Anybody here get Lo-Jack?
#16
Burning Brakes
OK. Here is how Lo Jack works, as far as I know:
Lo Jack is basically a silent alarm system that has 2 parts. The first part is in the car and when it is triggered, it sends out a radio-frequency signal that is continuous. The second part is in specially equiped police cars. You will know if the police car has Lo Jack by the antenna structure on the roof of the police car. It looks like 4 or 8 separate 12 inch antennas configured in a circle with a diameter of a bicycle tire. This allows the police car to 'track' the Lo Jack signal on a display within the police car . The display shows signal strength and direction, such that the police car can drive toward the signal and see the strength increase as the police car approaches. I believe the display may also show the plate number and/or make and model of car, but I am not sure.
As far as I know, Lo Jack is NOT a gps based system, i.e., the antenna configuration above. But that was several years ago. It seems to me a gps based system would be the better technology now.
Lo Jack is basically a silent alarm system that has 2 parts. The first part is in the car and when it is triggered, it sends out a radio-frequency signal that is continuous. The second part is in specially equiped police cars. You will know if the police car has Lo Jack by the antenna structure on the roof of the police car. It looks like 4 or 8 separate 12 inch antennas configured in a circle with a diameter of a bicycle tire. This allows the police car to 'track' the Lo Jack signal on a display within the police car . The display shows signal strength and direction, such that the police car can drive toward the signal and see the strength increase as the police car approaches. I believe the display may also show the plate number and/or make and model of car, but I am not sure.
As far as I know, Lo Jack is NOT a gps based system, i.e., the antenna configuration above. But that was several years ago. It seems to me a gps based system would be the better technology now.
#17
Banned
Thread Starter
And the only way it can be triggered is when you yourself report your car stolen, which can be some amount of elapsed time between the theft and your noticing the theft -- a major drawback to the system.
By the way, for those of you outside the US it may not be available where you live, and therefore you may not have known about it.
It's basically touted as a "theft recovery system". And as quite a few here have indicated, they're not interested in recovery a stolen car that has probably been defiled in some way.
By the way, for those of you outside the US it may not be available where you live, and therefore you may not have known about it.
It's basically touted as a "theft recovery system". And as quite a few here have indicated, they're not interested in recovery a stolen car that has probably been defiled in some way.
#18
A local Mercedes dealer had a car stolen off their lot. It was tracked using GPS. Vehicle tracking is a service provided for by MBs equivalent of the "on-star" system known as "Tele Aid".
#19
Newbies Hospitality Director
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Posts: 18,084
Likes: 0
Received 34 Likes
on
33 Posts
Originally Posted by Adrian Fuller
OK so whats Lo Jack ??
#21
Mr. Excitement
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by munro86
If pros take it and assuming they wouldn't thrash the hell out of it, I think its a good idea.
Something else to think about. You don't have much of a choice of "wanting it back" or not. If the car is found and not totaled you GET it back regardless unless you want to walk away from it and take a $ loss.
Lojack might get the car back before it is trashed other than having a thug changing your drivers seat presets. It also helps catch the little ****** and just might prevent the theft of the next 911 on his list.
The dealer I work at installs them on all the new P cars. You only pay for it if you want it to work.
#22
Instructor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Tenterden, The Garden of England, UK
Posts: 109
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by 1080iAddict
OK. Here is how Lo Jack works, as far as I know:
Lo Jack is basically a silent alarm system that has 2 parts. The first part is in the car and when it is triggered, it sends out a radio-frequency signal that is continuous. The second part is in specially equiped police cars. You will know if the police car has Lo Jack by the antenna structure on the roof of the police car. It looks like 4 or 8 separate 12 inch antennas configured in a circle with a diameter of a bicycle tire. This allows the police car to 'track' the Lo Jack signal on a display within the police car . The display shows signal strength and direction, such that the police car can drive toward the signal and see the strength increase as the police car approaches. I believe the display may also show the plate number and/or make and model of car, but I am not sure.
As far as I know, Lo Jack is NOT a gps based system, i.e., the antenna configuration above. But that was several years ago. It seems to me a gps based system would be the better technology now.
Lo Jack is basically a silent alarm system that has 2 parts. The first part is in the car and when it is triggered, it sends out a radio-frequency signal that is continuous. The second part is in specially equiped police cars. You will know if the police car has Lo Jack by the antenna structure on the roof of the police car. It looks like 4 or 8 separate 12 inch antennas configured in a circle with a diameter of a bicycle tire. This allows the police car to 'track' the Lo Jack signal on a display within the police car . The display shows signal strength and direction, such that the police car can drive toward the signal and see the strength increase as the police car approaches. I believe the display may also show the plate number and/or make and model of car, but I am not sure.
As far as I know, Lo Jack is NOT a gps based system, i.e., the antenna configuration above. But that was several years ago. It seems to me a gps based system would be the better technology now.
The first level is where if the car is moved without the transpoder key being used the tracker staff phone you to advise you the car has moved. - You still have to verify it is stolen but they do alert you to the potential theft.
The second enhancement combines GPS so that once reported stolen the tracker staff can log and report the car's exact location to the police.
#23
Banned
Thread Starter
In Canada, they have a theft recovery/tracking system called Boomerang, which works like LoJack, and was aquired by LoJack last fall. LoJack and Boomerang also make the following respective claims:
GPS systems require line-of-sight access to the orbiting GPS satellite system in order to track a missing vehicle. GPS systems can't penetrate forest cover, parking garages, or other obstructions. By contrast, LoJack uses a special FCC-allocated radio frequency that can penetrate many obstructions. GPS systems also require an external antenna that can be seen and easily broken off by potential thieves. LoJack is the only system used by police to track stolen vehicles.
Unlike GPS and GPS/Cellular systems, the Boomerang device's signal can successfully track stolen vehicles located in underground parking lots and shipping containers.
That's definitely something to think about. I don't think there are insurance riders you can buy that will replace your vehicle with a new one should yours get stolen regardless of whether or not it is recovered.
Here's something else to think about. If LoJack is becoming so prevalent in hi-end cars, and there are no external identifiers on cars so equipped, thieves will have to assume that a hi-end car has it installed, and just walk away.
Reminds me of that placard I've seen on homes that reads something like this: "This home is protected by Smith & Wesson five nights out of the week. You guess which night it's not."
GPS systems require line-of-sight access to the orbiting GPS satellite system in order to track a missing vehicle. GPS systems can't penetrate forest cover, parking garages, or other obstructions. By contrast, LoJack uses a special FCC-allocated radio frequency that can penetrate many obstructions. GPS systems also require an external antenna that can be seen and easily broken off by potential thieves. LoJack is the only system used by police to track stolen vehicles.
Unlike GPS and GPS/Cellular systems, the Boomerang device's signal can successfully track stolen vehicles located in underground parking lots and shipping containers.
Originally Posted by kurt M
... Something else to think about. You don't have much of a choice of "wanting it back" or not. If the car is found and not totaled you GET it back regardless unless you want to walk away from it and take a $ loss.
Here's something else to think about. If LoJack is becoming so prevalent in hi-end cars, and there are no external identifiers on cars so equipped, thieves will have to assume that a hi-end car has it installed, and just walk away.
Reminds me of that placard I've seen on homes that reads something like this: "This home is protected by Smith & Wesson five nights out of the week. You guess which night it's not."
#24
Originally Posted by boolala
A local Mercedes dealer had a car stolen off their lot. It was tracked using GPS. Vehicle tracking is a service provided for by MBs equivalent of the "on-star" system known as "Tele Aid".
#27
Banned
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by boolala
I would rater have something that doesn't work (or can be defeated) like GPS rather than Lojack.
#28
Originally Posted by OCBen
Why would you pay for something that doesn't work or can be defeated, like GPS? That makes no sense at all.
Just a little sarcasm.
Of course GPS does more than locate your car when its been stolen. It also guides you to your destination when you're lost!
That's the reason I would get it.
#29
Banned
Thread Starter
Oh, sorry. Guess it went over my head. It was a little late last night and my brain tends to shut down before my fingers do.
Well, from my understanding (and from the above quoted spiels from Boomerang and LoJack) GPS won't help you if your car is in a parking structure or underground, that it needs a direct line-of-sight contact with the GPS satellite. Are you referring to the GPS enabled NAV unit? Don't know if that will help you locate your car unless you have some ancillary equipment for that purpose.
Well, from my understanding (and from the above quoted spiels from Boomerang and LoJack) GPS won't help you if your car is in a parking structure or underground, that it needs a direct line-of-sight contact with the GPS satellite. Are you referring to the GPS enabled NAV unit? Don't know if that will help you locate your car unless you have some ancillary equipment for that purpose.
#30
Originally Posted by OCBen
Oh, sorry. Guess it went over my head. It was a little late last night and my brain tends to shut down before my fingers do.
Well, from my understanding (and from the above quoted spiels from Boomerang and LoJack) GPS won't help you if your car is in a parking structure or underground, that it needs a direct line-of-sight contact with the GPS satellite. Are you referring to the GPS enabled NAV unit? Don't know if that will help you locate your car unless you have some ancillary equipment for that purpose.
Well, from my understanding (and from the above quoted spiels from Boomerang and LoJack) GPS won't help you if your car is in a parking structure or underground, that it needs a direct line-of-sight contact with the GPS satellite. Are you referring to the GPS enabled NAV unit? Don't know if that will help you locate your car unless you have some ancillary equipment for that purpose.
As far as locating a stolen vehicle is conerned the signal (position) is transmitted using the cellular network to a response center. It does not depend on the GPS signal being available. I don't know how well this works in practice in areas of poor GPS coverage as that would depend upon the accuracy of the dead reakoning algorithm.