Re: [DML] Re: Stolen in Seattle

[Ryan Wright <ryanpwright@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jeremiah,

> them in complete lingo.  With two cars damaged last
> week and now this, I may re-consider the viability of
> almost everything Toby sells.  I like "how little"
> information I've found about his alarm products, and
> if it stays that way - than only him, other owners who
> purchased his alarm, and me know how it works.  I'd
> like to keep it that way too.

This means nothing. The specs on the alarms Toby sells are available
anywhere; installation is much the same as any other alarm. Security
through obscurity is worse than no security at all (because of the
false sense of security it gives you).

If you want to really protect your car with an alarm, you should:

1. Get a long range paging alarm; there are a few out there, I believe
Toby's in one of them. A car alarm going off means nothing to anybody
but it's owner.

2. Install the alarm with security in mind: 
- Put fuses on all connections that supply or otherwise direct power.
Many alarms do not fuse the parking light output, for instance. A
thief can short that out, open the door, and your alarm will kill
itself.
- Tear the interior of the car apart and bury the alarm deep within
some cavity that's difficult to get to. Run as many wires as you can
in equally difficult to reach places.
- Tie the alarm's power and ground directly to the car's battery, and
provide a small backup power source if your alarm supports it.
- Reroute starter kill wiring completely. The starter kill can be
bypassed in seconds if you just slap a relay in-line with it under the
dash. Instead, replace or complement ignition wiring with another
color, extend it's length, and bury the relay deep within the dash.

These are just a few small steps you can take that will help. Make
sure all changes to the car's electrical system are documented and
stored in a safe place in your house. This way you can undo things (or
provide a good manual of the changes for any future owner).


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