FAQ's
What makes FleetHawk different from other AVL systems on the market?
Is FleetHawk a good fit for me?
What are the benefits of using FleetHawk?
What does a FleetHawk system consist of?
How much data does FleetHawk store?
Does FleetHawk work everywhere?
What is FleetHawk?
FleetHawk is a complete, easy-to-install location and tracking system that collects, stores, and processes vehicle data, and then delivers the information to fleet managers through an easy-to-use website.
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What makes FleetHawk different from other AVL systems on the market?
FleetHawk is the only system on the market designed, built and supported by a single company: SkyTel. That means you get one bill, and there's only one company to call for sales, service and support. SkyTel has been a leader in the wireless data market since the 1980s, providing superior service and support to millions of customers over the years.
Wireless data is our business, and we're good at it. SkyTel is up and running even when other wireless networks become overburdened and unavailable, such as during the recent east coast power outage.
Because the system is a SkyTel product from end-to-end, we can provide the hardware and service at a lower price than our competitors.
FleetHawk is also the only system with Assisted GPS capabilities.
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Is FleetHawk a good fit for me?
FleetHawk is the perfect choice for any local or metro fleet:
- Taxi and limousine fleets
- State and local government fleets
- Public transportation fleets
- Utility fleets
- Delivery fleets
- Service fleets
- Construction and contractor fleets
- Any business that wants to minimize fleet costs and maximize fleet usefulness
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What are the benefits of using FleetHawk?
FleetHawk can help you:
- Make better, faster dispatch & routing decisions
- Improve employee productivity
- Lower fleet operational costs
- Increase revenue
- Monitor and control your mobile assets
For information on how FleetHawk delivers these benefits, see the Features & Benefits page.
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What does a FleetHawk system consist of?
- A FleetHawk device, which contains GPS and SkyTel 2Way technology.
- The FleetHawk database, which stores vehicle information.
- The FleetHawk website, where you can set up your vehicles and fleets, track and control your vehicles, and generate reports.
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How does FleetHawk work?
- FleetHawk devices automatically record data about the vehicles in which they're installed, such as speed, location, direction of travel, and engine status.
- FleetHawk devices wirelessly send their recorded data to the FleetHawk database using the SkyTel 2Way network.
- The reported data is accessed through the FleetHawk website. The website also allows you to send ad hoc queries to FleetHawk devices.
What can FleetHawk monitor?
In addition to speed, location and direction of travel, a FleetHawk Pro device can monitor vehicle electrical systems using the input/output (I/O) pins on the device: for example, ignition status, door locks, and temperature can all be monitored. You can set up alerts for most of the items that FleetHawk Pro tracks or monitors; for example, FleetHawk Pro can let you know when vehicles exceed safe speeds, or whether a vehicle's engine is on or off.
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What can FleetHawk control?
FleetHawk's output connections can be used to control certain electrical systems in your vehicles. For example, you can install a FleetHawk Pro device to remotely lock or unlock vehicle power doors, or to disable the starter so that the vehicle's engine cannot be started.
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How much data can FleetHawk store?
FleetHawk devices can safely store about one and a half days worth of data (34 hours). The FleetHawk database stores the last 45 days of reported data from each device. You can purchase additional database storage to have access to 120 days worth of vehicle data.
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Does FleetHawk work everywhere?
FleetHawk devices collect and store GPS and vehicle data regardless of their geographic location, as long as they can get a fix on the GPS satellites. Of course, like all wireless communication systems, some geographic and weather conditions can affect signal strength and coverage availability. GPS signals, for example, may be suppressed if vehicles are in underground garages.
The devices can report their data to the FleetHawk database only when they are within a SkyTel coverage area. The FleetHawk website application is available anywhere an Internet connection is available.
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What is GPS?
GPS (Global Positioning System) is the technology that pinpoints vehicles location using a network of 24 public global satellites positioned above the earth's atmosphere. FleetHawk devices use GPS to track vehicle locations, speed and direction of travel.
GPS is accurate to about 100 yards or less, and the antenna generally requires a direct view of the sky to track accurately.
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What is Assisted GPS?
On its own, GPS technology has a low signal strength, and always requires a direct view of the sky. So penetrating into buildings or metal structures can be difficult or impossible, and GPS signals can also be lost during tunnel travel.
With Assisted GPS, the SkyTel network gives GPS a "helping hand" to identify the satellites needed to get an accurate fix. This allows the GPS receiver to tune in quickly and accurately to those specific satellites, so it gets much better reception and performance on the GPS system. Although Assisted GPS can't address every GPS weakness, it actually reduces the amount of time it takes for the device to figure out where it is.
Click to download more information about SkyTel Assisted GPS.
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What is a GeoFence?
A GeoFence is a geographic boundary that you define. FleetHawk records all entry and exit of assigned vehicles from GeoFence boundaries and can alert FleetHawk system users when these "events" occur.
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What is an alert?
FleetHawk can be set up to send notification alerts when certain events occur, such as when vehicles cross GeoFence boundaries, or when they exceed speed limits. Alerts can be sent to email, SkyTel pagers, cell phones with SMS text messaging*, or any device with an email address, such as PDAs.
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What is a transaction?
A transaction is any unique data point recorded by a FleetHawk device. For example, scheduled data recording, speed "events," and ad hoc location queries are all transactions.
Back to topFor more information, please contact the FleetHawk sales team at 1-866-644-HAWK.
*Additional fees may apply.
