I have learned that a tracker is basically useless...

[JQJQ]

I had my RollerTeam 746 stolen yesterday. From the momentthe alarm went off, to the vehicle been driven off was less than 60 seconds.

The vehicle was fitted with a Phantom Sentinel Tracker. I was alerted by text message instantly the alarm sounded, but by the time I got to the door the van had vanished.

The most frustrating thing then was that there was no location update from the tracker for 2 mins or so, then just a single ping to show the vehicle a mile away, then nothing for 20 minutes. The location shown at this time turned out to be literally just the black box, no vehicle attached. The police advised that it's trivial to jam them these days but I'm still baffled by the speed of this, the theives ability to locate the tracker so quickly (they cut the power to it within 4 mins of the theft, but it has a backup battery) and just chuck it out the window.

Anyone here have any knowledge of this stuff?

 

[funflair]

Quick work for sure, can I assume that you didn't have the driver recognition tag and immobiliser?

 

[PaulC70]

I had my RollerTeam 746 stolen yesterday. From the momentthe alarm went off, to the vehicle been driven off was less than 60 seconds.

Damn! I have to admit i don't have a tracker but think it'd take a lot longer than a minute to break in and steal mine with the Growler, the clutch claw, the stoplock, the swivel seat lock and the obd lock.

 

[ctc]

Anti theft devices are there to improve the education of criminals and for insurers to insist on. The vehicles still get stolen, before the super tracking and immobiliser systems we just removed the distributor cap.

 

[Swifter]

Roller Team Transit base vehicle ? sounds like some kind of tracker jammer was used .

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[JQJQ]

Roller Team Transit base vehicle ? sounds like some kind of tracker jammer was used .

Ducato base. Pal of mine was just showing me this https://shop.carlabimmo.com/fiat-bypass which is something I didn;t know existed before. The Police were telling me about GPS jammers, they reckoned you can get them for £20 off eBay.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Commiserations, have a drive along the probable route to see if you can spot it
For the tracker they probably knew where it was before they stole the vehicle and just dismantled on the way and threw it out the window.
Probably better to have 2 trackers or a dummy one that's easily located.
Put some photos up on here with van details.

 

[Northernraider]

Who fitted the alarm and tracker?

 

[Nanniemate]

So bloody annoying the thieving gits

 

[eddie]

Sadly many many alarm systems are simply plugged into the ODBP to save fitting time and money, linking the alarm to the central locking rather than provide two dedicated alarm key fobs

Apart from the fact that it is stupidly easy to unplug it also means that the alarm installation isn't Thatcham compliant so could have insurance complications

"Some" business's that offer a nationwide fitting service have two standards of installation, the one's they do, all properly soldered and installed and a "plug in system" sold to dealers and mobile installers (who are their customers, not you) on the basis of "how quick and simple it is to install" rather than how good it is for the user (you)

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[JQJQ]

Who fitted the alarm and tracker?

Phantom, they're now called Moving Intelligence.

 

[JQJQ]

Sadly many many alarm systems are simply plugged into the ODBP to save fitting time and money, linking the alarm to the central locking rather than provide two dedicated alarm key fobs

Apart from the fact that it is stupidly easy to unplug it also means that the alarm installation isn't Thatcham compliant so could have insurance complications

"Some" business's that offer a nationwide fitting service have two standards of installation, the one's they do, all properly soldered and installed and a "plug in system" sold to dealers and mobile installers (who are their customers, not you) on the basis of "how quick and simple it is to install" rather than how good it is for the user (you)

This is really interesting. I know pretty much zero about how mine was set up. I know that I had wireless sensors on the hab and garage doors, there was a physical wired switch under the bonnet for sensing if it was opened (that one was actually broken) and it was integrated into the Fiat alarm system, but beyond that, I've no idea. I have no clue where the black box for the tracker was and I've certainly never come across it in the two years I've had the van.
I found it especailly weird that it had a Phantom Sentinel logo sticker on it when we found it on the ground.

 

[Steve N Tracy]

When I did the Thatcham installation course many many years ago we were told if possible to never mirror a installation to make it more difficult for a thief to find the units and immobiliser cuts unfortunately some manufactures and installers always fit them in the same place making them easier to circumnavigate.

 

[Phill D]

I feel for you. What was the base vehicle please, fiat or ford?

 

[JQJQ]

I feel for you. What was the base vehicle please, fiat or ford?

Ducato

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[bobnick]

Useless or not unfortunately insurance company's insist on them.

 

[Guigsy]

My van came with a tracker. The service looked poor, so I decided to get a different one. With no prior knowledge, it took me 5 mins to remove the box. Just followed the wire from the flashing led.

I'm not sure where my VanBitz installed one is... Not looked.

 

[rolosroller]

Roller Team Transit base vehicle ? sounds like some kind of tracker jammer was used .

Not all roller team are Transit base

 

[Stealaway]

Ducato

Have you any idea how they managed to drive it away so quickly.
I imagine the keys were in your house.

 

[Brains]

Have you any idea how they managed to drive it away so quickly.
I imagine the keys were in your house.

In this case obviously professional vehicle thieves, as it was gone in 60 seconds and tracker removed within 4 mins.
Keys are not an item they require to access and drive off a vehicle.

Odd that they dumped the tracker in the road, you would think they might try to dump it on something moving, like a bus or a train, or at least put it somewhere inaccessible like up a tree or down a drain.

I have a VanBitz supplied tracker, but thinking maybe I should reactivate the tracker the van came with, working on the assumption they will find the easier one first.

It also goes to show that a physical deterrent such as an Engine blocker, clutch claw, steering bar lock, a bollard, a drivers seat padlocked back to front, a mislabelled starter battery cut out switch, and other similar ideas are worth doing at it will delay even the professionals by at least another 60 seconds, if not more.

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[Coastal Cruiser.]

Have the MetaTrak system on mine fitted by Vanbitz and when Mrs CC forgets to tell me to put it in travel mode on the tunnel I receive a phone call within 30 seconds of the train moving and my van being on it with the engine switched off.

Have had 3 diggers stolen over the years with Trackers on and not one been found so it seems all Trackers are not equal!!

 

[PaulC70]

Have the MetaTrak system on mine fitted by Vanbitz and when Mrs CC forgets to tell me to put it in travel mode on the tunnel I receive a phone call within 30 seconds of the train moving and my van being on it with the engine switched off.

Have had 3 diggers stolen over the years with Trackers on and not one been found so it seems all Trackers are not equal!!

eddievanbitz hmmmmm, gap in the market?

 

[bobnick]

I like the Phantom trick? that if/when i set the alarm off accidentally within seconds they are in touch advising if this is an accidental setting off enter your chosen PIN to clear. If no pin is put in they call to ask.
Don't want to test the tracker but i can look on my phone app to see where the truck is.

 

[Gromett]

I imagine the keys were in your house.

Keys really are an optional extra these days.

Most locks are trivial to pick and those that aren't only require practice.

I got a lock picking set off ebay and was able to pick all the padlocks within seconds that I had access to even the ones with security pins and marked high security. I gave Wissel a brief demonstration and Claira and Paul both ended up buying lock picking sets. It is fun.

Watching the Lock Picking Lawyer will make you realise how poor most locks actually are.

Ford Transit Tibbe Key and why you shouldn't buy cheap locks.



Ford Explorer ST


BMW

 

[Stealaway]

Keys really are an optional extra these days.

Most locks are trivial to pick and those that aren't only require practice.

I got a lock picking set off ebay and was able to pick all the padlocks within seconds that I had access to even the ones with security pins and marked high security. I gave Wissel a brief demonstration and Claira and Paul both ended up buying lock picking sets. It is fun.

Watching the Lock Picking Lawyer will make you realise how poor most locks actually are.

Ford Transit Tibbe Key and why you shouldn't buy cheap locks.



Ford Explorer ST


BMW

I was more interested in how they over came the electronic key fob and started the engine .

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[rwg]

On older Ducatos you could program in new keys via the OBD port. Not sure how you would manage that in 60 seconds though.

Newer models (2021 on or so) have a thing called a secure gateway buried somewhere in the dash that prevents changes being made via obd unless you have official fiat access codes or pull out the dash to bypass the gateway.

Robin

 

[eddie]

eddievanbitz hmmmmm, gap in the market?

No we are very very happy to be the only motorhome specialist in the UK

 

[gus-lopez]

I like the Phantom trick? that if/when i set the alarm off accidentally within seconds they are in touch advising if this is an accidental setting off enter your chosen PIN to clear. If no pin is put in they call to ask.
Don't want to test the tracker but i can look on my phone app to see where the truck is.

That's what the OP had.

 

[Gromett]

I was more interested in how they over came the electronic key fob and started the engine .

Relay hack.

 

[bobnick]

It's likely all installers put the black box in the same place so a pro would know where it was before he identified which van he was going to nick.
Said before, if a pro theif want's your truck he is going to have it.
Does seem strange OP was at the door within a min the alarm went off yet the van was gone

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