Explanation of tracker profile parameters
All tracker profile parameters are presented on the Sensolus platform if you take a look at your tracker profile. In the list below we explain the basics of the working of the parameter and give some information on how to choose the optimal configuration for your use case. As not all the parameters are available for all tracker profiles, it is possible you will not see all of them in your tracker description. For all parameters Sensolus selected a default setting but other settings can be chosen if needed for your tracking solution.
Movement-based locations
How it works
When enabling the movement-based locations mode, motion is a trigger to capture locations. This means the accelerometer of the tracker is used as trigger to determine a location. Locations can, next to movement-based, also be determined periodically or in a scheduled way.
When to choose for movement-based location triggers?
- Most assets tend to stand still for a long period of time. While staying at the same position, capturing the location is just waste of energy.
- Using only periodic/scheduled location capturing eliminates all interesting location info in between 2 periodic/scheduled location updates, for example, the stops as you will not get journey information.
Motion start sensitivity: when is a start detected?
How it works
A start detection is based on tracker acceleration, more generically defined as a motion activity. To avoid false start detections, it is possible to configure the start detection sensitivity in line with the new use case. The question that should be answered here is when a start should be detected.
How to choose the right start sensitivity?
Always start testing with the standard settings for the sensitivity. When your tracker misses starts, consider a higher sensitivity. When false start recordings occur (for example, false starts due to garbage that is thrown in a waste container), consider a lower sensitivity.
Motion stop timeout: When is a stop detected?
How it works
How to choose Tstop
Stop timeouts allow finding a balance between eliminating short stops (for example, a trailer that is stopped for a short time in a traffic jam) and capturing the real stops.
When the stop timeout is configured too low this will cause unnecessary start/stop locations on the map and it is also unnecessarily reduces the battery life of the tracker.
On The Move interval: are locations captured while moving?
How it works
While moving (=while in On The Move (OTM) state) the tracker can be configured to periodically trigger OTM events to capture locations.
How to choose the OTM interval?
OTM events trigger to capture locations and are therefore directly related to the battery consumption and lifetime. Only choose OTM events or capture locations while moving when required for your use case. For example, for trailers an OTM update interval of 20 minutes could be necessary to follow goods while for returnable transport packaging normally no OTM updates are required.
Periodic locations: periodic location capture
How it works
Periodic triggers allow to capture a location at fixed time intervals. For example, every 24 hours.
When using periodic updates?
In almost all asset tracking cases motion-based triggers are preferred over periodic triggers since:
- Most assets tend to stand still for a long period of time. While staying at the same position, capturing the location is just waste of energy.
- Using only periodic/sheduled location capturing eliminates all interesting location info in between 2 periodic or scheduled location updates, for example the stops.
Periodic location updates can make sense as a backup in case a motion-based update was lost. Therefore, in the tracker profile we often configure as default setting a 48hours periodic update on certain asset types.
Scheduled locations: scheduled location capture
How it works
Scheduled triggers allow to capture a location (mostly used to capture the location for a fleet of trackers at the same moment) at specific times during a day.
When using scheduled updates?
Just as periodic triggers scheduled triggers are mostly used as backup for motion based location updates or if you want to get a location update of all your trackers at exactly the same moment.
A disadvantage of scheduled location updates is that they can congest the network when all trackers send a location at the same time. Therefore, this type of trigger is disadvised when 100+ trckers are expected to reside at the same location, especially when using Sigfox micro base stations.
Location technologies: sequence of location technologies used
How it works
Tracker can combine different location technologies to provide location information. The sequence of the location technologies specifies which geolocation technologies to use to capture location, and in which order they should be used.
When to choose which sequence?
Which location technology to use and in which order depends on the use case and the location capabilities of the tracker used (for example, some trackers cannot use GPS or Network location). If the tracker only travels outside, GPS → Network is a good choice. If the asset also travels indoor, depending on the overweight of indoor or outdoor time, choose to first scan for geobeacons (more indoor traveling) or first GPS signals (more outdoor traveling)
Location update frequency during departure
How it works
For certain trackers (build on the SNT4 platform) it is possible to send more frequent location updates shortly after starting. More frequent locations (for example, each minute) will be capture and send for, for example the first 10 minutes of the trip, after this 10 minutes a lower OTM location update (for example, each 20 minutes) rate will be used.
When to choose a frequent update during departure?
When you want to get notified rapidly after the departure of an asset it is best to activate the high update frequency during departure setting. As it uses some more energy, don't use this if you don't need the information.
GNSS precision or accuracy
How it works
When capturing a location via GNSS satellites, the longer you let your tracker look for GNSS signals, the more chance it will get a (precise) location. Defining the duration a tracker can look for GNSS signals is called GNSS fix time. To optimize battery lifetime different GNSS fix times are created to the chosen accuracy or precision
How to choose the precision?
Battery saving
How it works
GPS is a good location technology for asset tracking in outside environments, but when residing inside it is often not possible to get a GPS/GNSS location. By keeping trying to get a GPS location batteries of the tracker can be drained, especially when the tracker is inside. Therefore a battery saving option is available for trackers that travel inside and outside. The goal of this setting is to shorten the GPS search window to get a location to decrease the tracker's energy consumption. There are two mechanisms used to augment battery lifetime:
- enable indoor detect algorithm: when a tracker detects it is indoors, it will limit the GPS fix time
- GPS search time: the duration a tracker is looking for a GPS/GNSS signal can be shortened (less battery usage but less chance to get a location) or can be enlarged (more battery usage and more chance to get a location).
How to choose which battery saving setting?
When your asset only travels outside, no battery saving setting is needed. The default behavior can be used. The more chance your asset is often travelling inside, or the more important a long battery lifetime is, the more important it is to enable battery saving options.
Trip detail report
How it works
For some use cases it is important to know in detail how often the asset has been active during a trip, not only because the location changed but because the asset was moving (vibration). Defining a journey or trip by a start and stop is therefore not enough (as stop detection time is for example set to 5 minutes(. To capture the detailed behavior during the trip itself this setting can help. This setting allows for example for the tracker to identify "not active"periods shorter than the Journey Stop Timeout.
How to choose which setting?
For most use cases, this setting should be disabled. If you want to know the details of the trip or journey, you can choose to enable this setting with for example a 20s timeout. This means that for every 20 seconds it is detected if the asset was moving or standing still. if the asset was standing still during the 20 seconds, this period will be defined as 'no activity', if the asset was moving during the 20 seconds, this period will be defined as ''active''.
Data sent to the cloud
How does it work
Captured locations are sent by default to the cloud when the asset stands still for 25 seconds. This is because the chance of sending successfully data to the cloud is much higher when the asset is standing still instead of being on the move. This is only needed for trackers using the Sigfox network (TRACK 1000/1010/1020). For trackers using the NB-IOT network (TRACK 1100) data can be sent immediately to the cloud.
When to choose which setting?
Because it is sometimes difficult to communicate to the Sigfox network when trackers are traveling best is to choose to send data when the asset has stopped. This may provide better data integrity of your tracker data. If for your use case it is more important to have data quick instead of reliable, then you can choose to immediately send the data to the cloud.
Temperature monitoring inside the tracker
How it works
Some devices (using the SNT4 platform) have an embedded temperature sensor. It is possible to configure the tracker to measure the internal temperature and send it to the cloud. This is only valuable if the temperature you want to measure is near the tracker itself, and be aware that the internal components of the tracker also influence the temperature. But as it is cheaper and easier to install then an external BLE sensor it might be a good solution for your use case. For sensor values it is also possible to choose to send aggregated data, for example averages, maximum or minimum values, and not all values.
When to choose which setting
When you don't need temperature, just don't activate this feature. If you want to use this feature, you can choose between the type of usage. If you want to get alerted as soon as possible a temperature changes, choose the "poll every 5 minutes, and send when degree change is more then x degrees" setting. If you don't need an alerting system, it is better to monitor the temperature and sent it to the cloud after a certain time interval.
External sensor connection
How it works
When trackers are ready to connect with BLE sensors, you can select with which sensors you want the tracker to connect. Every tracker has 2 channels to connect to sensor data. This data can come from one sensor (for example a combined humidity-temperature sensor) or from two separate sensors (for example a temperature sensor and a magnet sensor).
When to choose which setting?
If you want your tracker to also send the information from the surrounding BLE sensor to the Sensolus platform you choose the type of sensor to connect to. Connecting a BLE sensor comes with a battery lifetime cost.
Measurement and sending intervals
How it works
Sensor data is measured periodically and sent to the cloud platform in groups. The period can be configured remotely and it is possible to have faster polling with min/max/average functions. The configuration contains the measurement and the sending intervals of the sensor data.
When to choose which setting?
Using sensor comes with a battery cost. Therefore, try to reduce the measurement and sending period so the maximum acceptable for the use case.
Orientation monitoring
How it works
When enabled the orientation events and states of the tracker will be captured. If an orientation event or state happens, it is possible to capture the location of a tracker at the moment in addition to the orientation information.
When to choose which setting?
The choice of setting depends on the use case and the aim of the usage of the orientation monitoring. Orientation can be used as anti-tamper function, it can be used to detect an open/close state or to detect position changes:
- standard position: detect changes in orientation state and reports the side of the tracker that faces up.
- Open/close: install the tracker in such a way that it is in a vertical position (top-up) when the box is open and in a horizontal postion when the box is closed.
- Anti-tamper functionality based on orientation changes: the tracker will send an alert when the orientation of the tracker changes. Assumes a vertical installation of the tracker (top up).
- Orientation event 30⚬ : detect orientation events when angular change is bigger than 30⚬
- Orientation event 90⚬: detect orientation events when bigger than 90⚬
Anti-tamper functionality based on tamper button
How it works
The TRACK 1020 and 1030 have an anti-tamper button on the backside of the tracker. If the tracker is removed from the asset an alert will be raised as the pressure on the button will be released.
When to choose which setting?
When using a TRACK 1020 it is always interesting to use the anti-tamper functionality as it doesn’t impact the battery duration and you will be notified when the tracker is removed from the asset. Unless you are planning to often change the tracker from asset (using it to track different assets in different time periods).
In-flight detection
How it works
Defining if an asset is in-flight happens via the 3D acceleration algorithm and the pressure algorithm embedded on the Sensolus tracker. The combination of these algorithms makes it possible to validate if a tracker is tracking-off, in-flight or landing. If the tracker is in-flight it will not transmit information as this is not allowed by the flight regulations. This feature is only available on a limited number of trackers.
When to choose which setting?
When your asset is traveling by air it is important to not transmit data when flying. So, use the default setting (disabled). If your asset is not traveling by air it can be more useful to use another tracker from the Sensolus portfolio.
BLE advertisement
How it works
BLE advertisements are used to make your tracker visible to smartphone and zone anchors. It can be be activated on the tracker (on modus) or inactive (off modus)
When to choose which setting?
When you are not working with BLE zone anchors or smart phones to define the location of you tracker best is to configure the tracker not to broadcast a constant BLE signal (off modus). In that case there is no impact on the battery lifetime duration. Otherwise, let the tracker emit constantly a BLE signal (on modus). But be aware this impacts the duration of the battery lifetime.