Meta Trak have been at the forefront of vehicle immobilisation technology for some time now, they were the first to introduce wireless engine immobilisation to the masses. They were also the first to implement remote engine immobilisation into their customer app. This allowed Meta Trak customers to remotely immobilise their vehicles straight from their smartphone or through Meta Trak’s web-based portal. Previous to this, vehicle security systems with a remote engine immobilisation function could only be operated by the system manufacturer with many requiring authorisation from the police. Meta Trak’s expertise in wireless link technologies allows them not only to push but to stay ahead of the competition by continually expanding their product range to counter new theft methods.

Meta Trak Immobilisers – Advanced Features

1.       Wireless Link Architecture

Meta Trak immobilisers feature their wireless link architecture, this technology denotes the need to physically hardwire the immobiliser to a tracking device for communication purposes. Ordinarily, immobilisers need to be hardwired to a tracking device to receive commands such as to ‘arm’ or ‘disarm’, remote commands are received by the tracking device via data sent over the mobile network and once received they are interpreted and sent on to the immobiliser via a hardwired connection.

The problem with a hardwired connection between an immobiliser and a tracking device is that it allows thieves to trace the wiring from one to the other, ultimately resulting in the discovery of both as they are normally close by to each other and share the same wired connection.

Most combined tracker and immobiliser systems on the market today have very basic and simplistic ‘immobilisers’, most are just standard relays being controlled via a specific output wire which is controlled by the tracking device. The brain of these systems is the tracking device, it holds all the important communication and computing electronics to be able to send and receive commands and to enable outputs to the immobiliser. In these systems, the immobiliser is the cheapest and most basic part of the system, as we said previously it is normally a basic relay/switch to close or open a specific circuit to stop the vehicle from starting. These basic combined tracker and immobiliser systems must have their hardware hardwired together because there is no technology in the immobiliser to receive commands in any other way apart from through a direct wired connection to the tracking device, there are no computer chips, communication technologies, nothing, the immobiliser part of the system is just a switch. This leads to a security disadvantage compared to Meta Trak’s immobiliser systems by allowing for the tracing of the shared hardwired connection between both pieces of hardware which ultimately hinders the whole system's covertness.

Meta Trak’s combined tracker and immobiliser system are different, specifically the immobiliser side of the system. Meta Trak’s immobilisers are smart as they contain technologies that enable them to wirelessly link and communicate over the air without a compromising hardwired connection between them and the tracking device. Meta Trak’s tracking device is still the brain of the system, receiving and executing commands over the mobile network but the difference is that Meta Trak’s combined tracker and immobiliser systems send these commands to the immobiliser wirelessly. This is a big security benefit as now the Meta Trak tracking device and immobiliser can be mounted in different areas of the vehicle such as the tracking device in the boot and the immobiliser inside the engine bay for example. If thieves then manage to discover the engine immobiliser for instance, they won't automatically find the tracking device as it will be located elsewhere on the vehicle. As the Meta Trak tracking device and immobiliser communicate wirelessly and are located in different areas of the vehicles, they can't both be found by tracing their shared hardwired connection like most other systems on the market today.

Not only does this massively aid the covertness of the entire systems implementation but it also benefits the person installing the system too.

Because Meta Trak’s immobiliser and tracking devices can communicate wirelessly, the immobiliser can also send an ignition signal to the tracking device wirelessly. For instance, the Meta Trak tracking device could be positioned in a very covert location where OEM electrical wiring is sparse and the chances of finding an ignition wire near impossible (an ignition signal is needed by the tracking device to determine that you have started a journey for logging purposes but also it’s what prompts the system to search for a driver recognition tag to ensure an authorised driver is currently driving the vehicle).

Because Meta Trak’s immobiliser needs an ignition signal to operate, we can take this ignition signal and send it to the tracking device wirelessly, negating the need to physically connect the tracking device to an ignition wire itself. This considerably helps in the covert placement of the tracking device, again aiding in the overall covertness of the system's implementation.

Meta Trak’s wireless link architecture has paved the way for substantial improvements in the covertness of vehicle security implementation, it has also enabled the rapid introduction of new additional hardware to existing systems such as OBD port immobilisation, ensuring Meta Trak systems are always one step ahead of the thieves.

2.       Customer-controlled remote immobilisation

Meta Trak customers were the first to be able to remotely immobilise their vehicles themselves. Before this and still, to this day, most customers of combined tracker and immobiliser systems can only remotely immobilise their vehicle by contacting the brand directly and requesting it. Worse still, in a theft situation, the remote immobilisation feature can only be used upon police approval.

Meta Trak have had a remote immobilisation feature built into their customer app for years through intuitive command buttons. While some brands of vehicle security are steadily trying to catch up, their remote immobilisation offerings aren't comparable. The problem they all face is that after an ignition-off event, their tracking devices go into a deep sleep after a predetermined elapsed period to avoid excessive current draw from slowly draining the vehicle's battery. This causes the first issue, commands sent over the mobile network such as an ‘arm’ command now can't be received as the tracking devices' software and receivers are turned off. To wake the tracking device up and have it receive the command you need to cycle the ignition, this prompts the device and software to boot up and receive the command to ‘arm’ the immobiliser (the same is true for disarming). This presents one main disadvantage as while marketed as ‘remote immobilisation’ is only local, the customer needs to be with the vehicle. For instance, if you are in another country and want to remotely immobilise your vehicle you won't be able to if the tracking device is in a sleep state, which it likely will be as the sleep state is normally triggered around 90 seconds after an ignition-off event. Of course, commands can be remotely sent once the tracking device is awake after a journey or if you have someone at home who can cycle the ignition for you but it's not truly a remote solution and not particularly streamlined, user-friendly, or that helpful really.

Meta Trak operates worldwide remote immobilisation providing you have access to the internet and your system/vehicle has connection to a 2G network (soon to be 4G). This is achievable because Meta Trak tracking devices don’t go into a deep sleep, and well-designed power management of the circuitry enables Meta Trak tracking devices to always be reachable to receive a command even when your vehicle has been sat locked, parked or had the ignition off for any length of time.

Emergency Engine Unblock Feature

Setting it apart from the rest of the competition, Meta Trak engine immobilisers also feature an emergency unblock procedure for instances where the vehicle has been immobilised remotely but now cannot be remotely disarmed due to the lack of a mobile network signal.

In very rare cases, it’s a possibility that a remote immobilisation command could be sent to your vehicle and arm the engine immobiliser, but you are not able to then disarm the immobiliser due to having no mobile phone signal. If the disarm command cannot be sent over the mobile network for delivery to the tracking and immobiliser system, then the engine immobiliser cannot be disarmed. To prevent this, or at least get you on your way when you have no phone signal after an ‘arm’ command has been sent, you can use Meta Trak’s emergency engine unblock feature. The procedure utilises your smartphone Bluetooth to send a ‘disarm’ command directly to the immobiliser without the need for the mobile network. This emergency engine unblocking command is created within your Meta Trak customer app and is unique to your device and system and is also encrypted so it's very secure. Your unique emergency ‘disarm’ command is then sent via a Bluetooth signal from your smartphone directly to the Meta Trak immobiliser after which your vehicle should start.

3.     Multiple immobiliser configuration options

Meta Trak immobilisers can be configured by customer preference, this is a unique feature and offers the most functional flexibility of any immobiliser on the market.

Meta Trak’s flexible immobiliser configuration refers to how the immobiliser arms or disarms, for instance by personal preferential, environmental, or concerns surrounding potential theft events.

Meta Trak immobiliser configuration options –

No Tag, No Start (most popular)

Meta Trak’s No Tag, No Start configuration is by far the most popular option, and nearly all Meta Trak immobilisers are preconfigured from the factory this way. This is often also called ‘automatic proximity-based engine immobilisation’ as the immobiliser arms and disarms automatically via the proximity of the Meta Trak ID tag. This configuration requires no interaction between the vehicle driver and the Meta Trak system (other than having the ID tag in your possession). The term ‘No Tag, No Start’ refers to the fact that if the vehicle’s unique Meta Trak ID tag is not in close proximity when attempting to start it, then the immobiliser stays armed, and the vehicle cannot be started.

In the ‘No tag, No start’ configuration, after the vehicle’s ignition is switched off the system waits for the Meta Trak ID tag to go out of range (5-10m but this is massively reduced once it is inside of a home etc). Once the system sees that the Meta Trak ID tag is not in proximity anymore it waits 60 seconds (in case it returns but also an industry-standard settling time) and then arms the Meta Trak engine immobiliser.

The Meta Trak engine immobiliser stays armed until the ID tag appears back in the proximity bubble, after which, upon seeing the ID tag the Meta Trak engine immobiliser then disarms. From a user point of view, you would just get in and start the vehicle as normal as the disarming of the Meta Trak immobiliser has already been done on approach to the vehicle.

To understand the process further, let's understand how the Meta Trak immobiliser, tracking device (for a combined system) and ID tag all wirelessly work together.

The important part is that the Meta Trak ID tag is producing a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signal all of the time (soon to be updated to include a motion sensor to switch the ID tag off when sat idle). It’s a low-power, short-range encrypted signal that performs a handshake with the Meta Trak tracking device (the brain of the system), once received, the tracking device instructs the Meta Trak engine immobiliser to either arm or disarm, a process controlled by software algorithms.

For example - You have just pulled up on your driveway and the Meta Trak system sees you have just switched off the vehicle’s ignition. The tracking device then waits for the Meta Trak ID tag to leave the proximity bubble, or basically, it detects when it can no longer see/receive the BLE signal from the ID tag (as you walk away into your house etc). Once the tracking device finally loses the Meta Trak ID tag’s signal it waits 60 seconds (to ensure the ID tag doesn’t come back into proximity) before sending a Bluetooth signal wirelessly to the Meta Trak engine immobiliser instructing it to arm.

The system stays in this armed/blocked state until the ID comes back into proximity.

So, if we then come back out of our house with the Meta Trak ID tag in hand and proceed to walk toward the vehicle, as we encroach on the proximity bubble the Meta Trak tracking device detects/receives the BLE signal from the ID tag and immediately sends a disarm/unblock command wirelessly via Bluetooth to the Meta Trak engine immobiliser.

As the Meta Trak ID tag is picked up by the system on approach to the vehicle, the Meta Trak engine immobiliser will already be disarmed by the time you get in and try starting the vehicle. So again, the driver of the vehicle needs to do nothing regarding interaction with the system, the immobilisation and security provided by the system is passively controlled and everything is done automatically.

No Tag, One Start (For customers concerned with forced entry)

Meta Trak’s No Tag, One Start configuration was developed for customers concerned with thieves entering their homes if a theft event resulted in failed attempts to start and steal their vehicle (for instance with a ‘NO Tag, No Start’ immobiliser configuration, the vehicle would not be able to be started with the Meta Trak ID tag present). In this situation, some customers may be concerned that thieves may then enter their homes to force them to start the vehicle themselves.

Meta Trak’s ‘No Tag, One Start’ immobiliser configuration allows for a vehicle to be started once if the Meta Trak ID tag is not present. After which, the next time the vehicle's ignition is switched off, the vehicle cannot be started without the Meta Trak ID tag present.

This can be beneficial in a few ways –

It allows for potentially violent thieves to steal the vehicle from your home without any resistance, thus, avoiding any risk of them entering your home to force you to start the vehicle yourself. Thieves not being able to start your vehicle could be due to the vehicle being immobilised and needing the Meta Trak ID tag for authorised starting for instance, in which case the thieves would need the ID tag to start the vehicle, or you.

Once the vehicle has been stolen it will likely be driven to a new location away from your home. The next time the vehicle's ignition is switched off the Meta Trak immobiliser will arm. Because the thieves were able to start and steal your vehicle without the Meta Trak ID tag, it means they haven’t got the ID tag, so once the vehicle's ignition is switched off the Meta Trak immobiliser remains armed as there will be no ID tag in its proximity.

The No Tag, One Start configuration ensures there is no risk to you in the event your vehicle is subject to theft by allowing thieves to take the vehicle from your home and letting them move away from your location with the vehicle. The first time the thieves then switch off the vehicle’s ignition the Meta Trak immobiliser arms as normal, however crucially, the system will not allow a second start of the vehicle without the Meta Trak ID tag being present (which is still with you). This effectively stops the thieves from driving the vehicle any further while Meta Trak’s monitoring team liaises with police to recover the vehicle from its immobilised position. All this is done away from your location and so is beneficial for customers with the concerns mentioned above.

Button Press (physical immobiliser disarming)

Meta Trak’s ‘Button Press’ immobiliser configuration arms the immobiliser automatically after the vehicle’s ignition has been switched off for 60 seconds. However, it requires the vehicle driver to physically press the central button on the Meta Trak ID tag to disarm the immobiliser.

If we have just pulled up on your driveway, as soon as you switch the vehicle’s ignition off the system will wait 60 seconds and then automatically arm the immobiliser. In this configuration the immobiliser isn’t concerned with the proximity of the ID tag, it can be sat on the passenger seat and after 60 seconds of the ignition being off it will still arm. To disarm the immobiliser the vehicle driver needs to physically press the central button on the Meta Trak ID tag. Once the button has been pressed a red LED will flash on the ID tag to confirm a disarm signal has been sent from the ID tag, the signal is sent via Bluetooth. If the immobiliser receives this signal and successfully disarms it sends a signal back to the Meta Trak ID tag. Feedback of the successful disarming of the immobiliser is visualised by 6 rapid flashes of the red LED on the Meta Trak ID tag.

This configuration is relatively rare but helped in situations where it was difficult to get enough distance between the Meta Trak ID tag and the system fitted to the vehicle when using the No Tag, No Start configuration for instance. However, this soon will be an issue once Meta Trak ID tags are updated to include motion sensors as when sat idle the signal will switch off so the ID tag's proximity to the system will not be of any concern.

The button press immobiliser configuration is also used by customers who simply want a more tactical feel to the operation of the system by requiring physical interaction with it in the disarming phase.

Remote Immobilisation Only(arming and disarming can only be done remotely)

In this configuration, the immobiliser can only be armed and disarmed remotely via either the Meta Trak mobile app or web-based portal. The Meta Trak ID tag used in other immobiliser configurations is not used at all for the immobiliser in the ‘Remote immobilisation’ configuration.

To arm the immobiliser the customer simply goes to the Meta Trak customer app and selects ‘device modes’ then slide the ‘engine immobiliser’ slider over to send a remote immobiliser arm command. To disarm the immobiliser simply repeat the steps and the ‘engine immobiliser’ slider will return to the default position once the disarm command has been sent.

If a vehicle is remotely immobilised it cannot be started unless an unblock command is sent to the vehicle from a Meta Trak platform.

This configuration is used mainly when pairing one of Meta Trak’s tracking systems with an immobiliser but where the ID tag is not needed. For instance, in fleet applications, a customer may have Meta Trak’s fleet tracking device (Shield) fitted to their vehicle but there is no need for them to have an ID tag for driver recognition or automatic immobiliser arming for their situation. Not including the Meta Trak ID tag in fleet applications also helps to keep costs down per vehicle when installing a system to large fleets.

However, sometimes, immobilisation of a vehicle may be advantageous for fleet operators, so they pair their fleet tracking device with an engine immobiliser to enable a remote immobilisation function.

This tracker and immobiliser set-up is common amongst business fleet operators but also vehicle leasing companies who can immobilise their vehicles remotely in the event of a non-paying customer. It’s also common in plant machinery hiring businesses whereby they can ensure correct timed usage and protection of their vehicle overnight from theft.

What makes Meta Trak immobilisers superior, and how do they differ from other approaches to a combined tracking and immobilisation system?

It’s recommended you read the article ‘Meta Trak immobilisers’ before reading this article.

Meta Trak’s combined tracking and immobilisation systems (their DEADLOCK range of products) also called No Tag, No Start systems, are unique in the way they disarm the engine immobiliser. The system picks up your Meta Trak ID tag on approach to the vehicle and so disarms the immobiliser well before you attempt to start the vehicle.

Having the system pick up the ID tag on approach to the vehicle and disarm the immobiliser before you get in and try to start it is greatly advantageous. This is because it massively reduces delayed starting issues that have plagued similar combined tracking and immobilisation/No Tag, No Start systems from other brands since their launch into the market. The reason why many similar systems from other brands experience delayed starting issues is due to the way their systems activate to search for their tags.

If you’ve read the previous article in this accordion ‘Meta Trak immobilisers’, you’ll remember how Meta Trak’s tracking devices hold an advantage over its competitors by not needing to go into a deep sleep state when idle and remaining continuously reachable due to the superior power management of its circuitry. This advantage also plays into the arming and disarming of the Meta Trak immobiliser too.

Most other systems on the market of a similar nature (No Tag, No Start) work in a very similar way to the Meta Trak arming and disarming process, however, there is one big difference. It's how these other systems pick up their tags, or, how they need to wake up first to pick the tag up to then disarm their engine immobiliser.

Let's say we have one of these basic tracking and engine immobilisation systems fitted to our vehicle, the engine immobiliser is armed as we have the tag out of proximity. As we approach the vehicle with the tag in hand, although it's producing its BLE signal the system cannot pick the tag signal up just yet because the system is still in a deep sleep state (to stop current draw and vehicle battery drain). We proceed to enter the vehicle and switch on the ignition, only at this point does the system wake up. The ignition is what prompts the system to wake up/boot up and search for the tag, once found and a handshake between the tag and the system is completed the engine is disarmed and the vehicle can be started.

As you can imagine the system has minimal time from when the ignition is switched on to the vehicle trying to start and find the tag. This often results in delays (a couple of too many seconds and sometimes longer) in starting the vehicle or multiple attempts before a successful start and it's because these other systems cannot pick their tags up on your approach to the vehicle. They need to be woken up first before they can search for their tags and the fact that the system is trying to find the tag while you're simultaneously trying to start the vehicle can result in a failed start whereby the engine immobiliser was still armed as you were trying to start the vehicle because the system hadn’t picked up the tag and disarmed it yet.

To remedy these multi/delayed starting issues due to the fact their systems were in a deep sleep state on the driver's approach to the vehicle, and that their systems needed an ignition supply to prompt their system to wake up, many brands opted to include a wake-up wire to their systems. The wake-up wire is intended to wake the system up earlier than would otherwise be the case with switching the ignition on. The wake-up wire is normally connected to something like an interior light, a power source that is of the earliest to be powered when unlocking the vehicle for instance. This would give the system a few more seconds to wake up, find the tag and disarm the immobiliser before the driver tries starting the vehicle. Indeed, for the most part, it works and makes delayed starts less likely but with some drawbacks, plus if your vehicle is keyless and so only unlocked as you are at the door you can normally get in and attempt a start quickly so it's not foolproof.

The drawback comes in the form that you’ve yet another wire to connect and try to covertly implement into your installation all whilst the tracking device and engine immobiliser are already compromised by being hardwired together. It’s yet another point of failure (in the installation) as you introduce more and more items that an installer could potentially make a mistake with when selecting a suitable wire for the ‘wake up’. A streamlined installation process can make a world of difference for customers and installers alike, streamlined and reliable system implementation ensures minimum risk/worry of a wiring mistake that could cause an issue in which the installer needs to revisit the installation. Another drawback as mentioned previously is that on occasion the additional wake-up wire isn’t effective, for instance, if you arrive and try to start the vehicle very quickly. It certainly isn’t as effective as picking the ID tag up on approach to the vehicle from a distance as with Meta Trak’s systems which rarely give the driver a delayed or non-start event.

Meta Trak immobilisers are at the cutting edge of vehicle immobilisation technology and their track record has demonstrated the desire for continual development of their product range. Whether that be from new theft methods or adjusting to new forms of automotive powertrain technologies, Meta Trak has been leading the competition for nearly a decade, advanced vehicle immobilisation is Meta Trak’s biggest strength.

LIFETIME

All Meta Trak immobilisers come with industry-leading lifetime parts and labour warranty. This warranty reflects the high level of trust in their hardware's build quality, reliability, and long-term performance, allowing customers to purchase a Meta Trak immobiliser with confidence.

Meta Trak immobilisers are considered premium products in the industry. They have consistently outperformed competitors' products in terms of reliability, build quality, and functionality for years. One major reason for this is their manufacturer, Meta System. Meta System is one of the world's largest producers of automotive safety and security systems and collaborates with some of the best-known automotive manufacturers worldwide. This ensures that Meta Trak immobilisers are produced in a world-class manufacturing facility, employing the same build and quality control processes demanded by renowned automotive brands. Additionally, Meta Trak immobilisers are developed by vehicle security experts for professional vehicle security applications, the product range is continuously being reviewed and developed to counter new modern theft methods.