I've spent days researching vehicle tracking solutions. GPS tracking units require a monthly service charge and LoJack isn't transferable to another vehicle. Both cost well into the $100's. I decided to use a spare cell phone. This solution won't provide real-time tracking or any of the other great features offered by GPS or LoJack solutions.

What it does:

In the event my car is stolen, I can provide the police with the cell phone and IMEI number. They can use this information to locate the vehicle on the cellular network. With the optional microphone and auto-answer function, they can possibly call my phone and record the thieves chatting.

What you'll need:

Cell phone - Preferably one with an auto-answer function. I'm using an old Tmobile Motorola A630. Cost - $0

Prepaid SIM card - I'm using Tmobile's Pay As You Go. Cost - $10 activation plus $25 for 130 minutes. While writing this post I discovered the minutes expire after 90 days. All the carriers have some sort of expiration on the prepaid minutes. Tmobile has a Pay By The Day option which costs $1 every day the phone sends or recieves a call plus 10 cents per minute. I'm going to call Tmobile and ask a few questions and i'll update the thread on which option I continue to use.

**Update - The Pay As You Go plan switches to yearly expiration once you hit $100. I've decided to refill the account every 3 months with $10 refills until I hit $100 and then I'll buy $10 refills once a year. At that rate, I'll spend $80 over 24 months and add 240 minutes to the account. I could also spend $75 upfront, but there's no need to. I want to test this out before putting more money into it.

Car Charger - Tmobile car charger that came with my phone. Cost - $0

Accessory Outlet - RadioShack 12VDC Outlet. Cost - $6.99

Optional:
Headset with microphone. Came with my phone. Cost - $0



Before installing I wrote down the phone's IMEI number and verified the auto-answer function worked. Put the phone on silent. My phone won't auto-answer with the phone on silent, so i had to choose the lowest volume and a short beep for all sounds. I also adjusted all the settings for maximum power savings.

**Update - To find the IMEI number, dial *#06#

I chose the left side of the trunk area to perform my install. Feel free to use your desired location.

The car charger reduces the 12VDC to 4.5VDC with a current rating of 0.5 AMPS. For now, I'm using the cargo-light wiring as a power source. With the door closed, it has 3VDC. When the door is opened, it has 12VDC. This lower voltage may not be good for the phone's battery life, so i'll probably end up running power from the dome-light wiring. I initially tried to tap the rear driver-side door sensing line as well as the rear hatch sensing line, but both interfered with keyless entry and my alarm system.


Start off by pulling out the lower left panel and choose a grounding point. I chose a bolt on the seat locking bracket. If you're going to use the optional headset, you'll see i ran the microphone to the seat belt area.



From the cargo-light wiring, tap the pink wire.



Plug everything in and verify it all works.



I used Velcro to secure the phone.





This is everything buttoned up and put back in place. Again, you'll notice the microphone near the seat belt. Unless you're looking, it's hard to notice it's there.



Hope you guys find this helpful. I'm writing this at 1am so I may have forgotten something. I'll update the thread when i periodically test the system and work out any kinks. I welcome any questions or recommendations.


Update: 4-27-09
I was out of town for the last month. The cell phone is going strong. I've had a few random numbers call the phone, but they only used 6 minutes. The 3VDC seems sufficient in keeping the cell phone battery charged. I wont be routing a 12V wire back there. I left with the car's battery voltage at 12.6 and when i returned voltage was at 12.4. Very little power draw.

Update 1-09-11
I removed the phone from the car. It had nothing to do with how it worked. My work schedule has me leave the vehicle parked for weeks or even months at a time. I disconnect the battery every time I leave my car parked and this effectively negates the purpose of having the locater system. I also recently failed to renew my prepaid card on the anniversary and lost the 200+ min I had accumulated. I purchased 35 minutes for $10 to maintain the prepaid account for future use and setup a reminder annually.

Once I change careers, I'll look into doing this again, except with GPS enabled phones like my G1 or Nexus One. The Android Market has several apps that allow the phone to text it's lat/long if the phone is lost or stolen.

 

That is really cool. With the cell phone locator, can't they just track it to the nearest cell phone tower?

 

thats wicked man nice, thanks for sharing

 

that's a great idea!
another option that may help others who might want to spend a little more, there is a new service from AT&T that offers GPS tracking of the phone. If you already have ATT service, to add an additional line is only $9.99. You would have to pay the extra $10 a month for the phone, but if the car is ever stolen, you can sign up for the GPS tracking service for a free 30 day trial and track the phone with real time GPS.

 

They can pinpoint the location of the phone by triangulating signal strength to each cell tower as well as frequency being used. They can also get directional data by tracking the cell-to-cell transfers. The location based services on cell phones without GPS are quite mediocre. They don't receive all the data that the carriers receive from the base station.


That's what actually got me started on this. I was discussing that plan with my girlfriend and her kids...and then i did more searching and ended up looking for vehicle trackers.

 

this is actually a great idea... i think i might have to start looking into something like this, but utilizing the att GPS locator service... hmm... i wonder if the gophone offers that service. might be better than paying the $10 a month fee.

 

Who the hell would steal a Fit? Anyway, cool project, great documentation/info - thanks for sharing!

 

Killer idea! Will bookmark and subscribe to thread. rep as well!

 

When I update from my Nokia 6110 Navigator, I can do this with it and leave it running Eriadne or similar 24/7

Then if my car gets stolen, all I have to do is log on to the web site and there it is.

And Eriadne is free. $10 a month to read your GPS module when there are modules to do it for free? No thanks.

Unless of course AT&T have locked things so that you have no choice. I'm glad we don't have such feral phone companies here. Our phone companies for the most part let you use the features of the phone as nature intended. If not, you can go to several stores who will unlock it for you - all completely legally.

I see a big future for old GPS phones once the early ones begin to become obsolete.

 

Awesome idea! Repped.

 

Will the cops go through the trouble of triangulating a cell phone signal for an auto theft? I would think that would be only the realm of detective agencies and too much small potatos for that type of investigative work.

 

^^ kinda agree but i hear about alot of car thefts in his area so maybe the cops are willing to go the extra mile to bust theives

 

Doh! Forgot you still need a data plan to do this, so it's not entirely free.

 

From the San Diego PD Website:

"...The goal of the San Diego Police Department Auto Theft Unit is the reduction and prevention of vehicle thefts and to assist with the recovery of stolen vehicles and the prosecution of those that steal vehicles."


It's a little piece of mind. Knowing I have something in the car that can help get it back if it's ever stolen.

 

Great idea for those who wants a low cost tracking device. I used to have lojack and it did help me recover my Accord Wagon within 24 hours. Problem is by the time I get to it just about everythign in it was gone. So hte lesson I have learned was: get a good insurance (w/ gap insurance if you have a loan) and low deductible. That way you are covered whether your car is found or not. Personally I'd rather get a brand new car instead. By the way gap insurance from insurance company is dirt cheap. I pay about $8 per 6 month for that.

 

I thought that no one would steal a civic in Marshall, MN but I was quite wrong. They recovered it 1.5 months later.

 

One of the most common reasons for a cr to be stolen is to use for committing other crimes. Therefore any car can get stolen. In fact, old junkers with poor security are favourites

The good news is that such cars are usually recovered. My '85 Falcon was recovered minus its mags and its stereo though...

 

my brothers car was stolen with his cell in it. my brother even talked to the thieves. and the COPS "couldn't track the calls"

i think the best way to do this is to get a Verizon phone with Chaperon or something similar. you can actually see where it is

 

Answers to FAQs

this could turn into a man hunt

 

Bummer. That was either an incompetent PD or they were just being lazy. All they have to do is call the phone carrier and the carrier provides all the info they need.

For now, I'm content with the current phone. When I upgrade phones in the future, I can stick my G1 back there and have real GPS tracking.