Vehicle Tracker and Theft Alert System

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  The setup inside a cardboard box

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  Block Diagram

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  Schematic

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  Snapshot of tracking alert

Inspiration

Keeping a track of everything in today’s world is very important. It is a point of concern when the item to be tracked is a vehicle, especially when it’s handled by someone else. Calling the driver and asking him about the coordinates is not a very efficient manner of tracking as he will not be accurate, purposefully might lie, and any other such reasons. So, to make the tracking an easier process, we install a tracking device in the vehicle, that can send us the current coordinates of the vehicle, without letting the driver know about it.

What it does

The device we have developed is intended to track the vehicle it is fitted into. There are two methods of tracking – active and passive. Active tracking is where the location is updated in real-time into a web server automatically without any external command. Passive tracking on the other hand is where the location of the vehicle is sent as a text message to a number we wish to receive the details on, when the SIM card on the device gets provoked by the same number on receiving a text message from it, for example saying “TRACK”. Our system is based on the latter method.

How we built it

For Hardware we have used the following:

1. Arduino Uno R3 as the main MCU of the device
2. GPS module NEO 6M by Ublox with a Passive antenna gets the coordinates (Latitude and Longitude). It is connected to the Arduino UNO using UART Interface (Software Serial)
3. GSM module SIM900A by SimCOM with a Helical Antenna is used to send the coordinates to the user's choice of number.
4. Whole setup is powered by two 9V batteries (Rechargeable).

Challenges we ran into

1. Initial code functionality due to two Software Serial interfaces being used simultaneously
2. Getting accurate coordinates in closed spaces (Concrete Walls)

Accomplishments that we're proud of

1. Proper coordinates being received when inside a moving vehicle
2. Quick response (Less than 3 seconds)
3. Power Saving Feature ( When the vehicle is on, Batteries are put to charge, and the vehicle's battery supplies power )

What we learned

1. NMEA sentences and how they are decoded
2. GPRS Connectivity as well as it's usage in IoT

What's next for Vehicle Tracker and Theft Alert

1. We intend to make the whole setup compact by the usage of PCBs and SMD modules

2. Introduction of Active tracking and making a dedicated app

   

Built With

• arduino
• c++
• gps