IN BRIEF
Bosch is unveiling the second generation of its ConnectModule, the unit that locates an electric bike if it is stolen. First addition: Bluetooth, which backs up the GPS to pin down the position where the satellite signal gives out, such as a cellar or a backyard. Second: an externally accessible frame mount, which makes the tracker compatible with the vast majority of bikes fitted with the Bosch Smart System. The unit still costs 99 euros and the tracking runs on a subscription, free for the first year and paid for thereafter.
| Product | Bosch ConnectModule (second generation) |
| Type | GPS tracker and anti-theft alarm |
| What’s new | Bluetooth Low Energy, externally accessible frame mount |
| Connectivity | GPS, SIM card, Bluetooth |
| Power | Built-in battery, independent of the bike’s |
| Compatibility | Bosch Smart System electric bikes |
| Price of the unit | €99 |
| Subscription (Flow+) | 12 months free, then €4.99/month or €39.99/year |
An electric bike leaves the bike store without its owner. On their phone, though, that owner can see the dot still moving, then coming to a halt in the cellar of a neighbouring building — the sort of place where GPS alone would quickly lose the trail. This is the kind of situation Bosch is putting forward to justify the second generation of its ConnectModule, the small anti-theft tracker the German brand has offered since late 2022.
Bluetooth fills in the blind spots left by GPS
The ConnectModule is a self-contained unit: a battery of its own, a SIM card and a GPS chip. Fitted at the factory or by a dealer, it carries on reporting the bike’s position even when the main battery is removed. Until now, it relied on GPS alone.
The second generation adds Bluetooth Low Energy. This short-range connection narrows the location down to within a few metres, where the satellite signal starts to falter. The benefit lies mainly in town. “In cellars or backyards, for example”, Bosch says by way of illustration — precisely the sort of corners where stolen bikes end up.
A mount that opens the tracker up to almost every Bosch bike
The most concrete change may lie elsewhere. Until now, the ConnectModule was hidden inside the frame. Every manufacturer therefore had to plan a dedicated housing when designing its bike; without that slot, fitting the tracker was impossible.
The new version fits on a mount that is accessible directly on the frame. Manufacturers no longer have anything to anticipate, and the unit becomes compatible with the vast majority of electric bikes fitted with the Bosch Smart System, including those that were never designed to take it. That significantly widens the number of bikes that can make use of it.
The new tracker is also available in its former format, allowing it to be concealed under the motor cover.
An alarm that arms itself
Geolocation is only part of the job. As soon as the bike is switched off, the ConnectModule’s alarm arms itself automatically through the eBike Flow app, with nothing to do. At the slightest suspicious jolt, the unit gives off short warning signals. If the movement is confirmed, it steps things up: a loud sound, automatic GPS tracking and a notification sent to the owner’s phone.
Because the module has a battery of its own, all of this keeps working even if the thief has removed the bike’s. That is the system’s underlying argument: cutting the power is not enough to silence it.
99 euros, plus a subscription for the tracking
That leaves the cost. The ConnectModule is priced at 99 euros, whether it comes fitted to the bike from the factory or a dealer installs it. But the location tracking and the alarm rely on the advanced Flow+ features of the eBike Flow app: free for twelve months, then charged at 4.99 euros a month or 39.99 euros a year.
A business model that has become the norm among makers of connected bikes — worth knowing before counting on the unit to get your bike back over the long term.
