faq:faq

What is Airtime?

Equipment requires a monthly subscription to report data from the device to HQ. Depending on the Airtime plan you have, your price will vary. Airtime plan pricing is available on our main website at www.gpspolice.com/store/

The Airtime subscription you purchase allows equipment to report in real-time, 24/7, with unlimited activity. You will not require additional contracts for data with a carrier (e.g., Telus, Verizon, AT&T) for equipment to operate.

Airtime is billed on the last business day of each month to pay for the next month (or billing period).

eg: To pay for the month of February, Airtime must be paid for on the last day of January (or first day of February). Airtime is prepaid and non-refundable.

If automatic billing is set up, the billing contact in your company will receive an emailed detailed receipt of the transaction. The billing contact in your company will get a phone call or email about the declined transaction.

Airtime discounts are available by purchasing more airtime. Airtime is available at monthly, quarterly, and annual rates. Airtime pricing is available on our main website at: www.gpspolice.com/store/


Are the tracking devices future-proof?

Yes. Equipment operates on digital cellular networks (3G, HSPA+) which has become the most widely adopted cellular communication standard in the world. GPS Police also provides system updates and upgrades free-of-charge. When we develop new features, customers can benefit from these via over-the-air upgrades.


How does GPS work?

Equipment has a GPS receiver inside it. The GPS receiver gets free signals (like a radio) which allows it to calculate very accurately where it is on the Earth. Reception of GPS signals (location coordinates) do not cost money.


How does the GPS information in my vehicle get to my computer?

Equipment transmits data (speed, location, heading, etc.) over cellular networks to our data centre, HQ, where it is decoded and stored for 5 years. Vehicle owners sign in to HQ on a computer or smart phone by entering their username and password. When vehicle owners are “signed-in”, their vehicles' location and other details are displayed on a Map or Reports.


How long has GPS Police been in business?

GPS Police was incorporated in Alberta Canada in 2003 and continues operating under original ownership. We have been selling products and services since 2004. Our fleet tracking systems are registered with Industry of Canada and use tracking devices and software which meet and/or exceed all FCC, IOC, and CE regulations. We produce great products and provide excellent service. GPS Police does not have, nor has never accrued, any debts or operating loans. We operate an efficient, fiscally-responsible, and profitable company.


How long is vehicle history saved for?

Vehicle activity is saved for up to five years in our data centre. You can visualize historical activity — for one vehicle or your entire fleet — weeks, months, even years in the past. See where a vehicle was on a particular day, at a particular time, and what it was doing.


How often does Equipment update its location?

Equipment transmits events as they occur instantly. Equipment is programmed to report its location while driving whenever its heading changes by 15 degrees. This type of variable update frequency means in residential zones or areas where the vehicle makes more turns, the update frequency is greatest — ~15 seconds. However, when the vehicle is travelling at highway speeds on a straight major high-way its update frequency will be less — ~2 minutes. Speeding is reported instantly, every time, regardless of driving update frequency.


Is GPS Police affiliated with government or law enforcement?

No. We are not linked, owned, or influenced by law enforcement. We can, upon customer request, directed local police authorities to the whereabouts of stolen vehicles. The company name “GPS Police” is used to illustrate the ability of it's customers to police the activity of their own fleet.


Is it lawful to track a vehicle without telling the driver?

Yes, provided you own the vehicle or asset. You have the right and obligation to ensure its safety and that the vehicle is being driven in a safe manner if a driver other than the legally-liable owner is operating it.


Is satellite communication better than cellular?

Each system has pros and cons. Satellite communication works almost anywhere in the world except when it does not have a clear view of the sky. Compared to Equipment, satellite tracking is more expensive. Satellite communication systems don't update as often as our system and don't have near as many features. Cellular communication, unlike satellite communication, works well even in buildings, urban canyons, and underground parking lots. And the cost is very low: starting at $15 per vehicle, per month. Our system updates regularly and has more features then satellite. We regularly are creating new features for our system.


Is the tracking system real-time (live)?

Yes. Equipment transmits the vehicle's events (with location) the moment they occur, which you can see on our HQ vehicle tracking web site within seconds of them occurring. Equipment transmits its location automatically between every 5 seconds and 2 minutes. Equipment transmits many events the moment they occur unless it is outside cellular coverage. Equipment will store events while it is outside cellular coverage and eventually transmit those events upon returning to cellular coverage.


Real-Time Events

Engine On – When the ignition is switched to ON, and the engine is started, an event in HQ called “Engine On” will occur. Engine Off - When the ignition is switched to OFF, and the engine has been turned off, an event in HQ called “Engine Off” will occur.

Stop - When a vehicle was moving, then comes to a halt, an event called "Stop" will occur.
  Go - When a vehicle was not moving, then begins it's movement, an event called "Go" will occur.
  Driving - An event called "Driving" will occur every time the vehicle increases and/or decreases it's speed by 15kph, a 15 degree heading change is made, 1 kph was driven, or every 60 seconds. Whichever occurs first.
  Idling - When a vehicle has been left running without any movement for a period of time, a "Idling" event will occur. The idling threshold can be configured within HQ.
  Speeding - An event called "Speeding" will occur when a vehicle exceeds above the posted speed limit, or the personalized speed limit set within HQ.
  Towing Detection - If a device detects movement when the vehicle's engine is off, an event called "Possible Towing" will occur.
  Outside Geofence -
  Inside Geofence -
  Main Power Disconnected - When the device's sorce of power has been cut off, an event called "Power Disconnect" will occur.
  24 hour security Check-in - If there has been no vehicle activity within 12 hours, an event called "Check-in" will occur.

Dispatch

  Send/receive messages to drivers & users
  Message history geocoded
  Threaded conversations

Reports

  Summary - Provides a summarized overview of all fleet activity.
  Timeline - Provides a detailed log of all vehicle activity.
  IFTA - Automatically keeps track of your vehicles' mileage by province and state, making it easy for you to calculate your fuel tax refund.
  Places - Displays the time spent at any given location.
  Fuel - Displays the distance driven with each vehicle, and estimates the amount of gas paid for each vehicle.
  Driver score - Provides a calculated efficiency and safety score of all driver behaviour.
  Service - Provides maintenance reminders when your vehicle is due for servicing, and view a track record of all vehicle maintenance ever performed. Records engine hours, and mileage of each car.
  Date - All reports can be customized to view a specific day, multiple days, or an entire month.
  Visualization - Every report has a visualization which can be toggled on or off. Visualizations show the most important data that the user may be looking for.
  Tables - Every report has a table which can be toggled on or off. Tables show every piece of data for the report.
  Export - You can export all reports to Microsoft Excel.
  Send / Share - All reports allow you to send them via email, or share them in a variety of ways.
  Trips
  Mileage

Mobile

  Logbook (personal/work, projects, privacy controls)
  Tracking
  Tap-to-call
  Dashboard
  Driving directions
  Dispatch (send and receive)

Share

  Time restrictions
  Location restrictions
  Embeddable map
  Custom report link
  Customize

Advanced

  Multiple Drivers
  Vehicle Groups
  User Privileges

Safelink Add-On Features

Drive Safe

  Included
  Accelerometer plugs into SAFELINK and reports: acceleration, braking, collision, etc.
  Audible alarm (beeper) indicates severity or driving
  Sharp Turns (aggressive / dangerous)
  Hard Acceleration (aggressive / dangerous)
  Hard Braking (aggressive / dangerous)
  Roll-over
  Collision (direction and severity)
  High-res Accident g-force playback
  Duration of Speeding infraction (start & finish)
  Passing / Overtaking
  Maximum speed of last trip
  Includes visual indicator LED (green, amber, red)
  Green = Normal
  Amber = Aggressive
  Red = Dangerous
  Includes sound alert
  Chime twice = Aggressive
  Chime triple = Dangerous
  All features can be sent as alert notifications to:
  Email
  SMS
  Dispatch + Nav (connected Garmin unit)
  Philips Hue (residence / office lighting systems)
  In-cabin buzzer

What is a geofence?

Places are what HQ calls geofences.

A geo-fence can be created around a store or point location. A geo-fence can be a predefined set of boundaries, like a mall parking lot or neighbourhood boundaries.

HQ is capable of sending you alerts when your equipment is inside or outside of a geofence. HQ also records when vehicles enter and leave geofences. This information is stored in the history. Geofences are easy to create, and widely customizable.

Geofences can be useful for alerting your customers when your employees have arrived at the job site. They can also alert you when your employees are at any given location. HQ also records the amount of time spent in each geofence.

If you would like to learn more about how Places (Geofences) work in HQ, you can watch our Account Places tutorial video here: https://vimeopro.com/gpspolice/hq-tutorials/video/88786525


What is DriveSafe?

DriveSafe is a visual and audible alert system that helps improve driving habits. It is a small module that acts as the brains to the safety system, also acting as a blackbox for accident reconstructions. This system can identify and alert the driver of speeding, hard acceleration/braking/turning, possible collision/rollover. Additionally all in-cab alerts are also reported in HQ.

What is IFTA?

The International Fuel Tax Agreement (or IFTA) is an agreement between the lower 48 states of the United States and the Canadian provinces, to simplify the reporting of fuel use by motor carriers that operate in more than one jurisdiction.

Simply stated, IFTA works as a “pay now or pay later” system. As commercial motor vehicles buy fuel, any fuel taxes paid are credited to that licensee's account. At the end of the fiscal quarter, the licensee completes their fuel tax report, listing all miles traveled in all participating jurisdictions and lists all gallons purchased. Then the average fuel mileage is applied to the miles traveled to determine the tax liability to each jurisdiction. Any amount of fuel taxes due (or refund) is then paid to (or received from) the base jurisdiction who issued the license.

  • faq/faq.txt
  • Last modified: 2021/11/02 17:43
  • (external edit)