Make a Smart Car Surveillance System Using a Mobile Phone

Instead of purchasing a fancy car alarm that'll go off in the middle of the night when a bird flies by and annoy the whole neighborhood, you can protect your car with a simple mobile phone and the following set-up.

Steps

  1. Choosing mobile phone for the system Get a GSM mobile phone which has auto-answer and mute functions. It should have good reception and a perfect microphone. The ones with small external antennae are the most suitable.
  2. Noting the IMEI number Take down the IMEI Number of your mobile phone. This number is usually printed inside the battery compartment, located beneath the battery of the mobile phone. Detach the battery to find it. Alternately, you can get this number displayed on the screen by dialing *#06# on the keypad of the mobile phone. If you are not sure, seek help from the vendor.
  3. Getting a new mobile connection Buy a new post-paid mobile connection. Any plan which would ensure a long-term reliable connection, with wide coverage and roaming facility would suffice. Choose the most economic plan available since the connection will be rarely used. Keep the mobile number to yourself.
  4. Mounting the SIM Card Mount the SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module) in the mobile phone and test whether the connection is working well.
  5. Making the phone quiet Mute the phone by removing its speaker. If you choose not to remove the speaker, make sure to turn off the speaker phone, ring tones and alerts. Also, turn off the screen light and vibration options. The idea is to make it totally silent and quiet.
  6. Settings Switch on the auto-answer and Automatic Network Search options in the mobile phone. Enable the PIN (Personal Identification Number) feature. Lock the keyboard of the mobile phone.
  7. Mounting the system in your car Get a suitable car-mobile charger. Connect the 12 volt input of the charger to the car battery, with some wires. For connecting, soldering the wires together is the best method. Keep in mind that the 12V cigarette lighter plug will contain electronics to convert the 12V car voltage to the phone voltage. Cutting the wire and connecting the phone directly to the 12V battery - like the video below suggests - means you that the phone gets 12V instead of the lower voltage (like 5V) and will most likely destroy your phone. Connect the output pin of the charger to the mobile phone. Now, mount the mobile phone and the mobile charger securely behind the dashboard or some other inconspicuous place inside the car. Both should be smartly hidden.
  8. Test the installation by calling to the mobile installed inside the car from another phone. The auto-answer feature should work. Ask a person to get inside the car and to keep on speaking something. You should be able to hear him clearly speaking over the other phone. If that is accomplished, your Smart Car Surveillance System is properly installed.
  9. What to do when you find your car is missing When your car is found missing, immediately report to the police and inform your mobile network. Tell them about your Smart Car Surveillance System, the phone number and IMEI number. They'll be able to track down the culprits easily, basing upon the location of the GSM tower which acquires the signals transmitted from the mobile phone. Remember to tell the network not to block the SIM, which they would normally do, whenever a mobile phone is reported stolen. All the way, you can hear the car thieves talking to each other and that too can give you helpful hints to track them.
  10. Maintenance Test the system once in a while to ensure it is working properly.

Tips

  • The effectiveness of this system is directly proportional to the willingness and intelligence of the mobile phone network and police.
  • Removing the outer covers of the mobile phone before mounting it can make it more unidentifiable.
  • There are also websites around that let you track where the phone is (GPS based services based on triangulation of your mobile signal). When your car is stolen you can just give the police this link and let them get it that way as well.
  • In some countries -like Norway, a pre-paid subscription will do fine, since the operators there will only charge for calls made -not received, nor days operated.
  • Your current cell plan may have an inexpensive, "Add-a-Line" option you can take advantage of for this project.

Warnings

  • Don't forget the mobile number or its IMEI Number.
  • Before the cell provider will give out the location information to the police they will require a signed waiver from you and probably a subpoena from the police.
  • This may not work if the car is taken to a place where there is no network at all.
  • Don't go around and tell everyone about your new Smart Car Surveillance System.. Once known, it is very easy to dismantle the system. Remember, a known trap is no trap at all!
  • If you are not familiar to electrical connections and circuitry, seek the help of a knowledgeable friend, to perform the installation for you.
  • Keep the mobile phone number secret.
  • Try to mount the mobile phone very near to the driver seat.
  • Don't pay extra for any luxury features on that line. It's fine if the free nights start at 9 pm, there's no text message plan, and the phone isn't the latest and greatest.
  • Mount the whole system inconspicuously.
  • Mount the mobile phone in such a way so as not to block its transmission or reception.
  • You will have to pay the monthly bill for the post-paid mobile connection. That will be the minimum, since you'll not be making any outgoing calls.
  • The mobile connection should be a post-paid (contract) plan, unless you are confident that a pre-paid plan would work.

Things You'll Need

  • GSM Mobile Phone
  • Car-Mobile Charger
  • Multimeter to test connections
  • Soldering Iron, Solder, Wires and Insulation Tape
  • Clamps, Screws, Screwdriver and Strong Resin
  • A reliable Post-Paid Mobile Connection.

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Sources and Citations

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