Field Troubleshooting Guide

01

Purpose

This manual provides a standard field troubleshooting procedure for TerraSense equipment.

TerraSense does not charge a monthly service fee, monthly support fee or recurring support fee. The purpose of this manual is therefore to give each client the tools and methodology required to perform first level technical troubleshooting internally.

The checks described here are essentially the same checks a conventional technical support desk would ask a client to perform during a support call.

The objective is to resolve approximately 80 percent of routine field issues locally and, where this is not possible, to provide TerraSense with sufficient technical evidence to diagnose and escalate the problem efficiently.

TerraSense is still heavily founder led and is deploying networks across multiple properties and regions. It is therefore important that routine physical checks are completed on site before an issue is escalated.

The core troubleshooting principle is simple:

1. Power
2. Bluetooth
3. Position
4. Communication
5. Platform
6. History
7. Evidence

Do not begin with the assumption that a device is faulty. Establish which part of this chain has failed.

02

TerraSense Device Principles

The Belt Tracker, Connect, Pivot and Animal Tag use the same fundamental core technology.

Every device contains its own internal battery.

The principal differences between products are battery capacity, charging method, antenna configuration, physical enclosure and intended application.

Belt Tracker

Portable unit used for personnel, foot patrols, canine teams and similar applications. It always operates from its internal battery and uses wireless charging.

The Belt Tracker itself has no charging LED. The wireless charging bank displays green when ready and red when the Belt Tracker is correctly positioned and charging.

Connect

Normally permanently installed in a vehicle.

The Connect contains an internal battery which is maintained by the vehicle power supply.

Vehicle installations normally use external radio and GPS antennas connected through extension cables. The physical installation, antenna placement, cables and connectors therefore form part of the troubleshooting process.

Pivot

Portable solar powered unit containing its own internal battery.

The Pivot has no charging LED. Charging status is assessed through TerraField after connecting by Bluetooth and checking battery voltage and, where available, charging status.

If completely flat, the Pivot must be placed in strong direct sunlight with the solar panel clean and unobstructed and allowed sufficient time to recover.

Animal Tag

Uses the same general power, position and communication principles. Battery size, antenna configuration and enclosure vary according to the application.

03

Quick Field Check

This is the standard troubleshooting sequence and should be followed in this order.

1. 1Identify the device. Confirm the correct vehicle, asset, call sign, device name and device identification where available.
2. 2Find the physical unit. Do not troubleshoot only from the map when the equipment is physically accessible.
3. 3Inspect before touching. Photograph the installation before changing anything. Look for obvious damage, loose connections, damaged antennas, damaged or pinched cables, disconnected power and evidence of recent vehicle work.
4. 4Check power and charging. Confirm the correct charging source for the product and check battery voltage where available.
5. 5Connect by Bluetooth. Use TerraField while standing close to the device.
6. 6If Bluetooth fails on Apple, clear the previous connection. Open Apple Bluetooth settings, forget the previous device where applicable, return to TerraField and reconnect.
7. 7Check battery voltage and charging status. Use current values together with historical values where available.
8. 8Move into open sky. Do not perform GPS diagnosis inside workshops, garages, buildings or underneath substantial metal structures.
9. 9Check GPS and satellite count. A good GPS lock would normally be in excess of 20 satellites.
10. 10Check the GPS installation. Inspect GPS antenna placement, sky visibility, cable condition and connector.
11. 11Check the radio antenna. Confirm that it is present, undamaged and correctly positioned. As a general field rule, the radio antenna should be vertical.
12. 12Check the radio cable and connector. Look for cuts, pinching, crushing, sharp bends, loose connectors and other physical damage.
13. 13Check radio telemetry. Record available SNR, receive information and recent communication information.
14. 14Check nearby devices. Establish whether other TerraSense devices in the same area are communicating normally.
15. 15Check the remote platform. Confirm when the device was last seen and its last known position.
16. 16Check EarthRanger history where available. Review historical battery voltage, satellite count, communication frequency and last known telemetry.
17. 17Compare with a known working device. Where practical, compare the questionable unit with another unit operating correctly in the same location.
18. 18Change one thing at a time. Make one controlled change and test again before changing anything else.
19. 19Collect evidence. Photograph the installation and capture relevant screenshots or screen recordings.
20. 20Escalate only after completing the checks. If the issue remains unresolved, send the collected evidence and troubleshooting results to TerraSense.

04

Power and Charging

If Bluetooth is unavailable, power is one of the first things to investigate.

Connect

Confirm vehicle power is available and that the Connect charging supply has not been disconnected. Inspect visible wiring and consider whether the vehicle has recently undergone servicing, electrical work or battery replacement.

Where the approved installation allows USB power, a known working USB cable and suitable power source may be used according to the approved procedure.

Once Bluetooth is available, check battery voltage in TerraField.

Belt Tracker

Place the Belt Tracker onto a known working wireless charging bank.

Green on the charging bank means the charger is ready. Red when the Belt Tracker is correctly positioned indicates charging.

Allow sufficient charging time before retesting Bluetooth.

Pivot

Place the Pivot outside in strong sunlight. Ensure the solar panel is clean, unobstructed and facing the sky.

Do not attempt recovery inside a building, vehicle, workshop, under a roof, under trees or in deep shade.

Once Bluetooth becomes available, check battery voltage and charging status in TerraField.

A device without sufficient power cannot acquire and report its position or communicate through the network.

05

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is the quickest method of establishing whether a nearby device is alive and responding locally.

If Bluetooth connects, capture the available battery voltage, charging status, GPS information, satellite count, radio information, SNR, receive information and recent communication information.

Bluetooth connectivity does not prove that GPS or network communication is working. It simply confirms that the device is powered and responding locally.

Apple Bluetooth Issue

An Apple device may retain an older device name associated with the same Bluetooth identity.

If the device cannot be found or connected in TerraField, open Apple Settings, enter Bluetooth settings, locate and forget the previous device entry, return to TerraField and search again.

Do not classify a device as failed until this procedure and the appropriate power checks have been completed.

06

GPS and Satellite Acquisition

GPS and network communication are separate functions.

• GPS determines where the device is.
• The TerraSense network communicates that information onwards.

A device can therefore have a valid GPS position but no network communication, or good network communication but poor GPS acquisition.

For GPS troubleshooting, move the device into clear open sky and allow sufficient time for acquisition.

A good satellite lock would normally be in excess of 20 satellites.

Repeated historical counts of approximately four to eight satellites indicate poor satellite acquisition and should trigger an inspection of GPS antenna placement, sky visibility, GPS cable condition, connector condition and surrounding metal obstruction.

Where an external GPS antenna is installed, check that it is correctly positioned, has a clear view of the sky and has not been moved or covered.

Follow the GPS cable from antenna to device and inspect it for pinching, crushing, cutting, sharp bends or other damage.

A sudden historical change from more than 20 satellites to consistently low satellite counts is particularly useful. Ask what physically changed at approximately the same time. Vehicle servicing, antenna movement, cable damage, new equipment installation or storage under a metal structure may explain the change.

07

Radio and Network Communication

Once power and GPS have been confirmed, investigate network communication.

Inspect the radio antenna and confirm that it is present, correctly connected, undamaged and correctly positioned.

As a general field rule, the radio antenna should be vertical.

Inspect the complete radio antenna cable and connector. Pay particular attention to areas where cables pass through panels, around engine components or through locations where they may be crushed or pinched.

When connected locally through TerraField, record available radio information including SNR and receive information.

You do not need to diagnose the complete radio system from a single SNR value. Record the information and use it together with physical inspection, neighbouring devices and historical behaviour.

If possible, test the questionable device in an area where other TerraSense devices are known to communicate correctly.

If several nearby devices communicate normally while the questionable device does not, the problem is more likely to be associated with that device or its installation.

If multiple devices in the same area stop communicating simultaneously, investigate the wider network rather than immediately assuming multiple individual devices have failed.

08

Using Historical Data

Historical data is one of the most valuable troubleshooting tools available.

In EarthRanger, select the relevant node, open its historical values and move backwards through the available pages.

Review battery voltage, satellite count, GPS behaviour, communication frequency, last known position and other available telemetry.

The objective is to determine what happened before the device disappeared.

Falling Battery Before Failure

If battery voltage gradually declines and the device eventually disappears, investigate charging and power first.

• For a Connect, investigate vehicle power and charging.
• For a Pivot, investigate solar exposure and charging.
• For a Belt Tracker, investigate wireless charging and charging routine.

Healthy Battery Followed by Sudden Failure

If battery voltage remained healthy and communication stopped suddenly, investigate physical installation, power connection, antennas, cables, connectors, recent vehicle work, network communication and possible physical damage.

Low Satellite Count

If historical satellite count is consistently low, investigate GPS antenna placement, sky visibility, cable condition, connector condition and physical obstruction.

Sudden Satellite Deterioration

If satellite count was historically above 20 and suddenly dropped substantially, determine what changed at approximately that time.

Intermittent Communication

If the device works in some locations but not others, investigate network coverage, antenna position and surrounding infrastructure. Compare its behaviour with other devices travelling through the same area.

History should be used to narrow the investigation before components are replaced.

09

Physical Installation

Many apparent electronic failures are installation problems.

Before replacing equipment, inspect the entire installation.

Look for damaged, crushed, pinched or disconnected cables, loose connectors, missing or damaged antennas, incorrect antenna orientation, disconnected charging supplies, physical damage and changes made during vehicle servicing.

Vehicles that have recently been in a workshop require particular attention.

Ask whether the vehicle battery was disconnected, electrical or bodywork was performed, equipment was moved, antenna cables were disturbed, TerraSense equipment was disconnected or cables were trapped during reassembly.

A unit that worked correctly before a workshop visit and stopped immediately afterwards provides a strong diagnostic clue.

10

Compare Good With Bad

When possible, compare a questionable device with a known working device in the same physical location.

Compare battery voltage, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite count, GPS acquisition, antenna installation, cable condition, SNR, receive information and network communication.

If two vehicles are parked next to each other and one communicates normally while the other does not, environmental and wider network variables are reduced considerably.

This is often one of the fastest ways to isolate a problem.

11

Do Not Change Multiple Variables

Use the rule:

1. One Change
2. Test
3. Record

Do not replace the antenna, cable, power source and device simultaneously.

Changing multiple variables may solve the problem without identifying its cause.

This also makes future failures harder to diagnose.

12

Do Not Swap the Device Too Early

A replacement TerraSense unit should not be the first troubleshooting step.

A damaged antenna cable, disconnected charging source or poor antenna installation will remain a problem even if the main electronic unit is replaced.

Only consider a swap after power, charging, Bluetooth, GPS, antennas, cables, connectors and network communication have been checked.

If a known working replacement unit immediately operates correctly using exactly the same installation, this is useful evidence that the original unit may be faulty.

If the replacement unit experiences the same problem, return to the installation, power, antennas, network and environment.

13

Evidence Required for Escalation

If the problem remains unresolved, provide TerraSense with a concise technical report containing:

• Property, vehicle or asset name, device name and device identification where available.
• Date, time and physical location of the test.
• Date and time last seen online.
• Bluetooth status.
• Current battery voltage and relevant historical battery behaviour.
• Charging status and charging method checked.
• GPS status, current satellite count and relevant historical satellite count.
• Confirmation that GPS was tested in clear open sky.
• Condition and position of the GPS antenna, radio antenna, cables and connectors.
• Available SNR and receive information.
• Whether nearby TerraSense devices are communicating normally.
• Whether the device was compared with a known working unit.
• Whether the vehicle has recently undergone workshop or electrical work.
• Relevant photographs, screenshots or screen recordings.
• A short summary of the troubleshooting already completed and the result.

14

What Good Evidence Looks Like

Photographs should show context first and detail second.

Take a wider photograph showing the complete installation, followed by closer photographs of antennas, cables, connectors, charging connections and any suspected damage.

Screenshots should capture relevant battery, GPS, satellite, radio and historical information.

Screen recordings can be particularly useful where the behaviour is difficult to demonstrate with a single screenshot.

Do not send only:

• “Tracker offline.”
• “Vehicle missing.”
• “Not working.”
• “Please check.”

Those statements do not provide enough information to diagnose a physical system remotely.

15

Example of a Good Escalation

“Connect 14 on Land Cruiser 14. Checked at 10:30. Last seen yesterday at 16:20. Vehicle is currently outside in clear sky. Bluetooth connects successfully. Battery voltage is healthy. GPS position is available and satellite count is healthy. Radio antenna is present and vertical. GPS and radio antenna cables have been physically checked and connectors are secure. No visible cable damage. EarthRanger history shows healthy battery voltage and satellite acquisition before communication stopped. Connect 12 is communicating normally from the same location. Connect 14 is still not communicating. Photographs of the installation and screenshots of battery voltage, satellite count, radio information and EarthRanger history are attached.”

This gives TerraSense enough information to begin at the next technical level rather than repeating the basic field troubleshooting process.

16

Technical Responsibility on the Property

Each property should nominate a technically capable person as its first technical contact.

That person should be familiar with TerraField, Bluetooth connection, charging procedures, physical antenna and cable inspection, GPS testing, satellite counts, basic radio telemetry, EarthRanger historical information and evidence collection.

Routine problems should first pass through this technical contact.

If additional training is required, TerraSense can provide guidance on any part of this process that the nominated person does not understand.

The purpose is not for the reserve to become an electronics repair centre. Devices should not be opened and internal electronics should not be repaired in the field.

The purpose is to identify whether the problem is power, charging, GPS, antenna, cable, network, installation or the device itself before escalation.

17

Final Troubleshooting Logic

For almost every field problem, work through the same chain:

1. Power
2. Bluetooth
3. GPS
4. Satellites
5. Radio
6. Network
7. Platform
8. History
9. Evidence

1. 1Does it have power? If yes, continue.
2. 2Can I connect locally? If yes, continue.
3. 3Does it know where it is? If yes, continue.
4. 4Does it have good satellite acquisition? If yes, continue.
5. 5Can it communicate with the network? If yes, continue.
6. 6Is the information reaching the platform? If not, determine where the information stopped.

Then use historical data to understand what happened immediately before the failure.

If the issue remains unresolved after completing the field procedure, collect the evidence and escalate it to TerraSense.

The objective is simple: do not guess. Identify where the chain has broken.