The Oyster3 allows geofences to be downloaded from the server onto to the device. This allows for a wide range of applications. Some of them relevant to the Oyster3 are
- Disabling cellular communications and GPS fixes for a period of time in sensitive area such as an airport, military space etc.
- Using alternate logging parameters when inside/outside certain areas to increase battery life
For basic geofence settings, such as creating geofences and setting entry/exit alerts, please see the article here. Simply generating entry/exit alerts does not require the 'download to device' functionality to be configured.
This feature is fully integrated with Telematics Guru. Geofences can be downloaded to the device from a 3rd party server, however significant integration work may be required. Contact our support team for documentation, DM can offer only limited integration support for this feature.
How to enable Geofence downloads in an Oyster3?
To enable geofence download to the device, we need to
- Add geofence download server in OEM
- Enable geofence download in Telematics Guru
OEM Server Parameter Setup:
In the OEM server, go to Parameters->Edit Admin parameters->Add Geofence Server
Add your custom Telematics Guru URL to the "Geofence Download server" tab.
Enabling Geofence Download in Telematics Guru:
- From Assets-> Manage Assets-> Edit Asset (click on the asset name or the cog menu on the far right hand corner)
- Since Geofence download parameters are grouped by "Asset Type", in the General Tab of the edit asset screen, set the desired asset type. For information on Asset Type Geofences, please see HERE
- Select the Advanced tab from the edit asset screen itself, and check the "Enable Geofence Download" checkbox at the bottom of the window. This will get the device to look for Geofence downloaded from OEM.
Geofence Asset Types
The Geofence downloads are grouped by asset type, allowing for intelligent management, and fast application of this feature. The process for configuring a Geofence download for an asset type is as follows:
- Navigate to Admin->Asset Type Geo-Fences and select the desired asset type. (An individual 'Asset Type' is created in Admin > Asset Types, and assigned in Assets > Asset Manage)
- Click "Create Geofence Asset Type Setting"
- Select a Geofence to download and edit the desired fields. Not all features are available for the Oyster3 (for example, the Oyster3 does not have outputs, and so the 'Digital Output Settings' will have no effect).
- Click save, and repeat for each Geofence to download
Additional Geofence settings
- Speed Settings (not relevant to Oyster3)
- The minimum and maximum speed can be set for the geofence (the buzz feature is only available for devices with an output, so not relevant for the Oyster3).The speeds can also be used to override the speed limits on Telematics Guru if the "Override Speed Limit" checkbox is ticked. If so, then Telematics Guru will use these speeds in the speed banding calculations (TG Pro required). For further information click on the following link: Speed Monitoring in Telematics Guru.
- Upload Settings
- The moment a device recognizes it has entered or exited a Geofence (dependent on the logging parameters), it can be configured to upload, which in turn could be used to trigger an alert (either an SMS or email). For information on how to set an alert on Telematics Guru, please consult: Configuring an Alert
- No Communication Duration
- This can be used to define a time for which the device will not attempt a cellular upload/connection after obtaining a fix inside a geofence.
- If the device gets a GPS fix inside a no communications Geofence, then it will not use cellular communications until it gets a GPS fix outside the fence.
- When the device first obtains a fix inside a no-comms geofence
- When the device first obtains a fix outside a no-comms geofence it will now resume uploads as normal.
- Alternate Logging (OEM server)
- If this is set, the device will use the alternate set of geofence logging system parameters configured on OEM. This can be used to intelligently manage the battery life of a device.
The device will not communicate while 'inside' the Geofence. This means no uploads are attempted between:
The device will not communicate while inside the geofence and for 24 hours after leaving.
See Oyster3 - Tracking Modes for the different tracking modes available on the device.
Alternate settings can be used when inside a geofence. If the tracking mode 'GPS Movement Trips' is selected, which is the default setting, alternate set of parameters can be used with the tabs 'Alternate Basic Tracking (Adv)' & 'Alternate Advanced Tracking (Adv)'.
SeeOyster3 - Tracking Modesfor the different tracking modes available on the device.
Alternate settings can be used when inside a geofence. If the tracking mode 'Jostle Mode' is selected, like with the GPS tracking mode, alternate set of parameters can be used with the tabs 'Alternate Basic Tracking (Adv)' & 'Alternate Advanced Tracking (Adv)' along with 'Alternate Jostle Trips (Adv)' tab. This can be modified for assumed start point, trip end time, etc. from the standard jostle trips.
How many Geo-Fences can the device handle?
The limitation is on the device, and related to available RAM.
| Device Name | Max Geofences | Max Points/Geofence |
|---|---|---|
| Oyster3 Cellular | 500 | 100 |
Note these are absolute maximums of each.
There is a relationship between the average number of points in all geofences and the maximum number. If you have less points per geofence, you will be able to store more geofences. If you have a high number, you won't be able to reach the absolute max number of geofences. To reach the max, go with simple geofences - i.e. squares, 4 points.
How do you tell which version of the Geofence is downloaded?
In OEM Server, Access the details page of the device by clicking on the link on the left hand side of the device grid
then scroll down until you see the device slots:
The version number that is displayed is an encoded date time, which you can use the calculator here to decode. In this case, 217919263 comes out to: 2019-11-28T05:07:43.000Z
When you have one Geofence inside another, which takes priority?
Geo Fences with a Higher priority are shown preference over those with a Lower priority. Where two Geo-Fences overlap with the same priority, the fence with the smallest area will be shown preference.
What triggers an update of the Geofence List?
If you add a geo-fence, edit a geo-fence or change a geo-fence asset type setting, it will result in the geo-fence list being updated. Once the geo-fence list has been updated, when the device next connects it will receive a message that will indicate to the device that it needs to download a new geo-fence list. The time it takes to update the device is dependent on when the device next connects after the geo-fence list has been updated.