EUC anti-theft features ?

[Adel]

Given that EUC are expensive piece of gadget, should they be equipped with anti theft features to discourage burglary ?

For example, should the EUC be Disabled unless electronic key received from phone for example ?

Would you want features like this to discourage criminal activity against EUC riders. For example, phones already had feature to disable reactivation of stolen phone, so why not EUC.

 

[Mono]

9 hours ago, Adel said:

Given that EUC are expensive piece of gadget, should they be equipped with anti theft features to discourage burglary ?

Yes. 

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For example, should the EUC be Disabled unless electronic key received from phone for example ?

Yes, but, at least optional, only temporarily (in case one loses the phone in the Hudson river). EDIT: It should certainly not just automatically turn off when not in reach of the phone or when the phone dies. It may not turn on, or even slow down to a stop. I would prefer an explicit lock though which is not activated by default or it may after a few minutes of off time away from the phone.

Quote

Would you want features like this to discourage criminal activity against EUC riders. For example, phones already had feature to disable reactivation of stolen phone, so why not EUC.

IIRC the InMotion V3 was reported to have this kind of feature. 

[LanghamP]

No.

You should (must) already have your wheels covered by either homeowners or renters insurance.

They don't really contain personally identifiable information like cell phones do.

EUC's should have as few "turn wheel off" programing paths as possible in order to protect the rider from unanticipated cutoffs.

Finally, any stolen EUC can be found in the private sales forum as so few people even know how to ride an EUC.

[The Fat Unicyclist]

I'm looking to add a key switch to mine... a mod that would be good to be standard. Combined with a bike lock, it would make for much better security. 

And if someone doesn't need it, they just don't use it - a $3 enhancement that would be well worthwhile. 

[Dingfelder]

I'd like as many safety and security features as I can get, for the most part.  As long as they aren't too intrusive.  I do feel queasy sometimes about all the apps trying to gather data on me all the time and sell it off.  Especially when they are designed to all activate at once on start-up of my PC, say, and report back to headquarters.  It can slow a PC to a crawl and sometimes even freeze it.  I don't want any of that effect on anything associated with a wheel.

[Mono]

6 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

I'd like as many safety and security features as I can get, for the most part.  As long as they aren't too intrusive.  I do feel queasy sometimes about all the apps trying to gather data on me all the time and sell it off.  Especially when they are designed to all activate at once on start-up of my PC, say, and report back to headquarters.  It can slow a PC to a crawl and sometimes even freeze it.  I don't want any of that effect on anything associated with a wheel.

It seems you are late to the game. That's what the wheel apps already are trying to do. They also connect the wheel serial number with the personal phone number, unless you don't allow them to.

[EUCGUY]

What about a key simular to what we use for cars. have a unique chip in it. 

[Hatchet]

GPS trackers require a sim card, and any I've seen are pretty bulky. I'd love to put a tracker inside the case. If it got stolen you could track it in real time. If the Inmotion app actually worked for me, I'd like to have a kill switch too, to make the wheel inoperable until I get it back.

[kasenutty]

There's no security available that would make me comfortable leaving my wheel chained to a tree or a pole right now. 

[Dingfelder]

3 hours ago, kasenutty said:

There's no security available that would make me comfortable leaving my wheel chained to a tree or a pole right now. 

 Me neither.  Bike thieves cut through heavy chain and steel cables as a matter of course.  Some even freeze and break locks.  For something that they could sell in probably a worst case scenario for hundreds of dollars, I can see them being very eager to test their wiles against an unaccompanied wheel ...

[Scatcat]

12 minutes ago, Dingfelder said:

 Me neither.  Bike thieves cut through heavy chain and steel cables as a matter of course.  Some even freeze and break locks.  For something that they could sell in probably a worst case scenario for hundreds of dollars, I can see them being very eager to test their wiles against an unaccompanied wheel ...

There is a lock sold here in Sweden, where the lock company have a deal with an insurance company, so that you get a new bicycle if it's stolen. But tested, the difference between their lock and the standard fare, is that it takes 30 seconds to break, rather than 15... Freeze spray and a small sledge-hammer are arguments no locks can counter so far.

[Dingfelder]

All this points toward how useful a handle can be.  I would feel very nervous abandoning an expensive machine at a bike rack or elsewhere.  

I wonder how cooperative storekeepers tend to be when someone brings their wheel indoors.  I could see them making a fuss over a muddy wheel even if they had nothing to say about muddy feet.

[Scatcat]

5 minutes ago, Dingfelder said:

All this points toward how useful a handle can be.  I would feel very nervous abandoning an expensive machine at a bike rack or elsewhere.  

I wonder how cooperative storekeepers tend to be when someone brings their wheel indoors.  I could see them making a fuss over a muddy wheel even if they had nothing to say about muddy feet.

No shop keeper have pestered me over my wheel so far. But then I have not brought it in directly from the wooden trails yet either.

 

[Hatchet]

16 minutes ago, Scatcat said:

No shop keeper have pestered me over my wheel so far. But then I have not brought it in directly from the wooden trails yet either.

 

Yeah I never get hassled in my grocery store, drug store or anywhere else, other than "OMG! What is that?" "Excuse me, what is that thing?" "I'd kill myself on one of those!"

Haha.I never took one in muddy though. I'd try to avoid that.

[MaxLinux]

5 minutes ago, Hatchet said:

I never get hassled in my grocery store

I shop at Walmart Neighborhood Market almost every week, and I place the wheel in my cart while in the store. The store personnel have always reacted very positively. Customers say things like, "I saw you roll into the parking lot! How does that thing work?" I recorded one of my grocery trips:

 

 

[The Fat Unicyclist]

This would fit well into an EUC... and could be charged off the battery...

 

[Mono]

9 hours ago, Scatcat said:

Freeze spray and a small sledge-hammer are arguments no locks can counter so far.

I think (to all I know) the freeze spray thing is an urban myth.

[Frode]

I installed this semi-automatic anti-theft device on my EUC. In fact I have installed two of them. Only drawback is that I must carry the EUC with me - but on the other hand these devices hav a function for that too.

 

[Philip W]

I am thinking about replace the on/off switch to something like this:

2-Wire Ignition Key Switch Lock ATV Electric Scooter Moped Go Kart Moto Pocket Dirt Bike https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M09BT2C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_mNaozbQX0X8F5

What do you think? 

[Adel]

The idea is to make it useless as well as counterproductive to steal or personally rob someone of their EUC.

Make it useless by requiring EUC to be activated only by electronic key by means of smartphone. Make it counterproductive by including GPS tracker so thieves can be arrested within short time.

I would prefer the built in gps tracker myself with an option to use electronic key.

[Mono]

32 minutes ago, Philip W said:

I am thinking about replace the on/off switch to something like this:

2-Wire Ignition Key Switch Lock ATV Electric Scooter Moped Go Kart Moto Pocket Dirt Bike https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M09BT2C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_mNaozbQX0X8F5

What do you think? 

I would think at least twice to put my health on an added $10 device keep functioning. Do you have a good understanding of the underlying circuit logics of the on/off switch of your wheel?

[LanghamP]

The biggest problem with normal GPS devices is getting enough power to the GPS over a long time but since an EUC already has a giant battery that could power a GPS for weeks/months then just stick a GPS tracker in it, and let the cops recover it.

[Philip W]

3 hours ago, Mono said:

I would think at least twice to put my health on an added $10 device keep functioning. Do you have a good understanding of the underlying circuit logics of the on/off switch of your wheel?

Scratch my previous plan. Now I see that my King Song's power switch is not a on/off, but just a contact button. I think I will use the empty USB pins to power up a GPS tracker like this:

ABLEGRID RealTime GPS Tracker GSM GPRS System Vehicle Tracking Device TK102 Mini Spy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01535CSCE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_RPdozbAAN4SQ1

So if my EUC got stolen, I will activate the $5 SIM card and start tracking. The tracker will be inside the EUC, so no one really know I am tracking.

@LanghamP Amazon has those $5 SIM cards for tracking device, seem like a great idea! Not realtime tracking but good enough.

 

[flass]

6 minutes ago, Philip W said:

Scratch my previous plan. Now I see that my King Song's power switch is not a on/off, but just a contact button. I think I will use the empty USB pins to power up a GPS tracker like this:

ABLEGRID RealTime GPS Tracker GSM GPRS System Vehicle Tracking Device TK102 Mini Spy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01535CSCE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_RPdozbAAN4SQ1

So if my EUC got stolen, I will activate the $5 SIM card and start tracking. 

That GPS tracker is by all means small, but it is still 4.8 x 4.2 x 2.1 inches  (13 x 10.6 x 5.3 cm). I don't know what model you've got, but I have a KS-16 and there is really not as much free space inside as one might imagine...

[Philip W]

41 minutes ago, flass said:

That GPS tracker is by all means small, but it is still 4.8 x 4.2 x 2.1 inches  (13 x 10.6 x 5.3 cm). I don't know what model you've got, but I have a KS-16 and there is really not as much free space inside as one might imagine...

They report the wrong dimension. That thing is no way 2 inch thick. Even their customers pictures showed it's really small. So there is another company selling the same thing:

Real Time Portable Mini GMS/GPS/GPRS Tracker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FYQO3W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_dSeozbRGVH8K6

The real dimension is 46x64x17mm. This size is still a little to big for the tiny space left inside my EUC, but I will take out the circuit board, the battery will be in different place. In this way it should fit.