Recommend absolute entry level cheapest possible satellite tracking device please

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jxharding

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I only know of Tracker (@R169 pm)
and Netstar (can't get a straight price off the website)

has anyone had any good/bad experiences with these companies?
are there other reputable companies who offer this service?

thanks
 
There are a few threads about this including my own.

Never-the-less I'll save you the 30 seconds of searching the forum and tell you that all come to the same conclusion; Tracetec.

I've used them until this month (no longer a requirement from my new insurer) R79/month, no hassles.

Filling in the form and fitment took about half an hour in total - they 'hide' the unit somewhere in your car and you forget about it after that.
 
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I prefer cartrack quick (109pm)
you get R 150,000 if they dont get your car back ;D
they got between 94% and 97% recovery rate.

You dont want small companies trying to get your car back.

Very resource intensive and costly.
 
thanks, looking at tracetec.
I honestly dont worry about the car - just the passengers. So if the pawpaw hits the fan and the car is hijacked with them in it - the police and some tracetec staff members go look for the vehicle?
Would TraceTec be a good option here or would a different provider (at higher cost) be better ? I was scared of paying for options I won't use, but it comes down to safety yes and I realize I'm gonna have to fork out a bit more perhaps (but if TraceTec does the job at this awesome price -wow)

Man this guy went through hell
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Hijacked-Durban-man-found-after-3-days-20121012
 
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There is Beam-Me to (beame.com). I think they owned by matrix tracking. They have had some decent reviews.

I got mine free with 4 conti tyres from twt and free 6 months subs. Honestly though I tried to phone them one day (just some questions about their site and customer portal if any) and I got a 'the number you have dialled does not exist'. It worked later that day but I was disappointed. Put it in writing to them the next day and asked what I needed to. Didn't even get a response. The mere fact that it could have been tragic makes me think after 6 months /me is also looking for a new tracking co.
 
Just a word of warning - if you really are concerned about being hijacked PLUS the people in the car, then the silliest thing you can do is go for the cheapest system.

There is a very good reason why it's the cheapest system, and probably going to be the easiest to bypass by the hijackers.

IF you are worried about the people in he car, the the bare minimum you should want is the one with a panic button, and that is NOT the the cheapest.
 
@fazda, agreed, i realise that now. going to look at the more expensive options thoroughly. I'm scared of using someone who doesn't have their own team and just use SAPS - its a risk to assume that the call centre will answer speedily at all time.
There was an article in a local newspaper's magazine today regarding Tracker and how they got cars back - these guys are serious. Thanks for the heads up re beam-me - exactly info needed to filter the good from the bad
 
Fazda said:
Just a word of warning - if you really are concerned about being hijacked PLUS the people in the car, then the silliest thing you can do is go for the cheapest system.

There is a very good reason why it's the cheapest system, and probably going to be the easiest to bypass by the hijackers.

IF you are worried about the people in he car, the the bare minimum you should want is the one with a panic button, and that is NOT the the cheapest.
Click to expand...

The Tracetec unit is about the size of a credit card and runs off a battery so no need to wire it into the car's electronics so it can be hidden anywhere in the car. It is a passive system though so you need to know the car is gone and report it as it won't trigger when the car is stolen etc.

Honestly I don't want my car back after it's been stolen, I've seen what they do to cars. My mate just got his car back from the shop after they attempted to steal it, R27k in damage caused, lovely.

So I pay Tracetec R79/m and score a good R90/m on my insurance :D
 
thanks @grim


So if one's sole objective is safety of family, would it then be wise to look at units with a GPS as opposed to the one with just a transmitter (where you are dependant on the availability of supplier beacons - e.g. if the hijackers go to some far out place where there is no beacon / beacon is broken then you still have problems)

http://www.tracetec.net/faqs.php
 
jxharding said:
thanks @grim


So if one's sole objective is safety of family, would it then be wise to look at units with a GPS as opposed to the one with just a transmitter (where you are dependant on the availability of supplier beacons - e.g. if the hijackers go to some far out place where there is no beacon / beacon is broken then you still have problems)

http://www.tracetec.net/faqs.php
Click to expand...

Even the GPS units have flaws, underground car parks are a favourite hiding place for stolen vehicles as the GPS cannot pickup signal, but yes if family safety is your concern you'll be better off with a unit that has a panic button and GPS.
 
Fazda said:
Just a word of warning - if you really are concerned about being hijacked PLUS the people in the car, then the silliest thing you can do is go for the cheapest system.

There is a very good reason why it's the cheapest system, and probably going to be the easiest to bypass by the hijackers.

IF you are worried about the people in he car, the the bare minimum you should want is the one with a panic button, and that is NOT the the cheapest.
Click to expand...

This is the right advice. If you only require a tracking system as it is required by your insurance, go get Tracetec or whatever cheapest "call in" option from where ever. If you want that added security of early warnings, battery tamper, ignition tamper, panic buttons, battery backup, accident alert, online tracking etc, then you must fork out a little more. I honestly couldn't care about the vehicle, it's insured for a reason, it's the safety of my family in the event of hijacking/abduction that concerns me.
 
Gamer said:
This is the right advice. If you only require a tracking system as it is required by your insurance, go get Tracetec or whatever cheapest "call in" option from where ever. If you want that added security of early warnings, battery tamper, ignition tamper, panic buttons, battery backup, accident alert, online tracking etc, then you must fork out a little more. I honestly couldn't care about the vehicle, it's insured for a reason, it's the safety of my family in the event of hijacking/abduction that concerns me.
Click to expand...

Agreed wholeheartedly. seems tracker/netstar are the only options then
 
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