LongRun
Senior Member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2017
- Threads
- 21
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- 151
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- 80
- Location
- California
- Vehicle(s)
- 2017 Civic Type R
- Thread starter
- #1
Has anyone tried (or looked into and decided against) Carlock or HipDriver?
I hate the typical aftermarket car alarms like Viper and Compustar. What I want is a combination GPS tracker and shock sensor that gives me an alert on my smartphone when something happens to my car that I should be concerned about. Since I've bought a smartphone (Moto E4 in case you are interested) to dedicate to my car (my main smartphone remains an iPhone, but I want Waze in my car, and that means an Android phone), and since the smartphone has GPS, shock sensors, and wireless internet connectivity, it seems the best solution is an app that takes care of all this. Supposedly that is what HipDriver is, but it seems to not have caught on and not be maintained.
Coming in a not-so-close second, Carlock seems to be a standalone device that has GPS, a shock sensor, and wireless internet connectivity sufficient to act as a car alarm. What I don't like about it is the $10/month service fee, especially since I'm already paying for internet connectivity for my dedicated car phone. But if it works well, the service fee is similar to Viper and Compustar but the alarm hardware is much cheaper (~$55) and trivial to install, plus I don't need to carry around another key fob.
For me it is also a benefit that neither Carlock nor HipDriver can actually unlock or start the car, so I don't have to worry about internet hackers stealing my car via them.
I had thought I could get all this via a cloud-connected dash cam, but it turns out we are not quite there yet. Plus both Carlock and HipDriver seem to be much less of a battery drain.
What do you think about Carlock, HipDriver, or alternative apps or devices that will alert you to your car being hit or stolen without being expensive and complicated to install hardware?
I hate the typical aftermarket car alarms like Viper and Compustar. What I want is a combination GPS tracker and shock sensor that gives me an alert on my smartphone when something happens to my car that I should be concerned about. Since I've bought a smartphone (Moto E4 in case you are interested) to dedicate to my car (my main smartphone remains an iPhone, but I want Waze in my car, and that means an Android phone), and since the smartphone has GPS, shock sensors, and wireless internet connectivity, it seems the best solution is an app that takes care of all this. Supposedly that is what HipDriver is, but it seems to not have caught on and not be maintained.
Coming in a not-so-close second, Carlock seems to be a standalone device that has GPS, a shock sensor, and wireless internet connectivity sufficient to act as a car alarm. What I don't like about it is the $10/month service fee, especially since I'm already paying for internet connectivity for my dedicated car phone. But if it works well, the service fee is similar to Viper and Compustar but the alarm hardware is much cheaper (~$55) and trivial to install, plus I don't need to carry around another key fob.
For me it is also a benefit that neither Carlock nor HipDriver can actually unlock or start the car, so I don't have to worry about internet hackers stealing my car via them.
I had thought I could get all this via a cloud-connected dash cam, but it turns out we are not quite there yet. Plus both Carlock and HipDriver seem to be much less of a battery drain.
What do you think about Carlock, HipDriver, or alternative apps or devices that will alert you to your car being hit or stolen without being expensive and complicated to install hardware?
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