How to set an alarm on your smartphone. An old smartphone as a car alarm. Application - “Security alarm”

Description:

Today I want to tell you about one unique application that can warn you about a car theft. Yes yes, you heard right. There is an application that works like a car alarm. It's called from the developer HIPDRIVER.ME. You can download this signal from our website. Free version limited to 2 hours of work (security time).

To remove this limitation, purchase full version, it’s not that expensive, you can trust me on that. The functionality of the application is simply amazing. It can be used to track wheel removal, evacuation, theft, and even impact. But let's talk about everything in more detail - the application is interesting.

Application features:
- displaying the movement of a car during theft or evacuation in your personal account;
- displaying the location of the car, for example in a large parking lot;
- beacon mode;
- energy saving mode;
- possibility of satellite tracking via GPS;
- works wherever there is a GSM connection;
- the ability to adjust the sensitivity of sensors both from the application and through your personal account;
- timer for turning on the alarm;
- and much more.

To view the functionality, I recommend going to the official website of the developer of this application. What pleased me very much was the clear and simple interface and the ability to work in 3 modes:
1) Telephone - telephone;
2) Dialing;
3) SMS.

In the first mode, an organization needs to have two phones under management operating system Android. In which one phone will act as an alarm system, and the second as a control panel. I want to say it’s very convenient, but in this case, just like in others, you need to leave the phone in the car. Using sensors, the phone determines whether external conditions are changing or not. And as soon as the phone changes its position even a little, it will let its owner know that something wrong is happening. When using the 2nd method, the phone will start calling the number specified in the settings phone number. With SMS it’s the same thing as with dialing. Using the application is very convenient and pleasant, all actions take a minimum of time. We can summarize.
Conclusion:

After testing the application called I was pleasantly surprised. I set the sensors to maximum sensitivity and tried to deflate two wheels, the alarm worked properly. I also checked the GPS, put the phone in my wife’s car and watched where she was going. I can say that everything works like clockwork. One thing, don’t forget that the phone needs to be recharged. Of course, this application will not replace a good and high-quality alarm system, but it is very suitable as an alternative. On a 5-point scale it deserves the maximum score. And remember, even the coolest car alarm cannot protect your car 100% from theft. Thank you for your attention.

M a rich application that turns a smartphone into an “electronic watchman” - the idea, in general, lies on the surface! As you know, in a good modern alarm system, in addition to the traditional reaction to body vibrations, breaking glass, opening doors, turning on the ignition, etc., it is possible to control it via a channel mobile communications, communicate with the owner through phone calls and SMS. And besides, do various useful things with using GPS: report the coordinates of a parked car, when a car leaves the boundaries of a pre-designated area, draw a route track...

Actually, most smartphones could do the same thing if they were controlled by an application with an operating algorithm close to the operating algorithm of a car alarm. There are many such applications, and although some of them are designed to counter the theft of the phone itself, some are also designed to protect the car. Find them in the store Google applications Play is easy. And outdated devices that have long been “decommissioned” are suitable for these tasks.

“Alarm” applications

Let's install and test a couple of programs to understand their essence and capabilities. The application, simply called “Signalka,” is free and has a fairly simple and logical interface, which is good news. It also has two operating modes.

1. First mode of operation. In it, the application makes an “alarm” from the smartphone, calling and sending SMS to a pre-populated number in the event of a motion sensor being triggered, the car leaving a certain zone, etc. Accordingly, the second phone, to which alarm messages will be sent, does not need such an application and may even be ordinary push-button telephone. But then you will have to turn the alarm on/off manually, which is difficult to do if the smartphone is deeply hidden in the car.
2. Second mode of operation. In this case, you will need two smartphones - both have the Signalka application installed, after which one hides in the car interior and serves as a watchman, and the second smartphone, which the owner always has with him, uses the same application as a remote control for the first one via Bluetooth . This is the most convenient mode, allowing you not to touch the gadget hidden in the cabin unnecessarily - if, of course, it is constantly connected to the power supply.

In the application settings, you can adjust the sensitivity of the vibration sensor, the radius of the tracking zone, the exit of the car beyond which will trigger an alarm (from 20 to 120 meters), as well as the events for which SMS will be received - the activation of a motion sensor, turning on/off, low battery and etc. There is also a tracker mode, in which after the car leaves the tracking zone, the device will start sending you coordinates every 5 minutes.

The author of another application, under another “original” name “Security Alarm,” designed its interface, frankly, unsuccessfully. Not everything in it is intuitive, there are a lot of abstruse problems that burden the average user, such as a running graph of vibrations of the smartphone body.

There is no intuitiveness - you need instructions for use. There are instructions, but among the on-screen sections (“Main”, “Calibrations”, “Settings”, “Other”) it is not visible - it is found only if you click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen, where an additional mini-menu is hidden. Moreover, the application is also paid...

One way or another, it is curious that the developer in the program focused on the fullest use of the smartphone’s motion sensor – the accelerometer. The user can not only adjust its sensitivity according to the “more/less” principle, as in the previous program, but adjusts it in numerical values ​​independently along each of the three coordinate axes X, Y and Z. In the application settings, the user can set the angles, the achievement of which will lead to to trigger an alarm and send an alarm SMS. And in the same SMS you will receive digital data about changes in nodes along the coordinate axes.

If the position of the smartphone is known, it will probably even be possible to draw conclusions about what is happening with the car, recognizing jacking, subsidence on an ice crunch under the wheel, or loading onto a tow truck. Whether it is convenient and how necessary it is is an open question, but in any case, this solution is unusual, distinguishing the application from others.

This is what messages that come from a smartphone as an alarm look like:

Benefit or pampering?

An unpleasant feature of a telephone-based “alarm” is that it absolutely does not have any protective functions. It will be able to notify the owner of the alarm, but it will not be able to prevent thieves from starting the car if there are no other protective electronic or mechanical means on the car.

Accordingly, the question arises:

in what situations budget system might an alarm from an old cell phone make sense? Actually, there are two options here.

1. If the car already has a good security system consisting of an alarm system, an immobilizer and a hood lock, but the security system has weak service functions - a short-range key fob, no GSM and GPS. In this case, an old smartphone will be able to increase the usability of the existing security system - make the control range unlimited, report the coordinates of the car, remotely listen to the situation in the cabin, etc.
2. An even more budget-friendly option is to combine a smartphone with homemade simple locks, which can be done by many who have even minor electrical and radio engineering skills. A couple of tricky and unexpected locks based on hidden buttons, standard key combinations, etc. can sometimes turn out to be no worse than an advanced “signaling”. And the smartphone, again, will add remote communication with the car to homemade products.

Installation and power supply of a smartphone

Finally, an important digression. The descriptions of “alarm” applications do not say anything about the power supply of the smartphone, and not everyone will immediately think about it. However, powering a smartphone, if you suddenly decide to use it as an “alarm”, is a special issue.

With GPS and GSM turned on, as well as with the G-sensor constantly active and waiting for vibrations of the car body, the device will be discharged in a maximum of half a day. And if we use a “retired” old man or a new, but ultra-budget gadget, the battery of which is far from the records of capacity and quality, it’s good if the battery lasts for several hours...

This means that you will have to provide constant power to the phone. This is not a difficult task, but it requires some fiddling. First, you need to find a place for your smartphone in the car interior that is both invisible during a superficial inspection and relatively accessible so that you can perform some actions with the touch screen if necessary. Well, so that the GPS works. These are, to put it mildly, mutually exclusive things, but we hope you can handle it.

After this, you will have to connect the power wire to the place where the smartphone will be hidden from a point where 12 volts are constantly present (regardless of the position of the ignition key). And then, in the immediate vicinity of the smartphone, you need to turn these 12 volts into 5 volts - using a car charger with a microUSB plug on the cord.

It should be noted that constantly connecting the phone to charging is an acceptable, but not the most optimal solution... Yes, after the charging is complete, the battery controller goes into a seemingly safe standby compensation mode, but...

Description:

The Anti-Theft Alarm app will help prevent your device from being stolen. An anti-theft alarm can be used to ward off family and friends who really like to spy when you are not using your tablet or phone. An alarm will sound if the device is moved or disconnected from the charger. The program is not bad to use to protect children from using the phone without permission. One of best apps to protect your device from burglars.
Application Features:
- a notification is displayed when the charger is connected;
- the device detects movement, charging disconnection;
- loud alarm;
- light alarm and vibration when an alarm is triggered.
The Anti-Theft Alarm application does not guarantee 100% protection for your device.

Main screen:

There are two main buttons on the screen:
- detection when the charger is turned off;
- detect when the phone moves.
To protect your phone from unauthorized movement, click on the phone icon. After this, any attempt to move the phone will trigger an "alarm". To unlock the lock, click on the same icon in the form of a phone and enter a four-digit code.

Settings:

In the settings of the Anti-Theft Alarm program, you can change the alarm signal, password, and theme. It is also possible to set a grace period before the alarm. In the Pro version you will have access to automatic start applications after rebooting your device, new design templates, battery protection.

IN modern world, many people probably have outdated or “half-dead” smartphones lying around idle. And no matter how sad it is, their time has already passed, and it’s a pity to throw them away. But even old smartphones have specific functions that are available only to the most expensive car alarms. Therefore, it is worth thinking about how to use all these functions to further protect your car.

And so, let's look at all the functions of “advanced” alarms. Firstly, new security systems have feedback with the owner using mobile communications or via a GPRS Internet connection. Secondly, there is detailed tracking of the vehicle’s location using the GPS or Glonass navigation system. At the same time, there is a recording of the route, a warning about the car leaving certain boundaries and a warning about the start of movement. Thirdly, all alarms have a vibration sensor implemented on different technologies, but having the same operating principle.

What do we have in the case of using a telephone as a security system? It should be noted that many smartphones support navigation via GPS, have an vibration sensor in their design, and the ability to communicate via SMS, phone call And mobile internet. Therefore, having a similar set of functions and capabilities, the question remains of how to use them for our needs. To do this, you need to acquire some software.

How to turn your smartphone into an alarm

In fact, this idea is not fresh, and the market mobile applications, there are already several software products, capable of turning a smartphone into a security system. It is worth noting that the variety of programs differs in cost, convenience and functionality. But it is impossible to give an exact answer - which application is better. Consequently, the car owner will have to make his own choice, but note that this choice will not affect the performance of the “homemade” alarm system. But to make a choice, you need to install and test the applications you like, which we did for you, and we will provide a description of several of them.

Application - "Signalka"

From the name it immediately becomes clear that this application was developed specifically for using the telephone as an alarm system. What pleases us is that the program is free and has a simple, intuitive design and functionality. “Signalka” is capable of operating in two modes:

1. The first mode allows the application to work using regular calls and SMS to a predefined number. This allows you to use the most ordinary push-button device as a second telephone. At the same time, the program informs the owner of the car all important data, such as the start of movement, the car leaving a predetermined perimeter, and much other information. But there is a significant inconvenience in such use. This is the need to activate or disable the application manually. Which can be difficult if the phone used as an alarm is hidden in a hard-to-reach place.

View of the Signalka application menu

2. The second operating mode is more flexible and allows you to remotely control the application. But to use it you will need a second smartphone on which another program will be installed. This will allow you to control the application from another phone using a Bluetooth connection. This significantly increases the comfort of using the phone as an alarm system.

View of incoming SMS from the Signalka application

Unfortunately, the Signalka application does not have control via an Internet connection. This was facilitated by the free nature of the program, since it contains a separate server for free program- unprofitable.

But it is worth noting that the application is made very well, and has many settings and sensitivity adjustments. The program allows you to adjust the sensitivity of the vibration sensor, set the radius of the zone beyond which the alarm will go off, and a tracker mode that will periodically send the car’s coordinates to your phone.

Application - “Security alarm”

This program designed for a more experienced user, and cannot boast of an intuitive design. The application has numerous graphs, settings, tabs, and not all of them are placed logically. Therefore, you will need to use the instructions for the application, which are also difficult to find. It is located in the additional menu, which is found by clicking the “three dots” in the upper right corner of the screen.

Screenshot of the "Security Alarm" application menu

But it is worth noting that the application allows you to make settings as accurately as possible. And the sensitivity of the vibration sensor can be adjusted for each axis separately. Which, in theory, will allow you to recognize various actions with the car. From jacking up when removing wheels to loading the car onto a tow truck.

Messages from the Security Alarm application

The application also uses SMS as information, but is distributed on a paid basis. However, you can test all the features of the application for free.

Is there any use for a telephone as an alarm?

Viewing short description capabilities of programs for smartphones, one can draw the only logical conclusion. Such a security system does not have any real ability to resist hijackers. Therefore, the advisability of using a telephone as an alarm system is questionable.

This addition to the car gives good results if there is a simple but high-quality alarm system, which has various locks and engine locks in its design. Therefore, the telephone acts as a backup information system will allow you to receive up-to-date information about the condition of the car without distance restrictions, unlike a car alarm key fob. Also, except for everyone standard means car protection, add the ability to track the car in real time using GPS coordinates sent to your phone.

If you are trying to create a “super” budget security system, then a smartphone can be used as an addition to various homemade blockers and secret locks. It is worth noting. That in some cases, homemade blockers based on hidden buttons or other systems can give better results than an inexpensive car alarm.

How to hide and provide constant power for your phone

No one will show you specific places to hide your phone in a car. Firstly, no one wants to talk about their secret place for a smartphone or GPS tracker. Secondly, all cars are structurally different, and no one knows where to install the phone in a particular model.

It is worth noting that the issue of hidden storage of a telephone used as an alarm is not an easy one. Hidden and indirect storage space should be provided. At the same time, there should be easy access to the device for various interactions with the touch screen if necessary. Also, the phone must receive a stable GPS signal and have a power supply connected.

The issue of powering a phone in a car is a separate topic for an article, but in short, all phones in the mode of always-on GPS, GSM and various sensors are not able to work sufficiently without external power. Therefore, you will have to organize the power supply to the on-board network, and the voltage must be present regardless of the position or presence of the key in the ignition switch.

Then, the phone is connected to power via a car charger, and remains in this position throughout its entire service life. But modern lithium ion batteries, especially not the first freshness, may not tolerate a constant connection to the network. Therefore, after long-term use, the battery will become faulty.

Please note that phones are not designed to be permanently connected to charger, and constant temperature changes in the car interior, so overheating and hypothermia of the battery can lead to a fire. This is an unlikely outcome, but still possible.

Conclusion

To summarize, we can say that it would be easier and more correct to use an expensive but high-quality car alarm system. At the same time, many inconveniences in operation will disappear, and the reliability of the security system will increase.

But as a way to save the family budget, or as an interesting experiment, a smartphone may well serve as an effective addition to all kinds of anti-theft systems. Therefore, the choice to use a phone with special software as a car alarm is yours.