I bought this device to try out as a smaller alternative to the bigger GPS tracker units a few years ago. It's interesting, but it's not a proper tracker.
Your Mom was lucky to have a son like you to do all this for her. Even though she may not get what you are doing - you were there for her and that's what counts.
Fascinating. The interesting thing about the "SOS" button is if I found this up on a shelf somewhere and was trying to figure out what it was, the first thing I would do is press the button. If someone were using it as a listening device, in call only mode, getting a call from the device would be their way of knowing it had been discovered.
Keep in mind that "Tracker" might just be an inaccurate translation from the Chinese "Voice Tracker", which obviously is not a GPS tracker. I've learned to be a bit leery when reading product descriptions especially on poorly translated Chinese products. ;)
I worked in a car dealership outside of Chicago. People would buy a car without any intention of making payments. Whenever we would find them and repossess the car they would always be amazed how we always found them. I personally installed about 500 GPS trackers in those cars... The customers would sometimes catch on so I had to start installing diversion trackers.... fake blinky trackers that are easy to find so the customer sees it and removes it and thinks they've gotten rid of it... but they were just a diversion. The real tracker of course wouldn't be blinky and in plain sight.
+Valentin Meneses Normally, yes. Its illegal. Knowing this, we of course have a clause in each contract where they have to sign acknowledging that the vehicle might or might not have GPS. As most of you probably do, the customers didn't read this... they just blindly signed the paperwork. Just goes to show that you should read what you sign, especially when it comes to a shady car dealership that offers in-house financing to people with no credit or bad credit with low down payments.
+BachikoiBabi It's actually become quite common for car dealers that offer pay here type payment plans to lower income areas to install hardwired trackers that are also capable of shutting the car down (actually I think it just disables the starter). They get shoved pretty far into the wiring too. I bought a car from a junkyard that had one set off & since it was so damaged they sent it to the junkyard it was hard to turn back on. Never did manage to tear it out I got a wire from the foot well to bridge with a hot wire and then it started from the ignition, then you had to shut off the ignition and unbridge the wires to drive. Annoying little task for my little topaz. Great car, other than that and the giant car shaped dent in the side.
+BachikoiBabi Firstly, I don't believe your story which is almost certainly a lie. Secondly, if a dealership unknowingly installed a GPS in a car I purchased, I would never do business with them again.
Lloyd Marriott You really shouldn't be fucking Alzheimer's sufferers. There's quite a substantial grey area (not just pubic) when it comes to the ability to competently grant consent.
Clive, I like your videos. As an M.S. Electronic Engineer, I sometimes have problems conversing at a level laymen and novices can understand. You're teaching me how to speak on a different level than what I am accustomed with so many other professionals I work with on a daily basis. Keep up the good work, my friend.
I looked into these a while ago, and though fun (For geo-caching games etc) they're not solid enough for applications where they are depended on. Due to the audio bug feature, they're also illegal in Germany. There are a few variants on this theme now, too. One being a USB charging cable with the basic bits of this (Sans battery) concealed in the USB connector, allowing spying on anyone you can give a USB cable to! :-o The "GPS" is actually "A-GPS" which is, basically, GSM triangulation. It works well, but only in areas where there's good GSM coverage. Finally: A lot of these trackers are suspected to also send their tracking output to unknown parties as well as the user operating it, so these should never be relied upon for confidential applications. :-)
Hey Clive! Love your channel, first of all! And second, could you perhaps do a review/in-depth analysis of the actual GPS tracker you wound up using?That'd be awesome because I'm contemplating putting one of those in my car as a way of tracking it if it ever got stolen.
I wonder if that extra pin is for controlling an external load, like a relay or something. You send a text it turns on, you send a different text it turns off type of thing?
I remember the early cell phones that I had if I wanted to use the navigation app for turn-by-turn directions it didn't use actual GPS it used triangulation from cell towers which had known GPS positions. if I was driving in the mountains and lost signal, God forbid I missed my turn or encountered a detour because the software would just dump the current route and try to query the server to build a new route and if I didn't remember how to get back to where there was signal I would be screwed.
LOL what a sneaky thing! First the bogus GPS false advertising then the really sneaky stuff starts when you get it to work as intended! I love it! It reminds me of the old infinity bugs xD
IT IS a proper tracker... your device doesn't have the antenna strip inside the case. You need to register your personal number using an SQ code so the device will recognize your phone number as the controller. Then a "DW" text will correctly send you GPS coordinates provided you loaded or topped up some credits into the account. But in your case, your antenna is missing. It's like a small strip of metal tape that goes around the top inside the case and touches that small spring-like metal at the corner of the circuit board.
would it be possible to program a gsm sim to work with a service like lookout mobile so you can locate the device? or would it need another microchip on the arm to locate the sim this way? Im gonna try to figure out if this can be done with a freedom pop chip. thanks if you save me some research.
No. The one in this video is missing the antenna. My Mini A8 has an antenna strip that goes all around the case and touches directly with that little spring at the corner. Without the antenna, the device won't be able to give you accurate location data.
I've a few of both the tracker and listener, when used together they are a powerful surveillance system. The listener works well alone in a room with a power pack, I found the early single 18650 battery ones quite good before they were all recalled. It's a shame they don't take a BL-2 battery. Do you have the instructions for the tracker/a review as I've lost my instructions.
The red LED light is it always supposed to be on? mine seems to be. not matter how insignificant it consumes power and does not help the whole "covert" thing
That looks like "A8" on the front, not A2. They show up as A8 on eBay. ~$11.50 shipped for something that would have cost government spies thousands of dollars not that long ago. Wonderful, as if government spying isn't enough, any amateur snoop can massively violate privacy for $11.50. Here's the text from one of the eBay ads about this "GPS" device. Notice the mention of "surveillance operation" as the primary intended use of this device: How does it work: It's simple. Your surveillance operation will be underway in 4 simple steps: 1. Insert a mobile phone SIM card in the device (E.G. free PAYG SIM card from O2 etc) 2. Conceal the device where it cant be seen... 3. Dial the pay as you go number from your phone..... 4. Listen - now you can hear what they are really talking about...
Not true. I can build these from scratch. If one has the materials in bulk, it should cost next to nothing compared to the retail price (which includes packaging, labelling, shipping etc) What is considered the latest technology to consumers is pre-approved and is considered almost ancient technology to the government. Much of it is never revealed to the average joe because the average joe can also be a no-good SOB.
Ahhh BigClive we finally saw *you* (as in your head) at 10:00 :D @TQ < It's really not worth wasting your time building one of these out of parts. Assembly along with fine microsoldering will cost you more in time (at least an hour) than it's worth just buying it ready made for only $12usd. Don't get me wrong I'm a huge hobby electronics fan and still built some gadgets by hand, but nowadays mass production has rendered the self-build model a moot point in most cases such as this, therefore due to the Time/Cost/Benefit ratio, it's just not worth building it yourself. ;)
Could I just cut off that battery and replace it with another, bigger capacity lithium battery? Would it then be able to charge that bigger battery fully? Given that the bigger battery also has a circuit protection module
+Chris Roller It should be able to do so, but I'd suggest using an over-rated panel to make sure that it didn't run flat after several dull days. If the voltage falls too low it it might crash or lock-up and not reboot.
+bigclivedotcom That's an excellent idea. I was just pondering ideas for increasing it's longevity. I'm a big fan of charging my devices with solar cells.
Maybe the unknown "contact" at the corner is a switch, for detecting tampering with the device. When the case is open, the switch is activated and all memory on the device/SIM card is erased? Or maybe (if not a switch), some kind of connection for an external antenna?
I bought one of these 6 months ago and gave up on it when I had to pay for the chip as well. I bought a very cheap sim chip but didnt want to activate it not knowing if it could work or what it would do since there is like NO help from manufacturer and the website seemed weird. I threw it into a drawer. Now I see this and might dig it out and throw a few dollars onto that chip.
hi Clive, is the a8 as simple as stick any sim in and ring it or do you have to do something to set it up as I bought one and stuck in a Vodafone sim and it went to answer machine so stuck my O2 sim in and the same, straight to answer machine, thanks,
+dooronron69 Did you slide the SIM in firmly? There's a switch that is activated by the SIM being pushed in, and you should see some lights activate. The SIM can't have a PIN lock-code on it. You have to make sure that features off.
+TheWizechatmgr Generically called TK102. I recommend getting a suitable charger for the batteries it takes (usually a generic Nokia cell) and getting at least one spare cell so you can swap in a freshly charged one every morning.
+TheWizechatmgr I know I'm a bit late on this but I'd recommend the tkstar look it up on ebay! it costs a bit more than the TK102 usually priced at about £25 but the battery lasts up to I think about 5 days I use to charge mine every 3 days or so. (Used it for my car) Comes with a app for your phone and everything :D Has live tracking on the app with a decent refresh rate (15 seconds adjustable to your requirement but 15sec is the lowest)
Although not close to the battery leads, I suspect that 8 pin chip is a battery management/charge controller chip. It's rare that a modern cell phone controller chip needs an op-amp for a microphone (that's usually built in an only needs a resistor/capacitor for signal). Also, the controller is not the cell phone module itself - pretty much guaranteed the GSM stuff is under the tin covered area. A GPS tracker could use a processor with far fewer capabilities and the android OS would be overkill because the GSM module does most of the computational work. As an audio bug, I bet the CPU is doing DSP functions to trigger audio spy mode, hence the reason the manufacturer selected that processor and/or they are storing a lot of data on that flash module. As far as the electronics on the LiPo battery, that is typical with most LiPo's (charge protection circuits) - no charge management lead otherwise. Just some thoughts, I could be wrong about some of this - I am no way an expert.
I also removed the button. I connected the button contacts to a relay controlled by a pir for making a small handheld anti-theft and so I wanted to know if there was a system to turn on and off SOS via sms.
I have been looking for something to attach to my drone, Just incase i loose it or something, this was the perfect size when i saw it, but you killed my dreams after seeing your review lol. That would be the perfect size to attach small light.
Hello big Clive! I sadly brought a mini A8 to track my grandad when he goes walk about and gets lost. Glad it only cost £10! I've now brought the TK102 as you sold it to me when reading your website! I was wondering if you knew how much data you used? I've brought a giffgaff sim and brought a £10 goodie bag which comes with 1gb of Internet and the messages and minutes. Or does it just use top up like mentioned in your post?
That's interesting. We're looking for the video version of that to send up to near space in a balloon. We figure we can get back the images through gsm when it gets close enough to a tower...
9:25 Actually i'm fairly certain the ARM processor uses the other chip you referred to as the "phone" chip as RAM. It should be a memory module. The "phone" part of this device is just software and we've only got a GSM radio underneath the EM shielding.
Depending on how many nearby towers, cell phone tower triangulation can be extremely accurate. If the device can ping 3 towers, then the device can be tracked within a meter. That is a lot of if's tho.
Plus it's got really small low gain antennas which makes it pretty inaccurate. Nowadays they've got plenty of cheap ($20) models with real GPS built in, just check on AliExpress.com ;)
when I watch your videos I feel like I'm back in 5th grade science class, that's a good thing. Can you do a video on a cheap 18650 battery charger because I know they are disasters waiting to happen
Just recently subbed to your channel. Good stuff, and informative. Also, your voice is like silk blowing in the warm breeze of a fresh spring morning. Ok... A little creepy... Sorry.
I know it was a while. How much time does the real GPS locator(on the right) works on battery while in live tracking mode? Will it make it for 24hrs while refreshing it's position like once per 5 minutes?
Things will have changed since I used the TK102 units about 8 years ago. They could log their position in internal memory or send it, but I doubt the internal battery would have lasted long doing that. You could add an external battery though.
@@bigclivedotcom Big thanks for the reply. I'm looking for something not to pricy that would sent me it's coords live every 3-10 mins (supposedly via GPRS) for at least 24hrs. Is there anything you'd recommend?
Excuse me so the one who has the android logo don´t works? and What about the other?, it is possible to monitoring the device by an app in my phone. I'm asking this because I dont speak English as well. and Finally Wich device do you recommen?
Pretty neat little device still even though it isn't a GPS tracker. I need something like this for my Grandmother. Since pagers aren't a thing anymore, at least to my knowledge....
Technically you could narrow down the location of the device using only cell towers, But you need to have a few of the cell towers listed to triangulate against them. While its not GPS which can average around 5 meters, If you can get 4 or more towers (when it reconnects / cycles / moves) then you can some times get around 100 to 500 meters accuracy.. But all this requires processing, eg checking the signal strength vs the towers location and so on.. This is a common fall back when the GPS module itself can not obtain a sat fix, common when in a shed/house/some where that the sky is not visible to the device.. As usual, love the video's clive
that unit is great for hacking pull off the arm micro chip wire power ground and tx rx from the pcb to an arduino and you can build a mini gsm with power supply
in my firsth post i explained it take the prosessor out connect a arduino to the rx and tx pins of the gsm chip and then you have an arduino controlled gsm with build in power supply
Purchased one of these recently. Charged it up, then inserted an activated, tested, SIM card. After a couple of seconds the led starts flashing on and off and never stops. It doesn't seem to be working, but I have no clue what a blinking red led indicates. Any thoughts?
bigclivedotcom Thanks for the reply. The SIM I'm trying is a ptel brand that is freshly activated and works fine in my phone. I also tried my tmobile sim card. Same results with both. I may just have to try some other brands I guess. Thanks again for the reply. BTW, I thoroughly enjoy you channel and always look forward to new videos. Cheers.
it is a fully capable tracker but the feature may have been disabled. if you get the signal strengths of more than 1 tower you can triangulate the position but there might be laws prohibiting this feature so it may have been gimped to only allow access to a single tower
Why? It's literally just a mobile phone? Think about it, a mobile you can use to covertly listen to people, covertly record video or take pictures, you can also use it to track people via the GPS function. There are also apps that copy all keystrokes and send them to you, take remote screenshots, copy + remotely send their texts, emails, time call placed etc etc. Nearly any everyday consumer electronics can be used for covert surveillance, webcams, CCTV, phones, tvs, laptops and there's nothing illegal about such devices even if advertised for surveillance. You might run into problems if you got caught using them somewhere that wasnt your property, but that's completely different from making the devices illegal
I think the difference with this piece of electronic is that it is made purposefully to be a bugging device. If someone finds a cellphone in a drawer which, theoretically, has bugging abilities, you will less likely be prosecuted. If someone found this A8 device in a drawer somewhere, your intent of bugging someone is crystalclear and your defence will be a hard one. Your logic can be easily turned around completely, making everyone who carries one of the electrical devices you mentioned a suspect. The law isn't just logic, it has to be reasonable and fair too in it's decisions.
Gonna make this into a anti theft device for my moped, just bought 2 for experimenting with. When I'm flying my fpv quad, I usually have to walk a few miles/ km to get to quiet spots, and by doing so- I've almost had my moped stolen 2 times now. When I get called, I can hurry back to my moped, with at least a little chance of catching the thieves in person. That, combined with a pinhole camera in my buddyseat, should make attempt of theft a lot less painfull. As I also have a A3 sized printer and laminator- and the sheer willpower of hanging up hundreds of photos xD
You know, you could wire a relay to it to cut power or even wire an inline fuel cock switch to turn off the fuel. I suppose they can lift it up into a truck but they aren't going to ride off on it.
Can you help me and let me know if it works across country, I mean if I can control this device from a different country all together, I am a little worried my mom is travelling to a different country and I just want to keep a track of her all the time.. prompt reply will be appreciated
He means PAYG as they don't norm require any personal information to activate (unless your county requires by law that they are tied to your Identity, I know only 3 that do it)
Your Mom was lucky to have a son like you to do all this for her. Even though she may not get what you are doing - you were there for her and that's what counts.
I said “I wonder if NSA is listening. I wonder if China is listening too?” Then I laughed, NSA laughed, and China laughed.
how he know? his speakers
Well then now the US president controlled by china
*Then Russia came over the radio and laughed
@@gamingforlive2150 speakers can be used as microphones.
who laughed longest?
Fascinating. The interesting thing about the "SOS" button is if I found this up on a shelf somewhere and was trying to figure out what it was, the first thing I would do is press the button. If someone were using it as a listening device, in call only mode, getting a call from the device would be their way of knowing it had been discovered.
Sammie1053 haha lol 😂
thanks for keeping me from buying the wrong thing.
Carl Bradley I want to know the name of the tracker which he shown at very first
Keep in mind that "Tracker" might just be an inaccurate translation from the Chinese "Voice Tracker", which obviously is not a GPS tracker. I've learned to be a bit leery when reading product descriptions especially on poorly translated Chinese products. ;)
Nothing wrong with spare parts and batteries lol
I worked in a car dealership outside of Chicago. People would buy a car without any intention of making payments. Whenever we would find them and repossess the car they would always be amazed how we always found them. I personally installed about 500 GPS trackers in those cars... The customers would sometimes catch on so I had to start installing diversion trackers.... fake blinky trackers that are easy to find so the customer sees it and removes it and thinks they've gotten rid of it... but they were just a diversion. The real tracker of course wouldn't be blinky and in plain sight.
Isn't that... Illegal?
+Valentin Meneses Normally, yes. Its illegal. Knowing this, we of course have a clause in each contract where they have to sign acknowledging that the vehicle might or might not have GPS. As most of you probably do, the customers didn't read this... they just blindly signed the paperwork. Just goes to show that you should read what you sign, especially when it comes to a shady car dealership that offers in-house financing to people with no credit or bad credit with low down payments.
+BachikoiBabi It's actually become quite common for car dealers that offer pay here type payment plans to lower income areas to install hardwired trackers that are also capable of shutting the car down (actually I think it just disables the starter). They get shoved pretty far into the wiring too. I bought a car from a junkyard that had one set off & since it was so damaged they sent it to the junkyard it was hard to turn back on. Never did manage to tear it out I got a wire from the foot well to bridge with a hot wire and then it started from the ignition, then you had to shut off the ignition and unbridge the wires to drive. Annoying little task for my little topaz. Great car, other than that and the giant car shaped dent in the side.
+BachikoiBabi
I'd be careful with that, it's unlikely to actually stand up in court.
+BachikoiBabi Firstly, I don't believe your story which is almost certainly a lie. Secondly, if a dealership unknowingly installed a GPS in a car I purchased, I would never do business with them again.
Clive just to say that I loved watching these videos - you'd make a great teacher at a university!
I checked my ISO tables for "modest amount", but it doesn't appear to be an international standard for battery operating duration.
I believe if you try the Internal Scottish Organisation tables it'll be right there in the middle.
Must be one of those wired imperial units... ;)
I can confirm this is on the Imperial & Scotsman Organization table for things and lengths of stuff.
Lol modern alternative to 'lets put a bell on her'
I once put a bell in her.....
Lloyd Marriott You really shouldn't be fucking Alzheimer's sufferers. There's quite a substantial grey area (not just pubic) when it comes to the ability to competently grant consent.
@@comanchio1976 jeez chill, its a joke dont be over dramatic
d'edsi Wife or cat?
@@comanchio1976 Your extreme arrogance and plain lack of respect say otherwise.
Jesus Christ I thought your channel was "Big C Live" for months, until I watched this
Same man.
lol big c
that kinda works too tbh
Clive, I like your videos. As an M.S. Electronic Engineer, I sometimes have problems conversing at a level laymen and novices can understand. You're teaching me how to speak on a different level than what I am accustomed with so many other professionals I work with on a daily basis. Keep up the good work, my friend.
I looked into these a while ago, and though fun (For geo-caching games etc) they're not solid enough for applications where they are depended on. Due to the audio bug feature, they're also illegal in Germany.
There are a few variants on this theme now, too. One being a USB charging cable with the basic bits of this (Sans battery) concealed in the USB connector, allowing spying on anyone you can give a USB cable to! :-o
The "GPS" is actually "A-GPS" which is, basically, GSM triangulation. It works well, but only in areas where there's good GSM coverage.
Finally: A lot of these trackers are suspected to also send their tracking output to unknown parties as well as the user operating it, so these should never be relied upon for confidential applications. :-)
Awesome Video Clive. Very Cool Teardown. Keep up the great work. Nick.
"find your car! find your kids!''
Hi clive can i modify this to use it as a switch ?
For example put a switching transistor to the mic output ?
Hey Clive! Love your channel, first of all! And second, could you perhaps do a review/in-depth analysis of the actual GPS tracker you wound up using?That'd be awesome because I'm contemplating putting one of those in my car as a way of tracking it if it ever got stolen.
I wonder if that extra pin is for controlling an external load, like a relay or something. You send a text it turns on, you send a different text it turns off type of thing?
You have a website too! Oh Lord, now I will never get any sleep ;) Love your contributions to UA-cam.
I remember the early cell phones that I had if I wanted to use the navigation app for turn-by-turn directions it didn't use actual GPS it used triangulation from cell towers which had known GPS positions. if I was driving in the mountains and lost signal, God forbid I missed my turn or encountered a detour because the software would just dump the current route and try to query the server to build a new route and if I didn't remember how to get back to where there was signal I would be screwed.
LOL what a sneaky thing! First the bogus GPS false advertising then the really sneaky stuff starts when you get it to work as intended! I love it! It reminds me of the old infinity bugs xD
don't forget to ring that thing with a burner phone too
Facts
IT IS a proper tracker... your device doesn't have the antenna strip inside the case. You need to register your personal number using an SQ code so the device will recognize your phone number as the controller. Then a "DW" text will correctly send you GPS coordinates provided you loaded or topped up some credits into the account. But in your case, your antenna is missing. It's like a small strip of metal tape that goes around the top inside the case and touches that small spring-like metal at the corner of the circuit board.
is there (at least) a 3g version now 2g is shutting down in places?
That module seems like it would fit nicely into a full-sized power bank and run from its battery. Not that anyone would ever do such a thing.
would it be possible to program a gsm sim to work with a service like lookout mobile so you can locate the device? or would it need another microchip on the arm to locate the sim this way? Im gonna try to figure out if this can be done with a freedom pop chip. thanks if you save me some research.
Could the little spring pin be a tamper protection feature? Like maybe it erases its memory if the case is opened?
Had the exact same thought, or maybe it's a cheap/available component repurposed as an antenna.
At the end he mentions the chip next to the ARM is a flash memory chip.
might be a power switch, which kills the power to the unit. or the aforementioned tamperswitch, where it floods the flash memory with 0's
No. The one in this video is missing the antenna. My Mini A8 has an antenna strip that goes all around the case and touches directly with that little spring at the corner. Without the antenna, the device won't be able to give you accurate location data.
could the springloaded pin be an anti-tamper device so it would know if its been opened & call/text to tell you you've been found out??
Very interesting as always Clive.
I am pleased I watched this good video - was all set to buy one.
I've a few of both the tracker and listener, when used together they are a powerful surveillance system. The listener works well alone in a room with a power pack, I found the early single 18650 battery ones quite good before they were all recalled. It's a shame they don't take a BL-2 battery.
Do you have the instructions for the tracker/a review as I've lost my instructions.
This Video was in the german news today.. lol
You think we could solder a bigger 2 pin mic on there for better audio capture?
I've been looking for a inexpensive GPS logger that doesn't use a SIM card, have any recommendations?
The red LED light is it always supposed to be on? mine seems to be. not matter how insignificant it consumes power and does not help the whole "covert" thing
That looks like "A8" on the front, not A2. They show up as A8 on eBay. ~$11.50 shipped for something that would have cost government spies thousands of dollars not that long ago. Wonderful, as if government spying isn't enough, any amateur snoop can massively violate privacy for $11.50. Here's the text from one of the eBay ads about this "GPS" device. Notice the mention of "surveillance operation" as the primary intended use of this device:
How does it work:
It's simple. Your surveillance operation will be underway in 4 simple steps:
1. Insert a mobile phone SIM card in the device (E.G. free PAYG SIM card from O2 etc)
2. Conceal the device where it cant be seen...
3. Dial the pay as you go number from your phone.....
4. Listen - now you can hear what they are really talking about...
Winston Smith Oops! You're right. I've changed the video title to A8.
Not true. I can build these from scratch. If one has the materials in bulk, it should cost next to nothing compared to the retail price (which includes packaging, labelling, shipping etc) What is considered the latest technology to consumers is pre-approved and is considered almost ancient technology to the government. Much of it is never revealed to the average joe because the average joe can also be a no-good SOB.
Ahhh BigClive we finally saw *you* (as in your head) at 10:00 :D
@TQ < It's really not worth wasting your time building one of these out of parts. Assembly along with fine microsoldering will cost you more in time (at least an hour) than it's worth just buying it ready made for only $12usd. Don't get me wrong I'm a huge hobby electronics fan and still built some gadgets by hand, but nowadays mass production has rendered the self-build model a moot point in most cases such as this, therefore due to the Time/Cost/Benefit ratio, it's just not worth building it yourself. ;)
Lol Clive I has watched quite a few of your videos, I has no idea why, you are addictive in your mundane endeavors XD
I love your channel so much.
so? is it a tracking devise or not? I'm looking for a good tracker/locator devise. thanks
Would this device work through a pocket, do you think?
Could I just cut off that battery and replace it with another, bigger capacity lithium battery? Would it then be able to charge that bigger battery fully? Given that the bigger battery also has a circuit protection module
Do you think that device would be able to power/charge itself off of a similarly sized solar membrane?
+Chris Roller It should be able to do so, but I'd suggest using an over-rated panel to make sure that it didn't run flat after several dull days. If the voltage falls too low it it might crash or lock-up and not reboot.
+bigclivedotcom That's an excellent idea. I was just pondering ideas for increasing it's longevity. I'm a big fan of charging my devices with solar cells.
+Gadgetboy This guy calls for green.
Maybe the unknown "contact" at the corner is a switch, for detecting tampering with the device. When the case is open, the switch is activated and all memory on the device/SIM card is erased? Or maybe (if not a switch), some kind of connection for an external antenna?
Just wondering if you would do a build with it for a future video ie remove the battery and wire it in / conceal it in a usb hub / charging dock
Any chance of revisiting these devices? Looks like there have been a lot of new models released!
10:15 could be the ESD protection for the SIM card, I have them on my GPS modules from China and they are indicated as such in the schematic.
I bought one of these 6 months ago and gave up on it when I had to pay for the chip as well. I bought a very cheap sim chip but didnt want to activate it not knowing if it could work or what it would do since there is like NO help from manufacturer and the website seemed weird. I threw it into a drawer. Now I see this and might dig it out and throw a few dollars onto that chip.
hi Clive, is the a8 as simple as stick any sim in and ring it or do you have to do something to set it up as I bought one and stuck in a Vodafone sim and it went to answer machine so stuck my O2 sim in and the same, straight to answer machine, thanks,
+dooronron69 Did you slide the SIM in firmly? There's a switch that is activated by the SIM being pushed in, and you should see some lights activate.
The SIM can't have a PIN lock-code on it. You have to make sure that features off.
Really interesting device. Could use this in my house security - but then again I prefer implementing things like those myself. :P
MAN that seems so scary. Imagine an X gettin uspet and hunting you down with this device. "AH HAH! I KNEW IT! YOU DO DISHES FOR EVERYONE ELSE BUT ME!"
Nice GSM spy bug, good to leave in the conference room (cabinet room) or the bosses office.
What model is the larger/better "awesome" one?
Thinking of tossing one in my 6 year old's backpack.
+TheWizechatmgr Generically called TK102. I recommend getting a suitable charger for the batteries it takes (usually a generic Nokia cell) and getting at least one spare cell so you can swap in a freshly charged one every morning.
Cool, thanks!
+TheWizechatmgr I know I'm a bit late on this but I'd recommend the tkstar look it up on ebay! it costs a bit more than the TK102 usually priced at about £25 but the battery lasts up to I think about 5 days I use to charge mine every 3 days or so. (Used it for my car) Comes with a app for your phone and everything :D Has live tracking on the app with a decent refresh rate (15 seconds adjustable to your requirement but 15sec is the lowest)
+Maissy Kay thanks!
how much time the baterry last with one charge ?
Although not close to the battery leads, I suspect that 8 pin chip is a battery management/charge controller chip. It's rare that a modern cell phone controller chip needs an op-amp for a microphone (that's usually built in an only needs a resistor/capacitor for signal). Also, the controller is not the cell phone module itself - pretty much guaranteed the GSM stuff is under the tin covered area. A GPS tracker could use a processor with far fewer capabilities and the android OS would be overkill because the GSM module does most of the computational work. As an audio bug, I bet the CPU is doing DSP functions to trigger audio spy mode, hence the reason the manufacturer selected that processor and/or they are storing a lot of data on that flash module. As far as the electronics on the LiPo battery, that is typical with most LiPo's (charge protection circuits) - no charge management lead otherwise. Just some thoughts, I could be wrong about some of this - I am no way an expert.
I also removed the button. I
connected the button contacts to a relay controlled by a pir for making
a small handheld anti-theft and so I wanted to know if there was a
system to turn on and off SOS via sms.
I would love to see one of these available which is self charging, similarly to a self wound watch, and which provides kid's bags with anti-kidnap gps
Nice video - may i ask what is the monocular/spyglass device you are using?
If it's the illuminated magnifier then it's a random one from eBay that is usually quite hard to find in a sea of other types.
what's the other GPS on here?? any good for a drone
I have been looking for something to attach to my drone, Just incase i loose it or something, this was the perfect size when i saw it, but you killed my dreams after seeing your review lol. That would be the perfect size to attach small light.
Hello big Clive! I sadly brought a mini A8 to track my grandad when he goes walk about and gets lost. Glad it only cost £10!
I've now brought the TK102 as you sold it to me when reading your website! I was wondering if you knew how much data you used? I've brought a giffgaff sim and brought a £10 goodie bag which comes with 1gb of Internet and the messages and minutes. Or does it just use top up like mentioned in your post?
Can you post a link to the device you use to look at the chips please.
Its a magnifying glass
I know that but his was different.
Stuart Carson www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Illuminated-15x-Hand-Hold-Jewelers-Eye-Loupe-Magnifier-Magnifying-glass-W-LED-/251655497897
Thanks Clive.
bigclivedotcom You sound similar to Scott Manley...
That's interesting. We're looking for the video version of that to send up to near space in a balloon. We figure we can get back the images through gsm when it gets close enough to a tower...
Dose it work in the uk if I call iy
One of the listings said you need to send SMS with GPS if you are outside China. Have you tried that?
Great job !
Another great video buddy 10/10
9:25 Actually i'm fairly certain the ARM processor uses the other chip you referred to as the "phone" chip as RAM. It should be a memory module. The "phone" part of this device is just software and we've only got a GSM radio underneath the EM shielding.
Depending on how many nearby towers, cell phone tower triangulation can be extremely accurate. If the device can ping 3 towers, then the device can be tracked within a meter. That is a lot of if's tho.
Only if it can give a bearing to each, which it can't.
Plus it's got really small low gain antennas which makes it pretty inaccurate. Nowadays they've got plenty of cheap ($20) models with real GPS built in, just check on AliExpress.com ;)
Very interesting, as you say not what it says it is, but useful none the less
when I watch your videos I feel like I'm back in 5th grade science class, that's a good thing.
Can you do a video on a cheap 18650 battery charger because I know they are disasters waiting to happen
Hank Waffles Love the name Hank :)
Just recently subbed to your channel. Good stuff, and informative. Also, your voice is like silk blowing in the warm breeze of a fresh spring morning. Ok... A little creepy... Sorry.
I've compared his voice to Valium.
Robert Breeden lol
"Mellifluent" I think is the word you are seeking, Robert.
Me, I thought it was just his pan-loafy Edinburgh-esque accent. :-)
What is the brand of the GPS tracker that you said is very good? thanks.
It's called a TK102. Just search "TK102" on eBay and you will usually find one under $15.
Hi Clive can you send me a link to the good one, tried to look back and see a vid but could not find it. thanks T
Great video. I'm sorry to hear about your mother.
Thanks almost bought it thinking it's a GPS as sellers claim
I know it was a while. How much time does the real GPS locator(on the right) works on battery while in live tracking mode? Will it make it for 24hrs while refreshing it's position like once per 5 minutes?
Things will have changed since I used the TK102 units about 8 years ago. They could log their position in internal memory or send it, but I doubt the internal battery would have lasted long doing that. You could add an external battery though.
@@bigclivedotcom Big thanks for the reply. I'm looking for something not to pricy that would sent me it's coords live every 3-10 mins (supposedly via GPRS) for at least 24hrs. Is there anything you'd recommend?
@@IntruderPL2 You can get a lot of different GPS trackers on eBay now. It might be worth experimenting.
@@bigclivedotcom Well, that's some solution I don't have time for. I'm looking for an already tested device. :) Thank you for your time again :)
So how many has Murdoch bought for his reporters?
Probably bought in bulk from manufacturer. lol
hey. what affordable gps tracker do you recommend? thanks
TK102 trackers have been round for a long time and seem to be a standard.
Hello friend, do you know if it is possible to disable SOS function via sms?
+Ciccio Formaggio Not that I know of. I removed the button instead.
Excuse me so the one who has the android logo don´t works? and What about the other?, it is possible to monitoring the device by an app in my phone. I'm asking this because I dont speak English as well. and Finally Wich device do you recommen?
The TK102 trackers are very good. These devices in this video are just really listening devices.
thank you so much
i saw you on banggood, thats how i got here. thanks for the information :P
Is there one of my videos on Banggood?
bigclivedotcom haha, i thought poeple sent those videos in. guess not
bigclivedotcom no, someone commented about this device saying it doesnt do GPS.
aha, that explains it
How would you remove the devices iemi number or change it
hi, how do you program your own number in it for it to call you ? had one of these at home for years and never used it, lost the instructions, regards
When you call it, it returns the calls to the same number.
Pretty neat little device still even though it isn't a GPS tracker. I need something like this for my Grandmother. Since pagers aren't a thing anymore, at least to my knowledge....
Thank you for such a good video.
Technically you could narrow down the location of the device using only cell towers, But you need to have a few of the cell towers listed to triangulate against them.
While its not GPS which can average around 5 meters, If you can get 4 or more towers (when it reconnects / cycles / moves) then you can some times get around 100 to 500 meters accuracy.. But all this requires processing, eg checking the signal strength vs the towers location and so on..
This is a common fall back when the GPS module itself can not obtain a sat fix, common when in a shed/house/some where that the sky is not visible to the device..
As usual, love the video's clive
Fascinating stuff!
Terrifying
that unit is great for hacking
pull off the arm micro chip
wire power ground and tx rx from the pcb to an arduino
and you can build a mini gsm with power supply
+robot797 Explain
didnt i explain it already?
You said you can hack it. Hack it how?
in my firsth post i explained it
take the prosessor out
connect a arduino to the rx and tx pins of the gsm chip
and then you have an arduino controlled gsm with build in power supply
+robot797 I think they want to know what that will do.
Purchased one of these recently. Charged it up, then inserted an activated, tested, SIM card. After a couple of seconds the led starts flashing on and off and never stops. It doesn't seem to be working, but I have no clue what a blinking red led indicates. Any thoughts?
Tony Perkins Is the SIMs password function disabled? Make sure the holders contacts look clean and in position. Some networks SIMs don't work.
bigclivedotcom Thanks for the reply. The SIM I'm trying is a ptel brand that is freshly activated and works fine in my phone. I also tried my tmobile sim card. Same results with both. I may just have to try some other brands I guess. Thanks again for the reply. BTW, I thoroughly enjoy you channel and always look forward to new videos. Cheers.
and wich tracker is best?
I always get you confused with "Great Scott"
Great Vid .. i really trust your opinion on these things .. could you do a reviewon a couple of trackers?
it is a fully capable tracker but the feature may have been disabled. if you get the signal strengths of more than 1 tower you can triangulate the position but there might be laws prohibiting this feature so it may have been gimped to only allow access to a single tower
I wasn't even aware of devices like these being sold to the public.
Same
that's why is listed as a GPS tracker ..... it wouldn't be listed a bugging device as that would probably cause legal problems
Why? It's literally just a mobile phone? Think about it, a mobile you can use to covertly listen to people, covertly record video or take pictures, you can also use it to track people via the GPS function. There are also apps that copy all keystrokes and send them to you, take remote screenshots, copy + remotely send their texts, emails, time call placed etc etc. Nearly any everyday consumer electronics can be used for covert surveillance, webcams, CCTV, phones, tvs, laptops and there's nothing illegal about such devices even if advertised for surveillance. You might run into problems if you got caught using them somewhere that wasnt your property, but that's completely different from making the devices illegal
I think the difference with this piece of electronic is that it is made purposefully to be a bugging device. If someone finds a cellphone in a drawer which, theoretically, has bugging abilities, you will less likely be prosecuted. If someone found this A8 device in a drawer somewhere, your intent of bugging someone is crystalclear and your defence will be a hard one. Your logic can be easily turned around completely, making everyone who carries one of the electrical devices you mentioned a suspect.
The law isn't just logic, it has to be reasonable and fair too in it's decisions.
dralenvan Wait... why is this a reply to my comment?
Gonna make this into a anti theft device for my moped, just bought 2 for experimenting with. When I'm flying my fpv quad, I usually have to walk a few miles/ km to get to quiet spots, and by doing so- I've almost had my moped stolen 2 times now. When I get called, I can hurry back to my moped, with at least a little chance of catching the thieves in person. That, combined with a pinhole camera in my buddyseat, should make attempt of theft a lot less painfull. As I also have a A3 sized printer and laminator- and the sheer willpower of hanging up hundreds of photos xD
You know, you could wire a relay to it to cut power or even wire an inline fuel cock switch to turn off the fuel. I suppose they can lift it up into a truck but they aren't going to ride off on it.
Very interesting. Thank you.
I just checked that unit out yesterday. It said its one of the most used devices in the uk.
hi clive can you tell me where to get this .thanks p.s. love your videos. niall
Can you help me and let me know if it works across country, I mean if I can control this device from a different country all together, I am a little worried my mom is travelling to a different country and I just want to keep a track of her all the time..
prompt reply will be appreciated
It will work anywhere the SIM can roam.
In a8 model audio can listen but when we write DW it Shaw error address not Shaw GPS link.... How to slove it..sim is active n recharge fully
Unregistered SIM cards in the USA don’t get any activation at all, no calls in nor out, and no phone number to even test a text.
He means PAYG as they don't norm require any personal information to activate (unless your county requires by law that they are tied to your Identity, I know only 3 that do it)
Interesting, thanks for the info