There's a trade-off between update frequency and battery life — with rechargeable devices, you can have frequent updates or long battery life, but not both. The more often a tracker reports to the platform, the faster the battery drains. Devices can run for several months between charges, but only if they're configured to update their position much less often.
Smart Mode
Smart Mode improves battery life without sacrificing real-time updates. The device stays in sleep mode and sends only occasional check-ins to the platform. As soon as motion is detected, it wakes up and begins reporting in real time.
This setup works especially well for vehicles/assets in occasional use — a boat or trailer can go several months on a single charge.
Power Saving Mode
In this mode, motion detection is disabled entirely and the device simply reports at a fixed interval. It's ideal when you don't need real-time visibility or precise speed/distance reporting.
To acheive a battery life that lasts 12 months or more the update frequency should be set to around 6 hours or less.
Cars and Trucks
If you're tracking a car or truck, we strongly recommend an OBD2 device instead. These draw power directly from the vehicle, so there's no battery to recharge.
