Stolen Vehicle Recovery
Asset tracking is a hugely popular service in the UK. It is said that a tracking device is one’s last hope if they fall victim to vehicle theft. Indeed, stolen vehicles that are recovered, have, almost exclusively, some form of a tracker / pointer to thank.
Tracking devices rely on what is known as a “satellite navigation system”, usually with ‘global’ coverage (GNSS).
There are currently 4 GNSS services in the world:
- GPS (Global Positioning System) – introduced by the USA.
- GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System) – introduced by the Russian Federation.
- BDS (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System) – introduced by the republic of China.
- GALILEO – introduced by the European Union.
The Russian GLONASS is the only GNSS in the world that offers worldwide coverage, and is known for its stability that is far superior to the the other 3 global GNSSs.
GPS - world's most widely used GNSS satellite navigation is known to be unreliable and unstable. Most tracking solutions offered in the UK are GPS-based.
“This small satellite network (GPS), which keeps global computer systems from freaking out, is shockingly vulnerable to all kinds of interference…” – Bloomberg
Types of Tracking Devices
Tracker
ALWAYS ONLINE
Live route mapping displayed in real-time
Used for day-to-day monitoring of the vehicle
A TRACKER is a device that will track and monitor any asset in real-time, usually also storing data on previously travelled routes and other relevant information such as travel speed, trip duration, stopping points, etc.
A very basic generic GSM tracker will display a moving asset in real time on a live map, but not store this data or store it for a very limited time only (ex. 1 day). So, essentially, you can only see the vehicle at one given point in time.
More feature-rich tracking devices will store data for a more substantial amount of time (ex. 1 month), and provide detailed feedback on every travel route.
Some tracking devices in the premium segment offer a ‘black box’ feature as well – accurate route-mapping in abscence of live signal. If the system goes online and is unable to track the asset in real time, once the device is back online, the ‘downtime’ is normally displayed as a straight line on the map, whereas the ‘black box’ feature attempts to accurately recreate the route travelled during downtime.
Trackers are usually connected to the vehicle’s mains and can be detected more easily compared to autonomous pointers.
Pointer
COMES ONLINE AT PRE-SET INTERVALS
Current location displayed at certain times
Used for stolen vehicle recovery
A POINTER is a device that will point to the current location of the asset (a vehicle in this case) either upon request or automatically at pre-set intervals. “Current location” being the location at the time of request.
The device will send location co-ordinates (i.e. latitude and longitude) – usually to a mobile device, with a clickable link to a stationary map, where the decoding of the co-ordinates is shown in a visually understandable manner.
Unlike a tracker, a pointer will not show the vehicle in-motion on a live map and will not store past travel data; a pointer’s primary (and usually only) purpose is to point to the asset’s location at the time of request.
Some pointers can also perform live tracking upon request, – a service usually only activated in emergency situation i.e. when a vehicle has, in fact, been stolen.
Some pointers use LBD location detection only (known to be innacurate), others use a combination of services for precision, such as LBD+GPS+GLONASS.
Pointers are usually battery-powered, hence – a lot more difficult to detect.
StarLine M15
Autonomous pointer for stolen vehicle recovery
A stand-alone (autonomous) battery-powered LBS/GSM/GPS-GLONASS pointer. The device spends 90% of time “sleeping” and hence is totally undetectable by any frequency scanner.
In case the vehicle is stolen, the ‘always on’ mode can be activated remotely, so the device is fully awake and performs live tracking. It can be set up to wake-up on a timer.
Super discreet and fully waterproof, it can be installed in the most unexpected location.
Can be used for the recovery of any moving object.
Can be installed on any form of transport.
The device is powered by two CR123a (3v) batteries. The batteries can last up to 3 years, depending on product set-up (how often the device is set-up to ‘wake up’ and make contact).
Requires an active SIM card. The SIM card can be topped up remotely.
At StarLine UK, we understand the importance of having both – an everyday tracking and monitoring service as well as a covert pointer device, and we know that most people are put off by the fact that tracking and monitoring services are usually costly and are offered on a monthly/annual subscription basis.
So we’ve made tracking and monitoring of personal transport or fleet as affordable as can be – free!
Any of our tracking devices comes with free-for-life (no service charges, no subscription costs, no catch!) premium satellite services, at a dedicated, feature-rich high-precision GSM/GPS-GLONASS vehicle telematics server.
And it gets better!
If you’re installing one of our 6th generation vehicle security systems, you can choose a package with the free tracking and monitoring service built-in as part of the package, so you need not purchase a tracking device separately, or (and this is an excellent choice) — you can puchase an autonomous (stand-alone) pointer in addition to the main service, for extra security.
This is never-before-seen value, so there’s no excuse for not joing the #ConnectedCarsUK community; whatever make/model/year vehicle you happen to drive – you can afford it!