Zoombak ™

Helpful Tips

Helpful Tips

Setting Up Safety Zones

1. What is a safety zone?

  • A safety zone is a personalized, virtual boundary around a location / address that you've chosen.
  • The boundary radius for a safety zone can be as small as 100 yards to as large as 88,00 yards or 50 miles.
  • When you have an active safety zone, Zoombak automatically completes a locate every 15 minutes to check whether or not your device has entered/exited your zone.
  • When your Zoombak enters/exits an active safety zone (one that is turned "ON"), you are alerted via email and/or text message (your choice). You can create up to 10 active safety zones at any given time.

2. How do you use safety zones?

Setting up a safety zone can be an efficient way to maximize your Zoombak’s battery life. When a safety zone is set and active, Zoombak will automatically check the location of your device every 15 minutes to see if it has entered/exited the zone during this time period. If your Zoombak did enter/exit the zone, then you will receive an email and/or text message alert with the current location of your device, along with time and date information. Your Zoombak’s location will continue to be automatically tracked every 15 minutes and location information will continue to be uploaded to your tracking history for as long as the zone schedule is active. (Location information may take up to 4 hours to upload to your tracking history on the web site.)

Example
If you have your safety zone set to be on from 8am – 10am and your Zoombak leaves the zone at 8:07am, then you will receive an exit alert at 8:15am stating that your Zoombak has left the safety zone. Your Zoombak’s location will be automatically tracked every 15 minutes and location information will be uploaded to your tracking history until 10am when your safety zone was scheduled to turn off. (Location information may take up to 4 hours to upload to your tracking history on the web site.)

3. How do you use safety zones schedules?


  • Specific hours and days: You can set up a schedule so your device sends you text and/or email alerts during specific times and days, e.g., Mondays and Tuesday 3-4pm and Thursdays 7am-9am. Click Edit next to schedule and then click Hours/Day.
  • 24-hour/Always On: You can set up a 24-hour/Always On safety zone schedule. This will allow you to automatically receive entry/exit notifications for a continuous 24-hour period each day until the safety zone schedule is turned off. If a 24-hour/Always On safety zone is turned on, then your device will automatically perform 4 locates per hour for a total of 96 locates for the 24-hour period. (See "Tips on Optimizing Your Zoombak Battery Life" for battery implications.)
Hints:
  • To set up a 24-hour/Always On safety zone, click  "always on" under schedule/edit, enter a name for the schedule and click "save". After selecting when you wish to be notified and how, click "finish" at the bottom of the page. Your "always on" alert schedule will indicate you wish to be notified from 01:00am Sunday - 01:00am Sunday, so you will automatically receive safety zone alerts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until you turn the safety zone off or change the schedule.
  • Make sure your correct time zone is set depending on your current location. To change your time zone setting, go to the "settings" tab and click on “account options” in the top right corner of the application.
4. How do you test your safety zones?

Your Zoombak needs to complete one initial locate while it is inside a safety zone, in order for the device to know if it has left a zone and to start providing alerts.

Example

If you are at home and you want to set up your home address as your safety zone, you need to set up your house as a zone and then wait 15 minutes for your device to complete a locate. Once the locate is complete, your device now knows where it is located and will be able to detect and alert you if it leaves the zone. You may now leave your zone with your Zoombak to test your text message and/or email alerts.

Hints:
  • When setting up your safety zones and testing, make sure your Zoombak device is outside or near a window to ensure it has a clear line of sight to the sky so your Zoombak device can be located.
  • Be sure to check your safety zone boundaries on the map to make sure you are truly leaving your zone. Remember that Zoombak automatically checks the location of your device every 15 minutes when your zone is on, so stay outside of your safety zone boundary for at least 15 minutes to properly test your alerts.
5. How do Safety Zone alerts work?

  • Entry/Exit notifications can be received by text message and/or email – this is your choice.
  • When you have a safety zone turned on and an active alert schedule, Zoombak automatically checks the location of your device every 15 minutes. If your Zoombak has entered/left the safety zone you have set up, you will receive a text and/or email alert (whichever you have elected to receive) on the quarter-hour that is closest to the time when your Zoombak entered/left the zone. Zoombak will continue to automatically check the location of your device every 15 minutes while the safety zone is turned on and your schedule is active and location information will be uploaded to your tracking history on the web site within 4 hours.
Example

If you have your safety zone set to be on from 8am – 10am and your Zoombak leaves the zone at 8:07am, then you will receive an exit alert at 8:15am stating that your Zoombak has left the safety zone. Your Zoombak’s location will be automatically tracked every 15 minutes and location information will be uploaded to your tracking history until 10am when your safety zone was scheduled to turn off. (Location information may take up to 4 hours to upload to your tracking history on the web site.)