GPS Tracker for £2 a month

[Andy-Mat]

While you mention it, I have an "Aldi" Sim card from Germany still in my phone since 3 years and it works fine. I have a Blackview BV9000 Pro rugged phone with 3 SIM slots and no contract (of course, because I bought it online direct from Hongkong for 150 quid) So I left the SIM in there and just tested it a few minutes ago... still got 6 € load.
btw... not that I want to advertise, but my phone has done great service in the outdoor, it fell down a couple of time, was submerged in water for many minutes, stepped on, left in the cold and heat, went sailing with me (that's probably the hardest test of all) and its still running fine, only the battery is a bit less now, but I ordered a new one already for 15 Quid and will install it myself when the old one becomes unbearable. because - The phone has screws !!! Believe it or not, one can open it with 16 screws at the back ! And the battery came with an O-ring as well. But probably that's good for another thread to open...

Does the UK not have its own SIM cards that just charge for calls and texts?
I have got so used to them here , I spend about 5 Euros for 1 month's of calls and texts on my smartphone, SIM from Aldi....... Whatsapp only at home on the WLAN.
Generally speaking, for a GPS tracker, which one hopes will never be used "in anger", why do some people want to buy a "clump" of a device, with only one type of SIM, fixed inside, and pay a monthly rental as well?
Getting a bike stolen once a year is excessive I feel......then it may be worthwhile.... I have had e-bikes over 10 years now, with an alarm and a chain(s), and up to now none have been stolen! 10 years at 24 pounds a year, is 240 pounds, and nothing happened.....
The GPS Tracker offerings on ebay are very varied in price and size, not one to fit all, but everyone should buy what they want.....their own choice of course....
By the way, that sounds like a good phone if it can handle all that misuse.....
regards
Andy

 

[Bikes4two]

I still think the Vodafone option is good. And at £2 a month to protect a bike costing upwards of £1000 then its a no brainer. .................

Might I disagree with you on the above point? The tracker isn't protecting your bike from being stolen at all. It might however, give you some chance of recovering the bike after it has been stolen.

I think the trackers are a good idea as part of a layered defence against theft - in ascending order, this is my approach to preventing theft
1. Don't leave your bike unattended
2. If not possible, lock it (basic lock) and keep the bike in view (e.g. cafe stop)
3. If you can't leave it in your view, consider where you do leave it with respect to the view of the thief (i.e. out of sight, low risk areas, in the visual range of a 'friendly' party)
4. Then comes the physical security, i.e. locks and their resistance to picking/breaking (and all locks will succumb eventually) along with movement alarms/sounders/pagers
5. When you've done the above and a possibility of theft still exists, then a tracker to bring you hope of recovery.

 

[gsm.terra]

Might I disagree with you on the above point? The tracker isn't protecting your bike from being stolen at all. It might however, give you some chance of recovering the bike after it has been stolen.

I think the trackers are a good idea as part of a layered defence against theft - in ascending order, this is my approach to preventing theft
1. Don't leave your bike unattended
2. If not possible, lock it (basic lock) and keep the bike in view (e.g. cafe stop)
3. If you can't leave it in your view, consider where you do leave it with respect to the view of the thief (i.e. out of sight, low risk areas, in the visual range of a 'friendly' party)
4. Then comes the physical security, i.e. locks and their resistance to picking/breaking (and all locks will succumb eventually) along with movement alarms/sounders/pagers
5. When you've done the above and a possibility of theft still exists, then a tracker to bring you hope of recovery.

I agree, my bike is secured with two gold class d locks, plus I have a cable that goes through the front wheel. I have an alarm fitted and detach the battery when leaving the bike for longer than a “cafe stop” I have another lock at work which is a heavy kryptonite chain lock that is left there. I plan to install gps tracking of some sort, and I will be happy to pay for a subscription or pay as you go service for this. I’ve had bikes stolen in the past and my motorcycle was stolen from my garden (uninsured as I as yet had not passed my CBT) so I am “belt and braces” with regards security.

 

[PaulM24]

As an alternative to a GPS tracker, a Tile device provides a non-subscription location approach, albeit dependent upon being in Bluetooth range of a member of the Tile community.

 

[Bikes4two]

As an alternative to a GPS tracker, a Tile device provides a non-subscription location approach, albeit dependent upon being in Bluetooth range of a member of the Tile community.

..... or as an addition to a GPS Tracker?

@gsm.terra
- sorry to hear of your losses to theft - no wonder you use the security devices that you do. No doubt you've done a lot of research into security
- with regard to your alarm on the bike - have you come across an alarm that can 'page' you if activated (just in case you're out of earshot when it goes off)?
- Buried in one of my junk boxes I have a stand-alone pager and transmitter that I never got to use. It still works but I've never implemented it as it would be a bit of a faff to do so and I'm wondering if there's neater solutions out there that use blutooth or SMS (or both)?

 

[WallyM]

Here is an interesting article from a bike thief...

Bike thief tells how to stop your cycle from being stolen | Frederika Whitehead

Frederika Whitehead: Omar Aziz was hooked on crack for 13 years and stole bikes to feed his habit. He explains how to protect your bike from thieves

www.theguardian.com

 

[gsm.terra]

..... or as an addition to a GPS Tracker?

@gsm.terra
- sorry to hear of your losses to theft - no wonder you use the security devices that you do. No doubt you've done a lot of research into security
- with regard to your alarm on the bike - have you come across an alarm that can 'page' you if activated (just in case you're out of earshot when it goes off)?
- Buried in one of my junk boxes I have a stand-alone pager and transmitter that I never got to use. It still works but I've never implemented it as it would be a bit of a faff to do so and I'm wondering if there's neater solutions out there that use blutooth or SMS (or both)?

Hi!
Yes an alarm with transmitter would be perfect! The only solution that I have come across is gps trackers that have built in vibration alarm. This would send you a text message if the bike was moved. There are a few on Amazon and eBay but I haven’t tried any of these. Quick update though, I’ve purchased a cheap gps tracker from eBay cost around £8 and an o2 SIM card that has the classic tariff, cost me 20p! 3p a minute 2p a text 1p per MB. these cards are being marketed on eBay for gps trackers. When the tracker arrives I will test and give an update here.

 

[gsm.terra]

Well as my pal David used to say “you buy cheap, you buy twice” unit is useless. Tried a couple of different SIM cards to no avail.. sent back for refund, and now I’m looking at the another option. The o2 sim that I bought for 20p will go in my GSM home alarm system that’s been working without GSM access for a year or two. The £10 top up should last forever! To be honest, the Vodafone option is looking the best choice, I’m wondering as an existing customer if they can do a deal on the upfront price? Stay tuned...

 

[gsm.terra]

Well I bought the Vodafone curve and it’s great, different settings from real time tracking to power saving mode, and you can change modes remotely from the app. The charging lead is magnetic, a bit like the old apple MacBook type. The £2 a month was added to my existing bill (I pay for all the family devices on one bill from Vodafone) here’s some photos.

 

[01wellsd]

Good to see it next to something for reference.
Have you managed to hide it somewhere on your bike?

 

[gsm.terra]

Good to see it next to something for reference.
Have you managed to hide it somewhere on your bike?

I haven’t thought about that yet. I’m thinking inside the battery compartment and finding a 5v rail somewhere, if any of the esteemed pedelecers have any suggestions I’m open to ideas. Just to recap, I have a decathlon riverside 500e exact copy of the rock rider 100/500 models battery wise...

 

[gsm.terra]

I already have the alarm fitted under the seat, so no room there...

 

[gsm.terra]

Quick fix...

 

[aardvark5]

Quick fix...View attachment 38362

@gsm.terra

Have you got an update on the Curve please?

 

[Deleted member 33385]

This works well for me, but doesn't have a motion alarm (sends you a text when "shocked" by motion) - giffgaff SIM PAYG costs about £20 a year:

Winnes Road Bike GPS Tracker Accurate Locate LED Tail Light Hidden Bike GPS Locator SOS Alarm-Button GSM GPRS Anti-theft Real-time Tracking: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Winnes Road Bike GPS Tracker Accurate Locate LED Tail Light Hidden Bike GPS Locator SOS Alarm-Button GSM GPRS Anti-theft Real-time Tracking: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[gsm.terra]

@gsm.terra

Have you got an update on the Curve please?

Yes, I’ve had no problems at all, battery lasts 4 to 5 days, I keep it on power saving all the time and charge it on the bike, I had it under the bike for a while, but the contacts were getting dirty, making it an issue for charging, it’s back under the seat now... I got a code recently so my mate could get one for a tenner. I would definitely recommend the curve as a great bit of security for your expensive ebike!

 

[aardvark5]

Yes, I’ve had no problems at all, battery lasts 4 to 5 days, I keep it on power saving all the time and charge it on the bike, I had it under the bike for a while, but the contacts were getting dirty, making it an issue for charging, it’s back under the seat now... I got a code recently so my mate could get one for a tenner. I would definitely recommend the curve as a great bit of security for your expensive ebike!

Thanks I think I'll take a punt on it.
Have you still got that code or was it a one off?

On my bikes I have a controller bag under the battery where I could just slip it in there hopefully.

 

[gsm.terra]

Thanks I think I'll take a punt on it.
Have you still got that code or was it a one off?

On my bikes I have a controller bag under the battery where I could just slip it in there hopefully.

View attachment 41946

hi, sorry the code was a one off, they’re only £20 though... glad I could help with your choice!

 

[camarint]

I also had some problems with my GPS tracker, it showed the same location even if I was not there. And I had the same problem with my car tracking system. They were both from the same company, expensive, but very low quality.

 

[StuartsProjects]

I also had some problems with my GPS tracker, it showed the same location even if I was not there. And I had the same problem with my car tracking system. They were both from the same company, expensive, but very low quality.

Could be the GPS itself not working, and the tracker just sends out the last known location as a failsafe.

GPSs in general may not work well unless they are outdoors with a good view of the sky.