Vehicle Monitoring and Theft Detection using LoRaWAN and Image Recognition with Mobile Application Integration

Vehicle theft remains a serious issue, especially in places where mobile network coverage is weak and conventional GPS or GSM trackers tend to fail. In this work, we developed a prototype security system that combines LoRaWAN communication with an ESP32-CAM module to detect unauthorized access through simple on-device image processing. Instead of relying on cellular data, the system sends alerts and key image information through a long-range LoRa link, which keeps the operating cost low while maintaining reliable communication. A companion mobile application was built to forward notifications to the user and allow basic remote interaction with the vehicle. Tests carried out in suburban and semirural areas showed that the system could maintain communication across long distances and react quickly enough to be useful during theft attempts. The results suggest that pairing lightweight visual detection with LoRaWAN can offer a practical alternative to traditional vehicle-tracking setups.