With over 120,000 vehicle thefts per year in France (that’s one theft every 4 minutes) and nearly 700,000 in Europe (one theft every 45 seconds), effectively protecting one’s vehicle(s) is becoming an increasingly essential issue for many households.
While many solutions exist (steering wheel locks, handbrake locks, alarms of all kinds…), none of them are 100% effective. To minimize the risk of theft as much as possible, it is therefore necessary to multiply them. Even better: supplement your protection by installing a GPS tracker, so that you can be notified on your phone in real time in case of an attempted theft and be able to react if the theft occurs. And in the small family of beacons, a newcomer has recently made headlines: Apple’s AirTag. But are these small trackers really effective for finding a stolen vehicle? We explain everything!
What is the Apple AirTag?
The Apple AirTag focuses primarily on domestic use, namely locating a lost object nearby (in your garden, your house) or with loved ones. Specifically, they attach to a remote control, keychain, headphone case, or wallet to find it anywhere, even in the couch! To a lesser extent, they can help you locate a vehicle or bike. But it is essentially a problem of loss, as explained by Numérama in its dedicated article. This can be useful if you don’t remember where you parked your car, for example. However, in case of theft, the Apple AirTag will have a limited role, notably due to the absence of alerts or the “anti-stalking” feature that prevents non-consensual tracking. The latter would alert the person with a signal: In case of theft, the thief
So the thief would quickly be informed that an AirTag is in the vehicle he just stole. As for discretion, forget it… Even worse, Apple AirTags are now being used by some thieves to track target vehicles in order to steal them at the most opportune moment, as reported by Auto Plus in its latest dossier on stolen cars.
In short, the promise of the Apple AirTag is simple: to allow you to find your everyday lost items, whether they are at friends’ houses or in your sofa. But it doesn’t go much further than that. They are therefore a complementary solution to Invoxia GPS trackers, whose primary role is to protect you against theft, while allowing you to take action if a theft occurs.
What are Invoxia GPS trackers?
What promise do they make?
The Invoxia GPS trackers allow you to locate any vehicle (car, motorcycle, scooter, truck, camper, van, bike, scooter…) without distance limit. They alert you in real time in case of suspicious movement or even attempted theft. Compared to classic 2G and 3G mobile networks, Invoxia GPS trackers are energy-efficient and have a record battery life of up to 6 months, and a subscription cost among the most advantageous on the market.
How do they work?
Invoxia GPS trackers determine their position using satellite GPS (or by using surrounding WIFI access points, or even Bluetooth if your smartphone is nearby). They then send them to our servers using low-power LoRa or Sigfox networks. In case of a problem, they alert you directly on your smartphone, through a notification from your Invoxia GPS application. You can quickly react if needed, and have knowledge of the history of the route and all the activities recorded by the tracker.
For what use?
The uses of GPS trackers are multiple, not to say unlimited:
The GPS Tracker is intended to protect any type of vehicle (car, motorcycle, scooter, truck, van, motorhome…) and valuable object (backpack, handbag, suitcase, photo or video equipment, DIY equipment, multimedia…). It is even suitable for the protection of agricultural equipment, or even beehives, as shown by the testimonials of a farmer and an beekeeper to discover on our blog. Indeed, thanks to its brand new waterproof pouch, the GPS Tracker now resists water and humidity to adapt even better to all uses.
For its part, the Bike Tracker is dedicated to the protection of bicycles and scooters (electric or not), or any other NVEI (New Individual Electric Vehicles) such as gyro wheels.
The Mini Tracker allows you to protect small everyday objects such as a handbag, a computer bag or a set of keys. It offers the same features as the classic GPS Tracker, with a more compact and waterproof design.
Finally, the Pet Tracker focuses on tracking activity and health indicators of your cat or dog, such as walking, running, resting time, meals, scratches… and GPS zone tracking.
All our trackers run on battery and are rechargeable via micro-USB. The Mini Tracker and the Pet Tracker benefit from an IP67 waterproof rating. Subscription to our services is included for the first 3 years, then renewable from €9.90 per year.
That’s the theory. But in practice, what happens if my vehicle is stolen with an Apple AirTag inside? And with an Invoxia GPS Tracker? Let’s check!
If my car or motorcycle is stolen with an Apple AirTag
Before and during the theft
First of all, note that the small size and compact design of the Apple AirTag allow it to be slipped anywhere, whether in a car or on a two-wheeler. However, this does not make it a fully discreet device, first because of its white color that stands out in dark places. But also and especially because of the anti-stalking functionality that we will detail later.
Next, let’s remember that day or night, there are few moments when we have a direct view of our vehicle. Also, whether during your workday or between two dreams, theft can occur at any time. To be able to avoid it, or at least to be able to react if it happens, you need to be warned!
On this point, it is important to specify that the Apple AirTag will be of no help, since it does not offer preventive features such as anti-theft or anti-degradation alerts. You will only be notified of the theft when the vehicle is in motion, which will greatly impact your ability to react.
When the theft has occurred
If the thief succeeds in stealing your vehicle, the tracking phase of their movements begins. To do this, the Apple AirTag will first use Bluetooth to locate itself. But this is limited to short distances. Once this limit is exceeded, it will no longer be possible to see in which direction the tag, and therefore the vehicle, is heading.
Once the AirTag is too far away to function via Bluetooth, it calls on Apple’s “Find My” network. The principle: any Apple device compatible with Bluetooth and located near the AirTag will detect it, and can then indicate its position to you. However, a major constraint emerges: since this system depends on nearby devices, the Apple AirTag’s location will only work as long as the vehicle is in a populated area, with at least one Apple device nearby. Otherwise, it cannot be located. Also, if the vehicle moves into a sparsely populated area (countryside, parking lots, industrial areas, certain roads and highways…), the risks of not being able to locate it will be high.
Finally, to prevent fraudulent use of the Apple Airtag (such as tracking someone’s movements without their knowledge), Apple has integrated an anti-stalking feature on its tags: if the Apple Airtag remains out of Bluetooth range of its owner for too long, it will eventually emit a sound signal to alert itself. In addition, notifications will be sent to nearby Apple devices and it will then be possible to disable it… It would therefore either be discovered by the thief or quickly rendered useless.
If my car or motorcycle is stolen with an Invoxia GPS Tracker
Before and during theft
In the event that your vehicle is equipped with an Invoxia GPS Tracker, once again, size is not a problem: the compact design of the tracker allows it to fit anywhere (glove box, floor mat, seat pocket, trunk…). In addition, unlike the Apple AirTag, its black color makes it difficult to see, especially in dark places or sheltered from light, which increases its discretion.
If an attempted theft occurs, a major difference with the Apple AirTag appears: the preventive aspect. Indeed, the Invoxia GPS Tracker alerts you in real time thanks to its anti-theft alert that reacts to the slightest shock. You will also be alerted if the GPS Tracker detects a change in inclination of your motorcycle: even if your eyes are far from your vehicle, you are kept informed of everything that happens. Above all, you are able to react quickly to minimize the risks of the theft succeeding.
When the theft has occurred
But zero risk does not exist! Despite all these alerts, it is possible that you may not be able to react in time. In this case, don’t panic!
The Invoxia GPS Tracker can identify and store the routes taken by the vehicle. To do this, it offers Bluetooth, WIFI or GPS location depending on the context, for optimal tracking without distance limits (except for certain forest or mountainous areas with little network coverage). It also offers a significant movement alert and a zone crossing alert, to alert you to any suspicious movement that could correspond to theft. All of these alerts are sent directly to your smartphone.
Unlike the Apple AirTag, the Invoxia GPS Tracker is autonomous and does not require any other device to locate itself.
Another major difference is that this tracker does not offer an anti-stalking function that could alert the thief to its presence. However, if despite the position indicated by the tracker it remains difficult to find the vehicle, additional features are available:
- The Lost Mode, which increases the frequency and accuracy of location updates
- The hot/cold proximity radar for precise (meter-level) location assistance on the last few meters
- The ability to make the GPS Tracker ring (from your application) if your vehicle is in a garage or behind a closed door.
Finally, the Invoxia GPS Tracker gives you access (from the application) to all the useful information to be transmitted to the police so that they can intervene in case of theft. And if necessary, our teams are of course at your disposal (and that of law enforcement) to provide them with more data and information to facilitate their investigations.
In summary, the Apple AirTag appears to be a limited solution when it comes to equipping a vehicle to protect it from theft. While its small size and reasonable budget make it an interesting solution to compensate for the loss of small everyday objects, it could not replace the effectiveness and discretion of a GPS tracker if a theft occurs. Moreover, Apple themselves advise against using the AirTag to track a vehicle in the event of a theft.
