Welcome to the GPS Insight Wiki
This Wiki contains support information, helpful tips, and general information about the GPS Insight product.
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| GPS Insight | Most competitors | |
|---|---|---|
| Location update frequency: | Every 2 minutes or start/stop event, no limit or extra charges | 5-15 minute updates, often times charging per “ping” |
| Cellular Airtime: | Included unlimited Cingular with free roaming (T-Mobile) | Additional monthly cost of $9.95-14.95 typically |
| Overage (hidden) Charges: | None whatsoever – unlimited users, landmarks, location updates, airtime, reports, etc. | Frequently charged for > 1mb of data, too many landmarks, extra pings, etc. |
| Mapping: | Several options – 3-D real-time (Google Earth), 2-D browser based with satellite imagery (Google Maps and/or Yahoo Maps), standalone for your internal websites with a simple html inclusion (Yahoo Maps). Our mapping auto-refreshes every minute. Our maps allow for instant zoom to a vehicle, landmarks, or a one-click status update, with color-coded icons for vehicle groups and status. | Typically older generation mapping which is limited to a certain number of vehicles/landmarks shown at once, or which does not auto-refresh. Zooming in and out is time consuming and labor intensive. |
| Cell phone integration: | Receive status of vehicles via your cell phone text messaging as well as high quality, atlas and satellite-based live maps with compatible phones. Send and receive cell phone messages to your drivers using inexpensive, widely available cell phones rather than difficult to use and expensive messaging terminals. | No competitors currently have cell phone text message capabilities for vehicle location queries or alerts, and no company offers live vehicle mapping on a PDA-style cellular phone. |
| Contract duration: | GPS Insight is a 1 year contract. Due to Cingular contracts, we have a $100 early termination fee if cancelled within a year. We have never had a cancellation or a customer that has cancelled after 1 year. | Typically 3 years, with no cancellation fee – the remainder of the contract costs are typically required to exit the contract. |
| Diagnostics: | GPS Insight offers OBD-II and J-1708 engine port diagnostics. This ensures accurate odometer readings are available (for service schedules), and that accurate speeds are obtained (from the computer, not the less-accurate GPS interpolated speed). The vehicles actual fuel consumption and true idle time are available for fuel efficiency reports, and engine diagnostic fault codes are available online and as alerts so you will know when your vehicles’ engine lights are on and why. | Most competitors do not offer this engine diagnostics capability, and the 1 or 2 which do charge significantly for it, and under-deliver. |
| Installation: | GPS Insight units install directly into the OBD-II or J-1708, and typically require only a screwdriver and 10 minutes. There are no wires to cut or splice, no voltmeters, and no opening up the dash or ignition. | All other competitors have “hard wired” installations which require physically cutting and splicing wires, opening up the dashboard, and are usually 40-60 minutes, and expensive. This cost may be factored into the hardware or monthly cost, but is ultimately paid for by the customer in one way or another. |
| Landmarks: | GPS Insight allows you to use satellite based maps to place and validate your landmarks. Additionally, landmarks are “retroactive” meaning you can report on activity at a landmarks which took place BEFORE that landmark was created. We allow users to import their own landmarks, or can do so for you at any time. This means that when a customer calls to complain that no one was at their location, you can landmark it quickly (10 seconds) and then run a report detailing your recent activity at that landmark (which vehicles, when, for how long, average time spent there, etc.) | Typically only an address or a difficult-to-use map-based mechanism is available to create landmarks. Most GPS companies do not allow you to report on landmarks unless they existed at the time the vehicle entered the landmark. This means if you identify a problem location (crack house) and want to know who has been to the crack house, you will not be able to do so retroactively. Additionally, most other GPS companies do not allow you to import your own landmarks, or they limit you to 1-3 imports per month without additional cost. |
| Support: | GPS Insight has 24×7, domestic support. We have dedicated support staff onsite 80 hours per week, and offsite cell phone forwarding during off hours. | Many other companies put their support staff offshore. We encourage you to call both our support staff and theirs at any time and compare hold times, etc. |
| Company Strength: | GPS Insight is the #1 reseller/integrator for GPS Hardware manufactured by Hughes, a multi-billion dollar company | |
| Fulfillment Process: | We typically ship same day, and can have your vehicles up and running as soon as the units are installed. Our offices have inventory for same-day installation/pick-up, and we can overnight if our standard 2-day shipping is not fast enough | Most other companies need to provision cellular lines, which takes weeks, and will require a separate cellular contract with the provider. Typically the contract is 2 years, which poses a problem in the 3rd year of the contract where a 1 year contract is provided at a cost premium. |
