Vehicle audio is equipment installed in a car or other vehicle to provide in-car entertainment and information for the occupants. Until the 1950s, it consisted of a simple AM radio. Additions since then have included FM radio (1952), 8-track tape players, cassette players, record players, CD players, DVD players, Blu-ray players, navigation systems, Bluetooth telephone integration and audio streaming, and smartphone controllers like CarPlay and Android Auto. Once controlled from the dashboard with a few buttons, they can be controlled by steering wheel controls and voice commands.
Motor vehicle theft or car theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle.
Automatic vehicle location is a means for automatically determining and transmitting the geographic location of a vehicle. This vehicle location data, from one or more vehicles, may then be collected by a vehicle tracking system to manage an overview of vehicle travel. As of 2017, GPS technology has reached the point of having the transmitting device be smaller than the size of a human thumb, able to run 6 months or more between battery charges, easy to communicate with smartphones — all for less than $20 USD.
A mobile data terminal (MDT) or mobile digital computer (MDC) is a computerized device used in emergency services, public transport, taxicabs, package delivery, roadside assistance, and logistics, among other fields, to communicate with a central dispatcher. They are also used to display mapping and information relevant to the tasks and actions performed by the vehicle such as CAD drawings, diagrams and safety information.
A car alarm is an electronic device installed in a vehicle in an attempt to discourage theft of the vehicle itself, its contents, or both. Car alarms work by emitting high-volume sound when the conditions necessary for triggering it are met. Such alarms may also cause the vehicle's headlights to flash, may notify the car's owner of the incident via a paging system, and may interrupt one or more electrical circuits necessary for the car to start. Although inexpensive to acquire and install, the effectiveness of such devices in deterring vehicle burglary or theft when their only effect is to emit sound appears to be negligible.
An autopatch, sometimes called a phone patch, is a feature of an amateur radio repeater or base station to access an outgoing telephone connection. Users with a transceiver capable of producing touch tones can make a telephone call, typically limited by settings in the autopatch module to be only to flat-rate numbers, such as local calls or toll-free numbers.
Telematics is an interdisciplinary field encompassing telecommunications, vehicular technologies, electrical engineering, and computer science. Telematics can involve any of the following:
OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, emergency services, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Anti-theft systems protect valuables such as vehicles and personal property like wallets, phones, and jewelry. They are also used in retail settings to protect merchandise in the form of security tags and labels. Anti-theft systems include devices such as locks and keys, RFID tags, and GPS locators.
A remote keyless system (RKS), also known as remote keyless entry (RKE) or remote central locking, is an electronic lock that controls access to a building or vehicle by using an electronic remote control. RKS largely and quickly superseded keyless entry, a budding technology that restrictively bound locking and unlocking functions to vehicle-mounted keypads.
In the United States, VIN etching is a countermeasure to motor vehicle theft, that involves etching a vehicle's VIN onto its windows to reduce the value of a stolen vehicle to thieves. The Federal Trade Commission includes VIN etching on a list of upsold services including extended warranties, service and maintenance plans, payment programs, guaranteed automobile or asset protection, emergency road service, and other theft protection devices, and warns consumers about the practice of upselling when buying a vehicle.
Soundstream Inc. was the first United States audiophile digital audio recording company, providing commercial services for recording and computer-based editing.
BMW Assist is a telematic roadside assistance service offered by BMW. BMW Assist is similar to GM's OnStar or Mercedes-Benz mbrace services as they both use the cellular network and Global Positioning telemetry to locate or guide the vehicle. BMW Assist can provide turn-by-turn directions, remote unlocking, vehicle diagnostics, airbag deployment notification, theft recovery and towing or flat tire repair. The service is included free in most new BMWs. After expiration, it can be purchased at a yearly rate. As of March, 2016, BMW assist is undergoing a "technology upgrade" in the US, and renewals are not being processed for MY2013 and older models. BMW has provided no estimated time for completion. Those whose memberships have expired no longer have the advantages of the Safety or Convenience plans. Members who have active service as of December 31, 2016 will have a choice to receive $200 compensation for losing service or to receive a hardware retrofit to continue service. There is a population for whom BMW did not allow renewal between March and December 2016, thus forcing them out of safety and security features.
Vehicle recovery is the recovery of any vehicle to another place, generally speaking with a commercial vehicle known as a recovery vehicle, tow truck or spectacle lift.
Vehicle Theft Protection Program is an educational initiative in North America started by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and LoJack Corporation designed to help owners of cars, motorcycles, construction equipment and commercial vehicles better understand how to protect their assets from theft.
A vehicle tracking system combines the use of automatic vehicle location in individual vehicles with software that collects these fleet data for a comprehensive picture of vehicle locations. Modern vehicle tracking systems commonly use GPS or GLONASS technology for locating the vehicle, but other types of automatic vehicle location technology can also be used. Vehicle information can be viewed on electronic maps via the Internet or specialized software. Urban public transit authorities are an increasingly common user of vehicle tracking systems, particularly in large cities.
Absolute Home & Office is a proprietary laptop theft recovery software. The persistent security features are built into the firmware of devices. Absolute Home & Office has services of an investigations and recovery team who partners with law enforcement agencies to return laptops to their owners. Absolute Software licensed the name LoJack from the vehicle recovery service LoJack in 2005.
Until 2019, GadgetTrak was a company based in Portland, Oregon, that developed theft recovery and data protection software. The company was founded in February 2007 by Ken Westin with the launch of the first theft recovery product for USB mass storage devices, tracking stolen devices including iPods, flash drives, digital cameras and other devices when connected to a computer. The company was issued a patent for the technology on February 24, 2009. GadgetTrak's technology was featured during a special segment by Dateline on iPod theft where they tracked stolen iPods and confronted the thieves. A customized version of the technology was embedded in FLIR thermal imaging cameras as part of an exclusive licensing agreement under the name ThermaTrak utilized for both theft recovery as well as export controls.
Automotive hacking is the exploitation of vulnerabilities within the software, hardware, and communication systems of automobiles.
CalAmp Corporation is an Irvine, California-based provider of Internet of things (IoT) software applications, cloud services, data intelligence and telematics products and services. The company's technology includes edge computing devices and SaaS-based applications for remotely tracking and managing vehicles, drivers, cargo and other mobile assets. The company also owns the patents and trademarks for the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System and provides connected car and lot management products.
