Here's how I protect my Garmin - how do you?

Sounds like all of that is a good idea.

My plan is that mine has 3 locations where it can be found at any time-
1. In my car in view of a driver.
2. In my house.
3. In the driver's pocket.

Sounds like a good idea. Except a bad guy will probably care less about the log in if indeed he/she wants to use it personally. Otherwise, it would be hard to pawn.....

Never Ever, leave it in your car or out of your sight,
then you won't have anything to worry about.
Broken Glass is a pain to replace because you left it behind yet alone the GPSr.

Does you automobile insurance cover stolen GPS devices? You might also want to paint it a very ugly color, like parking lot yellow so that no one will want to steal it. You can also disguise it in a box of facial tissue; no thief will take the time to steal facial tissue. Finally, keep it in your breast pocket, when not in use, at all times.
Jen

All good ideas, in addition to all that you mentioned, I also customized the text shown when an invalid PIN is entered, the text I show reads:

"Device is locked, to obtain an unlock code please contact (my number)"

So if it got lost or stolen, I would say that "the policy" is to mail the unlock code, so I would need them to provide me with their name, phone number and address, and take it from there.

By the way, How to customize the text is covered on a different thread.

1. In my car in view of a driver.
2. In my house.
3. In my pocket.

Most of he other actions are great,really seem to just keep the honest people honest

thats nice but my RX was stolen despite all of the above precautions. keep it in your pocket.

As a field service person there are times that I leave my coat in one spot as I travel elsewhere in a building. I do not trust that anyone won't go through my pockets when I leave my coat, all my possessions - keys, wallet and money go with me. Having a GPS in my pocket as well would be bothersome. I guess I could put it into my tool bag but I would worry that a ill placed tool will take out the screen.

Not that it won't get stolen from my car but as I get near my destination BEFORE hitting the parking lot I remove the GPS and stow it sight unseen along with removing the bean bag from the dash and storing that under a seat. My thought is that most of the people on the road are not going my way, I am not fussing with it in a parking lot where anyone can see me, I have no circles on my windshield like possibly someone else to show I have a GPS in the car and ultimately if my car does get broken into - stuff happens.

I do take it with me whenever I can but I see so many people flaunting their GPSs that I would imagine that they would be a target before I am. IMO and it's strickly my opinion I would guess that the cars with circles on the windshields or the bean bags on the dash would give would be thieves more of a push to break in than a car with nothing around. I remember the days when removable radios were the rage - great concept except that people would park their car, get out and put the radio in the trunk - yeah, nobody saw them do that.

Not to use home phone number (cell OK) because it can often be cross-referenced to find your home address. And don't use your home as the security point; if stolen by someone who knows you or follows you home, they can boot it there and then reset the unlock code.

Several other threads on this.

I've made a splashscreen that says the following:

Attention: This GPS is Locked
Device Locator Service is Activated Now
Sending Position of Device to Recovery Center...Now!

To Have Unit Unlocked, Call ###-###-####, Arrange Appointment With Your Local Garmin Tech.
Technician Must See Unit and Verify Your Name & Address Before Unlocking. Other Measures Will Render this Unit Inoperable.

You Have (10) Tries Before This Unit Will Not Accept An Unlock Code

Device Locator is a Paid For Trademark of GPS Locator Services"

It's wordy, but I figure a thief will have plenty of chances to read it while trying to figure out the unlock code.

Thanks for others with many of the ideas. What do you think, will it fool a tech Stupid thief?

How does registering it with Garmin help you?

My understanding is that if the thief sends the unit in to Garmin, it will be registered to you and they'll know it was stolen.

If you're referring to my Splashscreen, my number would be listed, so they would arrange a meeting with me to supposedly unlock it. It might fool someone...who knows?

If Garmin receives a request to unlock a unit, they will check the registration, ask the requester to send it in, and then they will send it back to the real owner.

On my "custom" splash screen I have put my email address as my contact point.
I also put the unit away BEFORE I turn into a parking lot and use a vent mount so there are no "circles" on my windshield.
JeffSh

The best is to always have it with you in your pocket or on the dash. With the reduction in size it is now easier to carry along then it ever was in the past.

They don't care, they broke your window didn't they?

Take it with you, and keep it! Period.

I have a yahoo account only used for this purpose. The splash screen reads contact this email address to unlock. I figured if stolen and resold the "new" owner might contact the email address. Also it's registered w/Garmin. I've got a beanbag mount and don't leave in plain sight when not in the vehicle.
Still a crapshoot on preventing theft or getting it back.

that's what i do

These are all great ideas! Thanks for the tips to all!!!

I didn't know that

Thanks to all who contributed on this post. I had always left my GPSr in my car... no more now.

Thanks to all once again.

I keep reading about removing the telltale rings on the windshield. I suppose that they imply the mount was there but has been hidden with the device itself still attached to it.

Now another thought: If the mount is left in place (I prefer vent mounts, a bit more discreet) but the device is "visibly" not on it, would that imply even more that I might have taken the device with me? The would-be thieve has to second-guess if the device is off the mount because I took it away or if it is hidden somewhere in the car.

The point is that the Nüvi are easy to disconnect from the mount. I'm just trying to decrease the chances of a broken window...

A friend's son worked for a while at Best Buy. Came home from work one day and told a bunch of us that someone had stolen the *mock up display units* from a store display! the units in question were marked DISPLAY ONLY and were non-functional, yet someone spent time and effort to steal them!

One of the problems in applying logic to a number of these situations is that the events we're often trying to prevent are not driven by logic.

As pointed out by folks in related threads, if it ain't seen, the bloke looking for a quick pinch will probably move on to the next car.

nt

That is the best idea I've ever heard.

I have my Garmin lock set (the unlock site is NOT at my home) and am using the stuffbak reward splash screen provided by Trapperman which is located here: http://i34.tinypic.com/15fjci0.jpg

You can download a template of that screen and customize it to YOUR info here: http://rapidshare.com/files/134091583/Reward_For_Return_Temp...

Using the Garmin lock, that splash screen, and the label from http://www.stuffbak.com on the back of the nüvi 760 I have covered all the bases I can. If I lose the unit (or it's stolen) I have a decent chance of getting it back.

Whoever finds (or steals) the unit won't be able to use it and they WILL be able to contact stuffbak.com anonymously and get a reward for the return of the nüvi. They can contact stuffbak via the web site or the toll free 800 number and will be able to get the stock reward of $20 worth of stuffbak labels plus I have also set an additional $50 cash reward. Stuffbak will tell them to drop it at any UPS dropoff location and will send them the labels and the cash. Of course I'll have to reimburse stuffbak for the $50 but it's worth it to me to get my unit back.

I have put these labels on my cell phones and both GPS units. I also have a tag on my keychain. Independent tests by various news sources have shown that these things work. Stuffbak claims a 75% return rate but the tests by the news stations had a slightly higher return rate.

You can view video of the news segments here: http://www.stuffbak.com/sb/media/

The only exception is I'm the driver...

Huurumph!!

..Or a .357 Mag with +P's

When I first got my C330 I was concerned that it might be harvested out of my car like some radar detectors I owned in the past. Sometimes the damage to the car is more that the cost of the GPS. I remove the GPS but left the mount which is bad. I did download some software that allowed me to print my name and phone number on the startup screen. This would make pawning the GPS difficult but not impossible. If someone wants your stuff then all you can do is slow them down.

I had ordered another GPS a few months after the C300. I wanted one for my bike and ordered an eTrex Vista CX. When it arrived in the mail the box was empty. Goes to show that you can get mugged almost anywhere.

Bob

That's gotta be tough, I was so excited when my Nuvi showed up.

I did get a refund from the company. When I said I was going to put a claim in with Mastercard they offered me the refund to keep their rating intact even when it wasn't their fault.
I did report the serial number to Garmin in case the crook wanted a map update or send it in for repairs.

Bob

Great idea, thanks for the tip

Mine unit sometime I turn it on then the map screen show up without asking for PIN and I'm not park at the safe location.
Any idea how to fix this?

Thanks

The only problem with locking the units is, that if a crook steals it and it doesn't work, they are more than likely going to chuck the unit in the trash or smash it because it's useless to them. Either way, you don't get the unit back.

Possible explanations:

1. How far are you from your safety location? Some people have reported 200 feet maybe close enough...
2. Was the unit really off or just in standby (what model is it anyway)?

Its either in front of me locked away where it cant be seen

As has been mentioned in other nodes here at the Factory, the point may not be just getting it back, it's preventing the theft of your next gps or mine. If everyone uses the lock, criminals, who usually aren't the brightest or most patient people around, will start looking for an easier commodity. If 3/4 of all the units they steal are bricks, the profit/risk ratio won't be as inviting as it is today!

Why would they want to steal my cheap Garmin?

anything not attached to your automobile. If you want coverage for your GPS, call your Insurance Agent, and add a rider for that reason.

You might be able to render your GPS useless to someone that steals it but does anyone really believe that when they can't get it to work they are going to call the number to return it. I'm sorry but it's going into the circular bin. When not in the car or on my bike it's with me. I have a belt holder like used for cell phones and I keep in in there. Now if someone wants to rob me for it. They can have it. Nothing is sacred in this day and age.

There is some satisfaction in knowing that the thief will not profit from my misfortune. Small satisfaction to be sure, but I'll take what I can get.

Same as me!

I don't keep my 660 in the car when not attended, it's just too tempting for some AH to ruin my day over. In addition, I don't have my unit mounted in plain sight, you have to really know where to look to see the mount for the unit and even then it looks just like part of my trucks interior.

Hi everyone. New member here and have been enjoying this most informative site. So many great ideas to digest. With respect to protecting a GPS, although I have replaced my initial splash screen with several selectable alternatives (G580), my favorite is just a WARNING statement with some recovery information including an award if found.

At the risk of beating an old horse, may I suggest that a revised splash screen may be of little use in discouraging theft since it will not be displayed when stolen, only when turned on at a later time. As one who has had a prior StreetPilot recently stolen while parked in my own driveway, may I suggest that the only real protection for your valuables is a locked vehicle and a flashing red LED on your dashboard. This demonstrates the vehicle is protected by an activated alarm system waiting to go off, which is about all we can reasonably do to protect our belongings.

Keep up the great work.

That's my take on it. Nothing matters, the thief does not care about any of this. He is going to break your window, grab your GPS, take a few seconds to check for other valuables and split. It all happens in 60 seconds.

Your only option is to motivate the thief to move on to another vehicle.

Very good! Always remember, there are smarter hacks every day and some smart thief will find a way to get one to use the USB interface to wipe the unit and reprogram it. It is the people making the hacks that one has to be leery of.

It's only a matter of time.

Glock . . . Perfection