Since I'll be leaving tomorrow for 3-4 weeks or so, of course my thoughts turned to how I can protect my stuff while I'm gone. There has been an attempt on my eBike before. The infra red camera in the garage and "This bike is GPS tracked" sticker on top have put a stop to that.
However I'm not taking any chances. Just to be doubly, triply sure, I spent $10 on a basic vibration alarm. It comes with a key fob you can use to remotely arm the device, disarm it and change the sensitivity:
I found level 4 just a bit too sensitive. I worry my roomie's motorcycle will set it off when he starts the engine in the mornings, and then he won't have the key fob he needs to deactivate the alarm. Level 3 is just slightly not sensitive enough.
It's sensitive enough that if you try to move the bike, it goes off. But a thief could probably remove parts of the bike while it's standing still without setting off the alarm. I can't count how many people I know who left their bikes chained up outside while downtown only to return and find the seat missing.
For this reason I wedged it under the bike seat, the #1 most frequently stolen bike component. That way it'll be shaken about plenty if somebody tries to remove it. It's also much louder in the open air than it would be if I tucked it inside the battery compartment or something.
It sucks this is necessary, but that's the world we live in. Hopefully between the camera, sticker and alarm, I won't have to worry about my bike getting jacked while I'm gone (or ever). I'm much less worried about my car since it has an alarm built in if you remove the charging cable without unlocking the doors.
I can also call Onstar and have them forward the car's GPS coordinates to the cops if somebody steals it. The car's not the issue, the bike is. But with this alarm, I can rest easy while on vacation.
Stay Cozy