A tilt sensor is one of the more expensive sensor upgrade options on offer from the car alarm brands and we’re often asked if it’s worth spending the extra money on one. So we thought we’d post Tilt sensor 101 …
In broad terms a tilt sensor is designed to detect if your car is jacked up while the alarm is armed.
There are two common situations where a tilt sensor will help protect your car:
Often a thief will not be after your entire car, they just want individual pieces from it, and wheels can be valuable and easy to sell. And did you know that a standard car alarm sensor (like a shock sensor) isn’t designed to protect your wheels? A semi-talented thief can jack up a car and take the wheels without triggering the alarm. And it’s not just mags that are of interest – expensive tyres, four wheel drive tyres and even factory rims can all fetch reasonable money with little effort for a thief.
Good tilt sensors will also trigger the alarm if the car is being towed. Because alarm systems are quite advanced these days it is often easier for a thief to simply tow your car away instead of trying to disable the alarm then and there.
So now let’s look at an example because the term tilt sensor is used across a range of products from basic mercury switches to car specific high-end sensors.
We have an AVS digital tilt sensor in our demo car which sits at the upper end of the scale. The AVS sensor is completely electronic with an accelerometer and microcontroller that self-calibrates to give high sensitivity and reliability. What that actually means is that each time the car alarm is armed the sensor will set itself for the exact angle the car is parked on (which is a lot more accurate than a mercury switch).
The sensor can then trigger the alarm if the car is jacked in any direction from one degree! This sensitivity allows it to pick up even small adjustments in angle which cheaper sensors may not be able to (often with after market suspension jacking the car only slightly will allow the wheels to be removed).
At $199 installed the AVS digital tilt sensor is a reasonable investment but if it’s being installed at the same time as an alarm we can put together a combo price. Having experimented with a number of tilt sensors over the years we have come to the conclusion that if you’re going to invest get a good one that will do the job well. And with the AVS tilt sensor we can say from experience it works a treat!
And one other thing to note – accurate and careful installation of a tilt sensor is crucial to how well it performs. It’s not the kind of thing you want to trust to your handy neighbour. To learn more about tilt sensors check out the AVS tilt sensor video or give our friendly team a call on 0800 10 10 81.