You can use a GPS tracker detector device to identify radio frequency signals emitted by tracking devices, all for a cost of around $240. That's the legitimate market price for consumers worried about being tracked. Thieves pay less. Costing less than $50, GPS bug detectors can detect 1.2G to 5.8G wireless hidden cameras, wifi cameras, spy cameras, surveillance devices, 2G, 3G, 4G mobile phone SIM cards, and real time GPS trackers for cars. The same technology protecting your privacy also strips your vehicle security naked.
As technology becomes more accessible, criminals may use smartphone apps designed to detect nearby GPS signals. These apps can identify the presence of GPS tracking devices and help thieves locate and disable them. Download an app. Walk around the car. Follow the signal strength indicator. Find the tracker. Remove it. Drive away. The entire process takes minutes.
The methods have evolved beyond simple detection. Placing an inexpensive, portable signal jammer inside a stolen vehicle is all it takes for a thief to disable a tracking signal. A thief might use a handheld digital RF detector to find a tracking device so he can remove it altogether. Even less tech savvy thieves know that if they hide a stolen vehicle in an underground garage or inside a steel shipping container, tracking signals go dark. The technology that makes GPS work, satellite signals penetrating to ground level, becomes its weakness the moment someone understands basic physics.
GPS bug detectors work by using radio frequency detection and analysis to identify signals that are being transmitted by GPS tracking systems. These detectors typically have a wide frequency range and can detect signals in the range of 10 MHz to 6 GHz. Professional trackers transmit on those frequencies. Professional thieves scan those frequencies. The only difference is intent.
Professional thieves know the car they're planning to steal along with the location of the car's computer that transmits the car's location, which often has a SIM that can be simply removed. Criminals may physically locate and tamper with the GPS tracking device. This can involve cutting wires, dismantling the device, or outright removing it from the equipment. They're not guessing. They know which makes and models use which systems, where manufacturers hide the hardware, and how long removal takes. Sophisticated criminals may use GPS signals spoofing devices to deceive the tracking system. These devices generate false GPS signals, providing inaccurate location information to the tracking system while the stolen equipment is moved undetected.
The detection equipment is everywhere. The answer is yes, and it comes in the form of GPS bug detecting app called Detectify. What this GPS bug detector app basically does is analyze Magnetic Field Radiations in any given area. Free apps on any smartphone. While smartphone apps aren't as effective as dedicated GPS detectors, they don't match the sensitivity levels of counter surveillance devices, but they're good enough for most trackers and they cost nothing.
So what can you actually do? The recommendations feel absurdly inadequate against the threat.
Concealing GPS trackers in locations that are difficult for thieves to access or discover is an effective countermeasure. Professional installation services can strategically place the devices, making them less susceptible to tampering. Hide it better. That's the advice. Meanwhile, thieves have RF detectors that sweep the entire vehicle in minutes. Hidden doesn't mean invisible to radio waves.
Ensure that your GPS tracking system uses encrypted communication protocols. Encryption adds an additional layer of security, making it more challenging for criminals to intercept and manipulate the signals. Encryption protects data integrity. It doesn't stop RF detectors from finding the device or jammers from blocking the signal.
Some advanced trackers can detect attempts to jam the GPS signal, a technique used by sophisticated thieves to prevent tracking. The tracker will then send an alert, allowing you to take action. The tracker alerts you that it's being jammed. The car is already gone. You get a notification that says we detected jamming before losing signal. Congratulations. You now know your car was stolen, which you probably noticed when the driveway was empty.
Consider a multi layered security approach that combines GPS tracking with other security technologies, such as video surveillance, immobilizers, and geofencing. This integrated approach strengthens overall security and increases the chances of asset recovery. Multiple systems mean multiple things for thieves to defeat, but also multiple things for you to maintain, monitor, and hope actually work when it matters.
The battery powered trackers promised to solve placement issues. Our fourth generation, battery powered Encore device enables quick and cost effective scaling of your anti theft, vehicle tracking strategy. This affordable option allows you to hide the GPS, so thieves don't even know it's there. Weighing in at two ounces, it's compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand, making it easy to hide. Small, wireless, easily hidden. Also easily detected by any RF scanner and removed the moment it's found.
Determined thieves may employ sophisticated methods to disable or circumvent the tracker. However, Thatcham certification ensures that the tracker has met certain industry standards and is generally considered to be a reliable and effective theft deterrent. Certification means it passed tests. It doesn't mean thieves can't defeat it. Standards lag behind criminal innovation by definition.
Many people rely on car alarms, steering locks, and immobilizers, but thieves have found ways to bypass these. A car alarm might make a noise, but if no one reacts, the thief can still drive away. Steering locks can be cut, and immobilizers can be hacked. This is why GPS tracking is now a must have for vehicle security. GPS tracking became essential because old security failed. Now GPS tracking is failing for the same reason. Thieves adapt faster than security improves.
The irony is brutal. Next gen tracking devices send very short, low power radio signals on random frequencies over Sigfox's global IoT network. Thieves can't use jamming devices to disable the signal, and they won't be able to find a device using an RF detector. New technology promises to solve the problems created by old technology being defeated. Until thieves figure out how to defeat the new technology, at which point newer technology will promise to solve those problems.
Advanced auto theft tracking devices are designed with tamper detection and alert features. Many stolen vehicle GPS trackers also include backup power, making it harder for thieves to deactivate the system. Harder. Not impossible. The distinction matters when your car vanishes anyway.
Establish a routine for inspecting and maintaining your GPS tracking devices. Regular checks can help identify any signs of tampering or attempts to disable the tracking system promptly. Check your tracker regularly to make sure thieves haven't already found and disabled it. That's where we are. Hoping the security device you installed to prevent theft hasn't already been neutralized by the people planning to steal your car.
The realistic assessment is simple. GPS trackers increase recovery odds if thieves are disorganized or rushed. Professional theft rings defeat them systematically. The devices costing £50 to £200 that owners install for security cost thieves £50 to detect and seconds to remove. The arms race continues. Technology improves. Criminals adapt. And your car sits in the driveway hoping the thieves who eventually come for it are amateurs rather than professionals. That's modern vehicle security. Hope the criminal is incompetent, because if they're not, your expensive security measures are just obstacles they'll bypass on their way to stealing what they came for.