mjones

For a non-commercial installation, there are absolutely no satellites involved.

nick van exel

so glocks and ninja swords it is! haha

mjones

I think that the biggest reason that the personal car version of lojack doesn't use GPS satellites is timing. Lojack has been around a long time and preexists common usage of both cellphones and private GPS use and navigation systems.

The type of system that you've described is essentially how OnStar works. The car itself always knows where it is, if you push the OnStar button or the alarm is activated, a hidden cellphone makes a call to the OnStar service center and reports its location. It can also work in reverse; the OnStar center can 'call' your car and ask it where its located. But, that's also why its ALOT more expensive and requires a monthly/yearly service charge.

LoJack is oldschool. When you report your car as stolen you need to give them either your license plate number or your VIN number which makes its way into the NCIC database fairly quickly. That database shares the VIN numbers with a LoJack database. The LoJack database then compares the VIN number with a list of installed vehicles. If there is a match, LoJack sends out an activation code over the pager network. Hidden in your car is a pager receiver which when it receives the proper activation code enables a hidden low power transmitter in your car. (Note: both the pager and transmitter are battery operated incase of powerfailure in the car.)

When a LoJack receiver equipped police car gets close enough to your vehicle a light comes on to alert the officer that there is an active LoJack transmitter nearby. It also gives him an estimate of what direction it might be in by lighting one or more of the lights in a compass pattern on his LoJack receiver. If the officer drives in the direction that the reciever tells him, he might get close enough to receive a full lock on the signal from the stolen car. If the officer gets a full lock, the ID of the stolen vehicle will appear on his display. That ID can be crossreference with LoJack to find out the full description of the vehicle; such as 2002 White Subaru Imprezza WRX Wagon. Now the officer knows what type of vehicle to look for.

In order for the officer to get close enough to actually find the car, he'll usually enlist the help of 1 or 2 more LoJack receiver equpped patrol cars. If the stolen car isn't moving, its fairly easy for them to zero in. One car will drive down a major street until he gets an indication that the stolen car is to either his right or to his left. Then he'll stay put and have a second officer meet with him and go off in that direction. The second officer will then find a spot where his receiver indicates that it is either to his left or to his right. The two officers can then play leapfrog until they find the car.

This becomes very difficult if the stolen car is moving. It is also very difficult in areas of dense large building...especially metal ones. Large buildings or densely built-up areas cause the transmitted signal from the stolen car to 'bounce around' Quite often, the 'bounced' signal is stronger then the real signal, and the cops get led off in the wrong direction for a short period of time.

I've seen lojack 'chases' take several hours to complete, and it can takeup alot of manpower.

Sorry for such a longwinded post, just trying to share some knowledge. I'm not too much of a gearhead and i-club has been a big help to me. But, I am a pretty damn good techie and maybe its an area that I can help give back to i-club.

Mike

jriggs

NICE.......i personally use a springfield 1911-A1 .45 with 185gr. +P hollowpoints! if 8 inches of greenish blue flame doesn't do the trick.... there's an M4 in the safe with a few full magazines that'll convince most thieves to leave for good

later, riggs

impreza7

Good call.

My friend who drives a Volkswagon 1.8T with a turbo timer got highjacked a few months ago. He was smooth enough to pull his keys out of the ignition while he put his hands up. The thief got into the car, and didn't know anything was wrong cause the car was still running!!

Anyway, exactly 1 minute later the turbo timer shut the car off, locked all of the doors, and the cops caught the guy trapped inside about a mile down the road!! He tried to break the window to escape, but got cut to S%#T trying on the broken glass!! There's some security!!

Screecha

I am glad I live in Canada, all I have is an Alpine 150-R alarm, keeps the squirells, moose, and deer away, and makes me feel secure when the car is parked and I am sleeping in my Igloo!

JJL330

just basic alarm and club. i dont' feel too safe because they can just cut part of the steering wheel or whatever. hoping to find something better.