Cheap Vehicle Tracking Systems – Caveat Emptor

Unsuspecting motorists are being duped into a false sense of security and left vulnerable with the influx of cheap vehicle tracking systems coming into the market. Consumers need to be very aware of what exactly they are buying and whether the cheaper sy

The high crime rate in South Africa has contributed to the fact that the private security industry has been one of the fastest growing local industries. It also means that it is subject to “fly-by-nights” and substandard products that leave consumers wanting. Alarmingly though, some of these vehicle tracking providers are in fact registered with various bodies and while they have a range of reputable products available, are now introducing ‘cheap and cheerful’ products in a bid to win market share. Instead of diversifying and offering better value-add products and services that require investment into research and development, some providers are causing enormous damage to the industry and to consumers with the introduction of under-performing systems.

“Cheap, radio-frequency (RF) based systems can put you at risk, and the chances are that if your vehicle is stolen or hijacked, the system will be removed and disarmed before you even have a chance to notify the tracking company. The key objective for a vehicle tracking provider should be to keep recovery rates up and thefts down. However, insurance industry statistics show that these RF systems are estimated by to have less than a 45% recovery rate, exacerbated by poor installation techniques and reliability,” explains John Edmeston, managing director of Cartrack South Africa.

Based on South Africa’s crime statistics and the seriousness with which you need to approach your safety, there’s every reason to question why these systems can go for less than half the fees that a reputable vehicle tracking provider can offer. They simply cannot be marketed as an equivalent system to the proven tracking systems in the market, and consumers are not aware of this fact.

One of the biggest issues with such systems – most are wireless, installed in under ten minutes and run on batteries – is the ease with which vehicle thieves are able to locate and remove the units. It stands to reason that if it can be installed in under ten minutes, then it can be found and removed just as easily. Probably one of the biggest considerations is the back-up and support that you have access to with a reputable provider. Cartrack, along with the other major players, invests heavily into extensive call centres, national infrastructure and recovery teams, crime intelligence and research and development. When it comes to safeguarding your life, your loved ones and your assets, this is non-negotiable. A key aspect of successful recovery is response time, and response time directly correlates to the sophistication of infrastructure sitting behind your tracking device.

Cheaper systems are almost always reliant on radio frequency technology only, and this is fraught with challenges and limitations. For a start, positioning the vehicle relies on it being within line of sight of an RF receiver and having sufficient power to communicate with such a receiver. A receiver may be either a fixed piece of RF equipment or even, another vehicle installed with a tracking device by the same provider – let’s refer to this as vehicle B. Essentially, what happens in this instance, is that vehicle A, fitted with the “cheap and cheerful” is actually positioned based on the position of vehicle B which polls back details to the control room. Once vehicle B moves off, vehicle A is lost again until a signal can be picked up either on a fixed receiver or another installed tracking unit. This means that the positioning reliability is heavily dependent on the number of radio towers in any given area and/or the number of other vehicles fitted with the provider’s system. Understandably, as you move out of the city into sparser, less populated areas with lower traffic volumes and towers, positioning reliability drops dramatically. Clearly, there are few networks as vast as the GSM networks as they are designed to carry voice as well as data on an uninterrupted basis.

Consumers are urged to ensure that they ask pertinent questions when it comes to their vehicle tracking and recovery systems including:

· Does the system provide real time tracking and monitoring? Anything less than this means your vehicle is likely to be ancient history in a theft or hijacking situation. Knowing where your vehicle is after the fact is hardly helpful.

· Can I test the system at any time? Most of these cheap systems cannot provide you with a means to test on demand and verify that the system is in fact working. This means that your only interaction with the system will be when you need it, and then you can only hope that it’s operational. There is zero user-interface.

· Does the tracking operator pro-actively test the units are functioning on a regular basis and make an effort to check/repair faulty systems?

· Does the tracking company have sufficient confidence in its recovery systems to provide audited recovery stats and/or a non-recovery warranty?

· What technology platform does the system run on – most reputable providers use a combination of GSM/GPS and RF location, which means that there is a vast network coverage area, a vehicle can be tracked to within meters of its location and continual monitoring is available if required. Cheap systems run on radio frequency with very limited capabilities and vehicle location details provided by operators can range from “we cannot tell you where your vehicle is unless you report a theft” to vague positions or even kilometres out from reality.

Consumers are advised to carefully interrogate and compare the different vehicle tracking offerings on the market. Cheap systems are not equivalent to the sophisticated vehicle tracking products available on the market, and it’s irresponsible to market them as such. At all times, you need to balance value, quality and reliability with cost. When it comes to your safety and security this is one time where price really does equate to quality and you get what you pay for.

In a country that has amongst the highest vehicle theft and hijacking rates in the world and which is plagued by violent crime, choosing the right vehicle tracking and recovery company is of paramount importance. It’s everyone’s worst fear and something none of us want to experience, but the reality is hijackings do happen at a rate we don't even want to think about. The question is: should you find yourself in such a situation, how much can you rely on your tracking service provider and device in terms of your safety and the recovery of your vehicle?

Cartrack has been independently and officially audited with a vehicle recovery rate of 95%. Not only is this currently one of the highest recovery rates in the market by a far margin, but Cartrack is also the only vehicle tracking company in South Africa to open its recovery books for official auditing by an external auditing firm. “It means that in times of distress, our customers can breathe a little easier knowing that they have a credible and capable partner to help them through even the most frightening scenarios,” adds John. “It’s also one of the key reasons why Cartrack is the preferred vehicle tracking company for many leading insurers and brokerages,” concludes John.

Based on its outstanding recovery rates, Cartrack has also just launched a first in South Africa with a R150000 warranty offer for clients who have a Cartrack stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) system installed in their vehicle. With its recovery rate of 95%, Cartrack is the only vehicle tracking company in South Africa’s history to ever offer clients up to a R150000 payment in the unlikely event that they are unable to recover a client’s stolen or hijacked vehicle.