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FAQs
What is GPS?
How accurate is GPS? Is the GPS signal available everywhere?
What is AVL and how does it work?
What are the other names used for AVL?
What is Untethered Trailer Tracking and how does it differ from AVL?
What is GPRS?
What is the difference between Fleetilla's Fleet tracking products and handheld/dash-mounted GPS Navigation Systems?
What is the difference between Fleetilla's AVL units and Passive GPS tracking devices?
What kind of geographical coverage exists for Fleetilla's Products/Services?
Do Fleetilla's AVL systems provide data in 'real-time'? What happens when the vehicle goes out of coverage?
Does Fleetilla's AVL use satellites?
What are the pros and cons of Satellite and Cellular based data communication systems?
How are Fleetilla's products and services priced?
What kind of Fleet Management information can be obtained from Fleetilla's AVL systems?
How do I access my fleet management information? Do I need to install complicated software on my PC?
What kind of integration facilities does Fleetilla provide for the data available on the Fleetilla Gateway?
I am not sure my industry/fleet size/operation fits the typical Fleetilla customer profile. What industry segments do your customers come from?
Our requirements are somewhat unique. Would you be willing to make custom software/ firmware changes to accommodate our needs?
How does one justify the cost of implementing a Fleetilla AVL solution for fleet management?
What is GPS?
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It consists of a constellation of 28 (actually 24 active and 4 spare) satellites orbiting the earth, owned and operated by the US Department of Defense. A GPS receiver receives signals from GPS Satellites and by tuning into signals from three or more satellites, it can compute its precise position on earth (latitude & longitude) as well as other parameters such as time-of-day, speed, direction, etc.
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How accurate is GPS? Is the GPS signal available everywhere?
GPS signals available to civilian GPS receivers can be used to compute position to within 10 meters (33 feet) most of the time. However, the precision of the GPS signals is sometimes intentionally diluted in certain sensitive areas based on national security needs.
GPS signals are available all over the world. However, please note that GPS receivers need signals from three or more satellites to compute position and, in general, this requires that an antenna connected to the GPS receiver be placed with a clear view of the sky. GPS reception may be inconsistent in certain locations or under certain conditions, such as:
(a) Indoors, in parking garages, etc.
(b) Under heavy foliage
(c) Urban canyons, near tall buildings, etc.
(d) Extreme weather conditions
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What is AVL and how does it work?
AVL stands for Automatic Vehicle Location. It combines a GPS receiver with a wireless radio for providing location of a vehicle to a dispatcher. The AVL unit is usually installed inside a vehicle. The GPS receiver in the AVL unit receives GPS signals continually and computes the current position of the vehicle. The wireless transmitter contained in the AVL unit uses cellular, satellite or other wireless data communication methods to periodically transmit the location of the vehicle (obtained by the GPS receiver) to a Network Operations Center (NOC). From the NOC, the data usually travels through the Internet to the desktop computer of a Fleet Operations Manager/Dispatcher. The position data transmitted by the AVL unit is combined with mapping and other data and laid out in a manner suitable for Fleet Management decision making.
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What are the other names used for AVL?
AVL is known by many other names such as GPS Tracking, Vehicle Tracking, Satellite Tracking, Fleet Tracking, Mobile Resource Management, and/or Asset Tracking. Some people simply use the term GPS to refer to AVL systems.
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What is Untethered Trailer Tracking and how does it differ from AVL?
An AVL unit is usually connected to a car/truck/tractor and derives its power from the vehicle. Untethered Trailer Tracking units are similar to AVL units except that they are mounted on mobile assets, such as trailers and containers that do not have an inbuilt power source. These units use a self-contained battery and extensive power management to report the location of the asset a few times a day. If the battery is re-chargeable, it usually gets charged when a power unit, such as a tractor, attaches to the trailer. Otherwise, Untethered Trailer Tracking units use long life non-rechargeable batteries lasting 5 to 10 years.
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What is GPRS?
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is a digital, IP-based wireless packet data service offered by GSM-based cellular carriers (Cingular & T-Mobile in USA and the significant majority of cellular providers internationally).
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What is the difference between Fleetilla's Fleet tracking products and handheld/dash-mounted GPS Navigation Systems?
Handheld/dash-mounted GPS Navigation Systems simply have a GPS receiver and some mapping software. They do not report the vehicle location in real-time to a central dispatcher. They are merely used to assist the driver in navigation.
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What is the difference between Fleetilla's AVL units and Passive GPS tracking devices?
Fleetilla's AVL units incorporate a wireless transmitter (radio) that uses universally available cellular networks to transmit location data in real-time. Passive GPS systems accumulate GPS position data in their memory. When the vehicle returns to the home/base, this data is retrieved from the unit (by either physically retrieving a 'memory card' from the device or wirelessly sending the data to a base station using some sort of proprietary, short-range 900/2400 MHz radio included in the Passive GPS device). Passive GPS systems cannot provide real-time location information.
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What kind of geographical coverage exists for Fleetilla's Products/Services?
GPRS coverage map for our North American coverage for the FL18XX series devices.
Contact Fleetilla to discuss coverage options in other areas and/or satellite coverage options.
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Do Fleetilla's AVL systems provide data in 'real-time'? What happens when the vehicle goes out of coverage?
All of Fleetilla's products provide data in real-time (as it happens) or near real-time, as far as possible. This means that each position update is sent by the AVL unit as soon as that update is due. This is quite different from many systems that claim to be real-time AVL but actually accumulate position updates within the device and then send the data by wirelessly connecting just a few times a day.
Occasionally, there are situations where the data cannot be physically transmitted by Fleetilla AVL units in real-time due to no/poor coverage. Fleetilla's Intelligent Coverage SensingT technology provides maximum 'real-timeliness' of data while ensuring minimum data loss. When Fleetilla's AVL units move in areas that have no/poor cellular coverage, the periodic position updates are stored within the device. As soon as the units move back into good coverage areas, these stored updates are transmitted by the AVL units.
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Does Fleetilla's AVL use satellites?
All AVL systems incorporate GPS receivers of some kind. In that sense they all use satellites. However, some AVL systems use satellites for communicating position data back to headquarters and others use terrestrial cellular networks. Fleetilla's products in their standard configuration use terrestrial cellular networks for data communication. Contact Fleetilla for satellite data communication options.
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What are the pros and cons of Satellite and Cellular based data communication systems?
There are primarily two types of satellites used for data communication, namely (a) Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite and (b) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite. A GEO satellite is located about 22,300 miles from the surface of earth. It orbits the earth at the same rate as the earth's rotation and hence is always at the same location over the earth. Usually a direct, line-of-sight view of the satellite is needed for communication. In many instances, tall buildings, urban canyons, trees, bad weather, etc. will block communication to a GEO satellite. Further, unlike cellular systems, communication is not possible indoors, in parking garages, etc. Communicating to a GEO satellite located 22,300 miles away also uses significantly more power than communicating to a cell tower located 5 miles away.
The LEO-based communication system uses dozens of satellites orbiting closer to earth (usually under 1200 miles) to provide the necessary coverage. Unlike the GEO satellite that has a big footprint, the footprint of each LEO satellite is quite small, but it keeps moving as the satellite moves. This can create situations such as (a) no satellite availability when an AVL unit is ready to transmit and (b) poor/no coverage in certain areas.
Cellular systems use land-based cellular towers for communication and are the most efficient and cost effective solutions for urban areas, communication inside buildings, and/or high speed and large bandwidth wireless communication requirements. However, typically, cellular coverage is limited in extremely remote areas.
In short, due to their cost advantage, cellular systems should be the first choice for any wireless application. If real-time coverage from remote areas is a must, a combination of cellular and satellite system would typically provide the most cost effective solution.
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How are Fleetilla's products and services priced?
Each AVL unit has a onetime cost (for hardware, activation, etc.) and an affordable monthly service charge. Monthly charges depend on usage and Fleetilla has several monthly pricing plans to fit almost all usage profiles.
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What kind of Fleet Management information can be obtained from Fleetilla's AVL systems?
There are many configuration options for Fleetilla's AVL units. These relate primarily to the frequency of position updates and events (such as start/stop) that can trigger a position update. In general, based on configuration, the following information is available:
(a) Periodic Position Updates consisting of location, approximate address, speed, direction
(b) Start and/or Stop Information
(c) Mileage accumulated
(d) Operating Hours accumulated
(e) Ignition On /OFF
(f) Tethered/Untethered data (For FL1700-TT)
(g) External sensor data (Door Open/Close, Temperature, etc.)
(h) Panic Mode reporting
These reports are available on the Fleetilla Gateway website, which provides detailed, street-level maps for Canada, USA and Mexico. The Gateway can also be used for other fleet management functions such as (a) triggering maintenance alerts based on accumulated mileage, days and/or operating hours (b) analyzing history/breadcrumb trail (c) finding closest vehicle to current vehicle or site, (d) locating vehicles on-demand, (e) defining and highlighting points of interest or sites, (f) viewing fleet utilization and (g) providing limited access to clients/customers.
In addition to the above, many optional add on modules exist and/or can be created to communicate additional information such as (a) J1708 Vehicle Bus information suitable for creating Electronic Driver Logs(fuel usage, engine RPM, hard braking & acceleration, status/duty change, etc.) and (b) Messages and status information to/from drivers and dispatchers. If required, Fleetilla can create interfaces to devices such as accelerometers, biometric ID scanners, etc. to meet your unique needs. Contact Fleetilla for these optional and custom add on modules.
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How do I access my fleet management information? Do I need to install complicated software on my PC?
Your fleet management information can be accessed from anywhere using Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser. Fleetilla does not require you to install any custom software on your PC or have extensive IT support
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What kind of integration facilities does Fleetilla provide for the data available on the Fleetilla Gateway?
For those who need data integration with in-house systems, Fleetilla provides two main methods of integration: (a) a real-time XML feed of your data (b) periodic download of data into a batch file, which can then be imported into your favorite Microsoft Office or equivalent application, or database.
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I am not sure my industry/fleet size/operation fits the typical Fleetilla customer profile. What industry segments do your customers come from?
Fleetilla's customers are truly a diverse group. Small fleets and owner operators as well as very large fleets use Fleetilla's solutions. There are long haul fleets that operate the NAFTA trade route from Canada to Mexico and back; there are also fleets that primarily operate in regional, metropolitan and/or rural areas. We have customers who are contract carriers, private fleets, corporate car fleets, government agency fleets, and non-profit and educational organizations. Large trailer leasing companies as well as small equipment rental companies find our solutions valuable. Our AVL systems are used by oil field services companies, wholesale distributors of pharmaceuticals, food and other products, gas & electric utilities, HVAC installation/maintenance companies, commercial lawn care services, vehicle towing services, public bus services, healthcare service agencies and complex automotive supply chain management providers.
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Our requirements are somewhat unique. Would you be willing to make custom software/ firmware changes to accommodate our needs?
Fleetilla's solutions are designed considering the needs of the diverse groups of industries and customer segments we serve. Our solutions are highly configurable, modular and in most situations we are able to accommodate your needs without any changes to the underlying hardware, firmware and/or software. However, for needs outside our standard offerings, we will be glad to understand your unique application requirements and work towards a solution that meets those requirements. Please contact us at info@fleetilla.com.
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How does one justify the cost of implementing a Fleetilla AVL solution for fleet management?
We believe Fleetilla provides the most feature-rich, flexible and affordable AVL solution for the value-conscious buyer. If you have been shopping around, you may have encountered calculators/tools/formulae offering ROI, Payback Period, NPV and other computations. The fact is, financial justification computations are hard to generalize; they have to be developed considering your particular operation or application. Further, many times, the decision to install an AVL system may be equally driven by non-financial criteria such as safety, security, supervisory needs, competitive requirements and/or client needs. Here are some benefits to consider while analyzing your specific situation:
(a) Improvement in the utilization of equipment and productivity of employees, and consequent reduction in the total resources and assets that need to be deployed
(b) Reduction in the theft , tampering and misuse of equipment and cargo, and the associated insurance premium savings
(c) Elimination of wasted time "looking for" misplaced equipment and taking stock of your mobile assets
(d) Streamlining of routes, elimination of wasted miles driven, fuel cost savings
(e) Benefits derived from being able to maintain cars, trucks, trailers and other equipment in a timely manner based on miles/operating hours data and elimination of costs due to poor equipment maintenance
(f) Ability to bill a customer based on usage (miles driven/accumulated operating hours) without having to wait for odometer and other reading from field, if you are a trailer and other equipment leasing company
(g) Ability to analyze and leverage historical fleet activity data for a variety of purposes - from route optimization to elimination of fraudulent claims against your fleet
(h) Potential additional revenue from increased customer satisfaction, increased fleet availability and ability to project a professional image.
(i) The peace of mind of knowing where all your mobile assets are, at anytime and from anywhere
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