Thief Prevention

I have this cheap Kangaroo wifi motion sensor in the cab of both my trucks for when its parked in the driveway. It is standalone and no hub is needed. It sends an alert to the app when theres motion. Its even good if you already have an alarm system. I frequently forget to arm the car alarm.

$10 Kangaroo Home Security Motion Sensor (1 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/Kangaroo-Home-Security-Motion-Sensor/dp/B07DHXB6XV

 

How’s this working out for you? Thinking of buying one

 

I have 4 units at home and I also installed one in my aunt's mailbox for her to get an alert. It works good. Battery change maybe every 6 months or switch to rechargeable batteries like me. This is the cheapest option for something like this. Only works at home due to wifi. But this is another cheap layer of security. There's no month fee either.

 

Recently got my 2021 Tacoma broken into filed it as vandalism since they only broke the rear glass behind the cab and didn’t steal anything. My question is, what’s a good security camera that records 24hrs on loop?

 

I have the blackvue cameras Front/rear with the backup battery to allow it to engage parking mode so I records when stopped. You can also get LTE connectivity and get notifications if your camera detects an impact. You can also get live view through the app to see around your truck and GPS location. Think I paid close to $1k but you have options as far as storage. Check them out they have lots of options.

 

Will do!

 

I just want to confirm a few things. Looking through these posts, my control relay doesn't look like the ones I've read or seen in this posts. I believe my control relay is this small Denso and the ECU signal is the black wire with white stripe on pin 2. That's the wire I plan on putting the kill switch interrupt.

2004 PreRunner V6, 2WD.

Any comments?

 

I believe my relay was green, and it was called the circuit opening relay - but I may be confusing my cars

 

Blackvue

 

I have a custom steering wheel lock set up in the interior. I also have hidden Apple Airtags so I can always track it.

 

Thinkware is another option. 2k is nice but I think having a rear cam is very important. Yeah my FA200 is old but works

 

I'm ready to install a kill switch off the fuel pump circuit. Perhaps I lack imagination, but I'm not seeing a great location to place the switch itself, somewhere where it is easy to reach but not visible.

I get it that folks don't want to share where they located theirs in an online forum because of security concerns. If you don't mind sharing this with me via a DM, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Switch placement is endless, sometime you just have to look for yourself. I'd seen switch installed next to the gas cap (pre-01) since they do have a locking gas door, but can be annoying to access. Behind glove box, externally mounted, home-made bracket and place it underneath the driver seat with wires coming from the carpet or utilizing the center console/arm rest. Endless possibilities....

 

Installing a cut off switch is only going to stop someone who is trying a quick get in and drive it away. Which is likely most thief attempts, but anyone with a little time would likely figure out there is a switch, and because everyone suggests targeting the fuel pump- if they know Tacoma's they'll likely know where to look.

However, whatever you decide on switch location is probably going to be more of a pain in the ass for you than the thief.

Think about it. If it's a manual switch- you have to remember to move it to the open position before leaving the vehicle, otherwise, the switch is useless. If it's a relay setup, then you have to do something every time you want to start the truck. Either way you are having to do something every time you want to protect the truck.

I used to have a keyed cut-off switch installed in the spaces below the ash tray. Worked great- but I would have to remember to switch it off "in sketchy places". Ultimately, the only person it ever prevented from driving off with my truck was me.

I am not saying that kill switches are useless, but I am saying that they are more of a pain in the ass for you.

 

i have a relay on my starter but gave up when people with tow trucks were stealing cars. so if they want it, they will take it.

 

Does it matter which wire at the relay to splice in a switch? The B-W or W-R before the relay or the blue wire after the relay?

 

Definitely don't use the main power wire for the fuel pump. Most automotive house switches are pretty crappy and fail with large current.

I always try to wire my switches so they break continuity to ground.

 

really helpful thread

 

^^ THIS x 100. Break the circuit by creating an open on the ground so no current runs through your switch @License2Ill thanks for the correction. I did a bit of research on switches and loads and it looks like there are arguments all over the place as to which side of the load the switch should be on. I wire mine on the negative side for DC circuits to keep my wiring consistent with how the vehicle is wired (headlights and such are switched on the - side on all the modern vehicles I have worked on).

 

OK. That suggests I splice the switch in on the W-L wire from the coil of the relay. The W-L goes to ground somewhere. The switch I'm using is an Oznium switch (https://www.oznium.com/switches/scion-switch-led#photos) good for 20A at 14VDC.