Home / Insurance Approved Tracking / S7 Asset Tracker (Battery)
The insurance approved tracker for everything you can't wire a tracker into.
A caravan has almost nowhere to hide a wired tracker — and the few places it does have are the first places a thief looks. This one has no wires at all. It runs for years on its own batteries, goes wherever you decide to hide it, and switches its signal off between reports so there is nothing to scan for.
- Thatcham categoryS7 Asset
- CertificateTSC 617
- Power3 × AAA, self-contained
- Battery life2–5 years
- Reporting2–4 times daily
- Size84 × 63 × 24 mm
- Weight90 g
- InstallationSelf or engineer
TSC 617
Thatcham S7 asset category
No wiring
Fits where nothing else can
2–5 years
On its own batteries
24/7/365
UK monitoring centre
Last updated: August 2026 · Written and maintained by the TrackManager technical team.
What is an S7 asset tracker?
An S7 asset tracker is a self-powered Thatcham insurance approved tracking device, approved to Category S7 standard under its own security certificate, TSC 617. It runs entirely on internal batteries — no connection to the vehicle at all — and reports its position two to four times a day.
Between those reports it switches its signal off completely. There is no wiring to trace and no transmission to detect, which is precisely why it can be hidden somewhere a wired tracker never could.
It is a genuinely different class of device to the hardwired S7 tracker, not a variant of it. Thatcham approves it under a separate certificate because it does a different job for a different kind of asset.
It exists because a large category of valuable things simply cannot take a wired tracker — touring caravans, trailers, horseboxes, plant, containers and site equipment. Either there is no permanent 12V supply at all, or there are only two or three plausible places to wire into, and those places are exactly where an experienced thief starts looking.
The wiring problem
This is the whole reason the category exists, and it is worth being blunt about.
A hardwired tracker needs power. Power means a cable. A cable means it has to live somewhere the cable can reach, and on a caravan or a trailer that is a very short list — near the battery box, near the leisure battery, behind the control panel. A thief who steals caravans for a living knows that list better than you do.
Worse, a wire is a trail. Find the loom and you find the unit, cut it, and the vehicle goes dark.
What no wires actually buys you
- It can go anywhere. Because nothing needs to reach it, the list of possible locations on a caravan or trailer goes from three or four to effectively unlimited — and includes places nobody would think to search.
- There is nothing to trace. No cable running back to a battery means no path to follow.
- Nobody else knows where it is. Not even us. You fit it, you choose the spot, and that information does not exist anywhere a thief could obtain it.
- It survives the battery being disconnected. Isolating the leisure battery, a common first move, does nothing to it.
The principle in one line: a tracker they cannot find beats a tracker you can watch. Everything else on this page follows from that trade-off — including the parts people find counter-intuitive.
Why it's undetectable
Organised thieves sweep for tracker signals. A device that transmits continuously can be found with equipment that costs very little. This tracker wakes up, sends its position, and then switches its signal off entirely until the next scheduled report. For the overwhelming majority of the day it is transmitting nothing at all, so there is nothing for a scanner to find.
That silence is not a side effect of saving battery. It is the security model. A live-reporting device is, by definition, a device that is constantly announcing itself.
Combined with the fact that it has no wiring to give away its position, and that only you know where you put it, the practical result is a device that is extremely difficult to locate and remove — which is what actually determines whether you get your caravan back.
Be clear about the trade-off. This is not a live tracker. You will not watch it move around a map in real time during normal use, and it is not designed to. If continuous live tracking is what you want and you have somewhere to wire a device in, the hardwired S7 tracker is the better choice and we would rather tell you that now than after you have bought.
How it works
- You hide it and it starts reportingIt works straight out of the box. Once it reports in to our platform, it is live on your account.
- It reports two to four times a dayAt set intervals. Two is the standard setting and gives the longest battery life; four gives more frequent position updates at some cost to battery.
- Between reports it goes silentSignal off. Nothing transmitting, nothing to detect.
- You set a geofence around where it livesYour storage site, your driveway, your yard. If a report comes in from outside that boundary, you know it has moved.
- If it has moved, you call usThe 24/7 line on 0203 835 3234, option 1. Report it stolen, having also reported it to the police.
- We switch it into live trackingFrom its next wake-up, the device moves into live tracking mode and we work the recovery with your police force.
The honest version of the timeline. On a twice-daily setting there can be up to twelve hours between the asset moving and a report showing it somewhere it should not be. On four reports a day, up to six. If that matters more to you than being undetectable, this is not the right device — and that is a genuine choice, not a sales objection to be talked around.
For a caravan in storage that you visit once a month, it is the right trade every time.
S7 asset tracker vs hardwired S7 tracker
Both are Thatcham approved to Category S7 standard and both are backed by the same 24/7 UK monitoring centre. They are built for different problems.
| S7 Asset (battery) | S7 (hardwired) | |
|---|---|---|
| Thatcham certificate | TSC 617 | TSC 531 |
| Power | 3 × AAA, self-contained | Wired to the vehicle |
| Needs a wiring point | No | Yes |
| Where it can be hidden | Effectively anywhere | Within reach of the loom |
| Position reporting | 2–4 times daily | Live |
| Detectable by signal sweep | Silent between reports | Transmits continuously |
| Automatic tow-away alert | — | Yes |
| Geofence alerting | Yes, at next report | Yes, immediate |
| Live tracking on theft | Yes, once reported | Yes, immediate |
| Installation | Self or engineer | Approved engineer |
| Affects vehicle battery | No connection at all | Minimal draw |
| Best for | Caravans, trailers, plant, horseboxes, stored assets | Cars, vans, motorhomes with a supply |
Which should you choose?
- Choose the asset tracker if there is nowhere sensible to wire a device in, if the asset spends long periods parked, or if being impossible to find matters more to you than watching it live.
- Choose the hardwired S7 if you have a permanent supply and you want continuous tracking with automatic tow-away alerting the moment the asset moves.
- Some owners fit both. On a high-value motorhome, a wired unit doing the live alerting and an asset unit hidden somewhere entirely separate as the backup the thief does not find.
Geofencing and how you'll know
The geofence is the mechanism that turns a scheduled position report into an alert. It is worth setting up properly on day one.
- Draw a boundary around where the asset livesYour storage site, compound, driveway or yard. You can set as many zones as you need, at no extra cost.
- The next report comes inIf the asset is where it should be, nothing happens and you hear nothing.
- If it reports from outside the zone, you’re alertedBy app notification and email. That is your signal that something has happened.
- You verify, then report itIf you have not moved it yourself, report it to the police, get an incident number, and call our 24/7 line.
You can also set zones around places the asset legitimately travels to — a seasonal pitch, a regular site — so that normal use does not generate alerts you learn to ignore.
If it's stolen
- You discover it has goneEither from a geofence alert on a scheduled report, or because you have been to the storage site.
- Report it to the policeObtain the incident or crime reference number. Police cannot act on tracking data until a crime is recorded.
- Call our 24/7 line0203 835 3234, option 1. Have your TrackManager account name and the incident number.
- We switch the device into live trackingFrom its next wake-up, it moves from scheduled reporting into live mode.
- We work the recovery with your forceLive position data supplied directly to the police force covering wherever the asset is now — which is frequently a long way from where it was taken.
Why this works despite the delay. Stolen caravans and plant are rarely stripped immediately. They are typically moved to a holding location and left for days or weeks while the thieves see whether anyone comes looking. A device that is still hidden, still powered and still reporting is exactly what finds them — and a device that was cut out of the loom on night one finds nothing at all.
Fitting it yourself
Yes — you can fit this one yourself, and for most owners that is the better option. It needs no wiring and no tools beyond whatever it takes to reach the hiding place you have chosen. What it does need is someone competent and willing to think like a thief, because the whole value of the device rests on where it ends up.
This is a deliberate difference from our other insurance approved trackers, where unapproved fitting invalidates the certification. Because this is a self-contained device with no vehicle connection, Thatcham’s approval rests on the unit being live and correctly sited rather than on how it has been wired in. That is why the compliance step is verification rather than installation.
Where to hide it
We will talk you through the best places for your particular asset over the phone. We deliberately do not publish that advice, for the obvious reason that thieves can read this page as easily as you can.
What we will say in public is simply this: avoid the obvious, choose somewhere that would take real effort to search, and remember that the magnetic case option opens up placements a fixed device could never use. Everything more specific than that, we will tell you on the phone.
The verification and certificate process
- You fit it where you have chosenHaving spoken to us about suitable locations for your asset.
- It reports in to our platformWe confirm we are receiving position data from the device.
- You send us a photograph and descriptionShowing where it is fitted, so we can confirm the location is sound.
- We’re satisfied, and issue your certificateYour insurance certificate is issued on that basis — which is precisely what Thatcham requires us to verify.
If you would rather it was fitted for you, an approved installer can do it. But do consider that a location you chose yourself, which nobody else has a record of, is genuinely more secure.
Insurance, Thatcham approval and your certificate
What TSC 617 means
Thatcham Research tests and certifies vehicle security products on behalf of the UK motor insurance industry. This device is approved under its own security certificate, TSC 617, within the Category S7 asset tracker classification — a class Thatcham created specifically for self-powered devices protecting assets that cannot take a wired tracker.
It is that certificate number your insurer recognises, and it is what allows a self-fitted, battery-powered device to satisfy an insurance condition that a consumer tracker never could.
When insurers ask for one
Caravan and motorhome theft carries well-documented loss patterns, and specialist insurers increasingly make an approved tracker a condition of cover — particularly on higher-value tourers and on anything kept at a storage site rather than at home. Many also offer reduced premiums where one is fitted.
Check your policy wording for the category required. If it names S7, this device satisfies it. If it names S5 or S5+, those require driver recognition and immobilisation and this is not the right product.
Keeping the certificate valid
The approval depends on active monitoring. If the subscription lapses, the control room is no longer watching and the installation no longer meets the condition your policy specifies. Keep the two renewal dates aligned if you can.
Tell your insurer if you move it. Because this device is transferable between assets in minutes, it is easy to move it and forget. A certificate naming the wrong asset is worth very little at claim time.
What it suits
Touring caravans
The core application. No ignition, no practical wiring point, and one of the most targeted assets in the country.
Motorhomes
Particularly as a hidden second layer alongside a wired unit, or where the van is stored off-site for long periods.
Trailers & horseboxes
Hitched and away in under a minute, and almost never have anywhere to wire a tracker in.
Plant & machinery
Excavators, dumpers, generators and site equipment left unattended overnight on open sites.
Containers & site cabins
Static assets where any movement at all is an exception worth knowing about.
Classic & stored vehicles
Kept in garages and storage units for long periods, where wiring in a device is undesirable.
Boats & jet skis on trailers
Both the trailer and what is on it, protected by one device with no installation on either.
High-value tools & equipment
Anything valuable that lives in a van, a lock-up or a yard and occasionally goes missing.
Specification
Battery life depends on the reporting frequency you choose and on conditions — cold storage over winter is harder on batteries than a heated garage. Two reports a day is the standard setting and gives the longest life.
The app and platform
Your asset appears on the same platform as everything else you have with us. There is no separate login and no software to install — the free iOS and Android apps, or any browser.
- See its last reported position on interactive Google Maps, with the time of that report.
- Review reporting history — every position it has sent, going back.
- Set unlimited geofences with entry and exit alerts on each.
- Receive alerts by app notification and email, with no limit on how many.
- See all your assets on one screen alongside any cars, vans or fleet units you have with us.
- Create user logins and control which assets each person can see.
Location data is encrypted, access is controlled by per-user accounts with passwords you set, and the platform is subject to regular penetration testing.
Monitoring subscriptions
There are two elements: the device, quoted by your local approved dealer, and the monitoring subscription, which funds the 24/7 UK control room, the mobile connection and the police liaison. The subscription is what keeps the Thatcham approval valid.
Rolling monthly with no minimum term and no contract, multi-year terms from one to five years, and a lifetime option covering the asset for as long as you own it. Longer terms reduce the effective monthly cost.
On "no subscription" trackers
You will find asset trackers advertised with no ongoing cost. They are not insurance approved and cannot be — Thatcham approval requires active monitoring, so a device with nobody watching it cannot satisfy a policy condition however good the hardware is.
What you can avoid is being tied in. A rolling monthly plan with no minimum term does exist, and a one-off lifetime option does too.
What to check before you buy any asset tracker
- Is there a Thatcham Security Certificate number? Ask for it. "Insurance approved" without a TSC number is a claim, not a certification.
- Which category does your insurer require? Get it in writing. If they say S5, an asset tracker will not satisfy it.
- How often does it report, and does it go silent between? A device transmitting continuously can be swept for.
- What is the actual battery life at your chosen reporting rate? Headline figures are usually quoted at the slowest setting.
- Can you fit it yourself, and does that affect the certificate? On this device it does not. On many it does.
- What happens when you report it stolen? Establish whether it goes into live mode, and how quickly.
- Where is the monitoring centre? UK-based, staffed around the clock, able to liaise with UK police.
- Is the SIM multi-network? A storage site in a signal shadow is exactly where a single-network SIM fails.
- Is there a minimum contract? And what happens if you sell the asset.
- Are batteries user-replaceable? And what does the device do as they run low.
Glossary
- S7 asset tracker
- A self-powered tracking device approved to Thatcham Category S7 standard for assets that cannot take a wired tracker. Certified here under TSC 617.
- TSC (Thatcham Security Certificate)
- The certificate number issued to an approved product. This device is TSC 617; the hardwired S7 is TSC 531.
- Reporting interval
- How often the device wakes, sends its position and goes back to sleep. Two to four times daily here.
- Live tracking mode
- A temporary state, activated by our control room when a theft is reported, in which the device reports continuously to support recovery.
- Geofence
- A virtual boundary on the map. If a scheduled report arrives from outside it, you are alerted.
- Signal sweep
- Using a scanner to detect a transmitting tracker. Only works against devices that transmit continuously.
- Magnetic case
- An optional housing allowing the device to be placed on any steel surface, including underneath an asset, without fixings.
- Multi-network roaming SIM
- A SIM that connects to whichever mobile network has the best signal, rather than being tied to one operator.
Get a quote
Tell us what you need protecting and your nearest approved dealer will come back to you — usually within one working day.
24/7 urgent support
Option 1 for stolen vehicles and assets. Staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
S7 asset tracker: frequently asked questions
The basics
A self-powered Thatcham insurance approved tracking device, approved to Category S7 standard under security certificate TSC 617. It runs on internal batteries with no connection to the vehicle at all, reports its position two to four times a day, and switches its signal off between reports so there is nothing for a thief to detect.
They are different classes of device with different Thatcham certificates — TSC 617 for the asset tracker, TSC 531 for the hardwired unit. The hardwired S7 is powered by the vehicle, tracks live and gives automatic tow-away alerts, but has to be fitted where the wiring can reach. The asset tracker needs no wiring, can be hidden anywhere, and is silent between scheduled reports, but does not track live in normal use.
Yes. It carries Thatcham Security Certificate TSC 617 within the Category S7 asset tracker classification — a class Thatcham created specifically for self-powered devices protecting assets that cannot take a wired tracker. That certificate number is what your insurer recognises. Check your policy names S7 rather than S5 or S5+.
The device itself, 84 × 63 × 24 mm and 90 g, with 3 × AAA batteries. A magnetic case can be added at the time of purchase if you want to mount it on a steel surface or underneath the asset. It works straight out of the box.
Reporting and detection
Because a device that transmits continuously can be found. Organised thieves sweep for tracker signals, and constant transmission is exactly what they are looking for. This device wakes, reports, and switches its signal off — so for the overwhelming majority of the day there is nothing to detect.
That silence is the security model rather than a limitation of the hardware. A tracker they cannot find is worth more than a tracker you can watch.
Two to four times a day at set intervals. Two is the standard setting and gives the longest battery life. Four gives more frequent position updates at some cost to battery life. Your dealer will set this up with you.
On a twice-daily setting, yes — up to twelve hours between the asset moving and a report arriving from somewhere it should not be. On four reports a day, up to six.
We would rather be straight about that than have you find out afterwards. For a caravan in storage you visit monthly it is the right trade, because the alternative is a wired device the thief locates and removes on the first night. If a delay of that kind is unacceptable to you and you have somewhere to wire a tracker in, the hardwired S7 is the better product.
Not while it is asleep, which is almost all of the time. Signal scanners find devices that are transmitting. Between scheduled reports this one transmits nothing at all, and it has no wiring to trace back to a power source. Combined with a hiding place only you know about, it is extremely difficult to locate.
No — it does not autonomously detect movement and raise an alert. Movement is identified when a scheduled report arrives from outside a geofence you have set. That is the practical difference between the two devices and the reason both exist.
Geofencing and alerts
Set a geofence around wherever the asset lives — your storage site, compound, driveway or yard. When a scheduled report arrives, the platform checks it against that boundary. If the asset reports from outside the zone, you are alerted by app notification and email.
You can set as many zones as you like, including places the asset legitimately travels to, so that normal use does not generate alerts you learn to ignore.
As many as you need, with no limit on alerts by email or app. There is no extra cost for additional zones.
If it's stolen
Report the theft to the police first and obtain the incident or crime reference number — police cannot act on tracking data until a crime is recorded. Then call our 24/7 line on 0203 835 3234 and select option 1, with your TrackManager account name and the incident number to hand.
We switch the device into live tracking mode from its next wake-up, and work the recovery directly with the police force covering wherever the asset is now.
From the device’s next scheduled wake-up. It cannot be woken on demand, because a device that could be woken remotely would be a device that is listening — and therefore detectable. Once it is in live mode it reports continuously for the recovery.
Far less than people assume. Stolen caravans, trailers and plant are rarely broken up straight away. They are typically moved to a holding location and left for days or weeks while the thieves see whether anyone comes looking. A device that is still hidden, still powered and still reporting is exactly what finds them — whereas a wired unit that was cut out on the first night finds nothing.
Fitting
Yes, and for most owners that is the better option. It needs no wiring and no specialist tools. What it needs is someone competent who is willing to think like a thief about where to put it — because the value of the device rests almost entirely on where it ends up.
This is a deliberate difference from our other approved trackers. Because it has no vehicle connection, the Thatcham approval rests on the device being live and sensibly sited, which is what we verify.
We will talk you through the best places for your particular asset over the phone. We do not publish that advice, for the obvious reason that thieves can read this page too.
What we will say publicly is simply: avoid the obvious, choose somewhere that would take real effort to search, and ask us about the magnetic case if a fixed position is impractical.
Yes. Once the device is reporting to our platform, you send us a photograph and a description of where it is fitted. We check we are receiving data and that the location is sound, and issue your insurance certificate on that basis. That verification is exactly what Thatcham requires for this class of device.
Yes, an approved installer can fit it for you. It is worth weighing up though — a location you chose yourself, that nobody else has any record of, is arguably more secure than one chosen by someone who fits these regularly.
Yes, in minutes — there is nothing to disconnect. Do tell us and your insurer, and obtain an updated certificate, because a certificate naming the wrong asset is worth very little at claim time.
Battery and hardware
Two to five years, depending on the reporting frequency you choose and on conditions. Two reports a day gives the longest life; four shortens it. Cold storage over winter is harder on batteries than a heated garage.
Three AAA batteries, contained within the unit. There is no connection to the vehicle or to a leisure battery at all.
No. It is not connected to your battery in any way, so it cannot draw from it. Isolating the leisure battery over winter has no effect on the tracker — which is another reason this device suits stored assets.
It is an optional housing that lets you mount the device on any steel surface, including underneath the asset, without fixings or drilling. It opens up placements that would otherwise be impractical. It is added at the time of purchase.
Placements vary enormously between assets, so tell your dealer where you intend to put it — particularly if that is an exposed location underneath. They will confirm what is suitable and whether the magnetic case is appropriate for that position.
Insurance and cost
If your policy requires a Thatcham Category S7 device, yes — this is approved under TSC 617 within that classification. If your policy specifies S5 or S5+, those categories require driver recognition and immobilisation, and this is not the right product. Check the wording, and get confirmation in writing if it is ambiguous.
Many specialist caravan and motorhome insurers offer reduced premiums for an approved tracker, and some require one as a condition of cover on higher-value tourers or anything kept at a storage site. The reduction varies by insurer, asset and postcode, so ask yours directly.
Two elements: the device itself, quoted by your local approved dealer, and the monitoring subscription which funds the 24/7 UK control room, the mobile connection and police liaison. Rolling monthly with no minimum term, multi-year and lifetime options are all available. Use the form below with your postcode and what you need protecting and your nearest dealer will quote for your specific situation.
Not as an insurance approved device. Thatcham approval requires active monitoring, so a tracker with nobody watching it cannot satisfy a policy condition however good the hardware is. Unmonitored asset trackers exist and are cheaper, but they will not satisfy an insurer.
What you can avoid is being tied in — a rolling monthly option with no minimum term is available, as is a one-off lifetime option.
Yes. The Thatcham approval depends on active monitoring. If it lapses, the control room is no longer watching and the installation no longer meets the condition your policy specifies — something that typically only becomes visible at claim time.
Buying and support
Through our nationwide network of approved dealers. Your local dealer quotes for your asset, talks you through hiding places, and handles your account setup and insurance certificate. Use the form on this page and we will put you in touch with your nearest one.
Yes. Asset trackers, insurance approved vehicle trackers and fleet units all report into the same platform under one login. Your caravan, your car and your van all appear on one screen.
0203 835 3234, option 1. Staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for stolen vehicles and assets. Have your TrackManager account name to hand. General enquiries are handled during office hours by our UK team.
Tell us what needs protecting.
One short form and your nearest approved dealer comes back to you — with a price for your asset, advice on where to hide it, and how quickly they can get it to you.
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