Frequently Asked Questions regarding AVT Sentinel™
Q1: How much does AVT Sentinel™ cost?
Q2: How does the underlying technology work?
Q3: Is AVT Sentinel™ difficult to use?
Q4: How big is the AVT Sentinel™ device?
Q5: Is AVT Sentinel™ easy to fit to my vehicle?
Q6: Does AVT Sentinel™ have to be fitted by a garage/mechanic?
Q7: How much does it cost to have AVT Sentinel™ fitted to my vehicle?
Q8: Can I fit AVT Sentinel™ myself?
Q9: Will my insurance costs go down if I have the AVT Sentinel™ device fitted?
Q10: Whereabouts do I have to attach AVT Sentinel™ to my car?
Q11: How do I get AVT Sentinel™ working?
Q12:What warranty is provied with AVT Sentinel™?
Q13: Can I use AVT Sentinel™ to see where my car is at any time?
Q14: How do I get my car back if it disappears?
Q15: How much does tracking cost using AVT Sentinel™ in the UK ? And abroad?
Q16: How do I pay for AVT Sentinel™ tracking?
Q17: Is there a monthly subscription to the Sentinel™ service?
Q18: Can I set up automatic tracking depending on the vehicle’s location?
Q19: How do I know that Sentinel™ is still working or ready to track when I am not using it?
Q20: What happens if the power source is removed (e.g. car battery disconnected) when the vehicle is stolen?
Q21: What happens of the car is moved without being started – will Sentinel™ still work?
Q22: What happens if the vehicle is taken abroad? Will Sentinel™ still work?
Q23: What happens if the vehicle is stolen and hidden underground – will Sentinel™ still work?
Q24: Can I set Sentinel™ to alert me whenever the car moves (i.e., not wait until it is stolen)?
Q25: What happens if I change or lose my mobile ‘phone?
Q26: Can I change Sentinel™’s number or SIM card?
Q27: What happens if I get a text to tell me the car is on the move but I have no internet access?
Q28: Can anyone see my vehicle’s location?
Q: How much does AVT Sentinel™ cost?
A: £299 per unit in the UK ; this price includes VAT and shipping as well as £10 credit for the Vodafone SIM card. Discounts on the shipping costs are available for orders of 2-5 units.
For EU delivery the price is £304.20 (inc. VAT, shipping and £10 SIM credit). Again, shipping discounts apply to orders of 2-4 units.
Please contact AVT for any orders of more than 5 units as additional volume discounts may apply.
Q: How does the underlying technology work?
A: AVT Sentinel™ uses the mobile phone network to pass your vehicle’s position back to our computer centre, from where we superimpose it on a map. The built-in mobile phone module connects to the Vodafone network using their ‘Pay As You Talk’ service. The position is obtained using the Global Positioning System (GPS) which comprises a network of satellites that circle the earth. The position is typically accurate to 5 metres, often as close as 2 metres and rarely up to 10 metres.
Q: Is AVT Sentinel™ difficult to use?
A: No! All of the commands are easy to remember and are mostly just 2-4 characters long text messages. As the unit is contacted via your mobile ‘phone, you can easily save the commands as Drafts on your ‘phone for easy recall. A credit card sized ‘aide-memoire’ is included with each Sentinel™ system purchased.
Q: How big is the AVT Sentinel™ device?
A: The Sentinel™ unit measures 124mm long x 66mm wide and 34mm high.
There are also 2 aerials that attached to the unit; one for GPS (this has a long lead for optimal positioning) and one for the GSM (stubby aerial hinged off the unit). Finally there is the cabling which is supplied with a nylon multi-way plug for easy connection.
Q: Is AVT Sentinel™ easy to fit to my vehicle?
A: Yes it is a simple installation for any car DIY enthusiast, or it can be fitted by your local car/vehicle dealer or mechanic.
Q: Does AVT Sentinel™ have to be fitted by a garage/mechanic?
A: No it does not. The unit is supplied with full installation instructions and fitting is perfectly within the capabilities of a car or vehicle DIY enthusiast.
Q: How much does it cost to have AVT Sentinel™ fitted to my vehicle?
A: This will depend largely on the charging rates of your garage/mechanic. But we estimate that fitting the unit should take no more than 1 hour.
Q: Can I fit AVT Sentinel™ myself?
A: Yes you can. The unit is supplied with full installation instructions and fitting is perfectly within the capabilities of a car or vehicle DIY enthusiast.
Q: Will my insurance costs go down if I have the AVT Sentinel™ device fitted?
A: As Sentinel™ does not have a call centre, in order to keep running costs low, it is not possible to submit it for Thatcham Category 5 approval as this specifically requires a call centre.
Some insurance companies may offer a discount for vehicles with tracking devices fitted, but you would need to contact your own insurance company to get confirmation. As always, the company offering the biggest discount may be significantly more expensive to begin with!
Q: Whereabouts do I have to attach AVT Sentinel™ to my car?
A: Sentinel™ can be fitted anywhere in the vehicle where you have access to the wiring loom for a permanent +12V connection, a +12V connection that is on with the ignition only, and a 0V or chassis connection.
Q: How do I get AVT Sentinel™ working?
A: Full details included with the unit, but click here for an overview.
Q:What warranty is provied with AVT Sentinel™?
A: All Sentinel™ units are guaranteed for 1 year; however please refer to the AVT terms and conditions of sale for a full description of the warranty.
Q: Can I use AVT Sentinel™ to see where my car is at any time?
A: Yes you can use Sentinel™ to track your own vehicle, but if you have authorised another driver to use your vehicle you should inform them that it is fitted with a tracking device. You should not fit Sentinel™ to someone else’s vehicle without telling them.
Q: How do I get my car back if it disappears?
A: If Sentinel™ detects your vehicle has moved without the ignition being on (on the back of a transporter for example), it will send you a text message and start tracking automatically. If stolen with the key and a fence was set, again it will track automatically and send a text. Otherwise start tracking by sending the Tr or Trp command.
Call the police to report your vehicle stolen, informing the controller that your vehicle is fitted with a tracking device. Depending on the control room, there are two options:
Q: How much does tracking cost using AVT Sentinel™ in the UK ? And abroad?
A: Texts are charged at the standard rate of 10p each, so sending a text to your vehicle will cost you 10p from your own mobile ‘phone. If you ask Sentinel™ to acknowledge your command (optional) then that will cost 10p of the unit’s SIM card credit. In the EU, text messages cost 11p, the rest of the world is between 29 and 49p. See our list of costs for a more complete description.
The costs of sending position information across the Vodafone network is approximately 30p per hour, but capped to £0.50 maximum per day, so tracking for a day will cost no more than £0.50. In Europe these costs vary, but are typically 30p per hour with no daily cap.
Q: How do I pay for AVT Sentinel™ tracking?
A: Sentinel™ is fitted with a Vodafone Pay As You Go SIM card. You simply add credit to the unit when it gets low. You can find out how much credit you have at any time by either logging in to your account or texting the device.
Additionally, the unit will alert you if the credit goes below £5.
Q: Is there a monthly subscription to the Sentinel™ service?
A: No. Sentinel™ has no ongoing costs other than the Vodafone data charges as a result of its daily check-in procedure. These amount to about £3.65 per year (1 pence per day!) Other than that, the only costs are Vodafone text and data charges if you actually use the system.
Q: Can I set up automatic tracking depending on the vehicle’s location?
A: Yes, you can set a virtual fence around the vehicle, and tracking will start if the vehicle moves out of the fenced area. This is particularly useful if you are going away, using an airport car park, or not going to be seeing the vehicle for a while.
Q: How do I know that Sentinel™ is still working or ready to track when I am not using it?
A: Sentinel™ ‘checks in’ with AVT’s servers every 5 days whether it is tracking or not. If the servers do not hear from the unit then we will send you an email telling you that your unit has not checked in as expected. It is possible that this is simply due to your vehicle being in an area with no Network coverage.
Q: What happens if the power source is removed (e.g. car battery disconnected) when the vehicle is stolen?
A: AVT Sentinel™ has a built-in battery backup and will alert you and start tracking if the vehicle battery is disconnected.
Q: What happens of the car is moved without being started – will Sentinel™ still work?
A: Yes, Sentinel™ has a built-in motion sensor for just that purpose. If the motion sensor is triggered (i.e. the car is moved without the ignition being turned on), then it will automatically start tracking and text you to tell you so.
Q: What happens if the vehicle is taken abroad? Will Sentinel™ still work?
A: Yes it will. Sentinel™ has been tested throughout Europe and will work seamlessly from country to country. Internally it knows what network to look for when crossing the border from one country to another and will connect to that country’s Vodafone (or Vodafone partner’s) network.
Q: What happens if the vehicle is stolen and hidden underground – will Sentinel™ still work?
A: If Sentinel™ cannot see satellites or the Vodafone network it will not be able to communicate. However, if it was tracking before being taken underground (which it would have been if taken without the ignition being switched on, or if a fence had been set around it), then you will be able to see its route prior to disappearing which will allow you to accurately pinpoint its last known location which should allow you to determine where it went underground.
Q: Can I set Sentinel™ to alert me whenever the car moves (i.e., not wait until it is stolen)?
A: Yes you can do this by setting a virtual ‘fence’ around the vehicle. This is particularly useful if you are going away or leaving the car somewhere out of your sight.
Q: What happens if I change or lose my mobile ‘phone?
A: All you need to do is login to your Account Preferences on the AVT Sentinel™ website and enter your new mobile ‘phone number there instead of your old one.
Q: Can I change Sentinel™’s number or SIM card?
A:The units are supplied with a Vodafone SIM card and the number will be printed on the documentation supplied with your system. You can also see it on your preferences page on the AVT Sentinel™ website. There should be no need to change the number as only authorised phones can send commands so, if you obtained the system in a used vehicle, you would simply de-authorise the existing phone numbers and change the username and password on the account.
It is not necessary for your own phone to be on the Vodafone network.
Q: What happens if I get a text to tell me the car is on the move but I have no internet access?
A: You will be given the vehicle’s geographical coordinates in your text, and you can also view a moving map on your mobile ‘phone (if it is internet-enabled). If your ‘phone does not support AJAX , then you will still be able to see a static map which you can refresh to watch the car’s movement. In addition you can contact a friend (or the police) who can log in to the website on your behalf using the guest login feature.
Q: Can anyone see my vehicle’s location?
A: No, not unless you want them to. When you set up your account, you can elect for up to 10 different mobile ‘phone numbers to receive texts/alerts from the unit. Similarly you can set up a guest login to the website to allow another person to help you with tracking the vehicle (the guest login does not have access to your account details and preferences; only the vehicle’s location). Additionally, there is a police password which only grants access if tracking has been enabled in that instance with the option to allow police access.