Trineo Move - smartphone controlled alarm - TEST CampRest

Published on: 2015-06-07

Many RV and caravan users face concerns about the safety of their mobile home while they are away. Is there a way, then, to leave the motorhome in peace, e.g. at the campsite and go on a bike trip? The solution may be the Polish Trineo Move system, which we decided to test.

Since alarm systems are installed in houses and apartments, there are no obstacles to use the alarm also in motorhomes or caravans. Trineo Move is a system developed by a Polish company based in the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park in Gdynia. It is possible that the product will be patented soon, as a corresponding application has already been made. So how does the Polish "invention" work? We checked!

How does the alarm work?

The tested set consisted of one motion detector, two proximity tags, two cards with QR codes and mounting elements. The principle of operation of the entire set is very simple.

After installing the Trineo Move application on your Android smartphone, we make the initial settings, including:

e-mail account from which emergency messages with photos will be sent,
e-mail addresses and / or telephone numbers of the recipients of these messages,
the number of photos taken after motion detection and their resolution,
time to arm and disarm the alarm.

Then, you can proceed to loading the detectors into the application, which consists in reading the QR code stuck on the detector by the smartphone. As a result, the application will be able to recognize which detector is the source of the alarm signal (it is possible to connect several detectors at the same time).

In addition to motion detection, the detector also measures the ambient temperature and can send an alarm about exceeding the preset, too low or too high temperature.

When the alarm is armed and the detector detects motion, information about it is sent via Bluetooth to the smartphone with the application running, and the phone sends an e-mail and / or SMS message to previously set recipients . In addition, the e-mail may contain photos taken with the smartphone camera, so it is important to set the detector in a place that will allow you to detect the movement of an object that is at the same time within the camera's lens range, after all, we will rather register the image of the burglar.

When motion is detected, the application waits for a set period of time to disarm the alarm. However, the photos taken are sent as soon as motion is detected . Thanks to this, you can prevent possible loss of photos as a result of the destructive actions of the burglar.

Disarming and arming the alarm

Disarming the alarm is performed in one of four ways:

entering the previously set PIN code (inconvenient when we have limited access to the phone display),
putting a key fob on the phone , which, using the NFC module, transmits the code to disarm the alarm (a convenient way, as long as you use a phone with an NFC module and mount the phone "back to front", which is recommended by the manufacturer - in our test, the phone was mounted with a screen to front, which made it difficult to read the code),
showing the card with the QR code towards the lens (the most convenient way - it worked from a much greater distance than NFC, thanks to which the phone could be hidden in a hard-to-reach place),
sending an SMS.

Arming the alarm is done by:

pressing the icon on the smartphone display,
putting a key fob,
showing a card with a QR code,
sending an SMS

Of course - for all the notification functionality to work - the phone must be within the GSM network (if it is to send only SMS messages) or have access to the Internet (if it is to send e-mails with photos). If there is no Wi-Fi network nearby, it is worth buying an internet package from your mobile operator. We can roam abroad or - to reduce costs - buy a SIM card from a local mobile operator.

In order to minimize data consumption, we may reduce the resolution of the uploaded photos. During the tests, a single image with a resolution of 8 Mpix took about 400 KB, while at the low resolution of 640x480 - only 25 KB.

A very important issue is also powering the system - the detector is powered by a CR123 battery. According to the manufacturer, it should last up to three years, so after a week of testing, its level was 100%. However, as for the smartphone, it is best that it is permanently connected to the charger, which may be difficult in tourist conditions. Fortunately, the manufacturer took care to save energy. In armed mode, scanning of QR codes and NFC codes does not work until the detector detects motion. According to the manufacturer, the working time on a fully charged battery, depending on the phone model, is 12-36 hours and with a 10,000 mAh powerbank (you can buy it for about PLN 100), the working time can be up to 5 days.

A significant disadvantage of the application itself is that when the battery level in the phone drops below 60%, the alarm can no longer be armed and it will be necessary to connect the charger. According to the manufacturer, such a solution gives customers the confidence that the smartphone will not run out of power during work , e.g. in the middle of the night, stopping its operation at the least appropriate moment. However, in our opinion, this is an exaggerated caution that is unlikely to appeal to users - the limit could be set lower.

Does it pay off?

The main question that a potential customer is sure to ask concerns the price. The basic set, using a single motion detector, currently costs just under PLN 400. Is that a lot? Considering the prices of alarm systems used in homes and apartments, no. An alarm used at home can cost up to several thousand zlotys.

This does not mean, however, that it cannot be cheaper - for a long time in application stores on various operating platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Phone) you can find applications literally for a few zlotys or completely free, which assume similar or more extensive functionality. Some of them, for example, detect the movement of an object in the lens frame, send a photo or even a video as an attachment to an e-mail, send SMS messages.

However, the difference in action is significant. As the manufacturer of Trineo Move explained to us, cheap applications that respond to movement in the field of view of the camera are very susceptible to interference. A person walking outside the window or even a shadow on a roller blind may be enough to trigger the alarm. Strong gusts of wind swaying the vehicle can also trigger an alarm. Trineo Move , on the other hand, is immune to such misleading signals.

In the case of this system, movement is detected by a PIR detector that works in the infrared band and is able to detect human movement at night, which other applications cannot do. It is also possible to install additional detectors which, even if the smartphone's campers are out of sight, will send a traffic report to the application (this is an important convenience for larger vehicles, also those with several rooms).

Advantages and disadvantages of Trineo Move

People looking for the cheapest but also the simplest solutions can start by testing a few cheap or even free applications available in Android / Windows / iOs stores. However, if it turns out that simple solutions are not enough or we immediately want more extensive, professional protection of our motorhome or caravan, Trineo Move should meet the expectations.

Tests of version 1.0.2 on the LG L Fino phone with Android 4.4.2 have shown that the application is stable and sends appropriate notifications every time, however, in our opinion, it also has a few flaws that could be corrected in subsequent updates of the application.

Manufacturer's comment

In professional security systems, the anti-burglary function is practically always performed by means of motion detectors, and the image from the camera is rather used to verify the alarm. Detection of the intrusion solely on the basis of the analysis of the image from the camera, as many free applications for phones do, is a method with a high probability of false alarms, and moreover, the continuous analysis of the image from the camera will drain the smartphone's battery very quickly. In addition, by using motion detectors, you can protect several rooms at once.

Even though Trineo Move works on the basis of a smartphone, our system is not just a gadget. The Trineo Move detector contains optics and electronic system detecting motion from one of the most renowned manufacturers in the world. It does not generate false alarms and at the same time guarantees that an intruder will be detected. At the time of its premiere at CeBIT, it was probably the first professional motion detector on the market for security systems equipped with Bluetooth 4 radio technology, which allows it to communicate directly with a smartphone.

According to For us, for the comfort of using our system, it is also very important that the Trineo Move application uses voice. Thanks to this, it can be used by both a 5-year-old who cannot read yet, and a 100-year-old who is not familiar with electronic devices. No need to remember and enter PIN numbers. All you need to do is swipe the card and the system will confirm the execution of the command by voice, as well as communicate its status, e.g. low battery level. In this way, we reverse the traditional approach to working with the application.

If you are interested in the Trineo Move system, now is a unique chance to buy it cheaper! Only until June 30, 2015, you can pay 10% less when shopping online via sklep.trineo.pl . To take advantage of the discount, enter the code "KamperCR" while shopping.