Which vehicle tracking system is best for you?

Technology Tuesday: Vehicle Tracking, what is the best option for you?

I’ve heard many people say they don’t want to install a vehicle tracking unit in their vehicle because if their car gets stolen, they don’t want it back. This is understandable because the feeling of violation that is felt after your car gets stolen is one people shouldn’t have to go through. That being said, a vehicle tracking system – in crime riddled South Africa is a very useful thing to have in your car, for a few reasons. The obvious one being that if they steal your car, it can be recovered. The second one being that through the process of your car getting recovered, the police can expose car theft syndicates and arrest bad people. Another big reason why people are getting vehicle tracking units installed, is because having one fitted into your car lowers your insurance premium (slightly). Most people who have had a tracker fitted in their car, were probably sold one when they bought the car at the dealership.

The question is, if you’re going to get a vehicle tracking system fitted, which one is the best for you? The reason for this question is because the vehicle tracking business is a very big one, with various options available. Your sales person will rattle off names like “Retrieve”, “Alert” and all other complicated jargon. So today we want to make things slightly easier. The two main systems that we feel should be of importance to you are these: “Dormant” versus “Active” systems. Generally you have entry level vehicle tracking systems that lie dormant in the car until activated when an emergency happens. For instance, if your car gets stolen overnight whilst you’re sleeping, only when you wake up and realise that your car is gone will you then phone the tracking company to begin the process. Whereas an active system is basically “awake” all the time, with signals that tell the tracking company if there is unauthorised entry into the car. Personally we feel that the latter system is the better one to choose because if you only realise that your car is stolen after an 8 hour sleep, it can be too late.

There are other more sophisticated tracker’s nowadays, system that allow for you to have an app that gives you a live location for your car. These systems are very nifty as they can pinpoint various details such as vehicle speed and the tracking company will even alert you when you enter into an unsafe area. You as the consumer have many options to choose from when it comes to vehicle tracking. So next time when your sales person is talking the usual jargon, ask him or her if it’s a dormant or active system and choose the one that is best for you. Happy Tech Tuesday Motorists.

*Image courtesy of : http://www.pictures.dealer.com