LoJack schmojack . You do n’t need some spendy radio transponder to keep tabs onthat raw Escalade . Uplinking your rack to the great centre in the sky without breaking the camber is easier than you call up .
Standalone GPS and radio set triangulation units cancost hundreds . And that ’s not counting the installation and ( often sizeable ) energizing and monthly fees associated with whatever service you do choose . For most of us , it ’s overkill . The skilful news is that if you materialise to have a GPS - equipped earphone lying around , you may set up your own vehicle trailing system for virtually nothing . Here ’s how it ’s done :
BURNER PHONE + FREE MAPPING = INSTANT TRACKING
What You ’ll Need
• A pre - devote telephone set with a data program
• AnInstaMapperaccount
• Access to , duh , the Web .
What It Costs
• About $ 30 for the earpiece anda little over $ 10 a calendar month , depending on the cellular plan .
Optional Equipment
•12V auto adaptor ( to keep your makeshift Global Positioning System social unit juiced ) .
Here’s How to Do It:
GET A PHONE
• If you already have an former handset ( verify it has GPS ) , hop straight off to software installation bit .
• If you do n’t , head over toBoost Mobileand buy one . Do n’t worry , they ’re cheap . We recommend theMotorola i290 — at $ 30 , it ’s the cheap burner you may get . ( Other crummy iDEN phones are also available at Best Buy and Target . )
place IT UP
• disregardless of which speech sound you take , ensure you sour on its Internet access ( this is not a smartphone , and you have to manually spark that in the preferences ) . Otherwise your telephone set wo n’t be able to air data point .
• Tweak the preferences . presumptively , you ’re only go to expend this for vehicle tracking , so you ’ll require to set the ringer volume to 0 and mute the computer keyboard . No point in alerting stealer to the fact they ’re being tracked , right ?
• Next whole step is choosing a trailing / single-valued function table service . There ’s no shortage , but we likeInstaMapperbecause it ’s free , you could install it over the line ( downloadthis putz , and then grab this.zip file ) , and it ’s easy to use . AccuTrackingis another alternative , but it ’ll cost you about $ 6 / month .
• set in motion that high-risk son . On the i290 , it ’ll be located under “ Java Apps ” and called “ GPS Tracker . ” ( depend for the satellite icon ) . Now enter the machine i 500 you got from your InstaMapper history and fall into place “ save ” . The phone will ask for your permission to enter the GPS crisp . ( Select “ yes . ” ) When the condition subject matter changes from “ Locating … ” to “ Tracking … ” you ’re up and running . You should see the location of your headphone on InstaMapper ’s website .
STASH IT
• The last step is the trickiest . For real 24/7 tracking , you ’ll need to hardwire the phone to your car ’s stamp battery . This means getting intimate with the electric arrangement . If you ’re not well-off doing that , ask someone who is … like a professional installer . If you are … proceed .
• You ’ll first want to plunk up a Motorola car charger , like the Syn1630 . Next , tie in it to railway car ’s wiring with a 12V Accessory Outlet . The put-on here is find a 12V circuit in your automobile that ’s NOT always on — if you connect it to something that does n’t shut off when you power down your drive , you could drain the battery when the car is parked for a long meter . We recommend the light in the glovebox — consult the wiring scheme for your railroad car or ask your mechanic .
• Voila , the adapter will power on your phone automatically whenever you ( or a stealer ) begin the car .
• Finally , you ’ll want to hide your little tracking gadget . Since you telegraph the matter into your glovebox , you might want to stash the phone in there . Nowvisit the InstaMapper siteand cut across to your warmness delight .
See ? It ’s not that hard . And now that you ’ve saved as much as a grand by not leap for that Lo - Jack , go ahead and use the extra immediate payment for something truly worthwhile , like , say , some courteous 20 - inch spinners .
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