Purpose:
The
purpose
of this document is for information sharing and is
not an endorsement of the TrackR technology product (as we are vendor
agnostic); however, it was thought that some would find this
information useful prior to trying the TrackR Bravo device
(especially the Caveats section). This work was completed in support
of a client that was interested in a inexpensive way to track items
without a monthly fee.
Testing
duration:
March 2016 – May 2016
Device
used for test:
Android
Results:
Set
up is very easy, less then 15 minutes (downloaded and installed the
App from Google Play, installed and updated, as updates were made
available. Pairing and configuration using their App was very simple.
Their Support was very responsive (not immediate but attentive and
helped work through issues), would give them an A rating. Although we
came at them with a professional attitude and wanted to see their
product succeed. Using our android device we saw map locations being
updated as TrackR device was moved around town. We
did not; however, see the crowd sourcing updates work. Per Support,
crowd source updates occur every 30 minutes. Crowd sourcing is when
another mobile device (running the TrackR software) detects your
TrackR device and provides the location where the TrackR device was
seen (along with time stamp). These updates will show up on your
mobile device (when you access your App) to show you where your
TrackR device was last seen and when.
Minor
Support issues noted:
-
Car electronics interference. Corrected
(although for our testing we placed the
TrackR device, securely,
on the underside of the vehicle).
-
TrackR would pair with phone but issues with App. Corrected.
-
TrackR map time would update to current time with last know location
(even if
location data was several
hours/day's old). Corrected.
Caveats:
-
Android, IPad, IPhone device required (at the time of this
writing).
-
If you have a known weak battery on your device it would be wise to
replace it.
-
Location setting must be left on.
-
Data or WiFi must be left on (WiFi had predefined “safe zones”
that could be
defined- for say home WiFi
connections).
-
Bluetooth must be left on.
-
Others must also have the same set up in order for crowd sourcing to
work.
(e.g. Bluetooth to sense the
TrackR device, location so the App knows the
current location of your
phone and the detected TrackR
device, WiFi or Data
connection to send the location updates.)
-
Order directly from the TrackR website (https://buy.thetrackr.co/)
to ensure you
get full support as well
as the ability to return the device (if required).
Slack
Consulting 07.2016
No comments:
Post a Comment