Protect Your Vehicle From Auto Theft with These 6 Car Security Tips

By AlfredCamera

April 14, 2023

Car security comes down to three things—protecting the car, protecting the contents inside the car, and protecting the parts on the car from being stolen. In fact, a massive surge in the theft of catalytic converters, which contain precious metals like platinum and palladium, has been observed recently.

Since auto and auto-parts theft is a constant threat, it’s useful to be aware of some of the ways you can go about preventing it and protecting your vehicle. Here’s the rundown.

Table of Contents

The 6 Essentials of Car Security

Car security is important, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. That’s why we’ve narrowed down all the elements of car security into 6 essential tips. Find out what they are below.

1. Lock the vehicle

For amateur thieves and opportunists, an unlocked vehicle left unattended for even a second is prime real estate.

As simple a mistake as it is to make, try to build a strong habit of always double-checking that the doors and windows are fully shut and that the vehicle is locked before walking away from it, even if that is for just a few moments.

2. Park responsibly

Where a car is parked can make all the difference when it comes to avoiding a vehicle being targeted. In public, try to choose parking lots that have security guards onsite, and places that are both well-lit and well-populated.

Recommended reading: Keeping A Car Outside Vs Garage: Which Is Best

Though it’s not always possible, have vehicles be as close to the home as possible when not driving it. Ideally, it should be visible from a window, where a security camera can keep watch over it 24/7.

Place a device with AlfredCamera installed on it looking out of a window onto the driveway so that you can have eyes on the vehicle at all times even when yours aren’t. AlfredCamera will use motion detection to notify you of any unusual movement.

3. Consider installing a non-keyless entry

A ‘keyless’ entry is not the same thing as a fob with a button on it. Keyless cars open automatically when the ‘key’ (often just a smartphone) is in close proximity to the vehicle, and they are becoming an increasingly common feature in luxury vehicles. They may also automatically start the engine as soon as the door unlocks.

These are, unsurprisingly, prone to hacking. Thieves can use a relay device to trick the car into thinking the key is close, thus unlocking the door and starting the engine. If a physical lock or button-fob isn’t an option, turn off the wireless signal whenever the ‘key’ is not in use, and ensure it is stored far from the car and reprogrammed every few months.

4. Alarms

Many cars come with built-in alarm systems. Generally speaking, it’s useful to have both visual and auditory deterrents when it comes to preventing theft. A loud alarm can deter would-be thieves and alert everyone nearby as soon as it happens.

If the car does not have an alarm system built in, there is always the option to have one installed. Modern alarm systems now feature GPS tracking, so if the vehicle does end up being stolen, the police can easily trace it.

5. Suspicious tow teams, shady mechanics

Thieves disguising themselves as mechanics is an alarm bell. If they weren’t called, they aren’t real, and are probably just trying to steal a car part.

Likewise, illegal tow trucks can be used to tow vehicles off the street, among other scams that take advantage of drivers shaken up by accidents.

Tow truck scams have become common enough to warrant an ‘uptick in towing-reform legislation by states and municipalities, such as Arizona and California’, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Much like the ‘mechanics’, if the uniform looks suspicious and the tow truck has no branding on it (or Googling it leads nowhere) it probably isn’t real. Notify the police of any reasonable suspicions.

6. Install in car security devices

Numerous in-car security devices exist, including steering wheel locks, clutch locks, and lever locks.

Though cars have built-in security devices, installing these additional ones is a good way to not only deter thieves in the first place (since they are fairly obvious looking even from the outside), but a way to stall the thief if they do attempt to ake the car.

In car security cameras are a fantastic way to add security, by having the cameras view both the contents of the car and the outside via dash cameras or a 360 car camera on top of the vehicle.

In the event that your car was unfortunately stolen, here is how you can find a stolen car in three steps.

Insurance Benefits of Installing a Dashcam

There are potential benefits to having a dash cam when it comes to car insurance. Some sellers will provide discounts on their policies for dashcam users, usually no greater than 15%. Others will offer much higher discounts based on partnerships with dash cam companies, meaning the driver has to use a specific dash cam model to get access to the discount.

The perks are because dash cam footage makes establishing liability a much faster process.

Can You Put Security Cameras on Your Car?

Although they may not be the best car security solution, security cameras can be placed inside cars. A smaller phone running AlfredCamera, or even the AlfredCam indoor security camera, could be left inside a vehicle so long as it is sufficiently hidden.

Credit: Kevinz Gaming
“This is a review video for the AlfredCam made by the AlfredCamera company. I’m using it as a dash cam, but it’s intended to be an indoor camera. Testing it out for the first time! Hands-on review.”

Dual-lens dash cams are a solid car security solution because they view both the exterior through the windshield and the interior of the car, but they are more expensive than regular dash cams that only view the exterior.

Security cameras can improve car security by being positioned through a window in the home, so that they view the parked vehicle either by the road or in the driveway. AlfredCamera users regularly setup their devices to achieve this, allowing motion detection to do the work and notify them if something happens.

I put [AlfredCamera] on my second floor apt. window to record the car parking area and outside the front stairs through the night since we already had our car broken into 3 times … We caught the thief with the recordings … Thank you. The videos record very clearly and it’s great that we can hide the app.
AlfredCamera user

For unlit driveways, AlfredCam provides infrared night vision in 1080p HD, so even at night, cars can be closely monitored through a window. It pairs with the AlfredCamera app and works seamlessly alongside any existing Alfred-enabled devices, so that all surveillance needs are taken care of in one easy-access place.

Car security is just the tip of the iceberg for AlfredCam. Find out more about what it can do here.

How Do You Catch Someone Messing With Your Car?

To catch someone tampering with your car, visual surveillance is key. Security camera devices, like AlfredCamera, can send push notifications based on movement detection, thereby allowing users to quickly contact the police.

Dash cams with G sensors are also handy in catching attempted car theft in the act. By detecting sufficient vibrations when enabled, the dash cam will not only begin recording, but also immediately send a notification to the user.

Push notifications aside, a car alarm remains a useful way to receive auditory warning of someone meddling with a vehicle. If the car doesn’t have a built-in alarm, consider having one installed for another reliable means of catching thieves in the act.

Is there a car camera that works when the car is off?

Car cameras are usually powered by the cigarette lighter, which requires the ignition to be turned on (at least in older car models), thereby draining the battery rapidly. To use them when the car is off usually requires buying additional peripherals, like Garmin’s ‘Constant Power Cable’ and ‘Parking Mode Cable’.

Much like hardwiring a home security camera, these peripherals enable the car camera to be hardwired to prevent draining the car’s battery so much that it can’t start the vehicle.

Even with hardwired car cameras, it isn’t a good idea to keep cameras on parking modes 24/7, as the battery will deplete eventually. It is more useful if, for example, the driver is going shopping for a couple of hours and leaving the car unattended in public.

Conclusion

Car security isn’t complicated, but it does require time and money to improve, particularly for older car models that don’t have modern security features built-in.

AlfredCamera is an affordable way to keep an eye on parked vehicles, which is among the most useful ways to improve car security overall. In addition to visual surveillance, following our 6 essential tips can greatly improve the overall protection vehicles have against theft and make dealing with attempted thefts much more efficient and effective.