China TK 106

Screen Shot 2014-10-29 at 18.59.18This device is from an unknown manufacturer and uses a strange form of the Xexun command set. The command format differs from the Xexun though in that it sends the password as the first part of the SMS message instead of after the command.

Other than that it appears to be very similar to the TK 102 in terms of functionality.

The manual used to configure this device type is: TK106 Manual

The stockade command for this device looks like:

password+stockade 22589155N,113.827732E;22. 559000N,113.897111E

The shock alarm command looks like:

password+shake 5

 

Byte TK 104

Screen Shot 2014-10-29 at 18.45.30This is a very similar device to the Byte TK 102B and uses almost all the same commands.

The main difference from the app’s point of view is that, being specifically for use in vehicles, it has the ability to remotely switch a relay. With the correct installation the relay can be used to enable and disable the vehicle by cutting power to the fuel pump or another circuit that the engine relies on to run.

The primary difference between using the TK 102B device and the TK 104 device type is that, with the latter, you get stop engine and start engine buttons.

A manual for the supported device is here: TK-104 Manual

The command for the stockade looks like this:

stockade+password+space+latitude,longitude;latitude,longitude

The commands to stop and start (resume) the engine via the relay are:

stop+password
resume+password

The shock command is:

shock+password

 

Pro Version ?

I’d be interested in feedback and suggestions regarding a possible “pro” version of the app.

My current “wish list” is this…

The “pro” app would be a paid for app, a small amount, say £0.49 or equivalent. Hopefully the revenue from this would cover the cost of the Apple developer license and web site hosting.

It would not have banner advertising.

Users of the pro app would be able to create their own custom devices and commands within the app. This would include the ability to define the use, visibility and title of all the buttons.

Users of the pro app can submit their custom device definitions for other app users (pro and free) to use. These would be checked prior to being made publicly available.

Users of the pro app will be able to share their custom devices, via email or posted on forums, with other pro users (possibly free users too) who can install them  in their app.

Device Definition Update

This is the next item on the “road map” for the TKController app and beta testers should get the opportunity to try it out in the next few weeks. This will become v1.4 of the app.

The current device definition file is a simple static file, served from the web site on demand. The app checks this file once every couple of days (when it’s launched) and updates itself. This was really only ever intended as a “quick fix” and in the longer term poses a number of problems, not the least being that the caching of the file can make updates unpredictable.

I am in the process of changing this static file into a web service that will also allow trusted users to log in and add/change the device definitions when needed. It will reduce the amount of data being transferred as only new/changed devices will need to be downloaded.

In the longer term this will also support the “pro” version of the app that is currently in the planning stages, allowing users to add their own custom devices through the app in a special customising screen. This will allow users to move the buttons around and define which commands they would like to have on the buttons.

In addition to the above, the next version of the app will be compiled against iOS 8.1. This should also mean that the app can be released to beta testers via the app store using the new Apple Testflight facility which means that I will no longer need to embed specific iPhone IDs into the test apps.

New web site

Having been away on an extended trip around Australia this year
http://landytravels.com I’m now back and starting to catch up with all the outstanding projects !

I decided it was about time the TKController app had a dedicated web site of it’s own as a way of improving the information available to users and making it easier to provide feedback and advice.

So, support for the app will now be directed through this web site, any suggestions for the site are welcomed.

WynnYeen GPS002

tk102bAnother variation of the TK-102 style device but with a unique command set that seems to have been created from scratch by WynnYeen. This device was not fully available in the app prior to the v1.3 release due to the command formats required.

The Geofence/stockade feature on this device uses a circular area with a radius rather than a rectangular area. It’s capabilities seem very similar to the Xexun TK 102-2 unit albeit that the SMS commands are completely different ! The geofence also includes a “time” element which may help reduce false alarms when the gps signal throws up a location glitch.

The manual for this unit is available here: GPS002 Manual

The SMS command for geo fencing for this unit looks like this:

#stockade#123456#500#60#22.312451#113.54376#

the vibration/shock sensing command looks like this:

#vibrate#grade level#password#

I believe that, as with other TK 102 units, this manufacturer also produces versions of the TK 103, TK 104, TK 105 and TK 106 that use a similar command set and may well be compatible with this device setting.

TLT-2H

TLT-2HThis was the first tracker that the app supported that deviated completely from the TK command set. The commands are not just variations on the TK command set but are unique to this device. It gave me a few headaches modifying the app to support it but, in so doing, it allowed the app to be more flexible for future devices.

It’s a good little device, especially for vehicle tracking (often sold as a motorbike tracker) as it’s waterproof, powered from 12v and has the ability to switch a relay that can be used to remote disable the vehicle.

It uses command numbers instead of words so 004 is used instead of stockade, for example.

The manual that I used for the device implementation is this one: TLT-2H Manual

Unlike the TK family of trackers, this one uses a circular geofence. The geofence command looks like this:

004+ user password E/Wddd.dddddN/Sdd.dddddRzzz.z

The “disable vehicle” command is a two stage process, requiring two different commands and this is reflected in the app’s button layout when this device type is selected.

TK 102-2

tk102bI believe this is the Xexun unit. The commands are very similar to the TK-102B with enough subtle differences to make life awkward ! It looks, on the outside, identical to the TK-102B but comes from a different manufacturer and the command set seems to match those that are listed in the Xexun manuals.

The user manual for this device is available here: TK102-2 Manual

The obvious differences in the commands between this and the TK-102B are those for the geo fence and for the shock/movement sensing. Again the TK102 is only the “baby” of the range and the same commands are also used for versions of the TK103, TK104 and TK106 etc… The TK102-2 designation is, I believe, the Xexun original for the TK102B.

If your device manual shows the geo fence format as looking like this: (no space between coordinates, compared to TK-102B)

stockade+password+space+latitude,longitude;latitude,longitude

and the shock/shake command has a sensitivity option on the end:

shake+password+space+1

Then this device type is probably the most compatible with your device.

TK-102B

tk102b

This is the device that launched the app. It was buying a couple of these off Ebay that made me want to create an app to help send the SMS commands.

The device was marketed as the Byte TK 102B and is not a “genuine” Xexun TK 102 (I’m not 100% certain of the history but the consensus seems to be that Xexun were the first manufacturer to produce this unit).

The user manual for this device is available here: TK-102B Manual

The format of the commands for this unit are different to the ones that the Xexun uses and some of the later revisions of the unit.

if the manual for your unit shows the geofence command as looking something like this:

stockade+password+space+latitude,longitude+space+;latitude,longitude

and the tracking/auto track command looks like this:

t030s005n+password

Then your device is probably compatible with this unit and you should choose TK-102B as your device type.