Thank you for actually being Knowledgeable & staying all the facts correctly. Everyone thinks the beacon tracks you when its only job is to wake up your phone. You are spot on with everything. Keep up the amazing work

I just took mine apart and destroyed it as my discount was only $4 with a good driving score, but a lot of miles. So screw that. They don’t need to know my every movement.

@dmariewalker6880

5 ай бұрын

They told me my savings was $184 for 6 months, how do they figure that? I don’t believe it.

There goes 9 minutes I'll never get back.

@soothingfrequency4517

6 ай бұрын

😂

Can you please tell me how to remove the beacon from my windshield? It's stuck pretty good. Thanks in advance.

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

You could just pull it starting at a corner but it might make you feel better doing it to get a small putty knife and push it between the unit and the glass from a corner. The putty knife will help separate the adhesive from the glass. You should do it on a hot day when the car is hot or run your defroster on high for a while. That should help loosen up the adhesive some. If there is any adhesive left on the window you can get some goo gone or lighter fluid to remove it.

Taken apart really good :). So i saw the microchip that named MX25R3235F on the state farm pcb. The datasheet says its a 32M-bit Cmos Flash memory. I didnt understand what is that for?

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe they write the serial beacon ID to it? I thought they just used the Bluetooth ID but maybe not. It could be a short program that tells it how often to transmit the Bluetooth or something like that.

Interesting - there is a data sheet for the CYBLE-012011-00 it is programmable if you have the time/patience.

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, interesting.

What if your parents have the app but they put the beacon in your car does it still work

@ChristopherFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Unless someone in the car has the app on their phone and it is linked to the beacon in the car nothing is recorded. The phone is what actually keeps track of the activity. The beacon just lets the phone app know it should start tracking because it's in (or really close to) the car. So, if you drive the car without your parent in the car it wouldn't track. But if they are, and you're driving, your driving may be counted on their account. Not really sure how multi drivers work within the same household.

Replace battery and put in something you value and figure out how to track it with some sorta app.

How long does the battery last? Do they send a replacement if it dies?

@ChristopherFarms

2 жыл бұрын

I had the one in my car go bad in a year or so but the one in my truck has been good for a couple years. I just called them and they sent another.

@ZoneDoctor

Ай бұрын

State Farm sent me another one but the replacement didn't work. Since this program has saved me a significant chunk of change and I have some electronics background I removed the thick lithium ion button cell battery. I hooked up a 2 cell AA battery holder and soldered the wires to the circuit board. I know they say not to open it up, but it was easy, I'm preventing further electronics waste (we throw away way too much electronics like microchips) and my old one works perfectly again. It was a fun and educational project, for me anyway.

Do the mobile data [or wi fi] need to be active on your smartphone for the app to properly send information? thanks

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

You have to have to Bluetooth on do the phone can talk to the beacon. I think you'd need the mobile data so the app can talk to state farm although it might keep data until you get back to wifi if you don't have data. One way or the other the app on your phone needs to send data to the mothership.

@ralphturner3798

3 жыл бұрын

@@ChristopherFarms thanks

@UF0Juggarnaut

2 жыл бұрын

@@ralphturner3798 sometimes the device will fail to save a trip if your phone is in power saving mode

@UF0Juggarnaut

2 жыл бұрын

Bluetooth needs to be active and power saving mode must be turned off

@ralphturner3798

2 жыл бұрын

@@UF0Juggarnaut Thanks Dan

How do I remove this from my windshield?

@ChristopherFarms

2 жыл бұрын

It's double sided tape, more or less, that they use. You might try taking a piece of string, something like fishing string, putting it between the beacon and the windshield and then pull back and forth to sort of saw through the tape. Then you could use Goo Gone or something to remove what's left. Or, I'd likely just try and pull it off.

@dmariewalker6880

5 ай бұрын

Couldn’t pull it off so I’ll try the string

Can you mount it in the glovebox or car trunk? It's ugly and I have a strip of tint on my front windshield.

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

You should be able to mount it in the glove box or the underside of the dash. The trunk might be to far away. You could toss it in the glove box and see if it works and if it does then peal the stick tape and mount it.

@MaxHarden

3 жыл бұрын

@@ChristopherFarms You commented right when the thing arrived. Thank you! I mounted it under the center console lid. Dunno if it's working, yet... but I appreciate ya. Cool video, too. Nice to know it's basically a bluetooth receiver and nothing else.

@MaxHarden

3 жыл бұрын

@@ChristopherFarms Confirmed to work inside the center console attached to underside of lid.

@erind2771

Жыл бұрын

My agent said, "Just put it in your glove box."

@JoeOrber

9 ай бұрын

Darn it, I’m reading this right after sticking it up on the freaking windshield 😂

The battery is a 3V battery - BR2477A. Could be replaced if you think that about $10 for a battery is worth it and you have good soldering/de-soldering skills. Hm, wonder if it could be modified with a double AA battery pack. According to the data sheet it should take 1.71V to 5.5V. The battery is rated at 1000ma.

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

I'm sure a AA pack would work. Shouldn't be that hard to modify I'd think. But, State Farm just sends another one for free.

@JoeOrber

9 ай бұрын

Well, the BT transceiver module (the silver square with the antenna) alone goes for $8.65 if you buy just one, or for $5.95 each if you buy 250 units… Buying hundreds of thousands must be like 1 dollar per unit, way cheaper than a battery 😂

@ZoneDoctor

Ай бұрын

I did just that after a replacement unit sent by State Farm arrived in a non-working manner (wouldn't connect to my phone via BT). Not sure how long the two AA batteries will last but everything is working perfectly for me. Too bad I can't attach an image.

So is it just a bluetooth geofence device?

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

LOL, something like that. The app on your phone sees the Bluetooth beacon, recognizes what vehicle you're in, and then your phone app does all the tracking.

@stevenv2190

3 жыл бұрын

Probably. it is a low-energy Bluetooth module. It is a Cypress CYBLE-012011-00/CYBLE-012012-10. Quite interesting data on that Cypress module kind of like an old Basic Stamp, but much more complex.

@MaxHarden

3 жыл бұрын

That appears to be all it does. Ensure your phone is in the right car. All the data must come from the phone sensors.

So, it doesn't have a GPS and just uses the GPS data from the phone. Makes sense.

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

Pretty much. Seems like it's just a blue tooth thingy that tells your phone app when you're in your car to start recording the trip.

Does it record your trip if your Bluetooth is off while driving.

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

It does not. The app on your phone uses Bluetooth to find the beacon to know when you're in your car. When you turn Bluetooth off the app will pop up a notice saying you need to turn Bluetooth on to record a trip.

@dmariewalker6880

5 ай бұрын

Also they want you to keep the app to “always on”….it drains my phone battery, plus I don’t drive much, especially in the winter.

@ZoneDoctor

Ай бұрын

I agree, it doesn't. My brother told me he turns his phone's Bluetooth off when he needs to get somewhere faster than he should really be driving. 😉

What the Jake

Your shirt is inside out...

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

But my shoes were on the fight feet!!!

@adderon7476

Жыл бұрын

Punch and kick

not meant to be taken apart...hmmm....wonder what is on the inside lol

@ChristopherFarms

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly...