SMS007 GPS TRACKER (With shock alarm)

I thought some members may be interested in my product review of a GPS Tracker. My van is parked in a yard a few doors from my house, so I wanted to know straight away if someone was interfering with the van, hence my purchase of this item. The chances of the van being stolen are fairly low, but its not unheard of, a break-in is a more realistic possibility. This product covers both those eventualities.

The tracker is from a British company called www.absolute-tracking.com based near Luton. They had a deal on ebay, offering a GPS tracking unit(Model SMS007) for £119. Its a self monitoring device, that has the ability to send an SMS message to your mobile phone if any movement on your vehicle is detected. You then log onto their server and track it via GPS. Access to the server is free for the first year, then £24.99 per annum there after. The device is factory fitted with a Lebara PAYG simcard, this costs 5p per text and works abroad(you can request other gsm providers if you wish). The only other cost is for your Poll credits. The company provide 35 polls at the point of purchase(theses are commands to the device to ask where it is). The device is just smaller than a credit card, its waterproof and has 4 magnets fitted for attaching to the vehicle body. Its powered by a lithium battery. In comparison to the major providers of call centre monitored trackers, the costs for this device offers huge savings.



The company claims that the device has a battery standby time of 15 days when set to “Setshock3″ mode. This means the unit is effectively asleep, drawing minimal power and will only fire up when the vehicle moves. My thinking was I could recharge every 7 days. This way I can conceal it away from the obvious power sources, I would also have enough power to track it.

You send commands to the device using SMS from your mobile phone. The tracking unit then sends you a reply SMS telling you that it's complied with your instruction. It also includes the battery power percentage in every message. You track the device using your PC/laptop/3g Phone. You can track as long as the battery lasts. GPS tracking is free.

I received the device by Royal Mail, some 20hrs after ordering. I did have a problem with the charging unit, so I phoned the company who promptly offered a replacement by post. Customer service at this stage seems ok

The set up procedure is fairly straight forward. The user interface and mapping appears to be clear and simple. I charged the device for 4hrs(mains/12v or laptop).

Then after setting it up, I popped it into the car. The "other half" then drove to Sainsburys, about 3 mile away. I clicked “Poll” and got a fix at the supermarket. Whilst she was in the store stocking up on my coffee, I sent a command to the device setting it to ”Setshock3″ It responded with an sms stating: ”Set Shock & Move Alarm OK. Battery 100%.” When the other half got back into the vehicle and departed Sainsburys, I received an SMS stating “SHOCKALARM Battery 100%” This is the device basically telling me the vehicle has been moved. At this stage you can start tracking it if you wish.

I've now concealed the unit within the van. On a test with the unit sleeping, set to "Shock Alarm" I entered the van through the side door, picked up an item, then left closing the side door. I received the "Shock Alarm" sms message within 30 secs. The SMS interface is very good and easy to understand. I've set a particular ringtone on my phone for any SMS messages from the tracker, so they always receive my full attention.

Batteries: its been operating for 3 days and is at 70% full. Obviously every time I send a command to the unit it causes some power drain, so without the testing etc, it would give back a higher percentage reading. Overall i'm very happy with the unit, it gives me piece of mind and it works well. The UK supplier is responsive to its customers, so at the price I paid i'm happy. I think I will get an electrician to have a look and identify a live feed that would be possible to run it off.

Overall a good product, at a sensible price. If the van was parked on my drive I probably wouldn't need one. If however its parked elsewhere, or if you wild camp and leave the van unattended for long periods its a worth considering.