Caravan Monitoring – GPS, Camera and Motion Alerts

Why caravan monitoring is worthwhile

Caravans (travel trailers) typically stand still much longer than they’re actually used. A caravan that’s moved 20 times a year still sits in storage for the other 345 days. Combine that with the value of the trailer and its contents and good caravan monitoring quickly pays for itself — ideally together with a caravan alarm system. Specifically, it gives you:

Reassurance during long absences — even abroad.
Documented evidence in case of damage or theft.
Early warning if anyone is fiddling with the caravan.
An overview of battery and storage conditions through the daily status email.

What you should monitor in a caravan

Modern caravan monitoring follows a simple principle: detect what matters, ignore what doesn’t. CampSecure™ focuses on the four signals that say the most about a caravan’s situation:

1. Motion and vibration

The phone’s accelerometer and gyroscope detect when the caravan is being moved or tilted — for example because it’s being hitched up, jacked up or rocked. Motion sensitivity is adjustable from 0 to 10 (default 5). 0 activates house mode and disables motion alerts — useful when the caravan is parked on stands long-term.

2. Ambient sound

The microphone listens for sounds in or around the caravan: someone forcing a lock, smashing a window or moving valuables around. Sound sensitivity is adjustable from 1 to 10 (default 5) — lower for noisy locations, higher for quiet pitches.

3. Photo evidence

On every alarm, CampSecure™ takes a photo with the configured camera (front or rear, default front). The picture is attached to the alarm email — within seconds you can see what happened.

4. GPS location and battery

The alarm email contains the current GPS coordinates and a direct Google Maps link, plus the phone’s current battery level. The daily status email reports the same data once a day, even when nothing has happened — perfect for long-term storage.

How caravan monitoring with CampSecure™ works

The combination of sensors only works if the data is processed cleanly. CampSecure™ evaluates the signals locally on the phone, takes the photo on the device and sends an email through your existing email account.

What happens during an alarm

A sensor (motion, sound, light) crosses its configured threshold.
The alarm delay (1–60 seconds, default 10) starts running, allowing you to disarm — if appropriate.
If the alarm wasn’t cancelled in time, the camera takes a fresh photo and GPS captures a one-shot location.
An email is built with photo, GPS coordinates, Google Maps link, battery level and device name.
The email is sent through your SMTP server.
The internal alarm log inside the app records every event for transparency.

Privacy note: sound and video are not streamed live. CampSecure™ only takes a still photo on alarms or for the daily status. No microphone or camera recordings are stored permanently in the cloud.

CampSecure™ monitoring features at a glance

Below is the complete list of monitoring-related functions, written in a way that lets you check before you download whether your scenario is covered. All values are documented in detail in the user guide, section 4.

Feature	Value / range	Use case
Motion sensitivity	0–10 (default 5; 0 = house mode)	Adapt to vehicle vs. fixed location
Sound sensitivity	1–10 (default 5)	Filters background noise
Alarm delay	1–60 seconds (default 10)	Time to disarm without false alarms
Battery warning	5–50 % (default 30 %)	Power problems noticed in time
Light threshold (auto flash)	5–50 lux (default 20)	Camera flash only triggers when it’s dark
Daily status	Hour 0–23 + minute 0–59 (default 08:00)	Daily “all is fine” email
Camera selection	Front (default) or rear	Adapt to phone’s mounting position
Whitelist	One or more email addresses	Only authorised senders can issue commands
PIN	4 digits (0000 = off)	Extra protection for email remote control

Sample setups for caravan monitoring

Scenario A — Quiet pitch, in use during your holiday

Motion sensitivity: 3–4 (gentle, copes with movement during cooking, kids etc.)
Sound sensitivity: 3–4 (filters typical campsite noise)
Alarm delay: 15 seconds
Battery warning: 30 %
Daily status: 08:00

Scenario B — Busy campsite in peak season

Motion sensitivity: 2–3
Sound sensitivity: 2–3 (avoid alarms from neighbours)
Alarm delay: 20 seconds (you’re often coming back with bags)
Battery warning: 40 %
Daily status: 09:00

Scenario C — Seasonal pitch / long stay

Motion sensitivity: 1–2 (very low; pitch is usually quiet)
Sound sensitivity: 4–6 (sensitive to break-in noise)
Alarm delay: 10 seconds
Battery warning: 30 %
Daily status: 07:00

Scenario D — Winter storage

Motion sensitivity: 0 (house mode — caravan is on stands)
Sound sensitivity: 5–7 (sensitive to forced entry)
Alarm delay: 10 seconds
Battery warning: 30 % (with permanent power supply)
Daily status: 08:00

Tip: the right starting values depend on your specific environment. Adjust the sliders once after a few days based on the alarm log inside the app — that’s how you reach the perfect balance between reliable detection and low false-alarm rate.

Start monitoring your caravan today

Install the app, repurpose an old Android phone and turn your caravan into a smart, monitored space.

Get it on Google Play User guide

Installation and operation in 7 steps

Setup takes about 10 minutes. A detailed step-by-step is in the user guide, section 2.

Install the app on an Android phone (Android 10 or later).
Grant permissions — camera, microphone, location, notifications.
Wait for the device check and continue only on green status: “System ready”.
Disable battery optimisation — set CampSecure™ to “Not optimised”.
Enter email details — SMTP for outgoing, IMAP for remote control.
Adjust sensors — motion, sound, alarm delay, daily status to the scenarios above.
Mount the phone with a clear view to the door, close the caravan, arm the alarm.

FAQ — Caravan monitoring

Caravan monitoring uses sensors to detect anything out of the ordinary in or around your caravan — motion, sound or position changes — and to alert you in time. With CampSecure™ a single Android phone covers motion detection, sound monitoring, camera and GPS.

No. CampSecure™ uses your phone’s built-in camera and takes a fresh photo on every alarm. The picture is sent immediately as an email attachment.

Yes — as long as the alarm phone has internet access. Alarm emails arrive instantly worldwide. The daily status email lets you see at a glance that the caravan is fine, without driving over to check.

Accelerometer and gyroscope for motion, the microphone for sound, the camera for photo evidence, GPS for location and the battery sensor for power monitoring. All sensors are built into a standard Android phone (Android 10 or later).

The detection logic runs locally on the phone, even without internet. Email alerts and remote control by email require a working connection. In remote areas, a cheap data SIM in the alarm phone is the easiest answer.

All data is processed locally. There’s no mandatory cloud and no live audio or video stream. Alerts are sent through your own email account. Details are in our privacy policy.

Smart caravan monitoring — start today

With CampSecure™ you turn an Android phone into a complete monitoring station for your caravan. Caravan monitoring done simply — by email, on any phone.

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Disclaimer: the CampSecure™ app provides additional monitoring only and does not replace mechanical security, a certified alarm system or insurance. Reliable operation depends on battery level, device and OS settings, mobile/internet connectivity and the state of the hardware. No guarantee can be given that an alarm will trigger or that emails will be delivered.

Caravan monitoring — camera, sound and motion in one app