SpyLamp and SpyBike GPS tracking device!
dave1986
Posts: 61
Hi
I recently had my Cube Ltd Race bike stolen, and wondered if I could have recovered it if I'd has a GPS tracking device installed.
I found these two devices online called SpyLamp and SpyBike (http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/) which I am considering buying for my new bike (as well as a very good lock!)
Has anyone tried or heard anything about these devices? The SpyBike seems to be a better idea because it's hidden inside the bike, but I would be concerned this would be difficult to install in some bikes and may lead to bad GPS reception?
Any info would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Dave
I recently had my Cube Ltd Race bike stolen, and wondered if I could have recovered it if I'd has a GPS tracking device installed.
I found these two devices online called SpyLamp and SpyBike (http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/) which I am considering buying for my new bike (as well as a very good lock!)
Has anyone tried or heard anything about these devices? The SpyBike seems to be a better idea because it's hidden inside the bike, but I would be concerned this would be difficult to install in some bikes and may lead to bad GPS reception?
Any info would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Dave
0
Posts
1998 Specialized FSR Ground Control - stripped for parts.
2011 Boardman Pro HT - SOLD! (low quality, expensive garbage)
My main concern is theives getting to know about the SpyLamp (even though it looks like a regular light) and removing it. The SpyLamp has a vibration sensor, so even if they were to remove it you would recieve a txt to warn you which may give you some minutes to catch them in the act if you were close by. (In the case of my bike being stolen just meters away whilst I was sleeping)
Has anybody tried the more discreet and hidden SpyBike? There is almost no infotmation online about this product. I'd like to know more about the quality of GPS reception, battery life, and ease of installation.
SpyBike : This seems more hidden and harder to remove, but I can't find any info online!?
SpyLamp : My guess is that this would get better GPS signal as it is not hidden inside the frame??? But can be easliy removed.
Cheers,
Dave
If the world was flat, I wouldn't be riding !
I still can't find any info about the SpyBike... if it has all the same features and battery life and GPS reception as the SpyLamp then I would certainly buy one but no info is available
I agree there's no information about it, in fact one of the top google hits was this thread (but been thinking about joining bikeradar for a while now in any case). Anyway I have just ordered one which admittedly is a bit of a gamble, but I'll post info back here when I form an opinion.
Cheers, Pete
Thanks for your reply! Did you order the SpyBike or SpyLamp? I emailed the company yesterday to find out information about the differences between the two devices but I've had no reply yet.
I would be very interested to hear what you think of it when it arrives so please keep us posted! I think if the SpyBike does the same as SpyLamp then it will be money well spent!
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Cheers,
Dave
looks easy to spot.
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
As for signal, If it is pure GPS, signal may not be to good if stolen bike is stored indoors away from a window. if it uses a phone signal then maybe better. Can't see a battery lasting too long GPS receivers and mobile phones don't exactly last long on batteries.
Apparently they use GSM signal if no GPS signal is available which is less accurate (200m) but would give you a rough idea. I'll be interested to see what Pete thinks of it when it arrives.
Dave
if it is some numpty taking because you have left it poorly secured then yes. but if it is someone who know what they are doing then they will know the best deals are for parts and as soon as they find that then the identifying parts will be long gone as will any other evidence.
if you want to get your bike back stop it getting stolen in the first place. and make sure any security device fully complies with your insurance. Because if someone want it it WILL go.
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
I know they say you should spend 10% of your bike value on security. If you have a bike costing £2000 or more then I dont see any reason that this shouldnt be a good investment.
2 x heavy duty locks(Sold Secure Gold rated) costing about £50 each + A GPS tracking system for £100.
I absolutely HATE thieves with a passion. I really hope this bit of kit turns out to be good... I'd love to just buy a cheap bike to try and catch the bastards in the act!
Regards,
Dave
Well I got the Spybike device, it arrived right before christmas so did not have a chance to get a sim for it until a couple of days ago. I'll put a bit more detail below but as a summary it appeared to do everything it said on the tin as regards GPS location. But I didn't have time to try to fit the device into the bike, and when I caught up on this thread last night it was with a sense of foreboding that I read about the device likely being too wide for carbon-framed road bikes...
So first thing this morning I popped out to the garage and had a quick play - sure enough the SpyBike it too wide for the headset on my carbon road bike, so my ultimate conclusion is that it'll be going back, unfortunately. But I'm sufficiently impressed with the gadget itself that I'll be proposing a swap rather than a refund.
Anyway, if you'd like further details of what I found out, read on...
Great advice, must remember that.
In Europe apparently there are numerous providers of data only SIM cards available, these available at a fixed cost and providing a given amount of SMS data transmission that can be used as you need it (over many months).
In the USA and Canada we are not quite as sophisticated, the best deal on SIM cards is about $5 per month for data only communication.
Regarding the battery, it is proportionally to the electronics physically large, rated 3.7 VDC @ 880hAh. Will last a good long time. The SpyBike comes with a USB powered battery charger.
Looks like quite a bit of info regarding the new SpyBike has already be posted in the previous threads.
Would like to add Integrated Trackers (the manufacturer) URL: http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack
(if you hunt around you can find quite a bit of technical info)
More info on the SpyBike can be found at: http://www.bikeregistry.com/estore/prod ... cts_id=168
Lets say the bike is stolen and you track it to a house. Now I know some people will call the police and let them deal with it but many wouldnt. some owners may go to the house and kick off resulting in the owner either being arressted for assault or being badly assaulted them selfs.
One other thing, Is this insurance approved?
will it lower the premium
I bought it Sunday, and despite spending several hours trying to communicate with the device Sunday, Monday and Tuesday it seems I must have a faulty unit. It rarely responded to text messages, going "radio silent" after some I itial success. Although I was able (briefly) to ping and upload battery state to the remote ever, not once has the device achieved a GPS lock, despite sitting outside staring at the open sky. If it worked as advertised, it would be great; as it is, my experiences have so far not been very positive (and my unit certainly couldn't be relied upon to grant any sort of security or piece of mind).
Road bike: Bianchi Via Nirone 7 - Ultegra 6600, Fulcrum 5
MTB: Kona Five 0 2009 - Stolen 03/12/12
MTB: Scott Aspect 620 2013
The problems I ran into were many and varied, and with little or no clue as to what particular problem was causing the unit not to perform as expected on any given day. But they include the following:-
Battery life/capacity - I have accumulated half a dozen 16340 3.7V lithium ion rechargeable batteries. Some I purchased off ebay, some arrived with the Spybike and its replacement. And the quality control is clearly none too impressive. One cell (labelled "Palight", 880mah) refuses to charge. Two cells ("Trustfire" 880mah) charge, but don't perform. And of the three unbranded cells I got with the Spybike units (all claiming 700mah), only two seem to work. Of course, figuring this out when encountering the other issues listed below wasn't easy, as five of the six cells *appear* to charge and *appear* to work, but only two *actually* do. Now how long they hold charge for is anyone's guess, as using the Spybike to track flattens the battery within a few hours. And I can't find any other way to tell if the device is working or not, because it has a nasty habit of ignoring any texts I send it for status updates. Changing batteries every two or three days is impractical, but that's the only way *I've* retained any confidence that it'll work when needed. I might try some more, slightly bigger batteries if I can find *reliable* ones, but it uses a type which only comes from shockingly dodgy ebay sellers from China.
Mobile phone (GSM) reception - shockingly bad on my corner of the street at the best of times (I need to run to the end of the garden to take a call on *most* mobile phones), and the rides I do on the bike are often into signal-free areas as well. Combined with a very small antenna on the Spybike, it struggles to get a GSM signal a lot of the times. Which it deals with in the time-honoured mobile phone fashion - drain the battery faster.
GPRS transmission - has to be set up right with your carrier's settings. Hunting around on the web, my carrier had three different settings - only one of which worked. Finding out which was the right set of parameters with flat batteries, poor GSM reception etc wasn't easy (hint - it's the last set of the three I tried).
GPS reception - it needs a decent view of the sky. Which it *probably* isn't getting in my garage. Or maybe it is, but with no GSM reception in there, I'll never know. Out and about in my car, it seems fine. Most of the time. Until the battery dies. Did I mention that the fabled 3-12 months battery life is on the proviso that it's not actively tracking? when it is, the battery life is measured in a few hours.
SIM card credit - yup, although having purchased a pay as you go SIM card with £10 credit on it, somehow that credit magically vanished. Or the device blew through its allowance inside of a fortnight. Either way, radio silence. Since I topped it up over a month ago, prior to the latest batch of testing, I've used exactly 20p of credit, so goodness knows where that first £10 went. I suspect a dodgy ebay seller conned me.
Now I've finally got to the point where I trust two batteries out of the six I have, I've set up a reliable way of monitoring the SIM card's credit (you can't simply send a text from the Spybike to check on credit remaining as you would your mobile phone), believe I can tell the difference between no GSM and no GPS reception, I think I'll try it in the bike. But the battery life issue has been a real nuisance - my Spybike is *not* sending me any text alerts when the voltage drops too far, it simply turns itself off. Usually on any day when it's had to do some GPS tracking.
In theory, this is a great device - much cheaper than the equivalent car-based trackers, with no expensive subscriptions for one thing. The technologies are all pretty mature. But they are combined in a way which isn't very user-friendly, and there are many potential failure points, which in my case cascaded to the point where I really struggled not to hurl the thing out of the window. Remember the old adage of never buying version 1.0 of anything?
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools
Some of my initial problems were user error, but I can't for the life of me work out why one day it'll track my car all the way to my front door, then the next day track up to the final mile, then another day not track at all (with good, fresh batteries each time). And when I tried it inside my metal steerer tube, metal frame, it really didn't want to play ball.
"Not buying version 1.0" might have a workaround - the version 2 Spylamp. Although I like the idea of something hidden within the bike (espeically as I've had some theiving oik nick one lamp just for the batteries inside), I hear that the Spylamp has better GPS/GSM coverage. And if it works reliably, I'll be sure to sing its praises loud and clear.
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools
It's good that you've satisfied yourself, and this will no doubt be of help to others who (for some reason) think this might be a good idea.
But as you say, without 100% reliability it's an expensive, useless and worthless piece of rubbish unfortunately.
There is no such thing as 100% GSM or GPS coverage either, any system relying on either of these will suffer the same problem.
Yes, there will always be GSM and GPS drop-outs. I seem to live in a little coverage black-spot, for example, and no matter how much the networks insist that they have 95% coverage or whatever, the signal's often not been strong enough for the Spybike to pick it up (the antenna in the Spylamp2.0 must be bigger/better). If you are out in the sticks, I wouldn't set much store in it. But in towns and cities at least it should work well. And that's where most bikes are nicked.
Will it work if the bike is thrown into the back of a van? I believe so. The basis of that belief is my having driven round with it in the back of my car. But I'll test that aspect some more over the next few days. Will it work if Light-fingered Larry takes the lamp off the seatpost? Nope. But it is secured with an anti-tamper bolt, and otherwise looks - and functions - like a normal rear light, so there's a good chance that Larry will have taken the bike back to his home/garage/lockup before removing the lamp. And I reckon if I can point the police to within fifty yards of his location, they'll know exactly where my bike it if Larry does decide to nick it.
I am the proud owner of a spylamp 2 which arrived within a couple of days of ordering. I went out and bought myself a simple pay as you go SIM card with £5 on and proceeded to set it up. I admit that I did need to contact their help desk to get assistance with this, mostly because I wasn't being very bright! The setup is really not that difficult but, in any case, I can confirm their helpdesk is exceptionally helpful so any problems can be ironed out very quickly.
Now, the device.....the ironic thing with this device is that we will never know how well it works until some little vagrant actually tries to steal my bike. Nonetheless, I have tested the scenario. Once "activated" the device will send you a text message as soon as the tracker senses movement (a vibration), this happens straight away assuming the bike has reception (as so do you)! It then proceeds to upload its position every 20 seconds so that you can track it online. When I have tested this outside (as if my bike was being ridden away somewhere) in London the positions are fairly accurate, probably to within about 50m (at worse) and sometimes spot on. When I have tested inside, this is much worse and it often does not get a GPS lock and just provides a GPRS triangulation which can be a few hundred metres out.
So, you need to think about how this may be useful....If you are near to where your bike is locked (in a pub etc) then the vibration detector should alert you quick enough to get there and prevent the theft in the first place. If they get away with the bike then you will be able to track them pretty accuratelt whilst outside, but once they get to a destination (inside) you may only their last position (which could be 50m) leaving you with a reasonable amount of room for error (ie. if it is a council estate then it could be in any one of numerous flats). This is not ideal, but I still think it is a vast improvement on nothing at all and I know from first hand experience that (in London at least) the police are nowadays far more interested in helping track down bicycles and so are likely to actively support this and go and seek out the little buggers.
That's about it....in short, I would recommend it. Paying £100 once is less then insurance after a couple of years and there is no excess. If you have any specific queries, I would be happy to help
Scandal
Felt Roadie
I've given up on the Spybike1.0 that I purchased. It would occasionally work well for me, but most of the time it either failed to work (for a variety of reasons) or failed to work well enough. And for a security device, where what you are chiefly buying is piece of mind, it didn't give me much. Your mileage may vary, but I found that a lot of the time it struggled for a GSM signal (needed to transmit data "home"), and struggled for a GPS signal (needed to send *meaningful* data). Removed from the bike.
What I've been much happier with is the performance of the Spylamp2.0. I'm told that it has a better GSM aerial and a better GPS aerial, and I believe it. Until I finally lost patience with the Spybike1, I tried several journeys where I "stole" my own bike, by leaving the devices armed when I went out for a ride. The Spybike1 often failed to work; the Spylamp2 has occasionally glitched, but works much, much better, giving more accurate location traces, uploading those traces to the web server, and sending SMS texts to my phone much more reliably. It is worth noting that these devices are not intended as recreational GPS trackers - smart phones and GPS computers do that job far better, not least because they are designed for it. The Spy devices draw quite heavily on their batteries while actively tracking, so the battery needs charging after every ride or two (depending upon distance) if you insist on leaving the thing armed and on during a ride. I also noticed that once we were out in the sticks, it would struggle for a GSM signal to upload data or send SMS messages (which in turn uses more battery power, as like most mobile devices it draws more current when the GSM signal is weak). Not an issue as a security device, though, given that most bikes are nicked in - and are likely to be taken to - urban locations. I've found the GPS trace will usually put the bike within 2 metres of where it actually is; right now, mine is reporting as being in the house across the road from me, but that's almost certainly good enough for the Police to be able to retrieve it if it had been stolen - they tend to know who the bike thieves and fences are. Even the GSM positioning (which it will report if it can't get a GPS signal, like if it's indoors and you don't have a trace to the doorstep because it arrived at the thief's lock-up in the back of a van) will put it in the right "cell" (usually 300-500 metres) and again that will help the Police to work out which of the local lowlives have it; and if that isn't good enough, they're eventually going to take the bike outside, at which point it will get a GPS lock and can report that. Like Trackers for cars, no system is perfect (jammers are probably being used by those who steal high-end cars), but it's good enough IMO.
I would recommend the Spylamp2 - it works as designed, and gives me more piece of mind than I would get from either a D-lock alone or even simply storing my bike in my own locked garage. I *think* my garage is reasonably secure; I *know* that it isn't totally secure. But with the Spylamp2 on the bike, I can leave it in the garage and be pretty confident that if it isn't still in the garage when I've got home from a day at work or a weekend away, I'll be able to work out where the bike was taken to. And although it's taken some tweaking to get the vibration sensor's sensitivity settings right - set the threshold too high and the Spylamp2 might not recognise when the bike is in motion; set it too low and you get endless false alarms (which if nothing else can burn through the SIM card's credit) - I'm happy that I'm there now. On the subject of SIM cards, I'm told that a multi-network data SIM is ideal (the more networks it connects to, the better the chances of it being able to "phone home" if the bike is nicked); I haven't found a package I like the look of yet, but I have found a very cost-effective SIM-only deal, which provides 100 free SMS messages and 400mb of data each month *without* needing a top-up. That should be more than enough of each for the Spylamp2 (one problem I had previously experienced was the mobile phone provider disabling a previous SIM card if it wasn't topped up each month, and £10 per month on top of the purchase of the Spylamp2 would add significantly to the expense; but now I get the required texts and data free!). Just leave the device "armed" when you park up somewhere (or put the bike away for the night), and disarm it when you're actually riding the bike so as to preserve battery life. I'm told that the battery is good for 3 months on standby, but it's probably best to charge it every month (you don't want to be on the last little bit of battery life when the bike goes walkabout, after all). And if you forget to arm it and the worst happens and the bike does go, you can still get a position fix from it or arm the Spylamp2 remotely.
I'd like something a bit more stealthy - the Spybike was a better idea IMO, as it was hidden. Some bike thieves strip stuff like lights off a bike pretty quickly (of course, some thieves trip everything - and would even find something like the Spybike, hidden in the steerer tube). The designers have thought about that, and the Spylamp2 attaches with a tamper-proof Torx bolt, and not everyone has one of those in their tool kit (I now have several, as the lamp has to come off the bike for charging). In addition, although the Spylamp2 would make a pretty poor rear light, it does actually function as one - a thief looking at it is going to see a normal light, and it turns on and lights up like a normal light too. So I'm reasonably happy that if the bike got nicked, the Spylamp2 would be on it and tracking for long enough to tell me where it's gone. Nothing's ever going to keep a bike 100% safe, but the combination of good D-lock, stout chain at home, frame tagging and the Spylamp2 means that I'm as confident as I can be that my "bike for life" will remain mine so long as I'm sensible about it.
FWIW, I am not affiliated to Integrated Trackers, the makers of the Spybike/Spylamp. In the interests of full disclosure, I paid the full retail price for the Spybike1 but received the Spylamp2 free of charge after having had so much trouble from the Spybike1. Would I recommend the Spylamp2 to others? Absolutely, and I'll probably buy a second one for my wife's bike at some point in the near future.
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