Living in vans, cars, RVs, etc

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We're not homeless, we're houseless! By choice or by circumstance we are living in our vehicles. Don't worry about us -- it can be a very good life.

Anything that affects us as vehicle-dwellers is probably on topic.

external resources

emergency guide to suddenly living in a vehicle <-- start here if you don't have a choice in the matter
vanlife FAQ
introduction to power in the vehicle
gentle introduction to solar power
overview of charging by alternator
guides to hygiene and toilet

fedi resources

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be civil
use descriptive thread titles. Pro tip: "Help" or "Question" are not descriptive titles.
old-timers: assume people are different and have different needs, preferences, budgets, and use cases
newbies: demonstrate effort and willingness to learn; you'll need it on the road anyhow. Links have been added below to help get you started. When asking question state your "use case" (what you are trying to accomplish); we are terrible guessers.
tire-kickers: yes, we've heard that "in a van down by the river" joke. It was hi-larious in 1993.

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vehicle security system (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world to c/houseless@lemmy.sdf.org

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Living in a vehicle the last few years has helped me save & keep all the money I would've otherwise paid to a landlord. So I can afford a security system now, and urgently need one because people are starting to catch onto my patterns and hover around my vehicle like vultures. Please tell me the best security system you know of. I am not savvy with electronics and gadgets, and I never will be. So I need someone to tell me.

I'm thinking of a fuel kill switch or battery kill switch or whatever that thing is;

I'm thinking of camera system that I can monitor with my smartphone from wherever I am, etc

I'm thinking keeping several air tags all around my vehicle, in pockets of clothing, and in bags, and under my mattress (can I use Apple air tags if I don't own any apple devices??, I run on Samsung and Lenovo and Linux);

Please tell me where to get these things, what the best brands are of fuel/battery kill switches, camera monitoring system

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[–] seathru@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

With an auto security system, you are shopping around for a local shop that does good installs more than what brand the alarm is. If you are buying the alarm to prevent the vehicle from being stolen rather than just for the convenience features, I highly recommend you do not attempt the install yourself. Even if you are pretty handy, an amateur installed alarm can make the vehicle easier to steal than one without anything. This is something worth paying someone who knows their stuff.

Once you find a reputable shop, it doesn't matter that much what brand they sell. If they do actual good work, they are most likely not selling junk. But you can't really go wrong with Viper.

Wyze sells cheap but decent quality security cameras with good alerts. Probably not the best privacy tho, so I wouldn't point them anywhere too private.

Edit: Source: I installed car security systems for ~15 years.