Alfa in Ireland showcase 'Celtrak' anti-theft
08 January 2003: Fiat Auto Ireland have fitted an Irish-made state-of-the-art anti-theft ‘tracking’ device to its demonstrator 156 GTA cars to highlight how the latest developments in the systems can give peace of mind to owners of high-value cars.
Developments in anti-theft technology over the past few years mean it is now virtually impossible for thieves to steal a modern car merely by ‘hot-wiring’ it and driving off.
However the really determined thief, looking for a high-performance or high-value car is not so easily deterred. Today we hear of cars being ‘hijacked’ (where the driver is forced out of the vehicle and the thieves make a getaway) and of thieves breaking into homes to get the keys.
But a system designed and produced here in Ireland offers drivers help from ‘on high’ in the form of a satellite-controlled tracking system. The Celtrak car monitoring system allows the owner monitor the location of a car 24 hours a day. If the vehicle is stolen the owner can see exactly where it is, using any internet-linked pc anywhere in the world, or a mobile phone. He or she can then guide police to the location to recover the vehicle anywhere in Ireland or Western Europe.
The electronics that make this entire system work are so deeply embedded in the car’s own electronics and electrical system as to make removal both time-consuming and prohibitively expensive. If any would-be thief tries to ‘lift’ the car, an alarm message is sent to the central monitoring control once the car has moved more than 50m without the engine being switched on. If any would-be thief tries to disarm or disable the system, an alarm message is sent to the same monitoring office.
The Celtrak system used on the Alfa 156 GTA also has a ‘panic button’ and it allows for a direct voice-link between the car and monitoring office as a ‘check’.
It is probable that people fitting this type of deterrent system to ‘high-risk’ cars can recover the cost quite quickly, by way of lower annual insurance premiums.