S7 or S5? Moving Intelligence (Phantom) Sentinel alarm/tracker (1 Viewer)

[interbear]

Hi all. Researching security for upcoming van purchase and have decided to go for the Moving Intelligence (formerly Phantom) Sentinel alarm/tracker. I have a few questions:

1. S7 or S5? Sentinel S7 is £799 - this has no auto driver recognition so triggers a response from the control centre either when notified by me, or if the alarm is triggered. Sentinel S5 is an additional £300, it adds auto driver recognition via fob that has to be kept separate to the keys. If the van starts or moves without the fob, that triggers the control centre to respond. Insurers appear to accept both S7 and S5. Is the S5 worth the extra £? Van will be parked on our drive at home when not out and about. At the moment I am thinking the S5 is worth it given how common it is for vehicle keys to be stolen although having a separate fob is a bit of a faff.
2. Ferry Travel - we travel often to France. Any tips from other Sentinel owners on how best to disable the alarm (tilt and internal motion sensors especially) when on a ferry. Sentinel has a pet/night mode to disable the internal sensors but this doesn’t disable tilt.
3. Additional Window / Door sensors - the standard install includes cab doors, bonnet and habitation door sensors. I’m thinking it may make sense to add the window sensors and possibly door sensors on the rear barn doors (it’s a Transit based panel van conversion we are looking at). I'm wondering what happens with pet/night mode on if we open a window in the middle of the night for ventilation. The exterior / perimeter alarms are still valid so would opening the window trigger it? Similarly, do we need to disable the alarm before opening the sliding door from inside? I can see that being forgotten a couple of times, don't want to wake up the neighbours

Any opinions on 1 and owner knowledge on 2/3 much appreciated.

 

[Pausim]

S5 is the higher standard that some insurance companies insist on. I think Moving Intelligence is an installer. Phantom is the tracker manufacturer and their app has a transport mode.

 

[BikerGraham]

I have the S7 and it is accepted by comfort. The dealer fitted it when I bought the van.
Works well and the control room response is brilliant.

When in a ferry, I just lock the doors with key in the drivers door lock. Central locking locks all doors. That way the alarm isn’t on so doesn’t go off.

There are additional sensors on the habitation door and the under bed external locker door. None on the windows though. Suppose if someone opened a window it would sense the movement and set off the alarm.
It did last week when the see sat nav fell off the window

Mind you, if I was buying again I would get the S5

 

[ontheroadagain]

We have the Moving Intelligence S7 tracker and alarm.
It has now been fitted for over two years and apart from one faulty window sensor it has been great so far.
In relation to ferry travel it doesn't appear to have a tilt sensor. We have traveled on a few ferries and the alarm has never gone off.
Moving Intelligence did phone us as we were about to come off the ferry last year as they had noticed that the motorhome was moving but not switched on. If you open a window during the night it will set off the alarm (but only if you have fitted window sensors). Just open a roof vent instead.
The window sensors are not fitted as standard. From memory they are £35 each. You can get them fitted with the alarm but they are also an easy DIY fit at a later date if you decide you need them.

Edit - thinking about it again, perhaps it does have a tilt sensor. We may have locked it using the method above explained by BikerGraham

 

[ontheroadagain]

None on the windows though.

You can purchase window sensors from their website and fit them yourself.
Moving Intelligence will provide you with instructions on how to pair them with your alarm.

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[interbear]

I have the S7 and it is accepted by comfort. The dealer fitted it when I bought the van.
Works well and the control room response is brilliant.

When in a ferry, I just lock the doors with key in the drivers door lock. Central locking locks all doors. That way the alarm isn’t on so doesn’t go off.

There are additional sensors on the habitation door and the under bed external locker door. None on the windows though. Suppose if someone opened a window it would sense the movement and set off the alarm.
It did last week when the see sat nav fell off the window

Mind you, if I was buying again I would get the S5

Yes Comfort is my current insurer (VW camper) and they accept S7 or S5.

Thanks for the ferry tip, I also just chatted with Moving Intelligence online and they advised me that the Sentinel mobile app has the ability to set "valet mode" which turns security off and would prevent the alarm being triggered on a ferry.

Out of interest, what would make you go for the S5 if buying now?

 

[interbear]

S5 is the higher standard that some insurance companies insist on. I think Moving Intelligence is an installer. Phantom is the tracker manufacturer and their app has a transport mode.

The insurer I am currently with (Comfort) are happy with a S7 or S5 tracker. One of my considerations is whether that will still be the case in a couple of years, they may increase their requirements to S5 only so possibly better to be "future-proofed". Still, it's an extra £300.

Apparently Moving Intelligence is the new company name for the artist formerly known as Phantom.

 

[G1969]

Hi all. Researching security for upcoming van purchase and have decided to go for the Moving Intelligence (formerly Phantom) Sentinel alarm/tracker. I have a few questions:

1. S7 or S5? Sentinel S7 is £799 - this has no auto driver recognition so triggers a response from the control centre either when notified by me, or if the alarm is triggered. Sentinel S5 is an additional £300, it adds auto driver recognition via fob that has to be kept separate to the keys. If the van starts or moves without the fob, that triggers the control centre to respond. Insurers appear to accept both S7 and S5. Is the S5 worth the extra £? Van will be parked on our drive at home when not out and about. At the moment I am thinking the S5 is worth it given how common it is for vehicle keys to be stolen although having a separate fob is a bit of a faff.
2. Ferry Travel - we travel often to France. Any tips from other Sentinel owners on how best to disable the alarm (tilt and internal motion sensors especially) when on a ferry. Sentinel has a pet/night mode to disable the internal sensors but this doesn’t disable tilt.
3. Additional Window / Door sensors - the standard install includes cab doors, bonnet and habitation door sensors. I’m thinking it may make sense to add the window sensors and possibly door sensors on the rear barn doors (it’s a Transit based panel van conversion we are looking at). I'm wondering what happens with pet/night mode on if we open a window in the middle of the night for ventilation. The exterior / perimeter alarms are still valid so would opening the window trigger it? Similarly, do we need to disable the alarm before opening the sliding door from inside? I can see that being forgotten a couple of times, don't want to wake up the neighbours

Any opinions on 1 and owner knowledge on 2/3 much appreciated.

We have the s5 ( with the fob) that was already installed when we bought the van, and although I thought at the time that it may be a pain, up to now it has worked a treat, due to operator error I have had a couple of notifications but this proves it works and is doing its job.

 

[seasideBill]

Yes Comfort is my current insurer (VW camper) and they accept S7 or S5.

Thanks for the ferry tip, I also just chatted with Moving Intelligence online and they advised me that the Sentinel mobile app has the ability to set "valet mode" which turns security off and would prevent the alarm being triggered on a ferry.

Out of interest, what would make you go for the S5 if buying now?

I haven’t got a ‘valet’ mode on my Sentinel S7 but there is a ‘service’ mode so you can disable the device if required. You can also separately disarm the ‘shield’ and/or alarm using the App. Pet/night mode can be set using supplied fob or Fiat fob. As others have mentioned, response time from the call centre in the event alarm is triggered is impressive. My only groan is the battery voltage monitor, it’s a bit erratic.

 

[funflair]

We have the S5 sentinel and I got a phone call on the tunnel last year as it was moving without being started with the driver recognition fob present, alarm does not need to be set to trigger the tracker alert. On the ferry this years I just put it in service mode.

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[interbear]

I'm possibly getting confused on "valet mode" vs "service mode". Either way, sounds like one of them is a good option for ferry travel so that is one question answered.

I'm still not sure on S7 vs S5 though. I'm thinking if the tracking gets triggered automatically by the alarm, that's good enough if the van gets broken into and stolen. As far as I see it the S5 driver recognition key fob provides protection mainly from the risk of key theft. Which, I think, is only likely if someone breaks into the house and steals the van keys. So, keeping the van keys safe is the most important thing here. And if it did happen, I think I'd know about that pretty quickly and would advise the control centre to initiate tracking. In the end I'll just have to weigh up the risk vs cost and make a decision.

 

[royandsharont]

I have the S7 and cannot fault it really. Works as it should

 

[Fat Albert]

I just lock the van using the key in the drivers door on a FIAT chassis. Van locked but the phantom isn't armed. Nobody can nick it at sea.

 

[BikerGraham]

Yes Comfort is my current insurer (VW camper) and they accept S7 or S5.

Thanks for the ferry tip, I also just chatted with Moving Intelligence online and they advised me that the Sentinel mobile app has the ability to set "valet mode" which turns security off and would prevent the alarm being triggered on a ferry.

Out of interest, what would make you go for the S5 if buying now?

Because the S5 has a bit more security to it. The having to have a separate fob that has to be present also to allow to start the engine is an added level. Just in case someone is able to clone the key.

My son had his car nicked a while ago and the way they duplicate signals etc is amazing

 

[MichaelT]

We are having Shadow VTS S5+ ans cobra alarm fitted £999 on our new van so I would say you are being ripped off at those prices. VTS 5+ has remote immobiliser so engine can be cut if needed.

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[MichaelT]

I'm possibly getting confused on "valet mode" vs "service mode". Either way, sounds like one of them is a good option for ferry travel so that is one question answered.

I'm still not sure on S7 vs S5 though. I'm thinking if the tracking gets triggered automatically by the alarm, that's good enough if the van gets broken into and stolen. As far as I see it the S5 driver recognition key fob provides protection mainly from the risk of key theft. Which, I think, is only likely if someone breaks into the house and steals the van keys. So, keeping the van keys safe is the most important thing here. And if it did happen, I think I'd know about that pretty quickly and would advise the control centre to initiate tracking. In the end I'll just have to weigh up the risk vs cost and make a decision.

It protects against someone loading your van on a low loader and driving away also.

 

[interbear]

We are having Shadow VTS S5+ ans cobra alarm fitted £999 on our new van so I would say you are being ripped off at those prices. VTS 5+ has remote immobiliser so engine can be cut if needed.

It's a bit pricier but I wouldn't say a rip off. Sentinel S7 is £799, S5 (with driver recognition) is £1,099 and S5+ (with immobiliser) is £1,199. All of these include the tracker and alarm. I've read good things about the Moving Intelligence alarm (Vanguard) and tracking service so opted to go down that route. A Cobra alarm was another option (can't recall the model) and yes it was slightly cheaper, but I decided to go all in with the Moving Intelligence Sentinel package.

 

[interbear]

Because the S5 has a bit more security to it. The having to have a separate fob that has to be present also to allow to start the engine is an added level. Just in case someone is able to clone the key.

My son had his car nicked a while ago and the way they duplicate signals etc is amazing

Yes that makes sense. It's the key theft protection I was thinking of but you are right, cloning those keys is the same thing. Faraday pouches / boxes are another part of the security strategy for that of course.

 

[MichaelT]

It's a bit pricier but I wouldn't say a rip off. Sentinel S7 is £799, S5 (with driver recognition) is £1,099 and S5+ (with immobiliser) is £1,199. All of these include the tracker and alarm. I've read good things about the Moving Intelligence alarm (Vanguard) and tracking service so opted to go down that route. A Cobra alarm was another option (can't recall the model) and yes it was slightly cheaper, but I decided to go all in with the Moving Intelligence Sentinel package.

Sorry I thought the price was just the tracker.

 

[funflair]

It's a bit pricier but I wouldn't say a rip off. Sentinel S7 is £799, S5 (with driver recognition) is £1,099 and S5+ (with immobiliser) is £1,199. All of these include the tracker and alarm. I've read good things about the Moving Intelligence alarm (Vanguard) and tracking service so opted to go down that route. A Cobra alarm was another option (can't recall the model) and yes it was slightly cheaper, but I decided to go all in with the Moving Intelligence Sentinel package.

The “moving intelligence” call centre is certainly on the ball, as soon as I set ours off for whatever reason they are on the phone straight away.

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[Lenny HB]

Insurance companies are moving towards the S5 so if you want to change companies in a couple of years you may find you need S5.

 

[interbear]

Insurance companies are moving towards the S5 so if you want to change companies in a couple of years you may find you need S5.

Yes that's where my head is at also. Could save some cash and go for S7 now but will possibly find my insurance choices more limited in a few years. So I'm also moving towards the S5 in my decision making journey. After which I'll be asking myself if it's worth paying £100 more for the S5+ that adds remote immobilisation - it's an expensive business this.

 

[Lenny HB]

Yes that's where my head is at also. Could save some cash and go for S7 now but will possibly find my insurance choices more limited in a few years. So I'm also moving towards the S5 in my decision making journey. After which I'll be asking myself if it's worth paying £100 more for the S5+ that adds remote immobilisation - it's an expensive business this.

S5+ also adds £50 a year to the tracking.

 

[GMLS]

I went with the S5+ with lifetime monitoring as I wanted to future proof my options.Like others, I accidentally forgot to pair with the ID and got a call within 20 seconds.

 

[mapman55]

I also went with moving intelligence S5+ just fitted this week. From chatting to advisor then getting unit fitted at home address I’m very impressed with the setup from moving intelligence.

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[interbear]

S5+ also adds £50 a year to the tracking.

Thanks. Didn’t realise that.

 

[MichaelT]

I got a few emails last night saying my account was set up with the new tracker so if its not fitted yet it soon will be hopefully

 

[Pausim]

The S5+ Phantom tracker I have had installed in my new van shows it in the dealers workshop. Handover is scheduled for Tuesday. I took out the 5 year subscription for £529 which reduces the annual cost from £189 to £105.80 and avoids any price increases that might creep in. I wasn’t convinced that the lifetime subscription was worthwhile because sometimes trackers need battery replacements after 5 years.

 

[seasideBill]

Caravan Guard offers a 25% discount for a Thatcham approved tracker. Moving Intelligence S7 is ok for value to £90k but you’ll need a S5 for anything more.

 

[interbear]

Caravan Guard offers a 25% discount for a Thatcham approved tracker. Moving Intelligence S7 is ok for value to £90k but you’ll need a S5 for anything more.

Our van will be less than that value hence why considering S7. I’m 80% convinced to go for S5 to guard against any future increase in insurance requirements though. Although I suppose it should be possible to upgrade from S7 to S5 in that scenario. I’ll ask Moving Intelligence about that.

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