Apple trackers on Caravans, the good and bad. (Called AirTags)
You might not be aware of the small trackers that Apple sell for under £30. They use a CR2032 battery (I think) and last about a year. Not fully conversant in the way they work. I think they detect the location by using any Apple phone that happens to be passing to find the GPS location. Great if it’s in a busy location. On the app you can see the position on a map precisely. So a cheap way of adding a bit more security to your van, if you have an iPhone. These devices can be use on keys, cameras, anywhere.
There have been cases in Canada where villains have attached these to high value vehicles, found the location at a later date and stole them. They do beep occasionally but you are unlikely to hear it if it’s hidden somewhere outside the car. If you have an iPhone and you are travelling with one of these trackers, your phone detects in and you know you are being bugged after a mile or so. If you don’t have an iPhone then you will not know about it and are unlikely to hear the beep. You won’t know thieves are interested in your vehicle.
So there are good and bad points, which led me thinking. My local dealer puts the surname of the purchasers of a caravan. You can wander round the yard and locate names, and with one of these trackers there must by a myriad of scams possible. With a bit of detective work they can call you at home, “Mr Smith, the new caravan you purchased from Jones caravans, you collected it on xx/yy, there is a safety recall on the Alco ATC fitted, it has to go back to the factory. We will collect it and return it, ….. they will have all the answers to your questions ready?
Implausible?
Has anyone experience of these devices? For More information listen to the PC Pro Podcast 572. About 25 mins and 30 seconds into the prog.
You might not be aware of the small trackers that Apple sell for under £30. They use a CR2032 battery (I think) and last about a year. Not fully conversant in the way they work. I think they detect the location by using any Apple phone that happens to be passing to find the GPS location. Great if it’s in a busy location. On the app you can see the position on a map precisely. So a cheap way of adding a bit more security to your van, if you have an iPhone. These devices can be use on keys, cameras, anywhere.
There have been cases in Canada where villains have attached these to high value vehicles, found the location at a later date and stole them. They do beep occasionally but you are unlikely to hear it if it’s hidden somewhere outside the car. If you have an iPhone and you are travelling with one of these trackers, your phone detects in and you know you are being bugged after a mile or so. If you don’t have an iPhone then you will not know about it and are unlikely to hear the beep. You won’t know thieves are interested in your vehicle.
So there are good and bad points, which led me thinking. My local dealer puts the surname of the purchasers of a caravan. You can wander round the yard and locate names, and with one of these trackers there must by a myriad of scams possible. With a bit of detective work they can call you at home, “Mr Smith, the new caravan you purchased from Jones caravans, you collected it on xx/yy, there is a safety recall on the Alco ATC fitted, it has to go back to the factory. We will collect it and return it, ….. they will have all the answers to your questions ready?
Implausible?
Has anyone experience of these devices? For More information listen to the PC Pro Podcast 572. About 25 mins and 30 seconds into the prog.