Cheap GPS/GSM tracker $160

[bogan]

I recently purchased a TLT-1B gps unit from dealextreme This One
It costs a bit less than $100usd, or $160NZD at time of purchase. It is worth noting that you need a sim card as well.

It is quite a compact little unit, see attached photo for size, both parts are around 20mm thick. It comes with and aerial unit and an electronics unit, this im assuming gives bettery accuracy. All wiring is included and as its meant for car use is long enough for any bike application.

Installation was very easy. First a sim card must be obtained and inserted, i choose to put the aerial into a wee compartment under my pillion seat (aerial comes with a sticky base), it only has a single layer of plastic between it and the satelittes this way, and put the electronics next to the tools near the battery, scre in aerial terminals, and red to bat +ve, black to -ve, installation done .

From there you just text 6660000 to the gps's sim card phone number, and it immediately texts you back with long and lat co-ords. Simple aye!

The accuracy of these co-ords was very questionable original then i figured out they use centiminutes instead of seconds, upon converting the relevant data i obtained accuracys of:
2m when it has unobstructed view of sky (even in rain)
20m when in my shed, will be doing more testing on this though, hopefully the average of a number of points will provide a better measure.

The unit runs off the motorcyle battery, though it would be a simple matter to install a back if you suspect crafty theives.

Some of the advanced features (full list in manual from website in the discussion section) include:
GPS power saving, will only search for position when vibration is detected.
Boundary mode, will automatically text you when it moves a set amount from its specified base.
Panic button, will send co-ords to a phone when this is pressed.
Fuel/Ignition cut off, text the unit and it can shut down the motorcycle, or do anything else you can wire up.... det caps in the seat foam perhaps

//note if anyone want me to check some other features i can probly do so

So yeh, all in all a solid 9/10

[sil3nt]

Never saw this until now! When i was looking for my first bike a few months ago i was also looking around for GPS trackers thinking it would be the most obvious form of security other than an alarm. But apparently no one uses these things!

What sim card is needed? Just the ones from vodafone/2degrees?
So after i pay the $200 for one the only other cost is the 20 cents to text the sim card?

Seriously if this is all that is required why the hell doesn't everyone have one! There must be a downside somewhere.

[bogan]

i just got one of the vodafone sim2 ones, the cheapest one available. And yeh the only cost is the txts it sends you, and the cost of texting it. The only downside i can think of is that it doesnt have its own battery so if the theif disconnects the battery when he steals the bike it wont work, also wont work in dirtbikes. Saying that though, you can always chuck in a smaller backup battery, cost bout 40 bucks from supercheap. I agree, everyone should have one, hell, even if a quarter of people had one it weed out the theifs pretty quick.

[Ixion]

I ordered one . That looks like a good site, a lot of their stuff is cheap as.

[bogan]

I ordered one . That looks like a good site, a lot of their stuff is cheap as.

yeh, its really well priced, quality is pretty good too, and free shipping worldwide is pretty awesome.

[pete376403]

Don't voda cancel sim cards that are unused for more than a certain period, regardless of credit thereon?
I had an old Nokia6110, on voda, that was intended to be left in the car permanently as an emergency use phone. It had a prepay card in it with about $20 credit. went to use it after some months - credit expired.

[sil3nt]

Don't voda cancel sim cards that are unused for more than a certain period, regardless of credit thereon?
I had an old Nokia6110, on voda, that was intended to be left in the car permanently as an emergency use phone. It had a prepay card in it with about $20 credit. went to use it after some months - credit expired.

It is a long time until they will cancel the sim card. Over a year i think. Credit expires after one year i think. Just need to remember to txt the unit every 6 months or so!


There are New Zealand companies that do GPS trackers but they seem to be very expensive and more suited to businesses trying to keep track of their vehicles.

[bogan]

It is a long time until they will cancel the sim card. Over a year i think. Credit expires after one year i think. Just need to remember to txt the unit every 6 months or so!


There are New Zealand companies that do GPS trackers but they seem to be very expensive and more suited to businesses trying to keep track of their vehicles.

Im pretty sure they expire after 12 months without a top up (tried to use an old one for mine but had expired), just texting them wont keep them alive. But 20 bucks a year in running cost, pfft, thats nothing, NZ companies charge hundreds per year to use their stuff.

[sil3nt]

Im pretty sure they expire after 12 months without a top up (tried to use an old one for mine but had expired), just texting them wont keep them alive. But 20 bucks a year in running cost, pfft, thats nothing, NZ companies charge hundreds per year to use their stuff.

But txting it will txt you back with its location therefore keeping it alive.

[mowgli]

Have you tried txting the unit when the bike is being ridden? GPS signals are pretty weak so it would pay to check that vibration and the bike's electrics don't mess with the signal.

[bogan]

nah havent tried it while riding, cant imagine many thieves would ride off with the bike, in any case they have to stop sometime.

[Reido]

give it txt 2000 and txt it as much as you want XD
though i'd be txting it every couple mins
"are you still in the garage..?? ..... *beep, beep* *phew*

this looks pretty cool actually.. could you do a test whilst riding it?

[bogan]

well i hear youre not sposed to txt and ride!
Seriously though, its now not in my bike as our household theif has left my bikes alone the last 3 times hes come calling, think its far more likely a console goes missing so ive chucked it in that, unless he is overstocked with them from the 3 hes already obtained from this place

[dvsfit5]

[QUOTE=Reido;1129317972]give it txt 2000 and txt it as much as you want XD
though i'd be txting it every couple mins
"are you still in the garage..?? ..... *beep, beep* *phew*QUOTE]

hahaha yes that is what id be doing i think ill look into getting one

[chasio]

But txting it will txt you back with its location therefore keeping it alive.

Vodafone prepay credit expires after 12 months* whether you use it or not. So the unit spending $0.20 texting you back won't help you there. But $20 a year is still damn cheap running costs.

If I didn't own a bike no-one would want to nick, I might get one!

Cheers - Chasio

*As a note, when they first introduced Supa Prepay the credit expired after 3 months, which was a fucking outrage given that Motormouth was 12 months, but they upped Supa Prepay to 12 months eventually.