Have you ever had a vehicle stolen? How about a kayak? Have you
ever wanted to know where your car is, especially when your teenager borrowed
it? How nice would it be to go to the location where your items are with the
police in tow?
At a recent outdoors show I found just such a device. Secure
Outdoors (secure-outdoors.com) makes a couple of different devices that can
track an asset. Unlike previous devices, this one doesn’t have to be tied to
the item. If you want to track your truck and make sure it doesn’t get stolen
you can do that. Let’s say you buy a new Pro Angler and want to make sure it
doesn’t leave your tailgate at a WalMart. Simply move the device from the truck
to the PA and you’ll know if it moves.
Derk Arnold of Secure Outdoors was intrigued when I mentioned
tracking kayaks at the show and wanted me to try it out. With the MT300, I have
made several trips, several stops and even left it parked for a few days to
test battery life.
So what is the verdict?
The MT300 is amazing! Let’s start as we always do with the good.
THE GOOD
The MT300 device is extremely sensitive. If you move it from
your right pocket to your left pocket, it will send you an alert. Alerts are
available via email and SMS Text to your phone. I can set a geo-fence that I
would only get an alert if the device went outside a certain area. I love the
sensitivity but 120 texts about movement get old after a while so set that
fence. ( I did say I was testing it). It sends an alert when motion starts and
also when it stops. In a car, that could be a lot of messages.
Another cool feature is mapping. You can see every time motion
starts and stops on a map available in the intuitive software interface on the
web. This is a capture of my movements to and from Lady Bird Lake one day last
month.
If you zoom in on the map it can show you the corner of the
house that you are storing it in.
The MT300 is small and compact and can run up to two weeks on a
single charge. You can buy a weatherproof box for it with a larger power source
and get up to eight months of life on a single charge.
Smaller than a 6XD crankbait, this device will fit just about
anywhere. Couple that with the powerful magnets and it will stay just about
anywhere that has metal.
THE NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
Whether tracking cars, kayaks or ATVs, I think we would agree
that this is a pretty cool device and service. The first stumbling block for
some is the price. Mobility and technology don’t come cheap. The MT300 is $450.
That covers the first two years and of course the equipment. It has no monthly
charges. $450 might be a struggle if you only think of it as protecting your
$300 kayak but looking at versatility in tracking different items, it might be
a little easier.
Secure Outdoors knows the price may not be approachable for all
and are working on the MT200 model which is only $250 and allows you to hard
wire it into a power source for single asset tracking or add the right
connectors and you can move it back and forth to multiple devices with power.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I appreciate the opportunity to test this out and think some of
you could find the value in this system. A comparable though not equal company
sells devices that offer tracking but range from $500-1,000. They also are not
portable in most cases. When you compare apples to apples, the Secure Outdoors
MT300 is definitely winning the race.
Here is some additional info from Secure Outdoors about their
product:
Secure Outdoors supplies wireless tracking devices that are
designed to locate and communicate vital information about the asset or package
in places where other devices simply cannot work. Secure Outdoors products are
designed for end users who “Must Find” and know the status of their valuable
asset. As a result, we annually save our customer’s hundreds of thousands of
dollars in loss prevention and loss recovery and best part is the MT300 can be
used on one asset to the next.
MT300 Capabilty and Technology
- No
Contracts, Activation, Monthly, or Early Termination Fees
- Two years of
unlimited Data and Tracking Portal included
- The Ability
to Locate Your Asset at Any Time (it does not go to sleep)
- Up to 10-14
Days of Tracking on a single charge
- An
Integrated Panic Button Alert That Sends Current Location to Multiple
Email Addresses and Phone Num-bers via Text Messages
- Plug-&-play,
self contained device, fits in the palm of your hand (No external antennas)
- High
tracking sensitivity for fast and accurate real-time reporting (2 – 5
minutes available)
- Internet/Smart
Phone mapping globally with 5 available map types
- Geofence
feature sends alert if the asset moves from up to 5 customizable
pre-defined area
- Durable, lightweight, small, water and vibration resistant
housing
(2
1/2" x 1 3/4" x 3/4") makes the device perfect for external
& outdoor use.
- Low battery
alerts when device reaches 20% battery life remaining.
* MT300 comes standard with Battery, wall charger, magnetic clip holder, 2 years
of unlimited
data and Portal Tracking.
