In this article we will walk through best practices for use, setup, and in transit configuration to maximize battery life and desired battery duration.
Charging
The TRAK-X1 single use device utilizes 2 Alkaline AA batteries and does not require any charging.
Turning on
The TRAK-X1 has 2 modes:
- Normal - Device is on. By default the device will start in setup mode. Once starting a shipment, pull the plastic tab from the battery compartment, hold the orange button on the device for 5 seconds (long press) and device will enter normal mode to start tracking. See below for LED behavior.
- Setup Mode - Device is off. Upon shipment completion the device will enter into Setup Mode. However, you can manually also switch the device into Setup Mode by holding the orange button on the device for 5 seconds (long press). See below for LED behavior.
Additionally, you can double press to get an on demand real time report.
Activation Troubleshooting
Most TRAK-X1 hardware issues are as a result of depleted batteries or the device not properly button pressed into Normal Mode. Please see below scenarios for troubleshooting:
Why won't my device activate and start tracking?
- Please ensure device device is in Normal Mode after creating the shipment. You can verify by quick single press. If in Setup Mode, device will blink twice. If in Normal Mode, device will blink once.
- Still not working? Submit a support via the chatbot in the bottom right of this screen or submit a request.
My device was activated, why am I not seeing activity in the CONTXT platform?
- Depending on network strength your device may take up to 15 minutes to connect and start transmitting data to the CONTXT platform.
- Devices activated in areas of poor network connectivity may take up to 30 minutes to connect as they enter into a good coverage area.
- Double check your configuration profile. If your ping interval is set to a higher value you will see less frequent pings.
TRAK-X1 Battery Life Guide
The battery life of the TRAK-X1 ranges from 3 weeks to 2 months depending on how frequently the devices are sampling and reporting to the CONTXT platform. A more aggressive ping interval (15 minutes sample / 1 hour reporting) will typically result in a maximum of 3 weeks battery life. Alternatively a ping interval of (1 hr sample / 24 hr report) will yield 2 - 3 months battery life. Striking a balance of ping interval to your business use case is key to the best experience with this hardware. As part of your onboarding process, your customer success team will identify common use cases, make recommendations for configuration profiles and help you set them up.
Aside from ping interval there are external factors that can impact battery life. Common scenarios listed below:
- Device is traveling through an area with poor network connectivity and makes multiple attempts to connect to a viable network.
- Device is placed and loaded on an intermodal container that is towards the bottom of the stack of the vessel it is traveling on.
- Device is packed inside packaging containing metal.
To minimize potential issues please refer to: How to Ship Via Air and How to Ship Via Ocean for mode specific recommendations for battery preservation.