Feedback on GPS trackers and tamper alerts

[bpw]

I almost got one of these but I don't like the concept. It's not actually GPS. it relies on nearby sensors. So it's practically useless in the real world lol... if they go out of range. I guess it's better than nothing but I think I'm going to get a real tracker

GPS won't do any good if it is out of range of an internet connection either, so I don't see that as a major issue. You don't need the one meter position accuracy provided by GPS for something like this, just the ability to detect movement.

Edit, these do actually have a proper gps inside, so location will be very accurate. Remember gps us receive only, it can't transmit a position, hence the need to internet connectivity unless you go with a spot type device that can send satellite data.

 

[ToraTora]

I was just chatting with them. It does use GPS, but it communicates back via RF to the Homebase unit, which connects to your network via wifi.

It would be very dependent on the number of Homebase units to have decent coverage. It would be fine at your home since you'll have a Homebase unit there. But once out of the network there would be no way for it to communicate its position. It would know its location via the GPS unit, but couldn't communicate the position without coming in range of a HomeBase.

That they also market this as a pet/kid tracker is great because that would have a much wider audience than say for bikes and motos.

Setup can be done with your phone via Bluetooth.

 

[Dmitriy]

I personally prefer GSM/GPS trackers already available on DX or Amazon, considering some of those even have a capability of remote relay ignition/fuel pump cutoff via SMS. Even if the tracking server goes down you still keep SMS capability. Yes the monthly prepaid SIM fee's are there (but you can shop around and find a REALLY cheap plan) & the battery life is probably a bit worse than this thing. I like the piece of mind of not having to rely on someone else proving a web server to service this, too many services screw things up for consumers as is IMO (look up slingbox recent shenanigans, or MANY MMO's)

 

[Starpower]

just to post a few clarifications on some of the questions:

mrzuzzo has it right... all the data gets fed through our cloud hosted on Amazon AWS... maintenance cost is really affordable right now at ($500/mo), so we've put 4 years worth of funds in the bank in case the company does go under.

our iota tracker draws 1mA of current, so it's definitely not going to drain your battery like other alarms. All versions have an internal battery that lasts between 2 - 4 weeks (depending on if you configure a geofence alert). My impression is that the geofence will probably be less useful than the motion alert that we're releasing end of this month.

Just purchased one with the understanding that it had the motion/tamper feature already and await the delivery. So, I have no home bases closer to me then 80 miles and w/o motion alert it will be all but useless. Will an upgrade be offered and if so at what cost? If not I can return it and wait. My main reason for the purchase is to get an alert if my bike gets tampered with outside my hotel near Thill. I plan to use the hotel wifi for my home base when there.

 

[xingster]

I'm assuming the unit will have a wire to connect to the battery.
Ive located a suitable unseen area to install the unit.


Ohhh one more question.
Is it possible to have two base stations to monitor... one at home and one at work?

yup! it comes with wire to connect the iota charger to the battery, otherwise the iota itself has a built in battery that will last weeks before needing a recharge.

 

[xingster]

I'm assuming the unit will have a wire to connect to the battery.
Ive located a suitable unseen area to install the unit.


Ohhh one more question.
Is it possible to have two base stations to monitor... one at home and one at work?

You can definitely set up two base stations yourself to monitor. It'll help increase the coverage for everyone in the area as well I would chat with our CS rep at moto.iotatracker.com or email support@iotera.com if you're interested in ordering an extra base station.

Just purchased one with the understanding that it had the motion/tamper feature already and await the delivery. So, I have no home bases closer to me then 80 miles and w/o motion alert it will be all but useless. Will an upgrade be offered and if so at what cost? If not I can return it and wait. My main reason for the purchase is to get an alert if my bike gets tampered with outside my hotel near Thill. I plan to use the hotel wifi for my home base when there.

Motion / tamper feature will be available at the end of the month as a completely free software update. Just have to update the app and plug in the iota into the charger close to the home base for 10 minutes. We've done this hundreds of times with our pet customers and it's been incredibly easy.

 

[xingster]

I personally prefer GSM/GPS trackers already available on DX or Amazon, considering some of those even have a capability of remote relay ignition/fuel pump cutoff via SMS. Even if the tracking server goes down you still keep SMS capability. Yes the monthly prepaid SIM fee's are there (but you can shop around and find a REALLY cheap plan) & the battery life is probably a bit worse than this thing. I like the piece of mind of not having to rely on someone else proving a web server to service this, too many services screw things up for consumers as is IMO (look up slingbox recent shenanigans, or MANY MMO's)

Agreed... nationwide coverage is currently stronger with a cellular network. It's something we've been battling with for awhile. Our hope is that with successful deployment and product market fit in San Francisco, we can then launch city-by-city quickly.

BTW, just wanted to thank everyone in this community for being a part of this process... All the questions and feedback are super helpful! Even if the range, or product isn't a good fit for what you guys need, we'd love to hear from you

 

[mrzuzzo]

Supposed to be getting this installed later today. Will let everyone know how it goes.

In my case, my house is the most likely place the bike will get stolen. Combination of already having it stolen once + bad neighborhood with shady people.

 

[mototireguy]

Definitely an interesting product.

Online info says 4-mile range for the RFID signal.

Would be awesome if Iotera could team up with LEO's, put a base station connected to internet connected laptop in police cruisers, similar to Lojack.

 

[Yakoo752]

took the survey, no offer of an amazon gift card

I didn't ask either as I wouldn't have accepted one.

 

[mrzuzzo]

So I got the iota tracker installed today. Turns out their HQ is right near my house & as promised their ceo/technician came over to help install it.

Installation was pretty easy, it just hooks up to the battery. The tracker itself is connected via a micro-USB cable. It's pretty small and easy to conceal under a fairing.

Rode the bike to the office, parked it, walked away, and the app found my bike immediately. So far so good, I will update this thread with more info as I use it more.

The UI of the app is very well designed as well.

 

[xingster]

big thanks to this community for taking the time to chat with us! we decided to end the survey (and amazon gift card give-away) for the time being.

took the survey, no offer of an amazon gift card

I didn't ask either as I wouldn't have accepted one.

Yakoo752, thanks for taking the survey! Just PM me or email me at daniel.xing@iotera.com, and we'll take care of you regarding the gift card.

So I got the iota tracker installed today. Turns out their HQ is right near my house & as promised their ceo/technician came over to help install it.

Installation was pretty easy, it just hooks up to the battery. The tracker itself is connected via a micro-USB cable. It's pretty small and easy to conceal under a fairing.

Rode the bike to the office, parked it, walked away, and the app found my bike immediately. So far so good, I will update this thread with more info as I use it more.

The UI of the app is very well designed as well.

Hope Ben took care of you today! Looking forward to hearing about your experience, and be sure to reach out if you have any questions or feedback.

 

[xingster]

We've recently changed our landing page to an email sign up temporarily, but we will still honor the early adopter discount of $89 until Dec 31st for anyone that's on our email list.

 

[dravnx]

Hi barfers,

We're a local Redwood City startup and a barf sponsor. We initially built a GPS tracker for finding and tracking lost pets, but thought the product would work great for quickly recovering lost or stolen motorcycles.

The device and app will be released with a few features including a motion sensor for detecting anyone messing/tampering with your bike, and a geofence that will let you know when your motorcycle has excited a "safe area" around your home.

Anyone interested in finding out more, or chatting with us online, we're giving out $10 Amazon gift cards for your feedback. Just visit http://moto.iotatracker.com

I was told the gift card deal is no longer being offered. I spoke with Joclyn via chat

 

[Diter]

I got one for my DRZ. My KTM was stolen, then recovered, I spent days fixing the gutted electrical system and getting all the flat black paint off of the engine. I bought a new tank and fairings (they had shredded the bolts). And just a week later, it got stolen again. The first time it just had a disc lock on the front, this time it had disc locks on the front and rear . It's gotten so I don't ride my dual sport bikes for fear that they will get stolen. I was looking at tiles and trackr solutions, but they are all short range (bluetooth) and rely on having a robust user community. That said my friend recovered his van when it was stolen using a tile.

Anyways, I am putting the iota under the cowl and wiring it to the headlight system so it will only draw when the bike is on, though with it only drawing 1mA I might just wire it direct.

I will post pics this weekend, but so far I'm pretty pleased. I would love to start riding my DRZ again.

 

[ctwo]

Any updates?

 

[mrzuzzo]

Any updates?

What sort of updates are you expecting?

I have had one on my bike since it was announced here. It still works perfectly. Notifications for when my bike leaves the geofence are great - now I can go on vacation comfortably and get an instant notification if bike moves. There are also tamper notifications now.

Would buy it again. Low cost peace of mind.

 

[senpai71]

Looks like the price is now $149

Also, I gotta say the website is...um...not great. Well OK, it's really just the FAQ page which is horrible. I shouldn't need to click from the main FAQ page to go into a specific question page and then have to click back out again to see the next question. What is this - 1995? Put all the FAQ's on a single page, which expands... (sez grumpy web developer). If xingster is still on this forum.

 

[wakked1]

Got two on mine, work fine. I haven't bothered hard-wiring them yet since they sit in the garage 99% of the time, which means batteries so far have lasted 2 weeks without a significant drop. At this rate should last a month or more. Eventually I'll wire them up but can't say I'm in a big hurry. They released the tamper detection update, I configured it (remotely, as I was traveling) but haven't tested it yet.

 

[mrzuzzo]

Looks like the price is now $149

Still excellent value, IMO.