Recovery mode can be used to help recover a stolen asset.
When set, a device reports more frequently, and begins 'live tracking' when on the move.
NOTE: While there are no additional charges involved in setting Recovery Mode, the following points needs to be kept in mind
- Increased data usage will be seen until Recovery Mode is deactivated.
- Significantly increased battery usage for the duration Recovery Mode is active. With fresh batteries in and the device on the move, we should see about 1-2 weeks of battery life
Given the above, we select an expiry time when setting Recovery Mode (i.e. Expire after 12 hours) - so that the device leaves this mode and doesn't remain in recovery mode indefinitely, draining the battery life.
Setting Recovery Mode
There are multiple ways to set recovery mode on the Oyster3.
Oyster3 Recovery Mode Behaviour and Parameters
When in normal operation, the device will sleep in a low power state. Only waking up periodically to acquire a GPS fix and/or upload. Details of normal operation given here:
When in Recovery Mode:
- The device detects trips based on accelerometer activity (jostle mode)
- Once in trip, the GPS is left on continuously, acquiring regular fixes
- The modem is left on and the device attempts to remain continuously connected to the server.
- The GPS mode is forced to Performance Mode
Below are the default update rates when a device is set to Recovery Mode. These parameters are configurable to suit your use case, but we recommend any changes made to the parameters be tested before deployment.
| Heartbeat Period | 30 minutes |
| In Trip LoggingUpdate Rate | 30 seconds |
| Trip End Timeout | 10 minutes |
Some Recovery Mode parameters are configurable, from the system parameters tab in OEM select Add Advanced Parameters-> Recovery Mode Setup.
These parameters do not need to be touched for the majority of use cases.
If you have some special requirements, contact our support team for assistance.
When will the device enter recovery mode?
Under normal operation, the Oyster3 sleeps in a low power state (with its cellular modem off, not connected to the network). This means that if we then set Recovery Mode 'on' from the server - it will not be actioned until the next upload/connection.
Consider the example of a device set to upload hourly.
- 10:00am - device uploads
- 10:10am - recover mode is set on the server
- 11:00am - Device connects in again, gets the message and goes into recovery mode.
We need to choose the parameters carefully so that in the event of a theft, the device can go into recovery mode with an acceptable delay in from setting the device in recovery mode and the time the device actually goes into recovery mode.
A sensible frequent In-Trip Upload parameter can be a good option to consider. By default, when an Oyster3 is in trip, it uploads every 30 mins. So in that instance, the device will behave as below
- 10:00am - device uploads
- 10:10am - Recovery Mode is set on the server
- 10:30am - Device connects in again, gets the message and goes into recovery mode.
If the default in trip upload rate needs it can be configured from Parameters->Edit System Parameters->Basic Tracking.
Note adjusting this rate will affect battery life.
Once off in Trip Upload
As described above, in order to enter recovery mode quickly, we need to set a short in trip upload period.
If we don't actually care about detailed trip replays etc, this can consume additional battery life. Using the 'once-off upload' feature allows us to set up the device to upload infrequently (or not at all) during trips, but if one is to start, X minutes into a trip, we will get a single upload.
So if we had the device set to upload on Trip Start, and movement alerts configured to notify us when this happened, we can easily activate recovery mode via the app once they receive a movement alert notification that the asset has entered a trip.
An example timeline for the upload with the 'once off upload period' set to 10mins is
- trip start with upload on trip start (we get a movement alert)
- user sets recovery mode
- 10min later; once-off upload
- device enters recovery mode (at the 10 minute mark)
Note if we didn't manage to set recovery mode before (3) - we'd miss out until the next scheduled upload! So set this period to something sensible.
Configure on the Advanced Tracking tab
Without this option, if we wanted to enter recovery mode within 10 min of a trip beginning, we have to upload every 10 min in trip, all the time! So trips we aren't concerned about, where the asset has not been stolen will be wasting battery.
Note
If your devices has pending parameters when it goes into trip, the device will do a reset upon the syncing of the new settings and you may not get the once off upload after trip start.
Automatically Enable Recovery Mode After hours
It may be the case that any after hours usage is unauthorised, or is due to attempted theft.
The Oyster3 can be configured to automatically go into recovery mode if the device goes into trip after hours. This is set up from Parameters-> Edit System Parameters->After Hours-> Auto Recovery Mode Expiry.
The Auto Recovery Mode Expiry value is in hours. If set to "1" for example, the recovery mode will be activated for an hour since the trip starts. Setting this value to "0" will disable the after hours auto recovery mode.
Apart from entering auto recovery mode, alerts can be configured based on after hours usage. For more information, see Alert on After Hours Movement.
NOTE: Take care with this feature. If the device unexpectedly makes many trips, or the parameters are configured such that many trips are started/ended, you will flatten the batteries. Contact support if you are not sure.
If the user decides to exit recovery mode on the server, the device will have to end its trip first, else the device will re-enter recovery mode.