How to Make a Smart Car Surveillance System Using a Mobile Phone

Instead of purchasing a fancy car alarm that'll go off in the middle of the night when a bird flies by and annoy the whole neighborhood, you can protect your car with a simple mobile phone and the following set-up.

Steps

1. 1
   Choosing a mobile phone for the system Get a GSM mobile phone which has auto-answer and mute functions. It should have good reception and a perfect microphone. The ones with small external antennae are the most suitable.
   
   
2. 2
   Noting the IMEI number Take down the IMEI Number of your mobile phone. This number is usually printed inside the battery compartment, located beneath the battery of the mobile phone. Detach the battery to find it. Alternately, you can get this number displayed on the screen by dialing *#06# on the keypad of the mobile phone. If you are not sure, seek help from the vendor.
3. 3
   Getting a new mobile connection Buy a new post-paid mobile connection. Any plan which would ensure a long-term reliable connection, with wide coverage and roaming facility would suffice. Choose the most economic plan available since the connection will be rarely used. Keep the mobile number to yourself.
4. 4
   Mounting the SIM Card Mount the SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module) in the mobile phone and test whether the connection is working well.
5. 5
   Making the phone quiet Mute the phone by removing its speaker. If you choose not to remove the speaker, make sure to turn off the speaker phone, ring tones and alerts. Also, turn off the screen light and vibration options. The idea is to make it totally silent and quiet.
6. 6
   Settings Switch on the auto-answer and Automatic Network Search options in the mobile phone. Enable the PIN (Personal Identification Number) feature. Lock the keyboard of the mobile phone.
7. 7
   Mounting the system in your car Get a suitable car-mobile charger. Connect the 12 volt input of the charger to the car battery, with some wires. For connecting, soldering the wires together is the best method. Keep in mind that the 12V cigarette lighter plug will contain electronics to convert the 12V car voltage to the phone voltage. Cutting the wire and connecting the phone directly to the 12V battery - like the video below suggests - means you that the phone gets 12V instead of the lower voltage (like 5V) and will most likely destroy your phone. Connect the output pin of the charger to the mobile phone. Now, mount the mobile phone and the mobile charger securely behind the dashboard or some other inconspicuous place inside the car. Both should be smartly hidden.
8. 
   
   Testing the connections Test the installation by calling to the mobile installed inside the car from another phone. The auto-answer feature should work. Ask a person to get inside the car and to keep on speaking some thing. You should be able to hear him clearly speaking over the other phone. If that is accomplished, your Smart Car Surveillance System is properly installed.
9. 9
   What to do when you find your car is missing When your car is found missing, immediately report to the police and inform your mobile network. Tell them about your Smart Car Surveillance System, the phone number and IMEI number. They'll be able to track down the culprits easily, basing upon the location of the GSM tower which acquires the signals transmitted from the mobile phone. Remember to tell the network not to block the SIM, which they would normally do, whenever a mobile phone is reported stolen. All the way, you can hear the car thieves talking to each other and that too can give you helpful hints to track them.
10. 10
    Maintenance Test the system once in a while to ensure it is working properly.