Tracker Conundrum

[Robinhood]

No, not you Rich!

In common with a good few other motorhome owners, a condition of insurance for my 'van is the fitment of an authorised tracker or alarm.

I'm not over-fond of alarms, having been disturbed by them going off on other vehicles spontaneously more often than I'd like. Accordingly, my van has been fitted with a (monitored) tracker from new, and this is now almost 6 years old.

Many/most trackers on the market at that time were dependent on the 2G network for communication (mine is confirmed as such), and that (and 3G) is slated for turn-off across Europe to remove obsolescent equipment and clear up bandwidth for newer 4G/5G transmissions.

It isn't a "regulated" process, more driven by commercial considerations of the network providers, and hard facts on status and timescales are not easy to find.

Nonetheless, my research (unverified) indicates that 2G coverage will disappear in some major European countries by the end of next year at the latest. It also seems that 2G has already been removed in Switzerland.

The UK seems to be on track for the end of 2030 at the latest (Some "local difficulties" such as Smart Meters may be implicated in that timescale).  

So, it would appear that my tracker may already not be fully-functional across Europe, and will become increasingly less so in the short/medium term.

I think a 4G dependent replacement is probably on the cards, but it will cost, so the conundrum is, how long do I wait?

(I've had no prompt from the tracker company, but I do now have confirmation that, being 2G, it is a looming issue that I first picked up from technical bulletins about the future of 2G/3G networks).

[Globebuster1]

I'll start by saying - I have no tracker on my Exsis! - however I do have some knowledge from business dealings in the Marine sector.

What I can tell you is that the technology used in tracking devices has advanced quite dramatically in a short space of time.

So you may find that renewing will give you an added benefit beyond better coverage in the future.

[Robinhood]

There's little doubt that the nearest equivalent current model adds some additional functionality.

Give my main justification for originally fitting it was for insurance purposes (I've never bothered with either alarm or tracker on previous 'vans) I'm not particularly motivated by any new functionality, I'm more concerned about the timescale at which my insurer decides that the current unit is not "up to scratch".  😉

[Robinhood]

Just to round this off.

Having given myself some more thinking time, I've decided to replace the existing 2G tracker with one based on 4G technology.

Further research still doesn't give definitive dates, but it appears that 2G may be around in the UK for long enough to see me out, but switch-off has started in Europe (completed in Switzerland) and it looks like it will be completed in some/many countries by the end of next year (with a phased switch-off in between).

I've managed to negotiate a significant discount with the manufacturer on a replacement, with fitting on my drive, and the remainder of my existing subscription will be "rolled over".

With a bit of dismantling, I've located the current device (though not on the first few tries!) so that will be removed at swap-over.

The new device brings somewhat more facilities, most of which wouldn't alone have sold it to me, though the requirement for a separate driver-id device to identify theft with key, but without the additional "fob" present seems fairly sensible (it would appear all current endorsed units now have this). Renewal subscriptions are similar to the existing device.

[david lloyd]

Your circumstances raise a particular question. We have had (new) vehicles in the past that the insurers have insisted were fitted with tracker systems before they would provide cover. I was led to believe this requirement was usually based on the value of the vehicle - in my case it was over their threshold of £70,000 - I did say at the time we’ll adjust the value to £69,950 but they said that as I had already declared it to be the higher figure that would have to be the sum insured.

Our 2006 Pioneer Renoir does not (and did not need to have) a tracker fitted for insurance purposes but, if we still had the Hymer, I wonder at what point the monitored tracker system would no longer be a requirement as the value fell over the years.

Simply put, Robinhood, if you are only fitting it as a requirement for insurance purposes is that still the case six years on?

David

[Robinhood]

Under different circumstances I'd ask the question of the insurer, but it is still a documented requirement on my policy.

The main factor that affects my approach, however, is that, due to the strange market conditions, the insured value has only been dropped this year for the first time, and even then by only a small amount. This leaves it still well above the threshold at which a tracker is required for new policies.

(At the insurer's behest, it was originally insured for list price, which (subject to all the vagaries of p/ex documentation) was rather more than the price quoted on my purchase order. It has just, after 6 years, been valued at that slightly lower price, after checking sale prices of comparable vehicles).  

[david lloyd]

Insurers are always going to win aren’t they? Some policies undertake to pay out for the full value if a replacement if written off in the first year or maybe two but, after that, their normal T&C’s usually only undertake to pay market value!

David