Vehicle Trackers

M

Matt.rowley.1990

Member
 Ware, East Hertfordshire
Hello all,

I guess this is broader than the E89 but it looks like the centralised forum pages are a little quiet, so came here!

Just wondering if anyone here is running some form of vehicle tracker and if so, which one?

In my head I know the E89 is probably not that desirable to thieves, nor is it worth much to anyone other than myself or someone who happens to want a manual 30i. That being said, I’ve invested quite a bit into it and would be more than annoyed if it got taken on a joyride somewhere and dumped.

My other car is a G20 330e and I quite like the live view of location that is available in the BMW app. Anything like this sort of thing would be desirable, along with self-managed systems that don’t tie you into a specific service/contract. Before anyone mentions it, I don’t count an AirTag as being a solution, as I don’t want the annoyance of passengers being told they’re being tracked.

Keen to hear thoughts,

Matt
 
You can buy non air tag trackers that function identically but don’t beep..I use them in all our 3 cars ..simples
 
B21 said:
You can buy non air tag trackers that function identically but don’t beep..I use them in all our 3 cars ..simples
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When you say function identically, what do you mean? The whole benefit of the AirTag is that it is inherently integrated with the Apple ecosystem, so anyone with an iPhone nearby will contribute to the service. What do your alternatives use?
 
Matt.rowley.1990 said:
When you say function identically, what do you mean? The whole benefit of the AirTag is that it is inherently integrated with the Apple ecosystem, so anyone with an iPhone nearby will contribute to the service. What do your alternatives use?
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There are lots of these..they sit in the Apple system (this can do Android but not at the same time)…

They do not burble in the same way as AirTags…if you sit in the car long enough with your iPhone it may alert them…but if they thought it was great steal they’d expect a gps tracker..

FWIW I’ve hidden one in my E89..forgot where I put ..it’s now got a low battery and I can’t find it even though I want to!

Of course it’s very limited but given age and lack of desirability of stealing them a full blown gps tracker or hard core immobiliser isn’t worth the effort…well at least where I live and where I go..
 
bigwinn said:
A lot of the air tag trackers are easily visible when you scan for them

So a thief worth their salt will just activate an app to scan for any tiles or tags
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These aren’t particularly traceable…I’ve tried a couple of Bluetooth scanners and they struggle ..if you had the car in a sterile garage with no electrical stuff anywhere maybe..

More of simple piece of mind when it’s in a garage or broken down…
 
B21 said:
These aren’t particularly traceable…I’ve tried a couple of Bluetooth scanners and they struggle ..if you had the car in a sterile garage with no electrical stuff anywhere maybe..

More of simple piece of mind when it’s in a garage or broken down…
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Good to know

I have a generic tracking type app on my phone which says I’m being followed by tiles and tags whenever I fly or get the train anywhere
 
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Matt.rowley.1990 said:
Just wondering if anyone here is running some form of vehicle tracker and if so, which one?
Click to expand...
Is this for insurance purposes?

So with the advent of smart phones and Global GPS sysyems being more accurate now , you can just buy a cheap smart phone on Ebay enable 'find my device' and a constant live power supply. I infact have fitted a constant power supply (cigar lighter constant live) .

Note you can also set the phone to a on/off time schedule to save on battery drain.

Also there are trackers that use a sim card, these are dirt cheap on Ali Express, the sim card is valid for a year once activated and is cheap.

There are other options available but a Thatcham Cat 1 alarm is you best option and insurabce compaies like them :)
 
Viper4 said:
Is this for insurance purposes?

So with the advent of smart phones and Global GPS sysyems being more accurate now , you can just buy a cheap smart phone on Ebay enable 'find my device' and a constant live power supply. I infact have fitted a constant power supply (cigar lighter constant live) .

Note you can also set the phone to a on/off time schedule to save on battery drain.

Also there are trackers that use a sim card, these are dirt cheap on Ali Express, the sim card is valid for a year once activated and is cheap.

There are other options available but a Thatcham Cat 1 alarm is you best option and insurabce compaies like them :)
Click to expand...
Nope, not for insurance purposes at all; just for my own curiosity.

I have seen the SIM based units before but always questioned the reliability of any app that’s required. I’ve used a Chinese dash cam before which had its app disappear from the App Store.
 
Matt.rowley.1990 said:
Nope, not for insurance purposes at all; just for my own curiosity.

I have seen the SIM based units before but always questioned the reliability of any app that’s required. I’ve used a Chinese dash cam before which had its app disappear from the App Store.
Click to expand...

If you accept the premise that almost everything is now sourced/manufactured from East Asia then your best option is to buy direct from Source. I have bought 2 Dash cams to test, one on my fiat ..4 cameras this is a big unit but gives front side and rear coverage. The other unit for the Z4 is a much smaller unit (KAWA dash cam Mini 3 Pro Gen 3) , this only captures the front view.

I have had no problems with either, the apps are good especially the KAWA, with voice control, parking sensor, and time lapse.
 
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