Car alarms are no longer as much of a deterrent as they used to be, according to Brickhouse Security. People are more annoyed by the sound, tending to walk away rather than checking to see whether a car is being stolen. Car bugs and car surveillance systems may not protect against theft, but they can offer proof of theft in court using GPS tracking, cameras and listening devices. Car surveillance is also used by insurance companies, driving companies, private investigators and parents.
According to BrickHouse Security, car cameras can be as hidden as the person owning the camera needs them to be. Some car cameras sit right on the dashboard. Other car cameras can be hidden on the rear-view mirror as a clip-on or masked as an ashtray, according to BrickHouse Security. Car cameras can also come equipped with night vision and DVR depending on their purpose. Insurance companies often use recorded tapes from car cameras as proof of accidents.
A GPS will take a person from point A to point B, but a live GPS, which is often wired into the car, can offer position updates within five-second increments, according to Live View GPS. A live GPS can also tell the speed and direction of a vehicle, ignition status and idle times.
Live GPS systems are often used by parents of teen drivers, in cars of elderly drivers, in work trucks and vans, and by people trying to prove infidelity, Live View GPS says.
An audio signal is difficult to get from a moving vehicle and keep hidden. According to Accen Technology Co., an audio bug exists that looks like a USB port and can easily fit under the seat of a car. The device has a phone SIM card inside with its own phone number. The person desiring to listen to a conversation in the car calls the number belonging to the device and can listen for up to 24 hours before recharging the device. When the call is made, no sound is heard in the car.
