Google lattitude as a Bike Security Device?

Due to my line of work I have a large number of totally redundant Blackberry Smart phones and I'm thinking of enabling Google Lattitude on one of them and secreting the device somewhere on my bike.

Google Lattitude is basically Google Maps that pin points your phones location on a real time map.
I've used it as a Sat Nav before so it's fairly accurate.

Combined with auto answer it could double as a bug, or with a very loud ring tone and no voicemail, a good way to pinpoint it within a building or vehicle.

The only tricks going to be wiring the thing into the bikes power to keep it running discretly, with GPS running it should still have 24 hours or so battery life if they disconnect that.

How hard would it be to hook a phone upto a bikes power discreetly?

Originally Posted by PsychoCannon

Due to my line of work I have a large number of totally redundant Blackberry Smart phones and I'm thinking of enabling Google Lattitude on one of them and secreting the device somewhere on my bike.

Google Lattitude is basically Google Maps that pin points your phones location on a real time map.
I've used it as a Sat Nav before so it's fairly accurate.

Combined with auto answer it could double as a bug, or with a very loud ring tone and no voicemail, a good way to pinpoint it within a building or vehicle.

The only tricks going to be wiring the thing into the bikes power to keep it running discretly, with GPS running it should still have 24 hours or so battery life if they disconnect that.

How hard would it be to hook a phone upto a bikes power discreetly?

Probably not too hard to hook it up if you had a charger, but discreetly is the problem. It's going to be pretty obvious to anyone who looks - and having seen the lengths to which a tracker installation goes, you have to hide it fairly well (assuming they make it that well hidden for a reason).

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by PsychoCannon

Due to my line of work I have a large number of totally redundant Blackberry Smart phones and I'm thinking of enabling Google Lattitude on one of them and secreting the device somewhere on my bike.

Google Lattitude is basically Google Maps that pin points your phones location on a real time map.
I've used it as a Sat Nav before so it's fairly accurate.

Combined with auto answer it could double as a bug, or with a very loud ring tone and no voicemail, a good way to pinpoint it within a building or vehicle.

The only tricks going to be wiring the thing into the bikes power to keep it running discretly, with GPS running it should still have 24 hours or so battery life if they disconnect that.

How hard would it be to hook a phone upto a bikes power discreetly?

Very easy as long as you have access to feed from the battery that is not ignition switched.

Just get the cigarette adaptor for said phone, break it open, solder a live and an earth to the appropriate places on the circuit board (may have to wire in a replacement fuse) and put in a new box - probably cost < £10 from Maplins for the bits for modifying it plus the cost of the car charger.

Yeah that's what I'm worried about if I make it obvious and they find the phone it defeats the object

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

Very easy as long as you have access to feed from the battery that is not ignition switched.

Just get the cigarette adaptor for said phone, break it open, solder a live and an earth to the appropriate places on the circuit board (may have to wire in a replacement fuse) and put in a new box - probably cost < £10 from Maplins for the bits for modifying it plus the cost of the car charger.

Me and you may be having another sit down in the pub me thinks

[Biker Biggles]

Im not convinced.Firstly it wont deter thieves because they wont know its there,and once they have nicked it by throwing it in a van and driving off the damage is done.
Then theres the battery drain.All very well having security,but if the bike never starts because of a flat battery theres no point.
Id just go for a bigger chain.

phone sat nav arnt really good unless outside so if it was put in a van then a building it would of lost connection i think

True, The Chain etc are the deterent, this is an essentially free, if all else fails shot at:

a) Getting it back
b) getting the *****'s that took it nicked or badly beaten depending on who I decide to call =p

The bike would either be in constant use or on an optimate while standing should I get a rat bike as planned but I'll certainly look into the battery drain.

As for accuracy inside a Van should be fine, refigerated...hmm..will have to find some way to test that lol.
Buildings and underground not so good true, I'm in the middle of my building at the mo and it's reporting me on the wrong side of the block..but it's close... but the greatest likely hood is this is going to be 3am in the morning woken by alarm as it's thrown on a truck, call police and tell them what road and direction they are taking rather than the professional, expensive system that will work inside shipping containers etc =p.
I want one of those...just can't afford it right now

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by PsychoCannon

Me and you may be having another sit down in the pub me thinks

No problem, let me know when - I have to give you some cash anyway.

The expensive 'proper' trackers often use multiple systems to track the vehicle. If you use a phone with GPS then you are actually pretty close, if it can track by mobile phone cell as well as by the GPS location coming 'down the wire'. IMO the main obstacle is making it discreet, you have to blend the wires in to the loom, hide the different parts, etc.