Catching theives - tracking devices are cheap now

[rbakker]

Hi Hunt, we are about to install Ring Floodlight.
Could you please share your experience, tips etc.

As for tracking, I have just purchased a vyncs ($80 a year) for my car. Works great!

[ElysianWort]

Seems to me that we still need to wait awhile for these trackers to be more effective and cost manageable. I like the idea though. It can't be long? Technology is advancing with leaps and bounds. I bet they keep getting smaller and better like everything else in that field. One year battery life? 100 ft tracker range? Stats have to get better than that.

[Hunt Stoddard]

quote:

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Originally posted by rbakker

Hi Hunt, we are about to install Ring Floodlight.
Could you please share your experience, tips etc.

As for tracking, I have just purchased a vyncs ($80 a year) for my car. Works great!

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I wasn't terribly impressed with it, though admit I haven't mastered all of its features. I'll be going back to try to get it working better, so will post updates.

From what I do know: First we were using it only with wifi, not through a smart phone carrier. We had an android tablet. The floodlight itself is bright, and the motion sensor seems accurate and sensitive. The siren alarm was a bit of a disappointment since it's not loud enough, even the neighbors couldn't hear it. I guess it would be enough to scare someone off though. There doesn't seem to be a way to trigger the alarm only by motion sensing. You need to do that through the app (Ringapp), and it takes a while to do it. (I may be wrong about this.) Not a good thing if your home is being invaded.

You're also supposed to be able to communicate with the person through the floodlight, which we couldn't get to work very well, or at all effectively.

Once the motion sensor is triggered, it records video automatically, which could be useful to give to police.

Anyway, I thought it was kind of a mixed bag of features that only sort of worked. For $250 I think there should be more and better.

[Hunt Stoddard]

For those really wanting some peace of mind at night, my idea is to order on or more red school-type alarm bells from amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/SUNS-International-CB-4R-120-Alarm-120VAC/dp/B0089MN1SO/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CX327QVRCFTTEVA6ETZ4

Then connect them to an external outlet through a remote switch (Home Depot). You would have to make sure the remote switch could handle the current, etc.

You could take your remote to bed with you and have the ability to really light up the neighborhood. No fumbling around with a smartphone, connectivity problems, etc.

[EightFingers]

Just get one of those air horns. Blow it out the window and I bet that'll wake people up!

[Kenney]

My neighbor has an air horn. We really can't hear it unless we're standing near when he blows it.
I think my key activated alarm on the car is louder. Neighbor's know it's our SOS and they can hear it. The car lights go on when it's activated too lighting up the night. Nice that something works when the electricity is out.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

The car lights go on when it's activated too lighting up the night.

I spoke with someone earlier this week who had his car stolen. It had On Star installed, and he was able to speak with a company rep who tracked the car to within a few miles - - in the general area of HA. He drove around for some hours but couldn't spot anything. When it started to get dark he asked On Star to remotely signal the emergency system. With the horn and lights activated he was just near enough so he could see & hear it through the trees and underbrush.

He called the police, the owner of the property told the officers, "I don't know anything about the car except, ah, oh yeah, a friend asked if he could leave it here a few days." The police hauled his okole and his wife's okole downtown. The car owner drove his car home.

[Hunt Stoddard]

Finally a story with a happy ending.