LoJack
| Type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Traded as | NASDAQ: LOJN |
| Industry | Vehicle Tracking |
| Founded | Massachusetts (1978) |
| Headquarters | Canton, MA, U.S. |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Randy L. Ortiz, Chief Executive Officer and President Donald R. Peck, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Hal Dewsnap, Senior Vice President and General Manager (U.S. Automotive) |
| Products | See products section. |
| Revenue |  $132.5M (2012)[1] |
| Employees | 600 |
| Website | www.lojack.com |
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This article appears to be written like an advertisement. (March 2013) |
The LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System is an aftermarket vehicle tracking system that allows vehicles to be tracked by police, with the aim of recovering them in case of theft. The manufacturer claims a 90% recovery rate.[2] The name "LoJack" was coined to be the "antithesis of hijack", wherein "hijack" refers to the theft of a vehicle through force.[3]
LoJack’s core business comprises the tracking and recovery of cars, trucks, construction equipment, commercial vehicles and motorcycles. However, LoJack is expanding into new markets through licensing agreements and investments in areas such as cargo security and people at risk of wandering (probationers, parolees, and Alzheimer's patients). LoJack Corporation claims that over 300,000 vehicles have been recovered worldwide since the product was introduced more than two decades ago.[2]
Contents |
How it works [edit]
The core of the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System is a small, silent radio transceiver that is clandestinely installed in a vehicle. The vehicle is not marked as possessing a LoJack transceiver, and the location of the transceiver within the vehicle varies from one car to the next. Once installed, the unit and the vehicle's VIN are registered in a database which interfaces with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system used by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the US. In the event of a theft, a customer reports the incident to the police, who make a routine entry into the state police crime computer, including the stolen vehicle's VIN. This theft report is automatically processed by LoJack computers, triggering a remote command to the specific LoJack unit in the stolen vehicle.
The command tells the LoJack unit to start sending out signals to tracking units on board some police cars. Every police car so equipped, that is within a 3-5 mile radius of the signal source, will be alerted. The tracking units will display an alphanumeric serial number and an indication of the approximate direction and distance to the stolen vehicle. Based on the serial number, the police can obtain a physical description of the vehicle, including make (brand), model, color, VIN, and license plate number. Police aircraft can also be equipped with tracking units; airborne units can receive the (line-of-sight) signals from further away than ground-based units.
The company’s systems are operable in 27 US states, the District of Columbia, and in 30+ countries.
Upgraded (more expensive) systems can alert the owner of a vehicle in the event the car is moved or started.
LoJack transmits on a radio (RF) carrier frequency of 173.075 MHz. Vehicles with the system installed send a 200 millisecond (ms) chirp every ten seconds on this frequency. When being tracked after reported stolen, the devices send out a 200 ms signal once per second.[4][5] The radio frequency transmitted by LoJack is near the VHF spectrum band formerly used in North America by analog television channel 7,[6] although there was minimal interference due to the low power of radiation, brief chirp duration, and long interval between chirps.[7]
Products [edit]
LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System
A small, silent transmitter hidden in a vehicle allows the police to track and recover it. The unit is hidden within the vehicle.
LoJack Early Warning
An optional component of the LoJack System, Early Warning alerts the owner by phone, e-mail or text message if the protected vehicle has been moved without authorization. A personal key fob sends a signal to the system to disable the warning as long as the owner is carrying it. LoJack offers the Early Warning product for cars, trucks and motorcycles. The tracking device that automatically activates inside police cars if a vehicle equipped with a LoJack is activated within a few miles.
LoJack For Motorcycles
Police can track and recover a stolen motorcycle.
LoJack For Construction
Tracking units can be covertly placed in construction equipment.
LoJack For Fleet and Trucking
Protection for tractor trailers, semis, rigs, haulers, and vans.
LoJack InTransit
Cargo tracking devices and service.
LoJack SafetyNet
Rescuing people at risk of wandering including people with Alzheimer's or Autism.
LoJack for Laptops
A software product from Vancouver, British Columbia, based Absolute Software that enables law enforcement to recover stolen laptops by tracing them via the Internet. The product was initially sold under the name "Computrace". In 2005, Absolute Software licensed the LoJack brand name and produces the software under both the Computrace and "LoJack for Laptops" product names.
LoJack Fleet Management
LoJack Business Services allows Fleet Managers to easily locate and track their vehicles 24/7.
Company [edit]
The manufacturing company is also called LoJack.
See also [edit]
- Motor vehicle theft
- Carjacking
- OnStar
- Radio direction finder
- Vehicle tracking system
- Comparison of device tracking software
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.lojack.com/About-LoJack/News-and-Media/Press-Releases/2013/LoJack-Corporation-Reports-Financial-Results-for-F
- ^ a b "What is LoJack". Retrieved 2006-08-23.
- ^ Hindo, Brian (2006-01-16). "LoJack's Stronger Signal". BusinessWeek.
- ^ "Request for Waiver of Section 90.20(e)(6)". FCC (USA). 2000-08-31. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
- ^ "LoJack Radio Frequency, How LoJack Works". Freq of Nature. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
- ^ "Television Frequency Table". Retrieved 2008-05-31.
- ^ "Private Land Mobile Services; Stolen Vehicle Recovery Systems - Proposed Rule.". Federal Register (Volume 71, Number 163). 2006-08-23. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
Further reading [edit]
- Ian Ayres and Steven Levitt: "Measuring Positive Externalities from Unobservable Victim Precaution: An Empirical Analysis of Lojack." Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1998, 113(1), pp. 43–77
