So what makes your plant equipment safe

So what makes your plant equipment safe? What should you and shouldn't you be looking for when buying a tracking device or considering your next tracking tender?
Checking the company is the first step, you have to be sure that the tracking devise you are considering is up to scratch. There are countless products which promise to "change the tracking market as we know it", but all too often this 'new' technology is just cleverly rebranded, low quality Chinese tech. Look out for products which advertise an "extra long life battery pack" or "optional hardwire kits", for those who understand tracking, these phrases mean one thing - turn and run away. For continued security you need a tracker with an integrated battery to ensure that it can be positioned covertly and can do all of this without compromising on longevity. Sending men into the field to change battery packs is expensive, long life lower the need for this costly requirement. A lot of these issues can be avoided by an easy acid test, was the product made in the UK. UK equipment is far more likely to be high quality; it's a good place to start.
Pay as you go SIM cards - this is probably the ultimate example of how to get things wrong. Imagine a scenario where your ￡50,000 piece of plant goes missing just at the point you run out of credit. No problem, just top up and you are ready to go. WRONG, despite what you may have been told there have been numerous reports of credit taking up to 3 days to filter down to the device. Statistics show that 85% of stolen plant leaves the UK through one of the 8 major ports in the UK within 8 hours. By the time the device has recognised your credit, chances are your plant will already be on the continent. Not a risk we would want to take yet we hear reports like this all too often about other products.
Pay as you go SIM's are not designed for M2M - fact. Sometimes companies are drawn in by the idea of cheaper costs and the possibility to control monthly outgoings, in reality the only reason these SIM cards are cheaper is because they are simply not designed for the M2M market. Lower price is due to lower demand. Tracks360 recommends suppliers like STEAM communications (credit) for a service that you can rely at all times. When the worst becomes a reality, you will be very glad that you chose the right product after all.
Credit failures are not the only reason that a tracker can fail in the field. Many products rely solely on GPS location, good for smart phones but the signal can be blocked easily by an experienced thief.