Has anyone had any experience with this unit and can offer advise.
-- Edited by Bruce Mc on Friday 23rd of February 2018 07:11:57 AM
the rocket said
11:56 AM Feb 23, 2018
No but sounds interesting.
hako said
09:27 PM Feb 23, 2018
I had a read of the features and operation.....by cutting the 2 brake wires to each wheel you can then tow the caravan and quite possibly by shorting the brake wires you will blow the fuse or circuit breaker and maybe this will also kill any siren. If the brakes are locked via the park brake cable then the cable is easily cut. I'd also cut any cabling under the caravan and also short them out to prevent flashing lights etc. If the siren did sound then a quick spray with expanding foam will silence it - this presumes the siren is under the caravan as to operate at it's loudest it must be open to the air.
Another method to disable the device would be to 'nuke' the caravans WITI device by feeding 48Vdc (4 X jumpstart units in series) into the caravans wiring circuit via the trailer plug or through any accessible cable.
If the unit is as good as it says then none of the above would work!
Good Luck.
ps...my pessimism goes back to the 60's when I had my Holden FJ fitted with one of those steering wheel locks that connected the steering wheel to the clutch or brake pedal - I returned to the car one day to find it lying on the floor bent in an S shape. Apparently they didn't want the car and showed their disdain for my lock.
Bruce Mc said
10:08 PM Feb 23, 2018
Thanks Denis, I guess the only surefire way to protect the van against theft is to lock it in the garage.
What I thought was good was the initial shock factor of the alarm, followed by the flashing lights and when this does not deter the crook, and they hook up the chains to drag the van away, they find the brakes are locked on and the can't go anywhere.
We hear many stories of the local thieves casing the houses in the street to mark off those with a noisy dog. [Noisy being the point not the size]. They give these homes a wide berth.
The alarm could be located under the van in a discreet position allowing the sound to blast but not making it a simple hit with a hammer to silence it.
You are dead right in the assessment of ways to override the system, but in the case of a thief this keen, nothing will stop them, not even the garage.
markf said
04:18 PM Feb 24, 2018
If they want it they will take it!
Years ago a mate of mine had a bike shop selling only high end road and racing bikes. All sorts of alarms, bars on windows, etc.
Thieves knocked a bloody great hole in the back wall in the laneway, disabled the alarm by the simple expedient of ripping the box off the wall and proceeded to clean the shop out.
As I said. If they want it they will take it.
Mike Harding said
01:26 PM Feb 25, 2018
My main concern with this product is its control of the brakes and the possibility of a software/hardware bug deciding to apply them when I was travelling at high speed.
With all due respect to the designers it sounds like a small (one man?) business and I wonder how exhaustive the design analysis and application testing has been?
TonyMad said
05:57 PM Apr 11, 2018
Hi Mike
WiTi has been in development and testing for two years prior to launch. Whilst we are a small business and everyone starts somewhere, we have placed a significant focus on product quality and testing. The electronics are of a very high standard, the electronics engineer responsible for the development has over 30 years experience and has worked in the military designing and developing missile guidance systems, heads up displays and various other very high tech products. He is also a Master Instructor in electronics.
To put you fears to bed it is impossible for the alarm to activate and for the brakes to apply whilst you are travelling. The system includes a safety pause when arming to check for movement. When pressing the remote control the caravan lights flash once to confirm, then the system pauses for the three seconds to check for any movement. If no movement is detected then the lights flash twice and the system is armed. So in the event you accidentally press the remote control button whilst travelling the anti theft will not arm.
WiTi is designed to stop theft from occurring rather than tracking the vehicle after it has already been stolen like GPS units. Whilst we cannot guarantee your caravan won't be stolen we hope that with the lights flashing, alarm screaming and the brakes applied at full lock then the thief may just leave it and look for a softer target. The device is installed inside the caravan so cutting the wires is not all that simple either as the thief would have to also break in to the caravan, find the WiTi device and then cut all the wires or disconnect the battery.
As I'm a member of the forum I am more than happy to answer any questions on WiTi and go so far as to offer a full money back guarantee if you're not happy.
Best regards
Tony Maddison
hako said
09:08 PM Apr 11, 2018
Tony - some questions :
1....what happens if you accidently press the alarm button whilst stopped in traffic.
2....does the unit utilize the van battery or have its own power supply.
3....is a manual over ride switch fitted for when remote battery goes flat (all batteries eventually go flat) or remote gets wet/damaged.
4....is the siren wired to it's own circuit independant to the caravans wiring circuit.
Regards
TonyMad said
11:00 AM Apr 12, 2018
Hi Denis
1....what happens if you accidently press the alarm button whilst stopped in traffic.
The system will arm if you are stationery and there is no movement for three seconds. But you'll soon know when you try to take off again as the alarm will activate. To de-activate just press the remote again.
2....does the unit utilize the van battery or have its own power supply.
The system uses the battery in the van. The van battery is normally well managed and receives a charge either from solar or from the anderson plug whilst travelling. The van battery is also normally quite large, 100 A/hr or more, and as WiTi draws only 0.08A when in standby this means the alarm can stay active for weeks or months without receiving a charge.
3....is a manual over ride switch fitted for when remote battery goes flat (all batteries eventually go flat) or remote gets wet/damaged.
WiTi includes a low voltage alarm for when the voltage drops below 11.5V. When this happens the alarm will beep and the lights flash once to alert you. To disable the unit completely you would have to remove power and disconnect it from the battery.
4....is the siren wired to it's own circuit independant to the caravans wiring circuit.
The siren / horn is wired to WiTi which in turn is wired to the caravan's battery. So it's not totally independent. Bear in mind that WiTi is installed inside the caravan so in order to disarm it a thief would have to gain entry and find the unit - by this stage the alarm will be blaring and the lights flashing.
Regards
Tony
-- Edited by TonyMad on Thursday 12th of April 2018 11:04:47 AM
hako said
06:32 PM Apr 16, 2018
TonyMad wrote:
SNIP
3....is a manual over ride switch fitted for when remote battery goes flat (all batteries eventually go flat) or remote gets wet/damaged.
WiTi includes a low voltage alarm for when the voltage drops below 11.5V. When this happens the alarm will beep and the lights flash once to alert you. To disable the unit completely you would have to remove power and disconnect it from the battery.
SNIP
Thanks Tony - possibly you misinterpreted my 3rd question which refers to the battery in the remote.
Regards
TonyMad said
10:40 AM May 13, 2018
HI Denis,
WiTi Anti Theft is supplied with two remote controls and the likelyhood of both going flat at the same time is highly unlikely.
Ive seen some detail on a caravan anti theft system made by WITI.
Using a motion sensor systen it locks on the brakes, sounds an alarm and flashes all lights for 30 seconds.
https://www.witi.com.au/
Has anyone had any experience with this unit and can offer advise.
-- Edited by Bruce Mc on Friday 23rd of February 2018 07:11:57 AM
No but sounds interesting.
Another method to disable the device would be to 'nuke' the caravans WITI device by feeding 48Vdc (4 X jumpstart units in series) into the caravans wiring circuit via the trailer plug or through any accessible cable.
If the unit is as good as it says then none of the above would work!
Good Luck.
ps...my pessimism goes back to the 60's when I had my Holden FJ fitted with one of those steering wheel locks that connected the steering wheel to the clutch or brake pedal - I returned to the car one day to find it lying on the floor bent in an S shape. Apparently they didn't want the car and showed their disdain for my lock.
What I thought was good was the initial shock factor of the alarm, followed by the flashing lights and when this does not deter the crook, and they hook up the chains to drag the van away, they find the brakes are locked on and the can't go anywhere.
We hear many stories of the local thieves casing the houses in the street to mark off those with a noisy dog. [Noisy being the point not the size]. They give these homes a wide berth.
The alarm could be located under the van in a discreet position allowing the sound to blast but not making it a simple hit with a hammer to silence it.
You are dead right in the assessment of ways to override the system, but in the case of a thief this keen, nothing will stop them, not even the garage.
If they want it they will take it!
Years ago a mate of mine had a bike shop selling only high end road and racing bikes. All sorts of alarms, bars on windows, etc.
Thieves knocked a bloody great hole in the back wall in the laneway, disabled the alarm by the simple expedient of ripping the box off the wall and proceeded to clean the shop out.
As I said. If they want it they will take it.
My main concern with this product is its control of the brakes and the possibility of a software/hardware bug deciding to apply them when I was travelling at high speed.
With all due respect to the designers it sounds like a small (one man?) business and I wonder how exhaustive the design analysis and application testing has been?
WiTi has been in development and testing for two years prior to launch. Whilst we are a small business and everyone starts somewhere, we have placed a significant focus on product quality and testing. The electronics are of a very high standard, the electronics engineer responsible for the development has over 30 years experience and has worked in the military designing and developing missile guidance systems, heads up displays and various other very high tech products. He is also a Master Instructor in electronics.
To put you fears to bed it is impossible for the alarm to activate and for the brakes to apply whilst you are travelling. The system includes a safety pause when arming to check for movement. When pressing the remote control the caravan lights flash once to confirm, then the system pauses for the three seconds to check for any movement. If no movement is detected then the lights flash twice and the system is armed. So in the event you accidentally press the remote control button whilst travelling the anti theft will not arm.
WiTi is designed to stop theft from occurring rather than tracking the vehicle after it has already been stolen like GPS units. Whilst we cannot guarantee your caravan won't be stolen we hope that with the lights flashing, alarm screaming and the brakes applied at full lock then the thief may just leave it and look for a softer target. The device is installed inside the caravan so cutting the wires is not all that simple either as the thief would have to also break in to the caravan, find the WiTi device and then cut all the wires or disconnect the battery.
As I'm a member of the forum I am more than happy to answer any questions on WiTi and go so far as to offer a full money back guarantee if you're not happy.
Best regards
Tony Maddison
1....what happens if you accidently press the alarm button whilst stopped in traffic.
2....does the unit utilize the van battery or have its own power supply.
3....is a manual over ride switch fitted for when remote battery goes flat (all batteries eventually go flat) or remote gets wet/damaged.
4....is the siren wired to it's own circuit independant to the caravans wiring circuit.
Regards
Hi Denis
1....what happens if you accidently press the alarm button whilst stopped in traffic.
The system will arm if you are stationery and there is no movement for three seconds. But you'll soon know when you try to take off again as the alarm will activate. To de-activate just press the remote again.
2....does the unit utilize the van battery or have its own power supply.
The system uses the battery in the van. The van battery is normally well managed and receives a charge either from solar or from the anderson plug whilst travelling. The van battery is also normally quite large, 100 A/hr or more, and as WiTi draws only 0.08A when in standby this means the alarm can stay active for weeks or months without receiving a charge.
3....is a manual over ride switch fitted for when remote battery goes flat (all batteries eventually go flat) or remote gets wet/damaged.
WiTi includes a low voltage alarm for when the voltage drops below 11.5V. When this happens the alarm will beep and the lights flash once to alert you. To disable the unit completely you would have to remove power and disconnect it from the battery.
4....is the siren wired to it's own circuit independant to the caravans wiring circuit.
The siren / horn is wired to WiTi which in turn is wired to the caravan's battery. So it's not totally independent. Bear in mind that WiTi is installed inside the caravan so in order to disarm it a thief would have to gain entry and find the unit - by this stage the alarm will be blaring and the lights flashing.
Regards
Tony
-- Edited by TonyMad on Thursday 12th of April 2018 11:04:47 AM
SNIP
Thanks Tony - possibly you misinterpreted my 3rd question which refers to the battery in the remote.
Regards
HI Denis,
WiTi Anti Theft is supplied with two remote controls and the likelyhood of both going flat at the same time is highly unlikely.
Cheers
Tony