Mike Wendland is off the air

[bobojay]

As of right now, Wendland is saying that both of their insurance companies are hinting they are not going to pay because there's no evidence of "forced" entry into the van.
His evidence, and his and my opinion after listening to his podcast, is that they used one of the key fob cloning setups to gain entry.
Thankfully they didn't harm the dog....

[Jostalli]

Originally Posted by bobojay

As of right now, Wendland is saying that both of their insurance companies are hinting they are not going to pay because there's no evidence of "forced" entry into the van.
His evidence, and his and my opinion after listening to his podcast, is that they used one of the key fob cloning setups to gain entry.
Thankfully they didn't harm the dog....

What evidence does he have that proves they used a cloned key fob?

[Karsty]

Originally Posted by Jostalli

What evidence does he have that proves they used a cloned key fob?

What kind of evidence would you like??? There are devices out there that will defeat the FOB. Most insurance companies will resist paying if you don't push back. Just have to be persistent with them.

[Jostalli]

Originally Posted by Karsty

What kind of evidence would you like??? There are devices out there that will defeat the FOB. Most insurance companies will resist paying if you don't push back. Just have to be persistent with them.

Of course I know this. Bobojay said "His evidence". That's why I asked.

[mlts22]

It isn't hard to get into some vehicles and leaving a trace. I remember the old VW vans that one could use a credit card in the right spot to pop them open. Ford pickup handles can be wiggled just enough to get a pair of needle nose pliers underneath to pull on the locking rod.

There is also the fact that BOV isn't a "big" crime, so it winds up being treated like bike theft -- case number written and after the statute of limitations expires, the case gets tossed into the garbage.

I'm curious about Sprinter keyfobs. Are they like Nissans and Toyotas where when you get to the vehicle, you can hit a button and unlock it, or are they like the ones on Ford trucks where you explicitly hit an unlock button to open the door. I do know the Sprinter engine uses a RFID transponder and a physical lock, so the Sprinter can't be moved, but all a thief needs... is to get the door unlocked.

Maybe I should look into Euro style secondary locks for my Transit upfit, but my biggest concern is fire/life safety over keeping some meth-head from getting his fix. However, when my rig is sitting in the driveway for the weekdays, it may not hurt to have Fiamma's "Safe Door Guardian T" lock (which is always unlockable from the inside) in use for the cab and sliding doors, and a "Safe Door T" for the rear doors. The nice thing about a second set of locks is that a thief has to physically defeat them, which leaves a signature (which helps a lot when making a claim.) However, I have a tendency to use a nuke to kill a cockroach when it comes to security (it is my main field of work afterall), so this may be way overkill.

[bobojay]

Yes mlts22, there's a separate unlock button. Lock, unlock all and, unlock the rear and slider only doors. 3 buttons, at least on our '08 and '13 chassis

[Caped Crusader]

If things haven't changed, viehicle insurance doesn't cover items not attached to to the RV. Home Owners, or renters insurance should cover the cameras, etc. When I sold my house, I had to get a policy added that covered the items in the RV (Class B) It's important to have a list, with serial numbers. Photos are also a good way to remember what you have in the Van.

[Boxster1971]

Mike is not off the air.
http://roadtreking.com/rt36-roadtreking ... ipped-off/



- - Mike
2013 Airstream Interstate from 2012 Sprinter 3500 tall & long

[Jostalli]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Mike is not off the air.
http://roadtreking.com/rt36-roadtreking ... ipped-off/

- - Mike
2013 Airstream Interstate from 2012 Sprinter 3500 tall & long

Wow, just heartbreaking. I was always worried that a big beautiful Mercedes RV would attract thieves. Looks like my worries were justified.

[eurovanman]

Mikes business insurance should cover this as everything was used for business, but he should of also had business car insurance covering all the business items while traveling. That is how I am covered.

Also he should know that he can remotely clear the data on the Macbook Pros by logging into iCloud. I had a MBP stolen from my van and remotely wiped it.

[Belzar]

I worry less about losing a few valuables than losing the data that might be on them. Good computer hygiene is critical, both with the physical computer and in data transmission. And, while a good lock and perhaps an alarm will deter the casual thief, it really doesn't do a whole lot. In Mike's case, the robbers also smashed the window on a UHaul parked next to him to gain entry. I have same considerations at home...no sense in investing hundreds of dollars into highly sophisticated locks when their are windows nearby.

[mlts22]

My line of defense is having backups and encrypting all data. That way, I have "just" a hardware theft, and don't have to worry about extortion or blackmail.

The trick is not to just rely on a password. Any computer certified to run Windows 8.1 has a chip on it called a TPM. It can be configured with BitLocker to use a password on boot... and because this chip controls when the key is handed over to the OS, if someone tries too many guesses, it just keeps locking them out for longer times... one hour, then two, four, eight, etc. If they yank the hard disk and try to decrypt it in another computer, well, good luck, as the master decryption key was in that chip. Booting up from a CD or floppy invalidates the signature.

On Macs, I use Symantec Encryption Desktop with a USB token. Same as above... too many guesses on the password, the token erases itself, and there is no key to be had. Macs, it also can't hurt enable the EFI firmware lock which prevents another OS from being installed.

Sounds like a lot of overhead, but it really only comes into play when rebooting after Patch Tuesday. Otherwise it is completely invisible.

I also keep recovery keys stored as well (some place well offsite), so if something does glitch, I still have an alternate path to my data.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by eurovanman

Mikes business insurance should cover this as everything was used for business, but he should of also had business car insurance covering all the business items while traveling. That is how I am covered.

Also he should know that he can remotely clear the data on the Macbook Pros by logging into iCloud. I had a MBP stolen from my van and remotely wiped it.

Unless Mike actually tells us what insurance he has there is no way to tell anything. from what i've read all the stuff in the vehicle is covered by his homeowners policy and not his vehicle insurance. I suspect it's the homeowners policy that wants proof of break in.

[avanti]

OK, this thread has finally pushed me to turn on Filevault on all our Macs. I've been worrying about a performance hit, but checking around, it is apparently minimal.

[mlts22]

With modern CPUs all having AES built into the chip's instruction set, the encryption/decryption is done before the I/O disk buffer even fills up. With SSDs, they do the encryption on the disk itself and is always "on", so might as well use it.

Of course, don't forget backups.

[Mike]

I've had an alarm system in our van for 5 years. It has 2 way fobs that vibrate and sound an audible chime if the system detects door open breaches. It has a decent range and the transmission system is FM based so line of sight isn't critical. It works well when I've tested it. Pros: simple and effective for any attempt to open any door. Good range for a car alarm. Price around $500 installed. Cons: doesn't immobilize the vehicle. It really only tells me something may be happening and to prepare for the worst. A smash and grab will likely be successful. Things left within reach of a breakable window will be gone with no alarm sounded. To me it's really just a better than nothing feel good option.
My revised opinion on this is, don't take along or leave things in your vehicle, when unattended, that you can't reasonably do without or can't afford to lose. In both a hardware and data sense. If you travel with electronics like laptops or tablets, back them up somehow, encrypt them if possible and practical, and have the remote erasure option ready to go in the event of a loss or theft. I realize this approach isn't going to work for everyone. Full timers, for example.
We now travel with one encrypted smartphone with remote erase capability, and an inexpensive camera, and that's about it. Everything that is able to be backed up, is, and we never leave the phone in the van when unattended. We even lock all doors while refueling. You can't be too careful out there.

[Davydd]

Our Advanced RV is set up to work with the DroneMobile app to remotely lock and monitor the temperature of the Van. It will do other things like autostart and alert you of a break in.

http://www.dronemobile.com

We also have the Compustar security fob.

http://www.compustar.com

I don't know if it would really do much good with a 30 second break in but it helps I guess.

We also have a pretty good built in safe similar to this that will deter or definitely prolong any break in to respond to.

http://www.deansafe.com/rv-burglary-safes.html

Lastly, I do have some hidden storage not easily accessible.

[booster]

To protect the van itself from disappearing, there is still nothing that works as well as a disabler, providing you can find a place to hide the switch, or multiple switches. There is a quite expensive setup that taps into the circuitry several places with hidden armored cable and uses a special key to use. Very nice for protecting the vehicle. The setups that let the vehicle run a bit and then quit are great because a stopped van in the middle of the road would cause some attention.

[Mike]

I recall you were looking into that complex rewiring disabler system a while back. Never went any further? I think a couple of well placed hidden kill switches might deter most would be car jackers.
I replaced one of my fobs (I have the Compustar Canadian version) and they aren't cheap. Take care of them, treat them like gold.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Mike

I recall you were looking into that complex rewiring disabler system a while back. Never went any further? I think a couple of well placed hidden kill switches might deter most would be car jackers.
I replaced one of my fobs (I have the Compustar Canadian version) and they aren't cheap. Take care of them, treat them like gold.

I was looking at the complex, and expensive, one and decided against it. It was a combination of cost, having to have someone put it in and digging through all the many harnsesses, and the extra key to carry around all the time. We went homebuilt instead. We also put in the Jimmyjammers to prevent the lock punch out that is so easy on the plastic, door latch/locks that Chevy uses.