much of a signal inside the handlebar I expect.

 

[gsm.terra]

Maybe I can hide one of the tiny GPS trackers inside my handlebar? Independently powered with cheap and nasty Chinese 18650s, so that when they explode the GPS unit is propelled like a bullet into whatever car happens to be alongside at the time. I could bodge a waterproof USB charging port into a handlebar-end perhaps, along with exit for the wires for the GPS antenna? Wouldn't get much of a signal inside the handlebar I expect.

Perhaps the handlebars themselves can act as an antenna? Looks like the unit is glued sealed yet I’m sure with a bit of knife malarkey it can be persuaded to offer its insides to you great idea, the battery lasts a hell of a long time, so perhaps you could fit a usb port into a bar end?? For when it needs a charge.. well over a fortnight when it’s getting a good signal, I love it way more than the Vodafone dongle that it replaced.

 

[gsm.terra]

Perhaps the handlebars themselves can act as an antenna? Looks like the unit is glued sealed yet I’m sure with a bit of knife malarkey it can be persuaded to offer its insides to you great idea, the battery lasts a hell of a long time, so perhaps you could fit a usb port into a bar end?? For when it needs a charge.. well over a fortnight when it’s getting a good signal, I love it way more than the Vodafone dongle that it replaced.

Sorry for the grammar here, I had a night out with workmates last night and I might be suffering more than I thought today

 

[guerney]

Perhaps the handlebars themselves can act as an antenna?

It'd be wonderful if that would work, but I doubt it - seems GPS antennas are constructed with fiendish cleverness by far eastern demonologists, plus there are A-GPS signals from cellphone towers to receive for faster position calculation. It might not even be possible for me to solder miniscule enough to attach antenna wires, and the extension GPS antenna would have to be compatible. A battery pack which powers the GPS tracker for months while my bike is being transported in a container by ship to Africa or wherever, would be nice. TBH my bike isn't worth the trouble.