A quick guide to different tracking systems by Phantom Trackers

With the cost of an average caravan or motorhome in excess of £20,000 it makes sense to do everything possible to protect such a significant investment. Whilst wheel locks and alarms do provide some deterrent, the fact is that a determined thief will only be slowed up by such protection. The best way of protecting and recovering your vehicle is by fitting a tracker.

Which is the best tracking system for your caravan or motorhome, passive or reactive?

Statistics show that fitting a tracking device to your caravan and motorhome is the most effective way of ensuring its recovery in the event of a theft. What’s more, as you’ve seen from Caravan Guard it can also help reduce your insurance costs, many companies will offer a discount if you have a Thatcham approved tracker fitted.

The question is; with all the different tracking units around, how do you know which is the best option for you?

Basically, a tracker is a small device that is hidden within your caravan or motorhome. It is powered by your backup battery and also has its own battery in case power is cut. 

All trackers for caravans and motor homes can be split into 2 general categories – passive and proactive.

Passive trackers

A passive tracker unit is dependent on the owner informing a control centre that the vehicle has been stolen. The control centre can then communicate with the device to find out its exact location and will liaise with the police and owners to ensure the vehicle’s safe return.

Although this option is the least expensive of the two, you obviously need to know that your caravan or motorhome has been stolen before you can use the tracker to find out where it is. 

This is fine if the vehicle is stored on your drive, but if like many vehicles it is stored away from your home when not in use, it could be many days before you realise that it has actually been stolen.

Proactive trackers

A proactive tracker unit will automatically alert a control centre that a theft is in progress by continually monitoring the motion of the vehicle or if the power is cut. The location of the vehicle can then be tracked in conjunction with the police and owner.

This device is best installed in vehicles that are not under constant supervision, such as a storage site. With a proactive unit, in most cases, thieves will be apprehended within an hour of the vehicle being taken.

So, if your vehicle is kept on your drive or under pretty constant supervision then a passive tracker will be good enough to keep it safe. But, if it is stored in a remote unsupervised compound then you really need a reactive one.

Why Track? 

We can obviously only use our own figures which show that; 99% of stolen vehicles fitted with one of our Phantom tracking systems are recovered in less than 70 minutes. 85% of these recoveries catch the thief en-route to their destination, meaning that in most cases, any personal effects are also recovered, and no damage is done to the caravan or motorhome.

Conversely, only 3% of non-tracked stolen vehicles are recovered within a year of the theft. With your valuable and beloved holiday home worth little more to a thief than £500 at resale, protecting and recovering it quickly is a priority.

Whichever option you choose, we at Phantom offer a full range of both passive and reactive trackers designed to meet every need and budget requirement and would be happy to answer your questions. Please visit www.phantom.uk.net for more information. Here is an interesting news feature of why caravan tracking is important.