*Note: This article addresses the VidFleet in-vehicle cameras, which look like this.
If the camera looks different, please switch to Xirgo. For questions regarding camera type, please contact GPS Trackit.
Camera Alerts are a fantastic way to stay informed regarding vehicle behavior without having to constantly monitor the software. Before setting up any alerts, make sure the Contact list in the Account tab is up to date. All alerts require Contacts to be selected as recipients.
To create an Alert, click the bell in the upper right corner. A Manage button will appear along with a list of any recently triggered alerts. Click Manage, then the plus button in the upper left corner.
After clicking the plus (+) button, a series of Alert triggers will appear for selection. For alerts related to camera captures, click Camera Event.
Each alert will need a unique name in the Title field. After entering a name, choose a severity level. The severity levels are quite useful for ‘triaging’ and sorting alerts as they come in. Finally, choose the exact camera events for which the alert is being set. Multiple events can be selected for each Alert. However, the Alert can trigger even if not all selected Events occur. For a complete list of which event is which, please click here.
Step two is the Scheduling & Frequency for the Alert. This allows for customization of how many times a day the alert is triggered, the days of the week the Alert is active and even if there are times of day the Alert should or should not be triggered. All of these features combine to prevent an overwhelming amount of alerts, allowing the most effective utilization of the Alerts as possible.
The scheduling option has several choices. Everyday, which results in the alerts being triggered 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. Weekdays restricts the alert to only being triggered Monday through Friday, going out 24 hours a day. Weekends would be the reverse of this, having the alert only trigger on Saturdays and Sundays, 24 hours a day.
The final choice is Custom. Use Custom to choose the exact days of the week to have the alert trigger as well setting times that the alert should be active. For example, only needing the alert active on Mondays from 8 am to 6 pm and Tuesday from 7 am to 5 pm.
Select the day by clicking the button to the left of the entry. Then use the dropdowns to select the times. To apply the same timeframe to all the day, use the ‘Apply Monday’s times to all’ toggle button.
The Plus button to the right of each day allows the input of multiple time frames for each day. For example, the alert needs to be active on Mondays between 8 am and 10 am, then again from 4 pm to 6 pm. Use the plus button to add an additional time slot for a particular day.
Alerts are incredibly useful, however receiving too many of them can negate their value. When creating an alert a limit can be set on numbers of times total per day that it’s triggered. Click the Yes button and use the slider to choose the limit.
Clicking ‘Next’ leads to Subscribers. This section is to determine who the Alerts should be sent to when triggered. Use the ‘Select’ dropdown to make the choices. To receive an Alert, the recipient must be listed as a Contact.
For a Driver to directly receive an alert, use the Current Driver option. This will send the triggered Alert not just to selected Contacts (such as managers or administrators) but to the actual Driver of the vehicle. This feature is particularly useful for behavioral items such as speeding or excessive Idling, notifying the driver directly. For Current Driver to work properly, the Driver tool must be used. Please be aware the VidFleet cameras automatically provide in-cab audio announcements to the driver when an event is detected, whether or not any Alerts have been set. This is not a microphone and no audio will be monitored/recorded from within the cab. These in-cab announcements can be set to Spanish by contacting GPS Trackit.
Having input the triggers and the recipients, the final step is to apply the alert to the appropriate units. To apply the alert to all the units at once, select the All button.
If more specific choices are needed, use the Units button. Units are organized by Tags. Selecting a Tag will apply the alert to all the units within that tag. To expand a Tag and select specific units, click the arrow to the left of the Tag. Click ‘Add New’ to save the Alert.
Existing Alerts can be edited or deleted whenever changes are needed. To delete an alert, click the box to the left and then the trashcan icon to the upper left. For edits, hover the mouse over the alert to produce a 3-dot button. Clicking this button will then show the edit option.