Best alternative to the Porsche / Vodafone tracker?

[ct4s]

I didn't activation my Taycan one on my Dealer's advice (!) I asked why and he said - "no point in paying for something which isn't actually needed as your car can be tracked regardless because of the PCM / NAV." My insurance doesn't insist on it and the Dealer also said that the tracker may well be phased out. I have observed the migration from a separate Vodafone box attached to the car (+ tracker fob) to the integration now within the PCM (+ tracker fob), perhaps the next step is to abandon the requirement for the fob. Not sure how accurate these comments are but it did make we wonder....

Thanks.
This is exactly how imagined it would work. Using the PCM and built-in SIM which is live 24/4.
It's so odd that we have fully connected cars but are using a tracker fob with circa 10+ year old tech for security.
And for an added measure, they could insist on using the profile PIN in the PCM and if it's not set, the PCM tracking is auto triggered / car won't drive.
I'm with the dealer in a month having some niggles fixed, so I'll ask them about the PCM tracking ability.

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[Rossmeldr]

The fob is not a tracker. It is simply a transponder paired to the car. When the car moves, it checks if the fob is present in the vehicle. If not, it sends an alert. The tracking is done via the car itself, using the same info as you get on the app.
The point of the fob is not to track, but to notify when the car is moved without it present, ie being nicked! Fine, you can track your car via the app, but unless you check it constantly, your car could have been gone for hours/days before you realise.
From my one experience of driving without the fob, I got a call within a few hundred meters to check if the car was being stolen, or if a false warning.

 

[ct4s]

The point of the fob is not to track, but to notify when the car is moved without it present, ie being nicked! Fine, you can track your car via the app, but unless you check it constantly, your car could have been gone for hours/days before you realise.
From my one experience of driving without the fob, I got a call within a few hundred meters to check if the car was being stolen, or if a false warning.

Yes I get that.
But as alternative they could offer the option to authenticate from the PCM pin or whether my phone present for example. So at least give people a meaningful choice that would be effective and work for their needs.

 

[Rossmeldr]

The problem is, thatcham S5 insurance level tracker requires driver identification via a physical token, which is the fob. Without the fob, the tracker will not meet the S5 standard.

 

[W1NGE]

Thanks.
This is exactly how imagined it would work. Using the PCM and built-in SIM which is live 24/4.
It's so odd that we have fully connected cars but are using a tracker fob with circa 10+ year old tech for security.
And for an added measure, they could insist on using the profile PIN in the PCM and if it's not set, the PCM tracking is auto triggered / car won't drive.
I'm with the dealer in a month having some niggles fixed, so I'll ask them about the PCM tracking ability.

The problem with it being wholly integrated into the PCM is that the car can be stolen easier as there is no obvious way to flag a theft. With the fob it has to be on the car to deactivate it. If not present and the car not in deactivated mode then the silent alarm will trigger. PIN is not relaable either I guess.

Two facto authentication - something you have (physical or fob) and something you know.

 

[MTGBUK]

Would definately say it's a additional layer of security. Always had a call whenever I've left it behind. To be fair it's been pretty good. Got a call when it was being transported to the detailers. FOB was in the glove box. Key was with the driver of the transporter. Flagged on their system as car was moving without being on. I also benefitted from saving the last 2 yrs sub fees on my insurance premium in December. Noticed the box where it asks if I had a working tracker fitted was unticked. Saying I did knocked close to £500 off my premium.

 

[RGBArgee]

Hi,
5 days in an loving the car. But, the one thing I detest is the Porsche / Vodafone tracker.
It’s the most ludicrous and badly designed tracker solution imaginable.
As it stands, to have valid insurance I must take the tracker and key everywhere, but I cannot carry them in the same pocket or bag. And I must store them apart at night.
And the tracker can’t be attached to a keyring (there is no hole / loop).
This is madness and infuriating.
Surely a better approach would be for Porsche to allow authentication via a mobile / Apple Watch.
Does anyone have an alternative tracker which is insurance approved and where you only need to take the car key with you?

The Porsche App will tell you where the car is when stationary via GPS. Many Insurance companies will accept this as ' an active tracker'. Unless you need anything else this is normally sufficient.

 

[strangways]

I don't see the point. If the car is stolen, you get a call to say it has been stolen. So what? The police won't do anything about it.

 

[tigerbalm]

I don't see the point. If the car is stolen, you get a call to say it has been stolen. So what? The police won't do anything about it.

I think the idea is that when you confirm the car is stolen they'll call the police and co-ordinate with them. In my case, having a monitored alarm (the text was: remote monitoring centre) was an insurance requirement – so I didn't put much thought into it!

 

[W1NGE]

I don't see the point. If the car is stolen, you get a call to say it has been stolen. So what? The police won't do anything about it.

With Police and owner authorisation, Vodafone can remotely disable the car if stolen. A code is sent and the car rendered useless when next powered off / on. A helpful chap at the Vodafone SOC explained this to me. Location is known and so a recovery can be attempted.

 

[strangways]

Are there any written instructions? I can't find any, other than this, which doesn't apply to a Taycan:

"If we receive an alert from your vehicle, an advisor from one of our Secure Operating Centres will attempt to contact you using the telephone number(s) that you supplied at the time of registration to verify that a theft has taken place.
The Police are not contacted until one of our advisors have spoken with you. This is to comply with Police procedures and to ensure that Police time is not wasted with false alarms.
Once you confirm the theft, our advisor will ask you to contact the Police to report it. You must then call your advisor back immediately with a Police incident number. This is because receipt of an alert alone does not constitute a confirmed theft; the Police require the car owner to verify it.
The Secure Operating Centre then liaises with the relevant Police force to work to recover your vehicle."

If that is the procedure, in practical terms it's useless. The car will be in a container in Tilbury before the police answer the phone. Last time I called them I got a recorded message saying use the website.

And all the Range Rovers that have been nicked also have trackers - it doesn't seem to have helped them at all.

 

[W1NGE]

Are there any written instructions? I can't find any, other than this, which doesn't apply to a Taycan:

"If we receive an alert from your vehicle, an advisor from one of our Secure Operating Centres will attempt to contact you using the telephone number(s) that you supplied at the time of registration to verify that a theft has taken place.
The Police are not contacted until one of our advisors have spoken with you. This is to comply with Police procedures and to ensure that Police time is not wasted with false alarms.
Once you confirm the theft, our advisor will ask you to contact the Police to report it. You must then call your advisor back immediately with a Police incident number. This is because receipt of an alert alone does not constitute a confirmed theft; the Police require the car owner to verify it.
The Secure Operating Centre then liaises with the relevant Police force to work to recover your vehicle."

If that is the procedure, in practical terms it's useless. The car will be in a container in Tilbury before the police answer the phone. Last time I called them I got a recorded message saying use the website.

And all the Range Rovers that have been nicked also have trackers - it doesn't seem to have helped them at all.

The alert is triggered almost instantaneously plus you will know (as will Vodafone) where the car is or last seen.

As a deterrent goes it's not bad.

Nothing is perfect or foolproof but at then end of the rocks a money saving box for insurance purposes.

With the nuclear option of remotely disabling the car it hopefully acts as a further deterrent.

The process today is more automated than it was several years ago with interaction with the SOC via the PCM to cancel false alarms etc.

 

[BigBob]

Regarding RRs, No remote disabling of car or additional fob to alert the car is on the move. I rather thought the keyless entry scanning etc gets the thief into the car without triggering the alarm, as the car thinks the key is present. With an additional fob, i guess they can't do that.
So not fair comparison i think.

What i don't get is if the Taycan goes into security mode, you're ability to see its location in the myporsche app is disabled. If i could see mine was parked on a side road 5 miles away (to check for tracker response), I'd want to get to it asap!

 

[W1NGE]

Regarding RRs, No remote disabling of car or additional fob to alert the car is on the move. I rather thought the keyless entry scanning etc gets the thief into the car without triggering the alarm, as the car thinks the key is present. With an additional fob, i guess they can't do that.
So not fair comparison i think.

What i don't get is if the Taycan goes into security mode, you're ability to see its location in the myporsche app is disabled. If i could see mine was parked on a side road 5 miles away (to check for tracker response), I'd want to get to it asap!

Vodafone will be able to bypass the privacy block in order to locate.

 

[BigBob]

Vodafone will be able to bypass the privacy block in order to locate.

Yep. I’m sure they can and do. Just don’t really understand why they block the owner! Anyway, hopefully never have to test it.

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