Find My Device, but returns GPS location
We travel full time and intend on traveling with our RV outside of North America. One thing that has been on my TODO list is some sort of vehicle tracking. Looking at the various offerings on the market satellite is the way to go. My use for the tracking would be in the unlikely event our truck was stolen. What would be perfect for this would be able to either use the app (or website) to be able to push a request to the Zoleo to return its current GPS position. This would only be available once you are logged into your account, sort of a global "Find My Device". This could also prove useful if your emergency contacts were also given the ability to do so in case they have lost contact with you and you are not on schedule (crossing an ocean or hiking in the back country for 2 examples).
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Hi Jon Turgeon,
We are working on some exciting new features around making it easier to view and consume ZOLEO's location data.
One thing to consider is that satellite communication devices like ZOLEO aren't "always on" like cellphones are, or even dedicated satellite tracking devices which are constantly transmitting their signals.
ZOLEO only "turns on and connects to the satellite networks" at a pre-determined interval to check for messages, or when you send out a message as the ZOLEO user. In between, the ZOLEO has no connection to the network. This is what enables it to have such a long battery life, as well as contain costs with regards to transmitting data over satellite.
This means the ZOLEO device cannot be pinged in the same way a cellphone can; We can only pull the last known location that was transmitted from the ZOLEO.
Hope this helps!
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Thanks Neil, if I understand correctly it might be pretty close. When you say "We can only pull the last known location that was transmitted from the Zoleo". So when the Zoleo device checks for message updates is the location sent as part of that check? If so that would be great to be able to access that information as part of your account. As far as power I would plan on leaving it in a cradle with a dedicated usb cable for times we are not using it remotely. So possible benefits
1. For our use, if the vehicle is stolen we could at least see where the last known location was
2. For active sports while away from civilization (sailing,hiking etc) if you were not able to activate the SOS at least if you were over due your contacts could see the last location
3. If you are out hiking and drop your Zoleo and lose it, you could get the last location to try and recover it.
If the location is not part of the packet when the Zoleo checks it would still be great to be able to make a request to your device for the next time it checks for messages to then transmit the location back.
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Might I suggest, that ZOLEO isn't the best solution for this specific purpose?
A friend uses Spot Trace for this exact feature -will transmit a "breadcrumb" track at intervals while moving, notify when it stops moving for a set period, and notify when it starts moving again.
Something used this way in a vehicle will need to be installed or attached somewhere with a clear view of the sky, not stashed away in a glove box or something, and hard-wired to power. Taking your ZOLEO in and out and possibly forgetting to leave it in the vehicle is iffy.
A dedicated device for this purpose would be a better option.
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