Introduction
The location that's shown in the application's map mode (tracking mode) may deviate from the vehicle's real-life location. This article aims to explain the reason for this.
The device has a margin of error
All GPS receivers have a margin of error, which means that the location shown in the app will never be the exact location of the device in real life. A deviation of 5-20 meters (15-60 feet) is to be expected. If the deviation is somewhere within that range, there is nothing that can be done to increase the device's accuracy.
If the deviation is noticeable
If the device's location in the mobile app noticeably deviates from its real life location, e.g. several hundred meters, it's most likely caused by poor signal strength. It's important to understand that all materials located between the device and the GPS satellites affect the signal strength to some extent; this is most noticeable when the device is covered by several layers of metal, or if it is inside a building (i.e. surrounded by concrete).
For instance, if you've parked your car inside a garage you'll see the last reported location as being just outside of the garage. In this specific case, the deviation is caused by the device losing signal when the vehicle is driven into the garage. Please note that since the device only updates its location every two minutes, there may be some additional deviation here. Once the device is outdoors again it will start reporting its location as usual, however there may be a startup time of a minute or so depending on how long the device takes to re-establish connection with the GPS satellites.
If you're experiencing very poor accuracy even when the vehicle is outdoors, please try adjusting the device's placement in the vehicle. You can also contact us to receive information on the device's current signal strength, as we are able to determine this by looking at log files on our end.
Wrong location in-app, and the device remains offline even when the vehicle is moving
Please refer to the article about products that are offline.
If the device is online, but reports no locations while moving despite it working fine before
If your product suddenly stops reporting new locations to the app, but shows itself as online, and the device has worked fine before, a technical error has occurred which needs to be investigated. Please contact us for more information. Please do not remove the device from your account in an attempt to rectify the issue unless we explicitly tell you to do so.