gps trackers

[Lao Jia Hou]

UPDATE

Well, I have been using these GPS trackers for a few months now. And nobody has stolen any bike (except my e-scooter, noted above, and one bicycle - a nice one, owned for less than 12 hours).

BUT, these GPS trackers are the cat's a$$ for finding out where one has been on rides.

I have also been using a regular Garmin GPS with a built-in track recorder, but I can never get the thing to replay. Nor can I manage to transfer the file to my computer. It can probably be done, but it ain't easy.

However, the GPS tracker works wonders. It stores, online, every trip I have taken in the past 60 days. I can replay them in an animated version (very cool), superimposed onto a Google Map, showing time, speed, stops, etc. It is entertaining to watch. It can even show a little motorcycle as the icon moving along the roads.

If I want to download the trips, it compiles the GPS coordinates into an Excel spreadsheet.

I'm an old school biker who doesn't get too excited about bling or farkles, but these GPS trackers have definitely impressed me.

Aside from the security value (its intended use), these tracking histories are fantastic when I am out riding with friends who take me on new routes. I am totally lost, and just following the leader, but when I get back home I can log into the GPS tracking website and get the exact route, our speeds, our times, our stops, etc. Very cool.

Yeah, this toy was worth it.

[andre555]

Good news of first hand experience! Now the questions:
Which one did you got?
How much?
Interface in English?
How about your battery - any problems with it after installation?

[andre555]

Good news of first hand experience!

Now the questions:
Which one did you got?
How much?
Interface in English?
How about your battery - any problems with it after installation?

[td_ref]

I've been looking for a similar product like LJH has for sometime, this is what I understand.
All providers have developed web portal/server to communicate their GPS-tracker units, thought 2G GPRS network. So that sim card 5RMB per 30mb per month cover that GPRS usage. But every text message cost some more fen (use for live tracking, receive command and etc).
LJH, I wonder how much mb used for a month. (to check GPRS stat, china mobile sim card text "CXGPRSTC" to 10086, you would get a SMS respond back.)

So here is list of costs for owning one unit.
-- Web portal, normally free for a year or two, upon purchase the unit. 60 yuan a year (I've seen another provider 100 yuan a year)
-- 2G mobile network, minimal 5 yuan a month, 60 yuan a year
-- flexible SMS fee, 0.05 yuan per one?
add up to 120yuan (160yuan) a year and more.

[Lao Jia Hou]

Which one did you got?
How much?
Interface in English?
How about your battery - any problems with it after installation?

I purchased this one off taobao. It is wired directly to my battery although an internal backup battery is also available.

The website interface is entirely Chinese, but easy to learn. Once shown how to use it by a native reader, you will have no problem.

@ td_ref - I have no idea how much I have consumed in mobile charges, but it is still working after 3 months. So, even if I have used all of the 60 rmb (which I doubt), it is cheap insurance and a worthwhile convenience.

[euphonius]

Very attractive for all the reasons cited.

Question: Is the interface a software application (presumably wintel) or does it run in a browser window? If the former, safe to assume there's no Mac OSX or Linux versions?

thanks!

[johnfitz1999]

Hi All
Just been reading this thread.
I know of a company that supplies GPS trackers with a SIM built in and it is totally stand alone. The back up battery has a 5 year life span (in stand by mode) and it doesn't require a connection to the bikes battery. so mr thiefy hasn't got a clue where to start looking for it!!! it isn't cheap; last i heard it was about £450 with a 5 year subscription in with this price. but it is small and really hard to find for the thief.
i can try and get more information if required
John

[Barry]

I'm looking into this GPS tracker which is about 200 RMB more expensive than the one LJH has, but it claims to have a standby time of 60 days though.

[kiamo]

I got my bike nicked a few weeks back and am now looking into getting something like this. I was looking at (purely by chance) the same on LJH has, on taobao:
http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm...id=15074383790

@Barry, did you get the more expensive one?

@Everyone with a gps tracker, how are you finding them years on? Are they all still working great? Helped recover any stolen bikes? I now have dreams of hunting down thieves with a crew of friends and busting open an shed, video cameras recording and catching/embarrassing the bastards in a chopshop. =D

[Lao Jia Hou]

@Everyone with a gps tracker, how are you finding them years on? Are they all still working great? Helped recover any stolen bikes? I now have dreams of hunting down thieves with a crew of friends and busting open an shed, video cameras recording and catching/embarrassing the bastards in a chopshop. =D

I am using several of them, and find they work great BUT they do trickle-drain batteries. The basic model is fine, for my purposes, although I have upgraded one to a model that will SMS me if the bike is touched (like a motion alarm). It also has an 8-hour battery in it, in case a thief cuts the main terminals.

Although they provide me with a little sense of added protection, the route tracking feature is what I really like.

They are inexpensive.