Application report IoT Tracking: Constantly on the heels of car thieves

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Technologies like GPS reach their limits when locating stolen vehicles - here, Sigfox 0G radio technology becomes a useful addition. Private investigators, like Gerrit Walgemoet, are thus able to locate stolen vehicles, high-end construction equipment, and entire tractor-trailers.

In Germany, an average of 45 cars are stolen every day. The perpetrators are often professional thieving gangs. Modern radio technology helps private investigators like Gerrit Walgemoet locate stolen property. He partners with local police to recover and return the stolen goods to their owners.

The thieves know their stuff: They know what treasure is parked in the garage next to the fancy detached house in the suburb of Cologne. The garage door is quickly pried open. Cracking the lock and hot-wiring the ignition takes only a few minutes. Then the yellow Porsche 911 T drives out of the garage, turns onto the street and drives into the darkness - almost as if nothing happened. However, the owner of the rare classic car is in for a nasty surprise the next morning. "Car thefts are usually the work of organized gangs. And, truck trailers and valuable construction site equipment such as excavators, power generators or wheel loaders are also a popular target," says Gerrit Walgemoet. The private investigator specializes in recovering stolen vehicles and equipment and is well acquainted with the milieu. After all, before setting up his own business, he led a special unit of the Dutch customs investigations department for many years, dealing with investigations related to organized theft, embezzlement, odometer fraud and staged accidents. Later, he dealt with these issues at a Dutch insurance company.

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Tracking down and securing stolen vehicles - with the right technology.

Almost 16,500 vehicles were stolen in Germany alone in 2021, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office - that's 45 stolen vehicles per day. "The thieves are usually absolute professionals," says Walgemoet. "They know where the vehicles are and when they can strike best. Often, the stolen goods are moved several hundred kilometers from the scene of the crime on the same day, and even taken abroad. That's when we come into play. The first few hours are often crucial for success." Gerrit Walgemoet's clients are insurance companies, leasing companies, and also private individuals and companies. The private investigator's job is to locate the vehicle and secure it in cooperation with the local police.

Around 250 cases end up with the investigator every year, and Gerrit Walgemoet can solve 94 percent of them. This is a top performance - in 2019 he was awarded the best investigator in Europe by the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators.
Gerrit Walgemoet is supported by modern technology. "There are now a multitude of technologies that make it easier to find stolen vehicles. GPS tracking is probably the best known, plus there are solutions via LTE, Wifi, GSM-R or even passive tracking, where the vehicle sends a signal one to two times a day," explains the expert. "A fairly new alternative is tracking via LPWAN technology (Low Power Wide Area Network) from Heliot, which communicates via the Sigfox-0G radio network."

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Robust signal that remains undetected by thieves.

The communication via the Sigfox-0G radio network brings considerable advantages for Gerrit Walgemoet. Unlike GPS and wifi signals, the LPWAN radio signals usually remain unrecognized by the thieves and can hardly be switched off using jammers. "Professional car thieves are now very familiar with GPS, LTE or wifi signals. With special devices, they can quickly detect whether the vehicle is emitting corresponding signals and effectively switch them off with a jammer," the investigator knows. "The devices for this can now be easily and cheaply obtained." The corresponding equipment is available on the internet for well under 1,000 euros. Heliot's radio technology is much more robust. Once installed, the devices reliably and energy-efficiently send their signal. This is also due to the physical properties of LPWAN technology. Unlike other telecommunications standards, the signal allows only the transmission of very small amounts of data, but it achieves an enormous range and has an extremely effective interference protection. This makes it ideal for use in vehicle tracking.

"Tracking systems are only useful as long as they remain undetected by thieves. Transmitters in the glove compartment or in the fuse box of the vehicle electronics are often immediately discovered and deactivated by thieves," says Gerrit Walgemoet. "Active tracking technologies with a comparatively high energy consumption are at a disadvantage here. They can only be installed where adequate power supply is possible. Of course, the vehicle thieves also know this." Here too, the technology offers advantages: The transmitters are space-saving and handy. Thanks to their low energy consumption, they can be operated maintenance-free for up to four years using a battery. An additional power supply, such as through the vehicle battery, is not necessary. This allows them to be installed in parts of the car that are not easily accessible - for example in cavities in the vehicle floor or well hidden in the engine compartment.

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Tracking stolen goods in Europe – thanks to a well-built Sigfox network.

A particular advantage arises from the fact that Heliot's solution uses the Sigfox radio network for data transmission. The network is available almost nationwide in many countries. In addition to the DACH region, network coverage is also largely gapless in countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, the Benelux Union, and the Baltic States. "We also cover many areas with the Sigfox network in many Eastern European countries such as Poland, Romania, and Hungary and are continuously expanding the network," says Martin Liboswar, Country Manager at Heliot Europe. "An example is the initiative for network expansion along the trans-European railway corridor, which we started with Sigfox Ukraine at the beginning of the year." Furthermore, in June, Heliot took over the Sigfox network operation in Denmark and Great Britain. An important step to further improve network expansion in these countries. "Car thieves usually operate internationally. The vehicles are often taken abroad within hours," says Gerrit Walgemoet. "Therefore, it is important for vehicle location that it is also possible across national borders. The Sigfox network provides a good basis for this - and also works in remote locations, such as in the countryside."

Sigfox operates in a frequency range of 868 MHz. The low-frequency signals in these radio bands can effortlessly bridge distances of up to 50 kilometers. This allows for tracking even in rural areas where the expansion of the classic mobile network is often still not comprehensively possible. The radio signals have such good penetration that they are much less affected by concrete ceilings and steel than many other technologies. This was also the case with the Porsche 911. Gerrit Walgemoet located the vehicle in a garage on an abandoned farm just behind the Dutch border. Together with the local authorities, the vehicle was quickly secured and transported back to its owner. There was no trace of the thieves. Probably the car was just parked here temporarily - a precaution to make sure all tracking devices are switched off.

Another solved case for Gerrit Walgemoet. The investigator now also advises large leasing companies and insurance companies. "Especially when it comes to vehicle retrieval, it is important to rely on several technologies," recommends the private investigator. "With its properties, Sigfox radio technology is an excellent addition to proven technologies. It starts exactly where the theft gangs already feel the most secure. That makes the technology particularly interesting for us."

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