CarDekho Uplink: Smart GPS Vehicle Tracking System - Unboxing, Installation And Features

Give your existing car the safety and security of a connected car with smart plug and play devices from CarDekho Vehicle tracking systems are an undeniable necessity. CarDekho has launched Uplink as a featured product in this category. You can purchase CarDekho uplink from here or from Amazon. Here are a few compelling reasons why you should get one:

A big new addition we see coming in all new cars is connected tech. While some of the features associated with this can be characterized as gimmicks, there is no denying the fact that there is a peace of mind offered by live vehicle tracking and emergency alerts. Now, you won’t have to wait till your next car to enjoy that peace of mind, nor will you have to alter the wiring of your current car to get these features. CarDekho Uplink Smart Vehicle Tracking System is a plug and play solution with which you can track your car, get live location, set a geofence, monitor daily timeline, get trip history, driving analysis, usage stats, rash driving alerts, assign a virtual watchman and check all your connected cars on one screen with the God View. It is available as an OBD II device and a 12V adapter. 

Unboxing

The OBD II device comes in a square box whereas the 12V adaptor gets a more rectangular one. The detailing and the quality of the packaging feel good and upmarket and is the same for both of them. At the back, the feature highlights are mentioned along with the price for both: Rs 4999. Side out the main box from the cover, open it and you'll find a user guide, your subscription ID and password and a link to download the CarDekho Uplink app, which is available for both Android and Apple devices. Underneath the paperwork is the actual device. And under the box cushioning, you will find a plastic cover removal tool which can be used to swap out the sim card. However, given that an Airtel sim comes pre-installed, that will not be used in the installation process. 

OBD II Device

The OBD II device feels really solid in hand and is a compact unit, which won't be obviously visible when installed in the car. It has three lights - power, GSM and GPS. You can even get these lights turned off to get a proper discrete look by contacting the customer support helpline. The flashing patterns of these lights are described in the tables below. 

1. LED Indicator

2. GPS Indicator

3. GSM Indicator

The OBD II device, as the name suggests, is installed in the OBD II port of your car. This port is usually placed under the dashboard, close to the steering wheel. Just align the shape of the port, and press the device in. It will lock itself in place. If you need help locating the OBD port in your car, you can contact our customer assistance helpline. As soon as you connect the device and register the device on your application, the vehicle is ready to be tracked. 

12V Adapter Device

This device looks like every other 12V to USB adapter in the market. As a result, chances of someone suspecting this to be a tracker are slim. It even has 2 USB charging ports, with which you can charge your mobile phones or other USB accessories. Installing this device in the car is pretty straight forward. Just insert it into the 12V socket. A blue LED will start to flash and your car is ready to be tracked. The flash pattern of the LED is described in the table below.

List of features

With the Uplink app, you can have the following features:

• Live Location - Track the live location of your car weather is parked or on the move. The speeds at which the vehicle is moving is also relayed live.

• Over-speeding Alert -  The device can send you an over-speeding alert for a customizable predefined speed.

• God View - All your connected vehicles can be viewed on a screen simultaneously. A brilliant feature for fleet operators. 

• Location broadcast - The user can choose to share the live location for the vehicle with other people who wish to track the trip. The time for which the location is being broadcasted can also be predefined. Also, the person tracking the vehicle is not required to have the app as tracking can be done on any internet browser with a predefined passcode. 

• Map background - Tracking can be done in satellite, terrain or any other Google Map view. 

• Watchman Mode - Once parked, Watchman mode informs you if the ignition of the vehicle gets switched on. This is a brilliant anti-theft system if your car is parked away from your home. 

• Timeline, Trips History and Analysis - A trip made in the past can be revisited and replayed to check for stops and routes. The exact speed of the car during that trip is also replayed to check for rash driving. Total trips in a month, week or an year along with how many kilometres driven can also be analysed on a graph for each vehicle. Another useful feature for the fleet operators. 

• Geofence - A geofence can be set from 200-500 metres around the final destination. When the vehicle arrives in this geofence, a notification will be triggered. 

• Privacy Mode - To stop the tracking of the vehicle, you can switch on the privacy mode in the app. 

Both the devices are made in India and are priced at Rs 4999. They can be purchased on Amazon.in and come with a 1 year warranty. The renewal cost of the subscription after one year is Rs 1200 + GST. We will be testing these devices and will have a review live next month. Stay tuned!

BUY: You can purchase CarDekho uplink from here or from Amazon.