An Auckland-based company has succeeded in breaking into the American market with a system for monitoring and tracking vehicles using a device that uniquely combines mobile communication and global positioning technologies.
State Farm was sufficiently impressed by what Atrac had to offer that it is making it its exclusive GPS tracking and security device. Details of how it will offer the product to its customers have yet to be worked out, but it is likely the Atrac unit will be included in the price of longer term insurance policies and those issued on more expensive cars. Atrac’s core product is a small, rugged black box about the size of a paperback. Externally unremarkable, it’s made at a Motorola factory in Israel to Atrac’s specifications and contains a CDMA modem and a global positioning sensor.
Full mobile telephone and wireless modem functionality can also be made available, making the Atrac unit a complete communications solution with the addition of extra hardware such as keypads and speakers. The basic Atrac box has sufficient functionality for the company to offer a broad range of services within New Zealand. Atrac Secure will shortly be offered as a consumer product in conjunction with IAG Insurance. It provides basic vehicle security functions; with an Atrac box fitted, a car can be monitored around the clock and immobilised remotely if it is stolen or otherwise tampered with. Alternatively, the system can be set up so legitimate users who have locked themselves out of their cars can activate their vehicle’s central locking system with their cellphones by entering a code number.
Atrac Fleet is the company’s fleet management system; Atrac Asset is a variant intended for businesses with expensive but more or less mobile assets such as bulldozers and portable generators.
By Stephen Ballantyne
