To keep your vehicle locations, messages and job information secure, AutoAlert requires that you log in with your email and a password before accessing your data.
However, if you are on your iPhone or iPad and feel that your phones existing security is good enough, you can make logging in to AutoAlert iOS Monitor easier by switching the need to log in to on or off.
In order to switch off the need to log in, follow these steps:
We wouldn’t recommend turning the need to sign in off if you don’t need a pass code on your phone, if you don’t have a fingerprint sensor or if it is very important to you that you keep your data secure.
Before you turn signing in off, you may also find the following article interesting on How thief’s can unlock a stolen iPhone.
To make using a password easier with AutoAlert iOS Monitor, you can use a password or pass code, whichever you find easier. If you are using a pass code, then the keyboard will automatically change to a number pad. Check out our guide on how to change your password on iOS Monitor.
Find out more about how to recover your password from the AutoAlert website.
Find out more about AutoAlert iPhone Monitor
This is a quick guide to getting started with our AutoAlert Monitor Application on your iPhone or iPad:
If you haven’t already downloaded the application, you can get it from the iTunes store.
AutoAlert Monitor is a simple application for the iPhone and iPad which provides all the benefits of AutoAlert but in the palm of your hand.
With AutoAlert Monitor you can:
AutoAlert provides transparency over your business.
No more ringing around, trying to find out where your colleagues are or whether a job has been done. You can also quickly and easily communicate with your colleagues.
Find out more about:
I often find myself searching for directions on my computer but then want to view those directions on my phone.
Fortunately with the cloud, this is pretty easy and doesn’t need you to search again from scratch on your phone.
If you don’t already know how to get directions from your desktop on to your smart phone, or from your computer to one of your colleagues phones simply and easily and with a minimum of clicks, then check our tips below:
If you’re using Apple Maps on your computer and on your iPhone or iPad. Simply press the sharing button and then select the device you want to share the directions with.
Then, on your iPhone (or iPad)
This will show you the directions on a map, you can also get turn by turn navigation by clicking the Start button.
Provided you’re signed in to Google, if you’ve searched for directions on Google Maps on your web browser. The locations will automatically be shown on Google maps on any other device.
Open Google Maps on your phone, press the directions icon and then click the relevant location in your history to populate your origin or destination and get the directions between the two.
With AutoAlert Messaging, sending directions to someone else’s phone is very simple.
One of the benefits of using AutoAlert is the ability to cut and paste information from another application into AutoAlert and then send that as a message to one of your colleagues.
If you’re already got the directions from Google Maps, then simply
), When your receive the text message on your phone, you can simply click on the URL in the message to open Google Maps on your phone with your directions.
If you’re logged into AutoAlert and want to send directions from one of your vehicles, or send directions from another address, then there are two simple ways to do this.
If you want to get directions from the current location of one of your vehicles, simply click on the vehicle, enter the destination in the Directions to field and click 
.
This will open your direction in google maps.
From there you can change the directions, add route options or change from driving to walking etc.
If you have Google Maps on your phone, you can open the application and use the two locations which are available in your history (see above).
If you want to send the directions to another phone, then copy the URL from your web browser, go back into AutoAlert and click the messages icon . You can then decide whether to send the message as an instant message to one of your connections or by SMS.
Clicking on the link in the message will automatically open the directions in your map application on your phone.
To get directions from a particular location,
to open the directions in Google maps
This will open your direction in google maps.
From there you can change the directions, add route options or change from driving to walking etc.
If you have Google Maps on your phone, you can open the application and use the two locations which are available your history (see above).
If you want to send the directions to another phone, then copy the URL from your web browser, go back into AutoAlert and click the messages icon . You can then decide whether to send the message as an instant message to one of your connections or by SMS.
Clicking on the link in the message will automatically open the directions in your map application on your phone.
If you want to get directions from one location to another, then you can obviously do this via Google Maps, Apple Maps or a whole hosts of other applications.
However, if you want to get the directions from one of your vehicles to you, or to another location. Then this is simple to do using AutoAlert’s iOS Monitor application.
Simply open AutoAlert iOS Monitor, go to the radar screen, tap on your vehicle and then enter the address into the search bar and press done. T
This will launch Google Maps if you have it, otherwise it will launch Apple Maps on your phone with your directions ready including turn by turn navigation if required.
You can of course copy and paste any information you want into a message and send it via AutoAlert. This saves you the time and effort of having to write out a text from scratch on your phone.
Find out more about AutoAlert Messaging and our iOS Monitor application, and how they can benefit your business.
AutoAlert GPS Tracking allows you to show or hide your vehicles on the main radar screen and within the iPhone monitor app.
As the radar screen automatically optimizes the zoom level to make sure all your vehicles are in view, hiding those vehicles which you don’t want to track means its easier to see what your other vehicles are doing.
Your vehicle may not be working, your GPS tracking device may be switched off or it might be spare. Therefore being able to hide that vehicle or GPS device is important so that you don’t clutter up your screen. This is especially relevant when you have a lot of vehicles which you are tracking.
To hide one of your vehicles, simply complete the following steps when logged into the AutoAlert website:
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Result: The relevant vehicle will be either shown or hidden from view. In this case, the vehicle marked Security was originally shown but was then hidden. This meant that the radar screen automatically zoomed to the remaining vehicles.
Note: Showing or hiding your vehicles will also affect their visibility when logged in to the mobile version of the site or when checking your vehicles location on the AutoAlert Monitor iPhone app. If you’re sharing your vehicles locations with your connections, then hiding the vehicle on your screen will also hide the vehicle for your connection.
Apps for the iphone and snazzy entertainment systems may have made journeys more enjoyable, but when it comes to driving, one thing remains immutable: taxes. For us motorists, it seems it’s the man behind the wheel who gets clobbered every time. You know the sort of thing I mean, every time there’s a budget. Hah, fingers tensely clutching the keys, you read about another tax hike or mindboggingly complex rule of the road; it’s as if we’re a fuel guzzling, speeding, road rage bunch of maniacs. Come to think of it, Britain’s roads would function a lot better if it wasn’t for the motorists.
Now, what do you think of this latest news from the government about the introduction of toll roads?
Yes, I reckon this could threaten a big acceleration on the poor tax laden motorist. As it happens UK drivers already pay £10 billion a year for road maintenance – or someone or other’s maintenance. Now, we’re about to have the last pennies squeezed out of us in the form of a few billions more with fuel and vehicle excise duty rises.
Actually, these toll or ‘express lanes’ will be located alongside busy sections of motorways and trunk roads so maybe a GPS system will be needed to locate their exact position. Anyway, they will be financed by the private sector, not the taxpayers; the firms which build them will gather and keep the tolls. In so doing, the construction companies building these toll roads will bump up the economy and get the country back on its four wheels again – as opposed to hobbling round on the current deflating ones.
Of course we are assured – when aren’t we? – that the scheme will be confined to ‘express lanes’ with no plans to introduce tolls on existing roads. But things have a habit of spreading though, don’t they? Road pricing sounds fine in theory in that the driver using his car less, pays less, but the good old motorist who already pays a hefty whack in tax is now being asked to go into overdrive for another £21.5billion plus VAT. For those of you who live or work in London, this might sound like a familair frustration: with already overburdened denizens forced to fork out up to £10 a day for the London Congestion Charge, just to drive on roads they’ve already paid for.
So now we’re being asked to pump up more just to drive the car and get somewhere a bit quicker and ease traffic congestion for others. Forget the Fair Fuel motion, this is far more than just a surface scratch, and wait for the rust to set in.
The European motor industry has agreed on a common system for charging electric cars across Europe. Not bad, considering the present system of using several types of charging methods seems a bit ridiculous. I mean you would need a GPS or a decent iPhone app to find one that suits your particular plug-in. No wonder the market across the world is a bit fragmented.
So, the ACEA, the automobile manufacturers’ trade association, wants one type of plug to become standard for all electric cars by 2017, whoopee.
“This…paves the way for a harmonised solution around the globe”, commented ACEA’s secretary-general, Ivan Hodac. It does indeed and certainly makes the idea of an electric car a lot more attractive. High safety standards and ease of use give added fuel for thought.
The association wants regulators, infrastructure providers and rivals across the globe to adopt the same standard, achieving a global car industry as soon as possible. So, one language for all plug-ins, great stuff.
A standardised plug! Ha, there could be one or two problems with this comprehensive proposal (when aren’t there one or two problems).
Put it this way, it’s not going to be a simple matter about agreeing on using the same plug, is it? It’s going to involve the other simple matter of how much electricity should be pumped through this, and how super quick this should be done.
You see, some of these plug-ins have batteries designed to be charged rather slowly, yep using ordinary household plugs. There are others that use faster charging plugs. Now, up to now, the car manufacturers have used this with glee, a chance to get ahead of competitors. First one past the post, as it were. Now, suddenly, they’re on level pegging.
But for once, when it comes to electric motoring, they see eye to eye. All very well, you might think except that…the motor industry has dreamed up detailed recommendations suggesting how the car should communicate with the grid, and how the power companies should charge for the electricity used. This is going to spark a fuse between the charging infrastructure and the car’s electricity inlet, whether AC or DC, slow or fast.
Still, it seems it reduces costs, is better for investors, economy of scale and so on.
Well I guess, all in all, these factors should make plug-in charging less confusing, when you think how most would-be consumers are faced with the muddle of the present system. Not surprising most back away from the thought of purchase.
Of course, the men in the car trade are working hard to develop electric motoring systems for the future, for big time use. Good, a really efficient system could be a winner.
For the moment though, it’s probably safe to say that electric cars are not likely to overtake purchases of cars powered by petrol or diesel engines.
Write in and let me hear your plug-in views everyone…
Find out about all the features of AutoAlert’s GPS Tracking, Job Management and Messaging software
Petty theft, even though not a life threatening offence, is rather an expensive nuisance. Yes, material things can be replaced, but we all know how extremely disruptive it can be when we have a phone stolen for instance. Mobile phones have become an office in our pockets. It’s a diary of important events, a carefully developed list of valuable contacts, a voice recorder of spur of the moment ideas and thought processes, a route planner and map for that crucial meeting we have to rush off to in the afternoon; the list goes on. When someone steals your mobile phone, they don’t just take a little electronic device, they take reams of personal and valuable information which sometimes cannot be replaced. In this instance, a tracking device can be an invaluable help.
A GPS unit has so many advantages. With regards to vehicle tracking it can help you to check your vehicle effectively, see exact driver locations, keep track on local traffic conditions, protect your vehicle from theft, send and receive alerts and so much more. This technology is not limited to vehicle tracking alone.
Here are some other practical examples:
For such a readily available and affordable piece of equipment, it would be foolish not to add it to our pile of gadgets. Thanks to rapidly evolving technology, we can arm ourselves with effective tools to protect and help us in managing our busy and demanding lives, and deter the thieves.
Find out more about AutoAlert GPS Tracking
When British physicist, Michael Faraday, discovered electromagnetic induction back in 1831 he wouldn’t have realised that more than 2 centuries later we would be using his invention to drive electric cars. Okay, I daresay there was probably a lot more he never thought about too.
The electric car revolution (a bit like a lot of revolutions) has apparently lost its appeal, according to the RAC foundation. It all began with the government (ho, ho doesn’t it always?). The scheme was to promote ‘green’ vehicles, with hefty taxpayer – who else? – subsidies of up to five grand per vehicle.
According to the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, based at the Department for Transport, interest has stalled to the point where only 215 cars were bought under the scheme over the last three months and a total of 680 since the launch at the start of the year.
The Government sees electric cars as a vital tool in cutting the country’s carbon emissions. Didn’t they think about something a bit simpler and less expensive, like a tracking device?
The Coalition has allocated £400 million for the project, including implementing a network of charging points on every street corner (another tax gobble).Well, with a national car fleet of 28 million vehicles, that’s a big network.
“Despite the lower fuel costs associated with electric cars,” Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation comments, “the high purchase price means it will take owners several years to reap the financial benefits…”
If you think about it, a portable tracking unit, one that you just plonk in the car and away you go, seems a much better bet. You can monitor all the stuff on carbon emissions, plan alternative routes when roads are jammed and monitor fuel consumption. Surely, if drivers could be better trained to save on fuel with better driving performance, this would be a big help. Btw, for a few great tips on this go to our blog
Another thing, electricity rates vary with time of day. So will you always be able to plug in during the early hours of the morning when rates are lowest? How do you figure out how much it will cost you to charge your vehicle every month?
A DFL spokesman defended the programme. “We are committed to supporting the early market for low emission vehicles in the UK,” he says. All very well but the RAC declare: “Low carbon vehicle has been less than electrifying.” Sounds like it needs a power surge.
I’d go for a simple tracking device, and use your mobile or iPhone. Keep the tax payer happy too.
Anyone else have any views on this? Drop me a line…
Well, are you regularly reaching your customer service goals? If, like most of us, you are unsure, how do you realistically keep an up to the minute record of your mobile workforce activity? Who is going to do this? Who has the time? You need a reliable monitoring system in place in order to gain an accurate insight into your operations.
Customer Service
In today’s highly competitive business world, good customer relations are vital. Customers now demand more, in control and will disappear far more rapidly if they do not feel satisfied with the service. One way to sharpen this is to monitor your business activity with a vehicle tracking system. By judging whether or not your vehicles are being used to optimum customer, rather than just workforce, advantage, you may see more satisfied, real time people.
Real time vehicle monitoring
Real time fleet tracking is a great way for you, as a fleet manager, to work in close, efficient communication with your mobile employees or commercial vehicle drivers every minute of the day. This works just as well if you are based in London and your employee is in Lancashire, Camden Town, Scotland or the Isle of Wight.
Due to circumstances beyond our control…
How many times have you begun a call to one of your customers with those words? You are communicating nothing more than your tension and inefficiency. In a super cool tech world where efficiency is paramount to success, this won’t do. Last minute changes are going to happen in your schedules; with active monitoring, you can really help improve your business image, relationships and employee time.
Get the latest iPhone app
In a tough economic climate you need to cut costs and improve efficiency but are understandably wary of investing in new technology. The new iPhone application offers huge potential for ease of vehicle tracking and at a far more attractive price. With this handy app, you can request help, monitor location, and protect your assets without having to invest time and money in a complicated new system. You simply download the app and away you go. If you need more detail, additional vehicle units can be added when required.
The gold key called Communication
Run an efficient fleet and two way dialogue between you and your drivers is critical. Without this, you wave away thousands of pounds of business to your rival – and he probably uses an efficient tracking device. How many unpredictable road incidents, unscheduled or sudden change in delivery instructions, extreme weather conditions and any workforce issues do you constantly deal with? All these add up to hours of time. Response from such devices is instant and accurate…a great solution to constant hassle and rising bills.
Mobile and on the go
Matching hectic schedules with the closest available resources to a different location is part of the job of overseeing a mobile workforce. Well, you could always stick with the good old telephone to speak to your team. Is that really what you call modern, innovative fleet management? A tracking unit is way ahead of this, there’s simply no comparison, not even to a Smartphone.
Keeping track of your mobile workforce is great for both employer and driver. Let your drivers see how an innovative vehicle tracking system can lessen stress for both of you.
Social media networking apps, for business, pleasure or a mixture of both takes a big slice of the Web 2.0 cake. Did you know it accounts for nearly a quarter of the online activity of everyday people. Oh, and this is on a daily basis. Apps for location based services have boomed. Not surprising, nowadays people are on the move, going places so they need bags of info, for travel to the best restaurants, cinema, theatre shows, family and friends, even work. With improved transport and more people owning their own vehicle, out of town shops and stores means buying cheaper goods or in bulk.
Technology has responded with gadgets like the iPhone and iPad. Facebook and Twitter have catapulted people into the social media scene with a big twang so first on my list is a Facebook app for iPad:
Designed with iPad’s own features, it is arguably the best Facebook app for iPad. You get brilliant full screen image to view with FriendStream mode and better interaction for the human/social mix. You can also make a quick switch between accounts.
This is a free download for iPad that you can pick up as soon as you turn on your brand new gadget. Downside: it’s a bit large as an alternative version of the iPhone Twitterific app where you don’t need multiple screens to access your Twitter info.
Great for anyone in business, this one is specifically for iPad 2 and offers a multi-party videoconferencing facility for its subscribers.
This is cool on the iPad because the bigger screen means you can view lots of your columns in one viewing. Control all your accounts from one screen. Perfect!
Great for a location app if texting or a call is not possible, allows you to find your friends or family. With Footprints you can track each other in real time so great for companies with employees on jobs. See AutoAlert’s own tracking app too; track down any car in your fleet or get your way to work or home traffic free!
Tumblr is a popular blogging site and this app features thumbnail display for photos, lists for texts or quotes. Check out the simple reblog, like, follow/unfollow, and post to Twitter. You can also save files and documents to Dropbox or Evernote.
Now, you may think this is all about browsing in leisure time. Hey, not so…it can be used to plan business trips; the iPad app can help you to plot your trip well in advance. Popplet is an iPhone app but looks even better on the larger screen of the iPad 2. You can take photos with your iPad 2 and post them onto your Popplet and the cameras mean pictures can also be shared using the Hootsuite for Twitter app.
This one adds more than 460 symbols to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The smileys and other symbols can then be used in SMS, email, calendar, alarms, notes, folder names, and more.
One for the iPad at present but coming soon to iPhone; there is currently an app link to iPhone version. New iPhone app will include listings, push notifications and geolocation. So, you can follow tweets, share photos, videos, view conversations, see who’s in the area, and look up various topics. A great social media application.
All of the above apps are available through iTunes
So there you have it, the top ten apps for fun, business, for choice. Enjoy yourself!
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