Disclaimer: We offer the installation of Pandora alarm analysis for campers and all types of vehicles in our workshop.
Anyone who occasionally reads into groups and discussions on social media will also get by with less beautiful aspects of being on the road confronted. Here was a Pössl camper on the highway in France broken up, there they have it at a VW California in Bassano del Grappa windows smashed, and worst of all when they see the freshly converted 4×4 Mercedes Sprinter in front of the door stolen away to have.
Insurance takes care of it, the owner prefers to take care of it
Most of the time you can factory-installed anti-theft device throw it in the bin with thanks. When the vehicle horn starts to blare, hardly anyone on the street reacts these days anyway, and it's not just expensive new sports sedans that are stolen, but those too Thieves go with the trend, so that older campers and motorhomes are also being targeted. As always, prevention is better than aftercare, because even if the insurance company pays, the pain of loss and, even worse, the immaterial value remain lost.
Fortunately, however, there is a not necessarily cheap, but nevertheless effective solution to this risk of theft and burglary in the camper to minimize: an alarm system, such as from Pandora Alarm Systems. And what might be even less of a focus, but definitely a nice-to-have that we wouldn't want to miss anymore, a bunch "smart home" and control functions, which go far beyond the protective functions.l
Various alarm systems
There are many different alarm systems on the market by quite easy up high complex function. Depending on the sensor equipment, an alarm system can do more or less. Standard meanwhile are however Shock and motion sensors as well as one GPS monitoring. In the following, however, I will only go into the Pandora alarm system because we know it very well. In addition, there is currently no other system on the market that offers so many additional security functions "Smart Car" functions with app control at a high level!
The Pandora alarm system is available in many different versions, each for himself other priorities puts. For example, if you assume that a siren is less useful, but you want to know where your vehicle is at all times, you can PANDORA TRACER put up with. If you want the entire Smart Car function package with additional sensors, such as for windows or roof racks, you will find happiness with the Pandora Smart Pro. However, if you are traveling with the camper and want to be secured when staying overnight in the camper, you can grab it Pandora CAMPER MINI or Pandora Camper Pro.
The functions at a glance
In the main unit of Pandora is a shock sensor Installed. As soon as the vehicle feels an impact, jolt or impact, the Pandora sounds the alarm. Atone the parking lot noise! Here, two levels, first the pre-warning and then the alarm level, can be set in their sensitivity if desired. In addition, the Pandora alarm system can be equipped with a interior surveillance, the microwave sensor. After the alarm system has been armed, any changes in the interior of the vehicle or camper are monitored.
Campers in particular increasingly have plastic windows that are only lightly secured, and the doors of semi-integrated motorhomes are generally not secured. This can be done with sg DMS SENSORS that respond to both acceleration and magnetic contact - we recommend the latter for reliability and false alarms. This strain gauge sensors can also on roof boxes or bikes be mounted on the bicycle carrier in order to keep an overview.
The plant itself interacts with the CAN of the vehicle, so that depending on the vehicle type and equipment, for example, the central locking system is kept in view. If someone opens the door, even with a universal key, while the system is armed - the Pandora sounds the alarm. By the way, you can also have one silent alarm set to.
The Pandora alarm system also takes some precautions against theft. If someone wants to tow your camper, this will trigger the first tilt sensor and later also the integrated one accelerometer. If someone tries to leave the field with a stolen key and the camper, the immobilizer prevents this. the Immobilizer is based on 2-factor authentication. Factor 1 is the vehicle key, factor 2 is on depending on the configuration BLUETOOTH TAG, an alarmremote control or even the owner's cell phone. If the second factor is missing, the engine simply will not start. Of course, it is important that the "tags" are not kept together with the vehicle key!
Only at the Camper variants there is still the home function. In other words, sensors such as the interior sensor and the tilt sensor are deactivated so that you can spend the night in the camper without setting off the alarm can. However, the other safety functions, such as the motion sensor or the DMS sensors, continue to react, and the CAN functions, such as the door lock, are also activated continues to be monitored.
That GPS module, which is included in the Pandora Camper Mini or Pandora Smart Pro, for example, allows the vehicle not only in the event of theft to track, but offers many more functions. For example, one of them is this geo fencing. In the profile, an area is marked on the map, i.e. fenced in, which can be equated with a home zone. As soon as the vehicle leaves this zone or enters this zone, you will be notified on the Pandora app. In addition, one can register online logbook lead and various functions, such as Vehicle refueling or record driving profiles. As part of the anti-theft protection, the alarm system also has an anti-jamming function. If the vehicle is loaded into a shielded trailer, for example, you may lose the GSM and GPS signal. At that moment, the alarm system can no longer contact the owner. With anti-jamming, however, an external server monitors the status of the alarm system. As soon as it loses the connection, for whatever reason, the server notifies the owner that something is wrong.
On the part of the manufacturer, more and more is being said about this in the vehicle CAN bus system controlled and monitored. The Pandora alarm system takes advantage of this. Say, via app you can now, for example, your tank level, battery charge status and also the engine temperature, vehicle interior temperature and also check the weather at the location of your camper. In addition, you can also be informed by the car via push messages if a temperature is exceeded or the battery voltage reaches a critical value approaches. You can hardly be better connected to the vehicle. However, the scope of usable vehicle statuses depends heavily on the vehicle manufacturer and vehicle model, which is why not all vehicles can do everything to the same extent.
You always have your cell phone with you these days. How nice it would be if you didn't have to go into the house looking for the key when you're already standing at the camper anyway... but could simply open it via the app? Couldn't, because one can! You can program the Pandora alarm system so that a app control eg the doors, the hazard lights or even the Auxiliary heater possible in the camper. In addition, you can also open the vehicle with the BT tag or the remote control. What is the advantage of remote control? Especially if you want to be “light” on the go. When hiking or surfing, leave the bunch of keys in the car and only take the BT tag with you - secured against burglary by the sharpened alarm system and the 2-factor authentication ensures that the Camper stays in place.
the Complexity of the alarm system is not small, therefore it takes a lot of time for the right pre-installation advice and also the introduction after installation of a Pandora alarm system. So if you always want to stay connected with your favorite vehicle and also when parking the camper in a shady corner a bit more security wants to have is very well served with something like that. The range of alarm systems goes from simple, practical and inexpensive to high-end security. So stay safe!
Finally one more well-intentioned hint: on Youtube there are many different videos that show the functions of the Pandora alarm systems and especially the Pandora Camper Mini. Please enjoy this content with healthy skepticism, because unfortunately not all of them are "Show Effects" useful for reality. Just to name two prominent examples. In the video, the hand is put into the car through an open window and the alarm goes off? In reality: if you set the sensitivity of the volume sensor that high, your phone would only ring from all the false alarms because a mouse ran past the car.
In the video, a camper window is opened with kid gloves and slow motion and the alarm goes off? Reality: Then, with a probability bordering on certainty, the DMS sensor was not activated via the integrated "acceleration sensor", but exclusively via the magnetic switch. This only works if the DMS was in magnetic contact when the alarm system was armed and then loses contact over time (e.g. by opening the (almost) closed window).
Conclusion: The Pandora alarm system probably offers the most comprehensive security package currently on the market, but it can't do magic either. The expectation that you can leave the windows in the camper wide open and the alarm system works like a magic laser barrier that can distinguish between enemy and friend is unfortunately not achievable.
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