By Andrew Liszewski
The ImmobiTag is a lot like the Trace Me Luggage Tracker I wrote about back in April, but instead of being used to find your lost luggage, it’s designed to help you retrieve a stolen bicycle. It basically consists of a plastic sleeve that uses a one-time-installation approach to attach to your bike’s frame. Once the ImmobiTag is on there, the only way to remove it is to actually cut the bike’s frame, rendering it useless. Each tag features a unique ID number that you register (along with your contact information) on the Immobilise website. (Which now features a US version as well.)
If and when your stolen bike is recovered, the police can scan the tag and identify you as the rightful owner using the Immobilise database. With a price tag of about $25 it’s not a bad investment, particularly if you rely on a bike but live or work in an area where bike theft is a common thing. And as an added deterrent the Immobitag also includes a set of warning stickers to let potential thieves know they might have a tough time selling this particular bike. (In other words, steal someone else’s bike instead.)
[ ImmobiTag ]
The immobitag does more than identify the cycle if stolen and recovered. Figures from police crime reduction initiatives in the Uk show that you are 10 times less likely to have a bike stolen if it is tagged- so it acts as a deterrent first and if unfortunate to have it stolen then as a unique ID number which the police can check.
Greater Manchester Police give these out free of charge. They come more in a zip bag so there not as nice packaged. They have started giving them out as only 1 in 12 revoered bikes were been returned to their owners. All the police in the area have the readers.
Wouldn’t an RFID signal be blocked by the bike frame?
Not the best thought out system. The tag is only of any use it the Police scan it….Never heard of an Immobitag scanner? used by the police. Although I have seen them use A Datatag scanner.
What if someone removes the warning label, there are no other identifiers. The other system has tamper evident serial numbers all over the bike. I know which one I'd buy.
Not the best thought out system. The tag is only of any use it the Police scan it….Never heard of an Immobitag scanner? used by the police. Although I have seen them use A Datatag scanner.
What if someone removes the warning label, there are no other identifiers. The other system has tamper evident serial numbers all over the bike. I know which one I'd buy.
Not the best thought out system. The tag is only of any use it the Police scan it….Never heard of an Immobitag scanner? used by the police. Although I have seen them use A Datatag scanner.
What if someone removes the warning label, there are no other identifiers. The other system has tamper evident serial numbers all over the bike. I know which one I'd buy.