EOI: Vehicle GPS GTV01 Tracking devices @ $134?

[blonky]

Hi all, I'm reasonably new here but I was a member on the old site with my BF5 subbie, I saw there is a thread on GPS tracking devices but thought it would be better to start a new thread on this.

My story is over the past couple of years I had my bike stolen a few times, and my car almost stolen once (door locks hacked) but the bastards were unsuccessful that time. Even though they were alarmed I guess no passers by seemed to think anything was wrong with a bunch of crims wheeling my bike down the road.

So anyway I began to look into passive GPS tracking devices, including paid subscriptions (Snitch) and DIY installs and managing. I did hours of my own research, discussing with various suppliers on eBay, Alibaba and the like and brought in a handle of 'samples'; a few different brand/models of tracking devices to find which would be suitable for me. After performing weeks of testing, I came to the conclusion that the DS-GTV01 and the Gator M5X8s are the two ideal trackers, with the later being the more featured version which includes fuel level monitoring and having multiple inputs to monitor doors opening and such.

TL;DR?

Well in summary the GTV01 is the best value and cheapest GPS tracker you want/need:

1) These use the JRC chipset which has lower power consumption and is more accurate than the old SirF Star III which all other trackers on Trademe and all cheap trackers use

2) This model is in the top 5 vehicle trackers used worldwide, having the same features but being reliable and compatible with most online tracking platforms

3) Being popular, there is an Android app available for free that can be used to setup and manage the device easily (not required to operate, but makes it simpler and user friendly)

4) Has all the same features as the others: motion/shock sensor, fuel cut relay control, sleep mode, GPRS tracking and SMS tracking, power cut alert, internal backup battery, SOS button

I have one of these units installed in my bike and one in my car, and I track them online using a free platform gps-trace.com, so I know a lot about them and would be able to help with the installation and setup.

They are actually pretty simple to install; if you've ever done a headunit then you can install it - 3 wires +12V, ground and ACC

I had to post this quick before someone ends up ordering a batch of rubbish GPS devices from China without actually knowing anything about them - the GT06 model is among the samples which I tested, and I was not impressed.

I brought in a number of these units and posted them on the NZ Silvia forum where they were picked up pretty quickly; would there be many people interested in them here on Clubsub?

[boon]

Do they have an immobilisation circuit and an in or output circuit? It would be nice if I could use my main alarm to trigger the GPS module to send me a text, and if I could text the module to immobilise the vehicle or activate the horn or similar.

[blonky]

 boon said:

Do they have an immobilisation circuit and an in or output circuit? It would be nice if I could use my main alarm to trigger the GPS module to send me a text, and if I could text the module to immobilise the vehicle or activate the horn or similar.

This particular one has the immobilisation circuit, which basically triggers a relay that you could set up to cut the fuel pump, ignition, or run your horn for example. So you could run 2+ relays to trigger multiple events but they would all still activate at the same time

The Gator M5X8S I mentioned is similar to this unit but has the extra inputs; 2 high voltage 5V+ and one low voltage 0.3V+. You would then wire them to you door open sensor, central locking, and depending on the spec it would also have the ability to control multiple relays and peripherals such as an in car camera that uploads images of inside your vehicle, in car monitor

I still have a couple of M528s with me at the moment, I haven't tested out that feature of it yet but I can see that it would be easy to link it to detect when your alarm goes off by connecting an input to the siren output. This one has 3 inputs but only one output, but the next model up M508s which was $20USD more has an extra 2 outputs, and also the ability to monitor fuel tank levels and air temperature.

I'm thinking that the M508s might be a good group buy option if there are enough people in the same boat as you

[boon]

I'd be pretty interested in a M528. Would you sell one of the ones you have?

[blonky]

 boon said:

I'd be pretty interested in a M528. Would you sell one of the ones you have?

I guess I could sell one of them to you at what I paid; $159 (customs hit me with GST), comes with external aerials and even a relay. It's primarily for online tracking though as most of the features are through the online platform (it will work with the free gps-trace.com site) but you can still request the coordinates via txt

As I stated, it is the same as the GTV01 but with the digital inputs to monitor if doors have been opened, but not the fuel level/temp sensor and only one relay output. I have one hooked up to a 12v power supply in my living room at the moment to test it out properly before I install it in my car and potentially bring in more of them

If you're interested send me a pm

[blonky]

I checked with the supplier, the M528 includes a free permanent subscription to their own fully featured online tracker website which is much better than the gps-trace.com one; it shows live data such as current voltage, alerts, if any of the inputs are triggered (such as if a door is open), if the vehicle is on, and allows you to change all the settings from the website instead of by txt, and can disable/enable ignition/starter:

I did a bit more testing, it seems pretty solid and the inputs work as they should; the site updates every 3s so it's pretty much real time

[Guest]

How much all up for the above installed? Really need one but dont have the time to piss around putting it in.

[boon]

What sort of plan does the sim need to be on for it to all work nicely? With 3s/update it must chew at least a bit of data.

[Heylin]

 boon said:

What sort of plan does the sim need to be on for it to all work nicely? With 3s/update it must chew at least a bit of data.

By my calcs based on 120 bytes per location sent using GPRS thats 436906 positions from a 50MB Mi2Go pre pay data plan on Vodaphone

There are 2592000 seconds in a 30 day month.

so 50Mb gets you around 10-12 second interval ??????? for 24\7 tracking ($6 per month)

Someone correct me if Im wrong

[blonky]

 boon said:

What sort of plan does the sim need to be on for it to all work nicely? With 3s/update it must chew at least a bit of data.

The status updates every 3s which relates to the event triggers, but the location coordinates update every 30s (10s is the minimum for any GPS device). I've had it running since 6pm last night, has used 11kb of data according to 2 Degrees including 4 hours of driving

[blonky]

 Heylin']

[quote name='boon said:

What sort of plan does the sim need to be on for it to all work nicely? With 3s/update it must chew at least a bit of data.

/quote]

By my calcs based on 120 bytes per location sent using GPRS thats 436906 positions from a 50MB Mi2Go pre pay data plan on Vodaphone

There are 2592000 seconds in a 30 day month.

so 50Mb gets you around 10-12 second interval ??????? for 24\7 tracking ($6 per month)

Someone correct me if Im wrong

That calculation is too simplistic; unless you are going to be driving 24/7 you will not use anywhere near this much data as the coordinate update is longer when the vehicle is off. Refer to my above post, the data usage is very efficient from what I have observed so far, but I would need to monitor over a longer period before I can be completely sure.

The status is what updates every 3s, so if the door sensor is triggered or if you disable the fuel pump, the action occurs within 3 seconds (and I have confirmed using a multimeter). The data used for this is very minimal.

The coordinate updates every 30s but you could set to 10s if you wanted - this is what would potentially consume the majority of the data.

The data usage of the GTV01 however which I have had running in my bike has consumed 1.42MB over 4 days, with coordinate updates every 20s if this helps give a better idea.

I have a spare GT06 tracker here if you would like to test out the power consumption and data usage for me? They retailed for around $50USD but in my opinion were unsuitable, but fine if you use your vehicle regularly (atleast once a week). The Tk106 series were mostly clones of a consumer device, not designed for vehicles and need an external power adapter to run them.

A bit off topic - Regarding Alibaba pricing people need to consider that a) You will never get the quoted price unless you order >100 units, b) Shipping is by DHL courier or similar (not economy) which is usually about $20USD per unit, and c) Customs are likely to snap you with GST as they did with me unless you get a dodgy seller willing to write down the customs value - but that brings potential insurance and fraud issues.

[Pappu1]

wht sorta prices is it for the gtv01? how about availibility..

seems you have done some good testing..

just to confirm, it can trigger a relay to cut fuel etc if you txt it

and has input when alarm triggers or door opens?

[blonky]

 SP00N said:

wht sorta prices is it for the gtv01?

Hey, they are $134, see my thread in the parts for sale section:

http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic,30983.0.html

A few have been picked up already

[caspros]

 SP00N said:

wht sorta prices is it for the gtv01? how about availibility..

seems you have done some good testing..

just to confirm, it can trigger a relay to cut fuel etc if you txt it

and has input when alarm triggers or door opens?

Don't mean to rain on your parade Blonky, but I have a few of these winging their way over here now. Price is $105, plus I think $5.50 for those tracking bags.

[madmike]

 caspros']

[quote name='SP00N said:

wht sorta prices is it for the gtv01? how about availibility..

seems you have done some good testing..

just to confirm, it can trigger a relay to cut fuel etc if you txt it

and has input when alarm triggers or door opens?

/quote]

Don't mean to rain on your parade Blonky, but I have a few of these winging their way over here now. Price is $105, plus I think $5.50 for those tracking bags.

$105 is a good price Mr Caspros.

[blonky]

 caspros']

[quote name='SP00N said:

wht sorta prices is it for the gtv01? how about availibility..

seems you have done some good testing..

just to confirm, it can trigger a relay to cut fuel etc if you txt it

and has input when alarm triggers or door opens?

/quote]

Don't mean to rain on your parade Blonky, but I have a few of these winging their way over here now. Price is $105, plus I think $5.50 for those tracking bags.

You have the exact same model? At the forum price I'm only making a couple of dollars out of them so I am intrigued how you managed to get them so cheap?