6 questions to ask when choosing a motorhome tracking device

The range of trackers available to motorhome owners has grown immensely the lt couple of years, but the difference the of the range models and the basic systems are vast, and when it comes to recovering motorhome worth tens of thousands of pounds it’s worth investing little bit money to get that effectively.

Some of the key to look for when looking for motorhome tracking device are:

1. Is it Proactive?
Proactive devices will alert you and/or your tracking device company as soon as your motorhome is disturbed by thieves, so you can inform the police and get the quickest pe recovery be the thieves do any damage. Other, non-proactive, devices rely on you noticing your motorhome has been stolen and informing the tracking company yourself, which can prove difficult if your motorhome is in storage ay from your home. These devices are not recognised by motorhome insurance companies, so check you buy.

2. Is it monitored 24 hours day?
There’s no proactive device if there’s no to monitor it! It is vital that the device you choose comes with the backup of 24 hour monitoring centre in the UK at least. Some devices don’t have monitoring centre, instead these devices will simply feed location co-ordinates to your mobile phone or laptop leaving you to liaise with the police to co-ordinate recovery – the lt you to do, in what is an extremely stressful situation. Depending on the coverage, some devices will en have European monitoring centres in addition to their UK monitoring centre so recoveries can be co-ordinated abroad.

3. Is it approved?
Tracking devices that have been certified as Thatcham TQA for caravans & motorhomes (‘leisure vehicles’) and Sold Secure are gy regarded as the most reliable and trustworthy in the industry, there is no accreditation which is seen as motorhome industry standard. If you to me Thatcham and Sold Secure have lot of information on their websites (www.thatcham.org and www.soldsecure.com) regarding how they test the effectiveness of these devices. Your insurance company may require that your tracking device is approved by of these organisations.

4. Does it cover Europe?
If you your motorhome to Europe, you should check that the tracking device you choose will be operational in the countries you plan to visit. The level of EU cover may vary tracking device companies. Some will simply be able to tell you the location of your motorhome when it is stolen abroad, other devices will provide fl European monitoring and recovery with locally accredited monitoring centres to co-ordinate police response on your behalf you to leave the country!

5. Will it alert you to low battery?
If your motorhome is not ud for lg periods, your tracking device could run the battery and eventually lose power altogether, rendering your tracking device useless. advanced devices will alert you or the monitoring centre if the battery power is running low. This should ge you chance to arrange for new battery to be fitted so that your device remains operational. From an insurance of view – it is vital that your tracker remains operational so as not to void your motorhome insurance policy.

6. What technology does it use?
Tracking devices utilise main types of technology and have their advantages and disadvantages. GPS (Global Position System) devices, which the most common, use satellites to locate stolen vehicle to 20 feet. VHF devices use radio wave technology. These tend to be little accurate in locating stolen vehicle and often require the police or ‘finders team’ to finish the job of locating stolen vehicle defined area. However, VHF does have the advantage that it can emit signal metal containers and when underground (such as in underground car parks), GPS devices which use satellites nd ‘line of sight’ so may not be able to ge location in te situations. GPS device manufacturer would argue that their device will track stolen vehicle right to the pt of underground or into metal container and obviously as soon as it comes again!

It pays to do some research you buy motorhome tracking device as they can be costly. However, you’ll probably that your motorhome insurance company will reward you with substantial discount off your premium, should you choose to fit tracking device, meaning it could pay for if term. Not to mention the peace of mind it will you.