Installed a rLink alarm on my bike and thought I'd give it a review. Be kind, this is a first for me.

After reading a few posts of bikers coming out of a store, only to find someone sitting on their bike like it was their own, I decided I wanted an alarm. It would have to be one that would notify me if the bike was moved or sat on, but I also wanted something that, if the bike was stolen, the police or I could locate it. I looked around a little and it seemed I would have to install a Lojack, to get theft recovery, and an alarm to keep people from sitting on my bike. Then I found rLiNk, by Scorpio.
Scorpio makes several different alarms and have been in the business for a while. My brother has had one on his bike for years without any problems. rLiNk is their top of the line model.

rLiNk has all the current features that you could possibly want in an alarm;

Security

• 2-way communication with unlimited range
• Manual arm/disarm option
• Programmable overide code to disarm alarm
• Single button, waterproof remote
• Remote panic alarm/bike locator
• Movement, Shock, Tilt and Ignition Alarm Notifications through text message
• Motorcycle battery voltage monitor
• Easy install universal mounting kit
• “Hands Free” RFID controller with selectable auto/manual arming
• Low power+/- 5g 3-axis accelerometer measuring static and dynamic acceleration to detect motion, shock, and vibration
• Programmable multi-stage perimeter sensor detects motion around the motorcycle and protects parts accessories and luggage.
• Ignition circuit sensor
• Built in NMH back up battery
• GPS antenna tempering detection
• Flash memory can record and store over 1000 position reports.

STANDARD FEATURES

• Communication
• Quad Band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900Mhz
• GPRS Class 10
• Over-the-air firmware updates
• Point-to-point mobile originated and mobile terminated SMS
• EASY SCAN automatic scan over GSM frequencies

GPS

• Mobile Web and iPhone app for smartphone access
• Police accessible theft tracking
• Multiple alert and notification recipients
• View maps of your rides from a computer or smartphone
• Receive geofencealerts during a ride
• Instant progress updates, top speed and trip stats through text message
• rLiNK allows users to share trip information
• Upload maps, top speed and segment times quickly and easily to Facebook and Twitter
• GPS KickStart weak signal acquisition technology.
• SuperSense is capable of tracking and acquiring extremely weak signals even indoors.
• Under 1 second Time-To-Fix positioning engine, providing excellent performance in the most challenging environments.
• Over 1 million correlators, capable of massive parallel time/frequency space searches enabling it to find satellites instantly.

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

Starter Disable - This advanced ignition kill will immobilize the ignition system to prevent "hot wiring".

Factory Connector Kits - The rLiNK system is universal and will install on any motorcycle. The available OEM connector kits are model specific and plug directly into the factory harness making installation fast, clean and easy.

Siren - 120db, multi tone siren with back up battery.

Installation of the device is as simple as can be, the "plug and play" connector ties right into the brakelight harness and the only wire you need to splice is a hot lead. I used the one going to the trunk. On the vision, all components fit in the spaces around the seat. There is a small antenna that I ran inside the rear fender, behind the liscense plate. Mount the RFID receiver as close as you can to the seat and make sure you plug it in right or it won't work (the cable is directional).  All component attach to the bike with 'hook-and-loop' attachments and can be easily moved for service.

The RFID is a chip that is inside your remote. You never have to disable the alarm, when the remote gets close to the bike, it disables the alarm automatically. When the remote is out of range, the alarm will re-arm. The range of the RFID is very low, about 3 feet. I lowered the perimeter sensor down to that so that the alarm wouldn't chirp when I came close with the remote in my pocket. Manually disarming the alarm with the remote overrides the RFID and the alarm will stay disarmed until armed manually. The remotes range is about 75'.

The biggest advantage of the rLiNk is that everthing can be done by smartphone or computer. Once your unit is activated, it sends a signal on the cellular phone bands that allow you to track your bikes location, arm, disarm, activate and many other functions (see pics). It will also send you a SMS text message if and how the alarm is activated (i.e. proximity, movement and ignition detection) You can even enter an 'Emergency Mode' that will allow you to disable the engine (if you installed that accesory) and send a link to the police to track the bike live on the website.

The mapping feature tracks all movement of your bike for the past 12 months and displays the trip on the website with times and speed as well. They even have a feature to allow you to share this info thru Facebook, Twitter or e-mail.

In future firmware updates (easy to do thru a series of button pushes),  the unit will be able to detect a crash and send  e-mail(s) to an emergency contact with a web link to track your location.

PRICE

I was able to find the main unit for as low as $350, The OEM harness for $20, The ignition kill for $30 and audible alarm for $60. 

They have two levels of service:

Basic Plan - For a $20 activation fee and $6.95/mo, this plan allows SMS text alert, Emergency Tracking,  basic web/smartphone control functions and current location only. The monthly fee is waved for the first year!

Premium Plan - $9.95/mo - no activation fee - no free year, This plan gives all the basic plan features plus the mapping of past trips and networking features.

Without any plans, the unit will still work as an alarm, you just won't get the phone and web alerts or control.

PROS -

• Reasonably priced,  A little more than a standard alarm, but the tracking and accident location feature are well worth it.
• RFID chip makes using it thoughtless.
• Easily tuned for movement and proximity sensitivity.
• Easy to install.
• Get SMS alerts and change settings from anywhere ( as long as bike is in cellphone coverage area).
• Does not require Police to have special equipment to locate.
• Gives an exact location of bike (Lojack only gives the direction of the bike).
• More features to be added with over the air firmware updates

CONS -

• RFID chip could have a larger transmission range.
• Bike needs to be in a cell phone area - with four bands, that's a lot of area.
• The unit goes into a low power 'sleep mode' where it won't receive cell phone commands after an hour of inactivity. Remote still works and the system wakes back up with any alarm activation. Only bad if you forgot your remote or are away from the bike and forgot to set the alarm for over an hour.
• I think the locate feature (the bike will chirp and/or flash the lights when a command is sent via cell) is useless since it goes into sleep mode after an hour ( unless you forgot where you parked within the hour).
• No lifetime activation
• Accident alerts not online yet

SUMMARY -

I am very pleased with this alarm. I purchased all the extra accessories and appreciate the little audible chirp as it activates/deactivates, the people around know not to mess with it (without the audible alarm it will only flash lights). All features work as advertised. I love checking my phone to see where my bike is and if I remebered to set the the alarm (from anywhere), even though I seldom ever disable the alarm because of the RFID chip.

I was getting ready to pay for an alarm and buy a Lojack when I found this. I figure with the money I saved on Lojack, I can pay for 10 yrs of service. By then my bike won't be as attractive to thieves. Support is very good, I had a conversation with them to help me decide wich plan to get and they were very helpfull. I went with the free year, it had all the fautures I needed and maybe next year, will get the premium for $2/mo more.

 Well worth the investment!

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