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On the road with spexor, the portable security assistant

Van life with Oskar the Explorer and travel bloggers Laura and André

Laura and André are sitting on the beach with their dog. Using a smartphone, they check on their motorhome via the spexor app.

Laura Krüger and André Weigelt have been living in Oskar, their self-converted campervan, since 2019. Together with their dog, Luna, they’re traveling through Europe. The van is their home: this is where they live, work, and relax — so, naturally, they need to feel safe. Fortunately, they have spexor on board, the portable all-in-one security assistant from Bosch.

How traveling became a way of life

Initially, André and Laura had planned to be away for just a few months. That was three years ago. “I was pretty unhappy in my job,” Laura explains. “And André had such wanderlust. So we took ten months out to travel from Scandinavia to Greece.” The two met while Laura was doing vocational training in Berlin. “At some point, we realized neither of us really wanted to go back — and we figured we could make ends meet.” Today, the couple earn what money they need through freelancing, writing cookbooks, and being social-media influencers: sharing their experiences of campervan life on YouTube and Instagram, under the tag of “Oskar the Explorer.” Their most important companion? The spexor portable security assistant.

Laura and André enjoying the sunset from the roof of their van at a location in Greece.

How spexor protects Laura’s and André’s van

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Greater security means more freedom — and less worry

For these digital nomads, it’s vital to know that their campervan is safe and sound. “For a start, all our belongings are in there,” André says. “And, second, our work on YouTube and Instagram is all about the van.” The portable security assistant from Bosch offers the perfect solution: spexor provides early warning for a variety of threats — attempted break-in, elevated temperatures, and hazardous substances in the air. In fact, the device will perform in any kind of enclosed space, whether a vehicle or a room back home. Using ultramodern sensor technology, spexor monitors an area spanning a radius of five meters. If it detects a hazard, it either sounds the alarm directly — in the form of an LED light signal or warning sound to a volume of up to 90 dB (A) — or it silently sends a push notification to their smartphone. Thanks to its integrated SIM card, spexor is therefore able to warn Laura and André when they are away from their vehicle. It can be used anywhere in the EU where Wi-Fi or mobile reception is available. Battery life is between two and three weeks, depending on use.

Laura lying in the van, propped up over her diary. She gazes out of the window, lost in reverie.

Our van is our home — it’s where we live, work, and relax. And to safeguard this haven, we have spexor.

LAURA, YOUTUBER

spexor does more than detect potential intruders

spexor sits on the worktop, monitoring the van interior.

“It’s a massive help in many ways,” says André. “For example, spexor takes care of our van while we’re away on long hikes. Or it watches out for Luna, our three-year-old dog, when we go to the store.” While they’re away, spexor monitors the van for changes in air temperature or the presence of fire gases, thereby ensuring that no harm comes to the little dog. Should direct sunlight heat up the interior to an excessive degree, for example, or the composition of the ambient air dramatically change, the free spexor app automatically sends a push notification to André and Laura, alerting them to the danger. And the same thing happens should anyone attempt to force their way into the van. “Whatever the problem, it warns us immediately, so we can dash back and check it out.”

Sophisticated sensors in a compact device

“The sensor technology is really neat,” André says. “The device uses five different sensors to scan the interior: it continuously monitors brightness, air pressure, acceleration, motion, and sound.” What’s more, spexor also features smart combinations of these sensors, each tailored to a specific setting. This means the system can reliably detect an attempted break-in no matter what the circumstances. To ensure that spexor is properly set up for a specific location, it’s therefore important to select the right profile via the app.

Much like the travel-loving couple, spexor is always up for a new challenge. This is because of constant improvements, which enable the system to work in an ever-growing variety of settings. At the same time, new functions are being added all the time — via in-app software updates. These functions are all based on innovative technologies, thereby ensuring that spexor offers unique applications.

One system with many functions

the spexor portable security assistant with its various functions.
spexor has a wide range of functions and many different applications, providing enhanced security in a variety of settings — in vehicles, garages, garden sheds, hotel rooms, offices, or at home.
The function to detect potential intruders is activated from outside the van, via the smartphone app.
Whenever André, Laura, and Luna leave the van to go hiking or sightseeing, they always activate the alarm via the smartphone app. This is the control center for spexor, where André and Laura decide how they want to be alerted in the event of an alarm. At present, they have opted to receive a smartphone notification from spexor, while back in the van the device emits a warning sound.
Placed on a table in the van, the spexor portable security assistant watches over the dog, Luna, who is lying on the floor.
When André and Laura go to the store, the spexor portable security assistant watches over their dog, Luna, who stays home in her bed. Using the smartphone app, they can keep an eye on the temperature inside the van, wherever they happen to be. All they need is mobile or Wi-Fi reception. If the temperature inside the van leaves the range they have set — this can lie anywhere between -10 to +60 °C — the spexor app notifies them right away.
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Back on the road

Laura and André love nothing better than a beautiful sunset. They’ve certainly enjoyed their share of these during three years on the road, but sundown at Epanomi Beach, near Thessaloniki, has to be one of the finest they’ve ever seen. As always, they view it the way they like best: from behind the wheel of Oskar. In the coming days, they will head off to Athens, from where they will travel to the island of Euboea and then to the Peloponnese. Here, Laura and André will no doubt encounter new adventures, new places, new challenges. But whatever these adventures are, they will always feel safe and secure, thanks to spexor.

The van drives along the coast and toward the setting sun.

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