With the keys, the thief would have just reset the alarm system.

What you needed was a Tracker system so you could see the vehicle being driven down the road on Google earth etc. or leave an old phone in the vehicle with an active sim card and do a "Find my Device" to see where your vehicle is.

Have a GeoFence/Tracker in our caravan and an alarm system in the Cruiser. ( with the remote on the key set)

Sorry about your loss, hopefully your vehicle will turn up intact.

Re ( i am also looking at getting a camera for my caravan just for observation purposes.)

Re Camera, I also looked at a camera, in particular the one below that we have aimed at out front door, at home, they are great.

However in the bush, I would have to do a paint job on it to ensure it blended in, then to hide it in a bush or up a tree then wifi it to our modem that can be switched to the Mobile phone aerial mounted ontop of our Winguard TV aerial on the caravan. The Mob Phone aerial is switch shared with the tracker and modem/Blue tick phone, so if using the camera would not be using the tracker.

Or use the Mobile phone aerial/Wingard aerial for the tracker(or smartphone with aerial connection when we are in the van) and for the camera/modem, have the modem on top of our 6.5m AL flagpole wifi linked to the Camera with any movement sending an SMS to our Blue tick smart phone in our Cruiser with external aerial connection. To date the modem on the flagpole is only used for data when we are very remote or in a gully.

All to hard so gave the camera a miss.

www.bunnings.com.au/orion-1080p-hd-white-grid-connect-smart-outdoor-security-camera-with-rechargeable-battery_p0333166

Before security chips in keys etc, for my fuel injected Commodore, I had a well concealed but easily accessible electric switch which cut off power to the electric powered fuel pump. It stopped an attempted theft from a shopping centre carpark. There was minor damage to the ignition keylock mechanism but the vehicle was still there.

Of course, a fuel cutoff is not going to stop a tilt-tray or drag-on-trailer offender, or other robbery activity.

Do you think that automatic lights on the caravan would help reduce thefts of property around the caravan? They are a lot cheaper than cameras but Im not sure how much of a deterrent they would be.

Another idea, Trap Cameras. Many designs and prices to pick from, sold in many stores, on and off line, but here's one. Versatile, easily relocatable, to Home, Van, Forest..... also fun to check or spy on wildlife. au.kentfaith.com/KF35.007_kf-kf-401f-wifi-trail-camera-5-million-sensor-24mp-1296p-hd-outdoor-wildlife-monitoring-waterproof-night-infrared-vision-hunting-camera

I have woken up with a sick feeling when I have realised I had left my car keys on the table in the annexe.
It is so easily done.
Fortunately I have not lost my ute yet and I have a checklist I called lock up before I go to bed.
In the past I had an Engel pinched out of my annex and what I have now is a Swann brand motion detector that is generally used for letting the shopkeeper know that someone has entered his shop.
They are cheap, battery operated and are quite portable and reliable. There are many varieties and you can get them on line or in the Big Green Shed.
The unit that beeps can be inside the van and the motion detector can be strategically placed in the annex or awning or even the car or a boat.
I bought the one with two sensors and they offer two different warning tones so you have two zones if you want to set up two sensors.
On my unit you can have up to three sensors.

You can get a motion detector light which will deter most intruders as well. I found the cost of a quality light that was solar operated to be the same as my motion detector which is run by batteries.
I think the new motion detectors have a warning through your phone but you could check that out if interested in that form of security.

Failing all of that get a big dog and train it to attack intruders (only joking)

https://au.swann.com/swifi-motion/

as an extra to my info the one I have I cant find now and it may have been superseded to the one that works through the phone.

I bought my kit from Swann Australia online. It was about 60 bucks at the time 

Bobdown wrote:

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Saw a sign on a property once,

'This Property is Guarded by Winchester'

Winchester was a Rottweiler ............

As Clarky says, get a dog

 

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Quarantine/ Covid !! Sign ? No
Drugs or money on site ! Just cranky wife !!

TimTim wrote:

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The thief had taken my car keys from a table about 200 mm from my head and made off with our tow vehicle with numerous items inside. 

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 Dealing with things like you proposed would have saved your vehicle. We always keep our keys in our pockets or well and truly out of sight. It does not matter how many security devices you have around the place, an opportunist will take something if you leave things in an obvious position like you did. These events often lead to the police pursuits that hit the headlines. Surveillance devices don't seem to worry the young people.

Insurance companies tend not to pay up when you have contributed to the loss of your property. There have been reports of insurance companies no paying up when thieves have been breaking the keys out of key safes being hanging on vehicles left in beach parking lots. The companies defence in not paying up is the owners left the keys with their vehicles and did not take them with. If your insurance company finds out you left your keys exposed, you also are likely not to receive any compensation.

Secure your keys, don't leave them hanging around is the only real solution.

-- Edited by PeterD on Sunday 8th of May 2022 09:13:49 AM

Phlipper wrote:

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Another idea, Trap Cameras. Many designs and prices to pick from, sold in many stores, on and off line, but here's one. Versatile, easily relocatable, to Home, Van, Forest..... also fun to check or spy on wildlife. au.kentfaith.com/KF35.007_kf-kf-401f-wifi-trail-camera-5-million-sensor-24mp-1296p-hd-outdoor-wildlife-monitoring-waterproof-night-infrared-vision-hunting-camera

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 The trail cameras look like a good idea.

I immediately thought of setting up a monitor which would fire up when an intruder was detected and a notice informing the intruder that the camera feed was being stored in the cloud and the police will be given a copy of their activity at noon unless they took nothing and deposited $100 by direct deposit into this bank account.

Phlipper wrote:

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Commonly used now for local councils, National Parks etc to monitor things like illegal rubbish dumping, various anti-social behaviour. Tip....next time you pull over to take a pee break....you may very well be on camera somewhere lol. I have a friend who monitors Park activity, he gets a laugh at what goes on when people think they are alone

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Others will, no doubt, know the law better than I but I was under the impression that if a person/body installs cameras with the intent of monitoring people then it is a legal requirement to also install a sign which informs of the camera presence.

In my opinion cameras intended to monitor people are the work of the devil and should be prohibited or shot.

Trail cameras are not the problem - they are temporary and intended to view animals not people.

However you will find many private homes are fitting cameras and they also record sound so the next time you visit friends for a BBQ don't comment upon the quality of their food or make "secret" signs to your wife.

When I visit people I now ask if they have recording devices and if they do I ask for them to be turned off, if that's a problem then I leave. I have no desire to be filmed and recorded without my knowledge by anyone.