Request for SIM for GPS Tracker

Keliuss

Hi Ringside,

Interesting thread as I'm thinking of doing something similar. I've got a car "off the road" and subsequently no insurance on it either so looking for a little peace of mind with a low cost tracker that could be used if car is stolen.

Knowing what you do now, which sim/provider would you recommend? My car mostly has the battery disconnected for weeks on end and currently lives in an underground car park so is out of network coverage. I do occasionally take it to the surface car park (without it going on public roads) so it will be able to connect on those occasions.

SMS service only would suffice I'm thinking, data not needed, or am I mistaken?

Thanks
Keliuss

Edit: LOL, first post here on boards having joined in 2009. Now that's what I call a long time lurker

ringside

Keliuss wrote: »

Hi Ringside,

Interesting thread as I'm thinking of doing something similar. I've got a car "off the road" and subsequently no insurance on it either so looking for a little peace of mind with a low cost tracker that could be used if car is stolen.

Knowing what you do now, which sim/provider would you recommend? My car mostly has the battery disconnected for weeks on end and currently lives in an underground car park so is out of network coverage. I do occasionally take it to the surface car park (without it going on public roads) so it will be able to connect on those occasions.

SMS service only would suffice I'm thinking, data not needed, or am I mistaken?

Thanks
Keliuss

Edit: LOL, first post here on boards having joined in 2009. Now that's what I call a long time lurker

@Keliuss - I's 99% read, 1% contribute but beginning to change

The device I bought was https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MS3ML86/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and the SIM is vodafone using the APN that Quackster recommended - works brilliantly. I am getting about 6 weeks from the battey with GPRS etc disabled. I could power from the camper battery but a €50 device may not have the best quality control on the Li battery and so wanted to play it safe.

In the basement of a car park you may get SMS(probably will) but are unlikely to get GPS which is the important one. Therefore I'd look at a device that has motion detection(from a motion sensor rather than from differential on GPS). I did come across one for around the same money - might even be the one I have. If you want me to check let me know. So in effect, Vodafone pay as you go SIM with nothing activated and only use SMS(13c an SMS) and do not use gprs - mainly because of battery, not cost.

Keliuss

ringside wrote: »

@Keliuss - I's 99% read, 1% contribute but beginning to change

The device I bought was

and the SIM is vodafone using the APN that Quackster recommended - works brilliantly. I am getting about 6 weeks from the battey with GPRS etc disabled. I could power from the camper battery but a €50 device may not have the best quality control on the Li battery and so wanted to play it safe.

In the basement of a car park you may get SMS(probably will) but are unlikely to get GPS which is the important one. Therefore I'd look at a device that has motion detection(from a motion sensor rather than from differential on GPS). I did come across one for around the same money - might even be the one I have. If you want me to check let me know. So in effect, Vodafone pay as you go SIM with nothing activated and only use SMS(13c an SMS) and do not use gprs - mainly because of battery, not cost.

Thanks for the quick response. I'm not bothered that there is no signal underground, I just mentioned it as there will be long periods of no signal connection/traffic. I'm only interested in it being of some use if the car was stolen. Just trying to figure out which SIM option works out the cheapest.

I've not got a tracker yet but am looking at some of the cheap ones from eBay/AliExpress.

Also, while it's great that you've got the right info from forum member Quacktster I'm not sure I'd want to be relying on help from a forum to get it set up correctly. Would the APN setup info have been forthcoming from Vodafone?

Anyway, with Vodafone PAYG you only have to top up every 6 months (8 months really according to there conditions) with a minimum €5 top up is only €10 every 12/16 months, which is buttons really.

Keliuss

ringside

Keliuss wrote: »

Thanks for the quick response. I'm not bothered that there is no signal underground, I just mentioned it as there will be long periods of no signal connection/traffic. I'm only interested in it being of some use if the car was stolen. Just trying to figure out which SIM option works out the cheapest.

I've not got a tracker yet but am looking at some of the cheap ones from eBay/AliExpress.

Also, while it's great that you've got the right info from forum member Quacktster I'm not sure I'd want to be relying on help from a forum to get it set up correctly. Would the APN setup info have been forthcoming from Vodafone?

Anyway, with Vodafone PAYG you only have to top up every 6 months (8 months really according to there conditions) with a minimum €5 top up is only €10 every 12/16 months, which is buttons really.

Keliuss

Would the APN setup info have been forthcoming from Vodafone?

I found Vodafone very very difficult to deal with. When I phoned them I could not speak to someone and had to arrange a call back using an IVR system that was designed to frustrate. They did call back but very little info was forthcoming from their agent. When I tried their inapp chat feature most of the time it said no agent available. When there was I discovered that there is no autocorrect in the app so you spend a lot of time fixing spelling mistakes when trying to chat with someone. Their website would not show me detailed usage and the phone app only would when I gave it access to my phone contacts! Despicable company!!! So the answer would be no. Not easily anyways!

Now look at it from their point of view. I only want to spend a tenner a year. If they have someone talk to me for 2 mins then they're losing money so while I appreciate your point of not wanting to depend on forum members I would disagree. Forums like this are phenomenal. Quackster got me a solution that works. Define your challenges, overcome the ones you can, learn about the ones you can't and ask the relevant questions. What amazes me is that people give their time and expertise free and willingly. At the end of the day the info was available on their site but you had to trawl thru a lot of paragraphs to get to it. Quackster had done that and the solution worked.