Garmin Security

Your idea is fine, but it is after the fact. The thief will steal your GPS, and when he finds he can't operate it, will throw it in the nearest dumpster and get on to ripping off the next car.

Take it with you, but do not leave the telltale circle on the windshield, or the power cord. The thief will think the unit is in the car somewhere.

dobs108

Agreed. Also, do not enter your real home address into the GPS. Use a nearby location, such as the address of a McDonalds, fire station, police station, etc. That way if it does get stolen the thief won't know exactly where you live. Don't laugh. In England there have been thefts of GPS "satnav" units from cars at commuter parking lots during the day. Thieves select "go home" figuring the owner is at work and burglarize the premises.

If you set the lockout feature then use your home address as home the thief would not be able to use your GPS to find your home. That is unless he finds the code for the lockout.

You would do better to put your actual phone number there, as 123-555-1212 isn't going to reach anyone.

There will be those you tell you to use Garmin lock, but that will never prevent the GPS from being stolen, only increase its chance of being smashed when the thief discovers that it is locked.

My advice, like that of others, is to get an inexpensive case or camera bag and always take the GPS with you. That will greatly decrease the chances of it being stolen.

Good one!!!

It can't hurt to add that extra layer in case someone steals it.

Who knows, the thief might be stupid and try to at least claim a reward by stating "he found it". After all "no questions asked".

The problem with putting your phone number on the GPS is that unless it is a cell phone they can still get your address off the internet. All they have to do is go to one of the online phone books and it will give the name and address for that number.

I use StuffBak. My splash screen says the unit is locked by Garmin PIN lock. It gives the toll free number for StuffBak.com, my owner number, and offers a $50, no-questions-asked, reward for return.

The "finder" of my unit can call the number, give them my owner number from the screen image, and they will be instructed to drop it at the nearest UPS shipping spot. Once the unit is received by StuffBak they will send the "finder" $50 (which will be charged to me) and then StuffBak will return the unit to me.

I have StuffBak coverage for all my GPS units, my cell phone, and my work keys.

StuffBak has been checked out by numerous news folks and the return rate has been VERY good. There are videos on the site.

http://www.stuffbak.com/sb/default.aspx

Your GPSr is stolen, it is fair that you fool the thief by giving bad phone number.

It is not clear what you are referring to. However, if it is using Garmin lock, I think it actually can hurt. I have a few reasons to believe this. Garmin lock never prevents the theft, but might increase the chances that the GPS will be smashed before the device is recovered (one recent poster even seemed to think they knew who stole it, so recovery isn't out of the question). It seems to lull people into leaving their GPS in the car, as evidenced by so many people expressing that their GPS was stolen from the car even though the GPS was "protected" by Garmin lock. And it is an inconvenience to tap in the security code each time, particularly since the screen doesn't always read it as accurately as one might wish.

On the other hand, if you are saying "can't hurt" to the custom screen displayed when the GPS is turned on then I'm less opposed to that, my own GPS gives my name, phone number and even e-mail on power up. The promise of a reward might be seen by some people as saying "Steel Me", so it could hurt, but I doubt this is a serious issue.

I always remove the power cord and unit and lock it in the console out of site. I have a very small dash mount that makes it difficult for someone looking through the tinted windows to see. Once I'm home, I remove the unit. Having a small case for the unit and cord makes things simpler too.

If they are breaking into your car they could just as well grab all the papers in your glove compartment including your insurance card and registration information that you are required to carry. Simple enough to read an address off of those documents. They can then use a working GPS to drive to that address!

Mine gets locked in my console when I exit my vehicle, along with the power cord & the Garmin dash mount (the flexible one that sticks to the dashboard - works great).

I do this even when I stop for gas and leave the truck. It only takes a few seconds to unplug the cord & toss it in the console - I usually do it as I approach the station, or wherever I'm stopping, so no one sees me hiding it, and there's nothing left behind to indicate I have a GPS.

Don't get lazy and "Assume" anything. The few times my cars have been broken into have been in "good" neighborhoods.

On the bright side you could always move to Bayonne...

is there a specific instructions page for all the different models of garmin on how one can create custom boot screens with messages, or how to add a text message for example: about the reward for returning and where to return?

Wanna keep your gps safe?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDrzMGdYWZc

Nuff said..

You can read here on how to create a custom splash screen http://home.comcast.net/~ghayman3/garmin.gps/page5.htm#splas...
and here to give you an idea on various backgrounds http://www.mynuvi.it/splash_intro.html

Report back if you encounter any problems.

Pioneer used to have a similar feature on their car stereo head units called "Secret Code". They even gave you window stickers to use as a deterrent to theft, showing that the system had that feature. Problem was, the owners were generally too dumb to deal with it, they'd set a code and forget it, requiring the unit to be sent back to the factory to have an EPROM desoldered from the board, as I understand. They eventually dropped the feature in favor of removable faceplates to deter theft. Not sure how well that worked out.

I believe that a lot of vehicle manufacturers still require a pin code to be entered when a radio is removed from the vehicle's dash and replaced. If everyone would stick to their guns and adopt this method, stolen items like this would become worthless. Word would get around, and even the thieves would eventually understand what was happening if they couldn't get the payoff they expected.

Remove the incentive and the problem goes away. Of course, the majority of owners must participate in order for it to work.

- Phil