Autophone alpha beacon, device location tracking device
There are a lot of geotrackers in the portable electronics market. And I have long thought about what to buy, but for now I was collecting information about what to take, I was offered an interesting device for the test, and also domestic production. Let's briefly go over the points for which a geotracker may be needed.
Autophone alpha beacon is more a search gadget than a touring one. Yes, and scenarios for its use are applicable, perhaps more to the car, as the most valuable movable property. Although no one bothers to give it to an elderly relative, there is even an SOS button, but more on that under the cut.
So on the market there are several offers for every taste and budget. From home Bluetooth tags to expensive GPS loggers in cars with a CAN or OBD2 bus connection.
Well, the cheapest with a price of a couple of dollars or even lower is a Bluetooth tag, we will not consider them. We turn immediately to more solid devices - GSM Personal Locator.
')
Although there is something solid here, the price is also low, but the benefit is one-sided. This is the so-called GSM locator that determines the coordinates of the base stations, nothing more. It works not so long, it’s not worth talking about its energy efficiency.
The battery is built in here, its capacity is only 400 mAh, and the battery life is only about two days.
Next come the devices already with a full-fledged GPS, at one time the popularity of such devices was given by the TK-102B tracker, which was later copied in appearance by almost all Chinese manufacturers of fake electronics. The original device is really useful, but here it is quite difficult to find it in a sea of fakes.
TK-102B already uses data from GPS and has the ability to accommodate a SIM card and a memory card on board. You can call and listen to the device through the built-in microphone or get its coordinates by making a request via SMS. TK-102B can work autonomously from the battery for four days.
The continuation of the successful TK-102 series was a solid logger for the TK-103B.
If the previous two types of trackers-loggers were suitable for tracking objects without external power, then the TK-103B is already suitable, as a rule, only for vehicles with the ability to connect to the on-board system. And although it has a built-in battery, it lasts only about 5 hours, and then the logger turns off. Its capabilities look impressive, in principle for cheap cars, it can even replace car alarms, as it can control various relays, for example, under the hood or door opening, and it can also break the fuel pump circuit. You can even connect a camera to it for fixing the offender with sending a photo to the mobile phone of the owner. TK-103B can already work not from one but from two SIM-cards choosing the one that catches better. But this will not save from a cheap Chinese jammer GSM signal. And its main weak point is a small autonomy, as I already wrote above - only 5 hours of work from the built-in battery. And plus to everything, it is connected by a bunch of wires with a GSM and GPS antenna output to the outside of the case, which makes it easy to track its installation location.
Well, another type of trackers - the so-called grandmother.
This device looks really like a phone with large buttons and, in principle, performs the same functions. But besides the main ones there is also a nice bonus - the ability to track the location of the object. These grandmothers can be from different manufacturers LedStar, Concox, or simply GS-503, but basically they are all the same. Such a tracker is most convenient to give an elderly relative by setting the sending coordinates and calling a specific phone number on the panic button.
In principle, there is something to choose from, but if there was a device that combined all this, and it would work for years ... And you know, there is one. This is exactly Avtofon - our domestic development, which has been present on the market since 1997 and is constantly being improved. So in the line of autophones there is in principle any type of compact tracker from cheap with basic functions, to more advanced ones with immobilizers, motion sensors and output controlled channels.
And now a little theory about auto thefts. I am not the first year registered on Drive2ru and follow the trends of the domestic car market. Recently, the number of car thefts has increased. It is understandable, the currency has risen by almost 3 times, most of the spare parts are produced abroad, the prices for new ones have soared, their counterparts stand like the original before the price increase. As a result, cars are stolen and dismantled for parts, selling used parts. There are not many license plate parts in the car. And you can track only the number of the frame / chassis, but the engine. Sell the rest with impunity, no one will track. That is increasing the number of hijackings, and with them the quality. Now, they say, even cheap drug addicts stealing things from the salon have GSM jammers. They turned on this one, broke the window, pulled out everything they found and ran away. Signalka will let know about the break already after all disappeared. What to say about car thieves.
Here, for example, an interview with a former auto theft: link to www.drive2.ru
There he says that there is no car that can not be hijacked and leads some methods of how this is done, plus what happens next with the car. So why do you need a car wash? If his signal is easy to drown?
And here everything is simple. More often, if a car is found missing and it is found out that it was not dragged to the parking penalty, the application goes to the ATS, from where information comes to all patrols about the hijacking of a particular car and, in principle, they begin to actively track it on the roads. For a short period of time auto thieves, drive the car into the so-called sump, which may be very close. As a rule, they are dead ends or courtyards. Where the car and defended for some time, usually around the week until it will not cease to look hard, namely to make sure that the car did not come at the lighthouse. I met records where the car was found in such sumps with the battery terminals removed and the electronics disconnected ( found in the Lancer sump ), respectively, not all beacons powered by the standard onboard system will be contacted. At the same time, the thieves can search hidden auto-recorders on the power wires, as well as a field scanner, all radiating objects. And then the autophone opens its potential to the maximum. Most of the time it is in the off state, and therefore does not emit anything, it is impossible to detect it. On an alarm clock, at a specified time, he wakes up and connects to the networks of cellular operators, sending the so-called LBS coordinates of the approximate location. On average, the connection time to the network at the autofon is 30 seconds if there is a connection, when there is a connection problem, the connection time can be delayed up to several minutes. Thus, after moving, the jammer will be removed and the Autophone will be contacted. In the basic mode, Alpha beacon works only via the Internet (GPRS includes on waking up). Corresponding commands from a mobile application or from a personal account on the site come through the server. By default, the SIM number is not even known to the owner. This mode is advised and used. It is possible to find out the SIM number and control it via SMS, but for this you need to unlock the beacon, uncheck the special box in your personal account.
In addition, it is not just a logger, but a full service. By calling the hotline number and notifying the number of the application to the ATS about the theft of the car, the operators take over all the work of managing and searching the beacon, as well as transmit the data from it to the Police through official channels.
So Avtofon alpha beacon that inside the box:
The package contains a detailed instruction, the device itself, a cover that allows you to place the device on a trouser belt or animal collar and a 3M double-sided tape plate. There is also a card with the data of the auto beacon - a login and password to access your personal account.
Autophone alpha beacon is one of the latest developments in the AutoSet auto beacon lineup. It is the most compact and has basic monitoring functions. In fact, it is a very compact mobile phone with no screen but with GPS and Glonass on board.
In the mode of contact once a day, the beacon on existing batteries can last up to 3 years. So it can be hidden in a rather secluded place with partial disassembly, such as upholstery. When switching to combat mode with sending GPS coordinates once every half hour, the Autophone alpha beacon can work up to 10-12 days. And if you put it online and monitor the movement in real time, then up to 4 days, but it all depends on the ambient temperature. The performance is just great. And all this on the three elements of the size AAA.
By the way, the scenario of using the Autophone alpha beacon can be applicable not only to the car. With the help of auto beacon you can track down a lost four-legged friend or, God forbid, an elderly relative. By the way, there is also a SOS button, by clicking on which you can also set up several scenarios, from sending accurate geodata to turning on the auto beacon in the wiretapping mode.
With a genuine leather case, which is included in the kit, the Autophone can be attached, for example, to a collar of a four-legged friend, or hung on a belt, thereby providing a friend’s valuable discovery, of course, by changing the alarm settings to the corresponding ones, so that the beacon will go out more often.
The device already has a SIM800H SIM module with a prepaid service package, so you do not need to recharge the card balance.
The SIM800H is a miniature quad-band GSM / GPRS module in a LGA package measuring only 15.8 by 17.8 mm.
You can read more about this protected SIM module here: SIM800H
This module is quite interesting and one of the main features of the module is the operating temperature range: -40 ° C ... +85 ° C, thus it is ideal for around-the-clock stay in the car. In addition, all electronics are covered with a protective varnish, which is an additional protection against corrosion and closures against moisture.
Consider the operation of the device in more detail:
To get started, you need to quickly press the SOS button five times, it is marked with an arrow on the lighthouse. The autophone alpha beacon will flash with a red LED. Next you need to go to your personal account on the manufacturer's website ( My Account ).
As soon as you log into your personal account under your account, the device will send its LBS data and be displayed on the map with approximate coordinates.
Further, in principle, the setting is not required, but if someone needs specific settings for the time and type of data transmitted, then all this can be done in the settings. You can track and configure the autophone not only through a browser, but also through an application for a tablet or smartphone on almost any mobile platform. Windows Phone is currently not supported, but with these phones you can easily manage the beacon through the mobile version of the site.
With the accumulation of data by location, you can track the tracks on the map, the tracks can be displayed in different time intervals. The most interesting of course, they look online. In normal combat mode, when the coordinates are sent every half an hour the track is not so interesting if the car does not move over long distances.
According to various settings, the program gives you the freedom to indulge, you can customize for any of your script. There are 2 alarms that wake up the device, for each you can set the interval from minutes to days, as well as what the device will do when it wakes up. The only negative is the lack of constant communication, so any settings that are not directly next to the beacon will be made upon contact. If you are near the device, then just press the SOS button to wake it up.
In principle, the device is quite interesting, I do not claim that it is a panacea for hijacking, and there is always a chance that it may not help, but in the car, it will most likely be very useful, especially since its use scenarios are not limited only to auto subjects .
There are a couple of controversial points here, in my opinion.
The first is the battery. The use of conventional AAA batteries, in principle, is justified for different temperature conditions. At my place the external temperature sensor works on two AAA batteries for 2-3 years. But the fact that they are sealed and glued together, can cause some difficulties when replacing. Most so, carefully, still need to try to do, then you want stability, take this assembly from the manufacturer. On the other hand, this decision (to solder the batteries) is made by the manufacturer for a certain reason. They tested the device with specific batteries and it is with them that they take full responsibility for everything they promise. They are afraid if people put any batteries whatsoever and the lighthouse will quickly die, then people will say on them that they say bastards, but promised 3 years and all that.
The second point is that, on older devices, it was possible to replace the SIM card with your own, and there is no such possibility. The number is clearly registered and belongs to the company Avtosset, and not everyone may like it. Although who wants to use with his sim card, buy another lighthouse, there are many of them in the line. And then, if you unlock the device by unchecking a tick (I wrote about this above), the number and balance immediately become available in your personal account. The default balance is 48r. This is enough for tens of years of operation of the device in the basic mode. GPRS packages are tiny. A SIM card of this type is very reliable; according to the specifications, it even knows how to recognize GSM jamming, although there is no way out to transmit information about it through other channels. But as the lack of contacts, as in the usual SIM reader, will not give unnecessary trouble.
The main distinctive features of this beacon from other AutoPhone beacons and indeed from beacons from other manufacturers are sizes that significantly expand the list of possible places to install a beacon, that is, it can be better hidden and the fact that the beacon (if it works in the basic mode is not unlocked) fully prepaid for the entire service life, so do not constantly worry about the balance and replenish it.
In general, it's up to everyone to decide.
The alpha beacon itself can be purchased here .
- With it, you can track your route, for example when walking in the tourist mode;
- You can get your exact GPS coordinates;
- You can find some object to which such a tracker is attached in advance;
- It is also often possible to track the online movement of such a tracker remotely.
Autophone alpha beacon is more a search gadget than a touring one. Yes, and scenarios for its use are applicable, perhaps more to the car, as the most valuable movable property. Although no one bothers to give it to an elderly relative, there is even an SOS button, but more on that under the cut.
So on the market there are several offers for every taste and budget. From home Bluetooth tags to expensive GPS loggers in cars with a CAN or OBD2 bus connection.
Well, the cheapest with a price of a couple of dollars or even lower is a Bluetooth tag, we will not consider them. We turn immediately to more solid devices - GSM Personal Locator.
')
Although there is something solid here, the price is also low, but the benefit is one-sided. This is the so-called GSM locator that determines the coordinates of the base stations, nothing more. It works not so long, it’s not worth talking about its energy efficiency.
The battery is built in here, its capacity is only 400 mAh, and the battery life is only about two days.
Next come the devices already with a full-fledged GPS, at one time the popularity of such devices was given by the TK-102B tracker, which was later copied in appearance by almost all Chinese manufacturers of fake electronics. The original device is really useful, but here it is quite difficult to find it in a sea of fakes.
TK-102B already uses data from GPS and has the ability to accommodate a SIM card and a memory card on board. You can call and listen to the device through the built-in microphone or get its coordinates by making a request via SMS. TK-102B can work autonomously from the battery for four days.
The continuation of the successful TK-102 series was a solid logger for the TK-103B.
If the previous two types of trackers-loggers were suitable for tracking objects without external power, then the TK-103B is already suitable, as a rule, only for vehicles with the ability to connect to the on-board system. And although it has a built-in battery, it lasts only about 5 hours, and then the logger turns off. Its capabilities look impressive, in principle for cheap cars, it can even replace car alarms, as it can control various relays, for example, under the hood or door opening, and it can also break the fuel pump circuit. You can even connect a camera to it for fixing the offender with sending a photo to the mobile phone of the owner. TK-103B can already work not from one but from two SIM-cards choosing the one that catches better. But this will not save from a cheap Chinese jammer GSM signal. And its main weak point is a small autonomy, as I already wrote above - only 5 hours of work from the built-in battery. And plus to everything, it is connected by a bunch of wires with a GSM and GPS antenna output to the outside of the case, which makes it easy to track its installation location.
Well, another type of trackers - the so-called grandmother.
This device looks really like a phone with large buttons and, in principle, performs the same functions. But besides the main ones there is also a nice bonus - the ability to track the location of the object. These grandmothers can be from different manufacturers LedStar, Concox, or simply GS-503, but basically they are all the same. Such a tracker is most convenient to give an elderly relative by setting the sending coordinates and calling a specific phone number on the panic button.
In principle, there is something to choose from, but if there was a device that combined all this, and it would work for years ... And you know, there is one. This is exactly Avtofon - our domestic development, which has been present on the market since 1997 and is constantly being improved. So in the line of autophones there is in principle any type of compact tracker from cheap with basic functions, to more advanced ones with immobilizers, motion sensors and output controlled channels.
And now a little theory about auto thefts. I am not the first year registered on Drive2ru and follow the trends of the domestic car market. Recently, the number of car thefts has increased. It is understandable, the currency has risen by almost 3 times, most of the spare parts are produced abroad, the prices for new ones have soared, their counterparts stand like the original before the price increase. As a result, cars are stolen and dismantled for parts, selling used parts. There are not many license plate parts in the car. And you can track only the number of the frame / chassis, but the engine. Sell the rest with impunity, no one will track. That is increasing the number of hijackings, and with them the quality. Now, they say, even cheap drug addicts stealing things from the salon have GSM jammers. They turned on this one, broke the window, pulled out everything they found and ran away. Signalka will let know about the break already after all disappeared. What to say about car thieves.
Here, for example, an interview with a former auto theft: link to www.drive2.ru
There he says that there is no car that can not be hijacked and leads some methods of how this is done, plus what happens next with the car. So why do you need a car wash? If his signal is easy to drown?
And here everything is simple. More often, if a car is found missing and it is found out that it was not dragged to the parking penalty, the application goes to the ATS, from where information comes to all patrols about the hijacking of a particular car and, in principle, they begin to actively track it on the roads. For a short period of time auto thieves, drive the car into the so-called sump, which may be very close. As a rule, they are dead ends or courtyards. Where the car and defended for some time, usually around the week until it will not cease to look hard, namely to make sure that the car did not come at the lighthouse. I met records where the car was found in such sumps with the battery terminals removed and the electronics disconnected ( found in the Lancer sump ), respectively, not all beacons powered by the standard onboard system will be contacted. At the same time, the thieves can search hidden auto-recorders on the power wires, as well as a field scanner, all radiating objects. And then the autophone opens its potential to the maximum. Most of the time it is in the off state, and therefore does not emit anything, it is impossible to detect it. On an alarm clock, at a specified time, he wakes up and connects to the networks of cellular operators, sending the so-called LBS coordinates of the approximate location. On average, the connection time to the network at the autofon is 30 seconds if there is a connection, when there is a connection problem, the connection time can be delayed up to several minutes. Thus, after moving, the jammer will be removed and the Autophone will be contacted. In the basic mode, Alpha beacon works only via the Internet (GPRS includes on waking up). Corresponding commands from a mobile application or from a personal account on the site come through the server. By default, the SIM number is not even known to the owner. This mode is advised and used. It is possible to find out the SIM number and control it via SMS, but for this you need to unlock the beacon, uncheck the special box in your personal account.
In addition, it is not just a logger, but a full service. By calling the hotline number and notifying the number of the application to the ATS about the theft of the car, the operators take over all the work of managing and searching the beacon, as well as transmit the data from it to the Police through official channels.
So Avtofon alpha beacon that inside the box:
The package contains a detailed instruction, the device itself, a cover that allows you to place the device on a trouser belt or animal collar and a 3M double-sided tape plate. There is also a card with the data of the auto beacon - a login and password to access your personal account.
Autophone alpha beacon is one of the latest developments in the AutoSet auto beacon lineup. It is the most compact and has basic monitoring functions. In fact, it is a very compact mobile phone with no screen but with GPS and Glonass on board.
In the mode of contact once a day, the beacon on existing batteries can last up to 3 years. So it can be hidden in a rather secluded place with partial disassembly, such as upholstery. When switching to combat mode with sending GPS coordinates once every half hour, the Autophone alpha beacon can work up to 10-12 days. And if you put it online and monitor the movement in real time, then up to 4 days, but it all depends on the ambient temperature. The performance is just great. And all this on the three elements of the size AAA.
By the way, the scenario of using the Autophone alpha beacon can be applicable not only to the car. With the help of auto beacon you can track down a lost four-legged friend or, God forbid, an elderly relative. By the way, there is also a SOS button, by clicking on which you can also set up several scenarios, from sending accurate geodata to turning on the auto beacon in the wiretapping mode.
With a genuine leather case, which is included in the kit, the Autophone can be attached, for example, to a collar of a four-legged friend, or hung on a belt, thereby providing a friend’s valuable discovery, of course, by changing the alarm settings to the corresponding ones, so that the beacon will go out more often.
The device already has a SIM800H SIM module with a prepaid service package, so you do not need to recharge the card balance.
The SIM800H is a miniature quad-band GSM / GPRS module in a LGA package measuring only 15.8 by 17.8 mm.
You can read more about this protected SIM module here: SIM800H
This module is quite interesting and one of the main features of the module is the operating temperature range: -40 ° C ... +85 ° C, thus it is ideal for around-the-clock stay in the car. In addition, all electronics are covered with a protective varnish, which is an additional protection against corrosion and closures against moisture.
Consider the operation of the device in more detail:
To get started, you need to quickly press the SOS button five times, it is marked with an arrow on the lighthouse. The autophone alpha beacon will flash with a red LED. Next you need to go to your personal account on the manufacturer's website ( My Account ).
As soon as you log into your personal account under your account, the device will send its LBS data and be displayed on the map with approximate coordinates.
Further, in principle, the setting is not required, but if someone needs specific settings for the time and type of data transmitted, then all this can be done in the settings. You can track and configure the autophone not only through a browser, but also through an application for a tablet or smartphone on almost any mobile platform. Windows Phone is currently not supported, but with these phones you can easily manage the beacon through the mobile version of the site.
With the accumulation of data by location, you can track the tracks on the map, the tracks can be displayed in different time intervals. The most interesting of course, they look online. In normal combat mode, when the coordinates are sent every half an hour the track is not so interesting if the car does not move over long distances.
According to various settings, the program gives you the freedom to indulge, you can customize for any of your script. There are 2 alarms that wake up the device, for each you can set the interval from minutes to days, as well as what the device will do when it wakes up. The only negative is the lack of constant communication, so any settings that are not directly next to the beacon will be made upon contact. If you are near the device, then just press the SOS button to wake it up.
In principle, the device is quite interesting, I do not claim that it is a panacea for hijacking, and there is always a chance that it may not help, but in the car, it will most likely be very useful, especially since its use scenarios are not limited only to auto subjects .
There are a couple of controversial points here, in my opinion.
The first is the battery. The use of conventional AAA batteries, in principle, is justified for different temperature conditions. At my place the external temperature sensor works on two AAA batteries for 2-3 years. But the fact that they are sealed and glued together, can cause some difficulties when replacing. Most so, carefully, still need to try to do, then you want stability, take this assembly from the manufacturer. On the other hand, this decision (to solder the batteries) is made by the manufacturer for a certain reason. They tested the device with specific batteries and it is with them that they take full responsibility for everything they promise. They are afraid if people put any batteries whatsoever and the lighthouse will quickly die, then people will say on them that they say bastards, but promised 3 years and all that.
The second point is that, on older devices, it was possible to replace the SIM card with your own, and there is no such possibility. The number is clearly registered and belongs to the company Avtosset, and not everyone may like it. Although who wants to use with his sim card, buy another lighthouse, there are many of them in the line. And then, if you unlock the device by unchecking a tick (I wrote about this above), the number and balance immediately become available in your personal account. The default balance is 48r. This is enough for tens of years of operation of the device in the basic mode. GPRS packages are tiny. A SIM card of this type is very reliable; according to the specifications, it even knows how to recognize GSM jamming, although there is no way out to transmit information about it through other channels. But as the lack of contacts, as in the usual SIM reader, will not give unnecessary trouble.
The main distinctive features of this beacon from other AutoPhone beacons and indeed from beacons from other manufacturers are sizes that significantly expand the list of possible places to install a beacon, that is, it can be better hidden and the fact that the beacon (if it works in the basic mode is not unlocked) fully prepaid for the entire service life, so do not constantly worry about the balance and replenish it.
In general, it's up to everyone to decide.
The alpha beacon itself can be purchased here .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/390047/
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