Just looking at the features of other trackers available, one thing mine doesn't do is operate a relay to switch things on and off. But then one could fit a concealed switch to an ignition wire or fuel pump wire and just use that. I see wireless remote controlled switches are under a tenner on Ebay, if you wanted to make things really slick.
 
The model I have has a relay for the fuel pump. The tracker manual says in red that you will be responsible for any injury or damage you cause if you cut the engine. ie when a thief is driving off in it. I'm not going to bother. I'm going to fit the door trigger and then set the movement tracker when needed.
There's lots of personal/local conditions to take in to account for what an individual needs. Given your work location, your IT set up etc, I think you are pretty much sorted.:)
 
Yes, if I was one of those people who's always fiddling with their phone, then I'd be likely to want something I could work from the phone. I try to have as little mobile telephony in my life as possible. People pester the life out of me anyway without me giving them an extra way to do so!
 
Yes, if I was one of those people who's always fiddling with their phone, then I'd be likely to want something I could work from the phone. I try to have as little mobile telephony in my life as possible. People pester the life out of me anyway without me giving them an extra way to do so!
Top man. Not a nice thing the smart phone.
 
I've had a reply from Chris, the fella at Back2You, so top marks for customer service!
He reckons all you need to do really is set the movement alert and this can easily be done by sending a text. All the app does is send a text when you press one of the app buttons anyway. To find out where it is you just call it from your phone. It rings, answers, then the tracker hangs up and send you a text with it's location.
I think I'll forget the apps and the Mrs and I will just text it.

The manual that comes with the tracker has all the text codes in it. I've been using these to set up geo fences etc.
 
The manual that comes with the tracker has all the text codes in it. I've been using these to set up geo fences etc.
In my box I also got 2 sheets of A4 stapled together, with coloured Back2You logos etc on the front. It was a quick start guide and said the easiest way to get the best out of the tracker features was to download the app. So I did. The easiest thing to do seems to be to just set the movement sensor. This sets a 100m radius circle around the vehicle and if it moves out of that you get a text. It looked at bit of a fanny on setting the geofence via text. On the app it's one button. The movement setting is easy via text. The combination of iPhone and Android apps was complicating the issue, so we're just going to text the move function. Don't think we need anything more than that.
 
In my box I also got 2 sheets of A4 stapled together, with coloured Back2You logos etc on the front. It was a quick start guide and said the easiest way to get the best out of the tracker features was to download the app. So I did. The easiest thing to do seems to be to just set the movement sensor. This sets a 100m radius circle around the vehicle and if it moves out of that you get a text. It looked at bit of a fanny on setting the geofence via text. On the app it's one button. The movement setting is easy via text. The combination of iPhone and Android apps was complicating the issue, so we're just going to text the move function. Don't think we need anything more than that.

Got my SIM up and running yesterday, but put the tracker back on my work bench to set it up. Did notice, not that it matters much, that the google map on the Back2you site is over 5 years old. I'm hoping to get it installed in the landy this weekend weather permitting. In the mean time I'm testing out the fuel cut of relay see how safe/reliable it is and if its not deemed not safe to cut off the fuel then maybe use it to switch on/off something else.
 
That's funny. I was impressed that the Back2you map of my neighbourhood was quite contemporary - some of the businesses named on it have been open less than a year.
If you switch the fuel pump off on a TD5 it shouldn't do any harm, so there's no reason why you can't do that with your relay. However, once started, the TD5 can run on for quite a while with the fuel pump out of action. Maybe switching off the ignition switched live might be a bit more immediate.
 
What map on the Back2You website? I must be missing something there!
When mine sends me a text with the location co-ordinates it just opens up google maps on my phone. That's down to how current my phone updates are. Do the posh trackers use a Back2You map? ;)
 
What map on the Back2You website? I must be missing something there!
When mine sends me a text with the location co-ordinates it just opens up google maps on my phone. That's down to how current my phone updates are. Do the posh trackers use a Back2You map? ;)
I was referring to the google map sorry
 
John, that must be down to how up to date the map is on whatever device you are using?
 
This is what I was talking about. This is a screen grab of the Back2you map near me that shows a branch of Lidl which has been open less than a year. This is the map that you get access to in their secure website to accompany the fleet tracker. It doesn't look like Google or Bing. Does anyone recognise the style?


Incidentally, that's the Lidl car park into which we pushed the Land Rover when it broke down the other day.
 
Last edited:
Back2you are just a small outfit so they can't have created their own map. It must be from a third party supplier. Maybe it's Ordnance Survey Open Data I'm just downloading it to see if it is similar.
 
This is what I was talking about. This is a screen grab of the Back2you map near me that shows a branch of Lidl which has been open less than a year. This is the map that you get access to in their secure website to accompany the fleet tracker. It doesn't look like Google or Bing. Does anyone recognise the style?
Incidentally, that's the Lidl car park into which we pushed the Land Rover when it broke down the other day.

Ah I get ya, well if you click on the link in the text message you get from your tracker you get a map the same as what Brown posted up, if you use the app and click on get location you get a google aerial photograph both just as good and useful.
 
The low level aerial photos that Google uses are a bit elderly in some cases. A few have been refreshed recently, but especially in rural areas I'm familiar with a lot of them seem to be around 10 years old.
 
Does anyone recognise the style?

Opening up the link from the text message sent from the tracker you are opening a google map, hence the http://maps.google.com/maps? f=q&q = (then your map concordance long/lat) well thats what it does on mine anyway so yeah I recognise the style as being google, when I open the map from the text message it also displays the google logo in the bottom left hand corner or the map noticed it wasint on your map is it cropped or do you use a different tracker system?
 
Ah I get ya, well if you click on the link in the text message you get from your tracker you get a map the same as what Brown posted up, if you use the app and click on get location you get a google aerial photograph both just as good and useful.
I get a google map through the app and the hyperlink in the text.
Brown's monthly subscription might have a custom map, but no idea what it is based on.
 

Similar threads