Hey all. Looking for a good solution for tracking multiple pieces of equipment. I used lo-jack years ago on a truck and it worked but took PD a while to track it down. What is latest and greatest tech recommendations. Thoughts on airtags? Would like to be able to program a geo fence and be alerted when it leaves.
Trailer/tractor/excavator tracking system?
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GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
1st ,you'll never,ever keep a determined bad guy from stealing your equipment. Every 'lock' has a 'key'. Unless you're within 10 minutes of the machine,it can 'disappear'. The problem is most,if not all, tech is RF wireless based so easy to defeat.
re: airtags. Apple's high priced version of BLE equipped 'tags'. Same tech(the sensors) can be had for $10 and work with any Bluetooth enabled 'computer'. None can 'pinpoint' a tag in less than 50 feet of so and that's 'line of sight' with zero obstructions. If you like to build stuff, you can buy a micro with embedded BLE for less than a buck.
What you use depends on how smart a thief you want to foil. For dumb crooks any of the RF devices should be able to track them.Smarter ones, use 2 different technologies, 2 sensors each. For the real bad guys..keep your insurance paid up !
re: airtags. Apple's high priced version of BLE equipped 'tags'. Same tech(the sensors) can be had for $10 and work with any Bluetooth enabled 'computer'. None can 'pinpoint' a tag in less than 50 feet of so and that's 'line of sight' with zero obstructions. If you like to build stuff, you can buy a micro with embedded BLE for less than a buck.
What you use depends on how smart a thief you want to foil. For dumb crooks any of the RF devices should be able to track them.Smarter ones, use 2 different technologies, 2 sensors each. For the real bad guys..keep your insurance paid up !
jkrubi12
Well-known member
Equipment
B2601/LA435/QA54"/BH70/B8160box/BB1254/PFL1242/SGC0554/WC-68 Chipper
One problem with AirTags is that a 'bad guy' can use his own phone to detect the device. His own phone may actually notify him/her that they are being tracked.
Had several issued PD cruisers w/lojack; I though it worked well when conditions & range to target were reasonable (clear 1-2 miles line-of-sight). Detection devices are also installed into helicopters for even better large-area detection. Inner city buildings seemed to negatively affect locating ability.
Smart equipment thieves will quickly search for trackers and remove/disable them. That was told to me by a prime suspect I interviewed within 8 hours of a $30K equipment theft.
Had several issued PD cruisers w/lojack; I though it worked well when conditions & range to target were reasonable (clear 1-2 miles line-of-sight). Detection devices are also installed into helicopters for even better large-area detection. Inner city buildings seemed to negatively affect locating ability.
Smart equipment thieves will quickly search for trackers and remove/disable them. That was told to me by a prime suspect I interviewed within 8 hours of a $30K equipment theft.
Jay pontificating again
"High priced"? The thing is $25
It piggybacks off any late model apple device, and will pinpoint an exact location, not 50'.
An Apple AirTag will beep after it hasn't seen its owner in a while, but you can buy them with the speaker disabled.
here is a video about them:
By education I am a marketing prof but I spent a lot of my career also doing risk management consulting, my PhD opened the doors to a lot of fun consulting work. And equipment theft is definitely a risk management project with the goals of making YOUR equipment more difficult and less desirable to steal than other targets with the backup of insurance for both the equipment AND business interruption if you are a serious commercial contractor.
Deterrence is a big part and surveillance cameras that are obvious but somewhat difficult to disable make your site less desirable and a motion detection system tied in is also useful, both should be tied to a cellular modem at the site. You want them visible enough to serve as a deterrent but a little difficult to disable. A slightly better modification is a couple of dummy (i.e. cheap) cameras that are obvious with the real system concealed.
Tracking devices are useful and can serve both as a deterrent (in conjunction with the surveillance system) but certainly can be defeated by motivated professional thieves but not your garden variety meth head.
The final leg of your risk management stool is proper insurance for loss and liability (and for this liability part, don't forget the add on of business interruption coverage due to theft/damage/vandalism).
Risk management isn't risk aversion, it is smartly managing risks while accepting that nothing is 100% You are basically trying to drive the probability of something bad happening to your business far into the tail of the curve.
Think smart and come up with the best plan for your particular situation. In the late 1990s there was a "smash and grab" ring hitting high end women's clothing stores in Miami. They would pull up near a display window during the early morning hours, smash the window, and then drive off with the merchandise before the police could arrive. A smart retail manager had his sales people reverse every other clothes hanger on the racks and the group was caught at his store because they were slowed by trying to pull the clothes off the racks because half of the hangers were reversed. Even accomplished thieves are often pretty dumb and the smart manager came up with a cheap, simple, and very effective solution.
Final note: Be very careful with any creative "McGyvering" in attempting to theft proof or especially booby trap your equipment. A sympathetic jury might not have a problem if your homemade anti-theft "trap" takes out a would be thief but if it makes it off of your property and somehow injures an innocent bystander then things will get ugly for you. I spent a few years doing consulting work for the National Insurance Crime Bureau in their division that worked with vehicle theft and I recall one instance where a guy caused grave injury to his grandson from his Rube Goldberg anti-theft modifications.
And a funny LoJack story. A brand new Suburban (at the time referred to as "the national car of Texas") was stolen out of a law enforcement parking lot on the day it was delivered to an administrative assistant as her personal vehicle. It disappeared a couple of hours before LoJack was going to be installed.
Deterrence is a big part and surveillance cameras that are obvious but somewhat difficult to disable make your site less desirable and a motion detection system tied in is also useful, both should be tied to a cellular modem at the site. You want them visible enough to serve as a deterrent but a little difficult to disable. A slightly better modification is a couple of dummy (i.e. cheap) cameras that are obvious with the real system concealed.
Tracking devices are useful and can serve both as a deterrent (in conjunction with the surveillance system) but certainly can be defeated by motivated professional thieves but not your garden variety meth head.
The final leg of your risk management stool is proper insurance for loss and liability (and for this liability part, don't forget the add on of business interruption coverage due to theft/damage/vandalism).
Risk management isn't risk aversion, it is smartly managing risks while accepting that nothing is 100% You are basically trying to drive the probability of something bad happening to your business far into the tail of the curve.
Think smart and come up with the best plan for your particular situation. In the late 1990s there was a "smash and grab" ring hitting high end women's clothing stores in Miami. They would pull up near a display window during the early morning hours, smash the window, and then drive off with the merchandise before the police could arrive. A smart retail manager had his sales people reverse every other clothes hanger on the racks and the group was caught at his store because they were slowed by trying to pull the clothes off the racks because half of the hangers were reversed. Even accomplished thieves are often pretty dumb and the smart manager came up with a cheap, simple, and very effective solution.
Final note: Be very careful with any creative "McGyvering" in attempting to theft proof or especially booby trap your equipment. A sympathetic jury might not have a problem if your homemade anti-theft "trap" takes out a would be thief but if it makes it off of your property and somehow injures an innocent bystander then things will get ugly for you. I spent a few years doing consulting work for the National Insurance Crime Bureau in their division that worked with vehicle theft and I recall one instance where a guy caused grave injury to his grandson from his Rube Goldberg anti-theft modifications.
And a funny LoJack story. A brand new Suburban (at the time referred to as "the national car of Texas") was stolen out of a law enforcement parking lot on the day it was delivered to an administrative assistant as her personal vehicle. It disappeared a couple of hours before LoJack was going to be installed.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
from Apple's website....
If an AirTag is lost or stolen, the Find My network can help you find it. The Find My Network takes advantage of hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices to help you locate an AirTag, with the AirTag showing up on a map when it is located by someone else's device.
Anyone think THEIR Apple product(iPhone or Mac) is 'secure' ??
re: It piggybacks off any late model apple device, and will pinpoint an exact location, not 50'.
please provide a 'link' as to the tech that does this, BLE cetaintly cannot give an exact location
If an AirTag is lost or stolen, the Find My network can help you find it. The Find My Network takes advantage of hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices to help you locate an AirTag, with the AirTag showing up on a map when it is located by someone else's device.
Anyone think THEIR Apple product(iPhone or Mac) is 'secure' ??
re: It piggybacks off any late model apple device, and will pinpoint an exact location, not 50'.
please provide a 'link' as to the tech that does this, BLE cetaintly cannot give an exact location
Im not going to spoon-feed you links, do a little more reading before you spout off about things you just dont know about. Just because you don't understand the technology, doesn't mean it suffers from shortcomings you happen to dream up, it's not 1980 anymore. btw, airtags can be accurate to within inches.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
The OP wanted to know about airtags.
..from one of dozens of links..
an iPhone needs to be within a range of 33 feet to connect to any Bluetooth device, according to Apple.
I'm very familiar with Bluetooth, as wella smost other RF techs since becoming an Avionics Tech in '74,even have some of the new <$1TI micros with it embedded inside.
The problem with using ANY Bluetooth device as a 'tracking device' is that it NEEDS to be nearby. Even under optimal conditions( ZERO obstructions, direct line of sight, perfect power,no EMI), BLE5 might get 300'(the best spec). This is all very well documented by the Bluetooth SIG. No BLE device will allow your cellphone to track your stolen tractor as it is hauled away. At best, the first 300' IF your cellphone is nearby.
Now Apple has a 'findit' feature that accesses millions of other Apple devices, to try to locate it. THAT is pretty dang scary, from a security aspect.
..from one of dozens of links..
an iPhone needs to be within a range of 33 feet to connect to any Bluetooth device, according to Apple.
I'm very familiar with Bluetooth, as wella smost other RF techs since becoming an Avionics Tech in '74,even have some of the new <$1TI micros with it embedded inside.
The problem with using ANY Bluetooth device as a 'tracking device' is that it NEEDS to be nearby. Even under optimal conditions( ZERO obstructions, direct line of sight, perfect power,no EMI), BLE5 might get 300'(the best spec). This is all very well documented by the Bluetooth SIG. No BLE device will allow your cellphone to track your stolen tractor as it is hauled away. At best, the first 300' IF your cellphone is nearby.
Now Apple has a 'findit' feature that accesses millions of other Apple devices, to try to locate it. THAT is pretty dang scary, from a security aspect.
Contrary to what you keep regurgitating, the airtag piggybacks off (any) late model iDevice, even ones you don't own. There are only about 1.5 billion active iDevices in the world right now, I guess chances are really slim one would be nearby
Never said AirTag was a theft prevention device, I was just pointing out the incorrect information in your post, so the OP could be better informed.
AirTags are cheap, highly accurate & have lots of practical uses in day to day life, I love them.
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I recently bought a Milwaukee 3/4" battery impact after my classic IR pneumatic impact couldn't break a deck bolt loose. The new impact is great and it is one of Milwaukee's "One Key" tools that uses a similar Bluetooth tracking system and can also be set to alert you if it leaves a defined geographic area.
Elliott in GA
Well-known member
Equipment
LX 2610SU w/535,LP RCR1860,FDR1660,SGC0554,FSP500, DD BBX60005
Not the cheapest solution, but it is a very functional system - Siren Marine. It uses mobile telephone networks, and you can even use satellite.
fried1765
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
I was once told that in Texas, a Suburban was referred to as a "South Texas Cadillac"
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
re: the airtag piggybacks off (any) late model iDevice, even ones you don't own.
and you don't find THAT to be a security issue ?
and you don't find THAT to be a security issue ?
Not to agree with Jay, but they arnt super accurate. We get called daily to go find my (fill in the blank) that a guest took on a ride with them that fell out of their pocket. Normally they can get us close ish. Even cell phones only get you within so many feet.weird, I've only been in aviation for the last 30 years of my life and I don't know any practical operational application of bluetooth in an airplane (besides our ipads)
Contrary to what you keep regurgitating, the airtag piggybacks off (any) late model iDevice, even ones you don't own. There are only about 1.5 billion active iDevices in the world right now, I guess chances are really slim one would be nearby
Never said AirTag was a theft prevention device, I was just pointing out the incorrect information in your post, so the OP could be better informed.
AirTags are cheap, highly accurate & have lots of practical uses in day to day life, I love them.
But at any rate. Even if your within a 50' radius of a trailer or equipment should be close enough.
Nope. Don’t care. Because it works.
@Dieseldonato I’ve seen the range out far but if the device it’s pinging off of has a gps lock I’ve seen it down to a foot or less plenty of times. My dog wears one, my work bags, as does other stuff around here.
I'm sure they can be very accurate, but I've not seen that personally. But I do admit the things I'm looking for are about 90% non functional by the time they hit the ground. So no live gps is capable. However the range they give us is typically close enough to find it (most of the time) and I would think that would be acceptable for most equipment. I have worked on rental equipment and gensets ect that had GPS units built into them. They were pretty accurate so long as they had power. No experience with air tags.