• Service
• Pricing
• How it works
• FAQs
• Customer Comments

1. Do you work with any carriers other than Nextel such as AT&T, Cingular, Verizon, etc.?

2. How often are the locations updated? Is this a setting that I can adjust?

3. What is GPS and how does it work?

4. How long is the location data for the phones stored and available?

5. How accurate are the GPS locations ?

6. I am an existing Nextel subscriber. How can I upgrade my plan with Total Connect?

7. Why does the location report display an address number different from the one I am actually at? For example, it displayed my address as 20 Langley, when I was at 10 Langley.

8. What is the average packet size of the data being sent by the phone?

9. How do I find out whether I have a public or private IP?

10. How can I determine what release of the Nextel software is installed on my phone?

11. When I press the "Locate" button on my phone, why do I receive an Exception error message?

12. I've installed the uLocate application and registered but I am still not seeing a location displayed on the web site.

13. Are there situations when I won't be able to get a location?

14. How do I set up a geofence and receive notifications?

15. How do I set up my Motorola i730 to automatically start uLocate when it is powered on?

16. When I press Locate from my handset I don't get a response from the service?

17. When I attempt to login from my Macintosh, I receive a "Data encryption" error message and am unable to access my account.

The only other phone / carrier combination we support is the Benefon Track Pro or Benefon ESC, and a T-Mobile GSM service plan. We are not currently available for any phones on Sprint or Verizon. These networks have not yet been upgraded to enable location aware GPS devices such as cell phones to interact with them.

We will fully support additional carrier / cell phone combinations as they become available.

Locations are transmitted from the phone every 2 minutes. This assumes that the phone has a clear line of site to the sky and is able to obtain a longitute and latitude.

This setting will be user configurable in an upcoming release.

GPS is an acronym for Global Positioning Sytem, a set of 24 satellites maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense. These satellites establish and transmit locations to GPS receivers. The hand sets we work with all have GPS chips which function as receivers inside them.

Your location data is stored for 90 days.

Generally locations are accurate to within 50 meters.

We recommend contacting Corporate Wireless, a leading Nextel reseller. They can facilitate a Total Connect order for existing Nextel users. You can visit their home page or call them direct at 800-675-4294. Ask for Nancy at extension 203.

This is a result of the technique MapQuest uses to calculate geocodes (the geocode being the location determined by the longitude and latitude). It calculates an address by looking at the length of the street segment and the range of addresses, then calculates a best estimate.

Packet Size -- the average packet size is 50 bytes. Assuming a location upate frequency of every two minutes (which is our current default) - that is approx 35 K of data transfer per day.

1. Press "Menu"
2. Scroll down to "My Info", press "Select"
3. Scroll down to "Carrier IP", press "View"

A carrier IP that begins with 10 (e.g.10.188.215.226) is a private IP. If it begins with a number other than 10 it is a public IPs.

Here's how to check the software release of your Motorola i58sr Java technology-enabled phone:

From the idle screen, press the following keys on the phone in rapid sequence:
"#", "*" , "menu", right arrow on four-way navigation key.

When the Trace Mode screen appears, "Unit Info" is highlighted. Press "View". Scroll to "Software" and press "Select." Look at the number shown below the "Software Ver:". As of 11/02/2003, the most recent release is:

       - R88.01.05

For instructions on how to update your software to this release go to the Motorola iDen Update Store. There is no charge for this update.

java io.IOException:
unknown error on openO

This message will appear if the phone is not able to get out on the network. The root of the problem is likely with your Total Connect service plan. Either the service has not yet been subscribed to or Nextel has indadvertently made a change to your account.

On Nextel i58/i88 phones there is a GPS privacy setting that enables or disables the transmission of your location to the uLocate service center.

If you have entered your cell phone number in both uLocate set-up screen on the phone and also on the uLocate web site and are not seeing your location on the web site please do the following:

1. If !uLocate is running exit the !uLocate program by pressing the red End/Home button one time
2. Press "Exit".
3. Go to the phones menu by pressing "Menu"
4. Scroll to GPS and press "Select"
5. Highlight "Privacy" and press "Select"

1. Scroll to "Unrestricted"
2. Press "Select". The display should say “Changed: Privacy Unrestricted”.
3. Press "EXIT".

1. Press the Menu button
2. Scroll to Java Apps adn press "Select"
3. Scroll to !uLocate and then press "Run".

The ability to receive locations is dependent on the GPS feature of your phone. There is a GPS antennae in the phone that requires a clear view of the sky to work best. The following information comes from Nextel. Things to Keep in Mind

If you are using the GPS feature of your phone while driving, please give full attention to driving and to the road. Where adequate signals from multiple satellites are not available (usually because your GPS antenna cannot establish a view of a wide area of open sky), the GPS feature of your phone WILL NOT WORK. Such situations include but are not limited to:

• In underground locations
• Inside of buildings, trains, or other covered vehicles
• Under any other metal or concrete roof or structure
• Between tall buildings or under dense tree-cover
• Near a powerful radio or television tower
• When your GPS antenna is covered (for example, by your hand or other object) or facing the ground
• In temperature extremes outside the operating limits of your phone

To enhance performance:

• Stay in the open. The GPS feature works best where there is nothing between your phone and a large amount of open sky. If possible, go outside, away from tall buildings and foliage. While performance in a building is improved by moving closer to windows, glass with certain sun shielding films may block satellite signals.
• Extend your phone antenna.
• Hold your phone to enhance reception. Signals from GPS satellites are transmitted to your GPS antenna, which is in your phone antenna. Hold your phone away from your body, giving the antenna clear access to satellite signals. Do not cover the antenna area with your fingers or anything else.
• Stand still. If possible, stand still until your phone is finished determining your location. Moving your phone at a walking pace while your phone is calculating your approximate location may substantially decrease GPS performance.
• In a car. When using the GPS Enabled feature in a car, position your phone so that the GPS antenna has good access to GPS signals through the car’s windows. Typically, the GPS antenna has best access to GPS signals in a car when placed near a window.
• Stay in network coverage. Depending on who your service provider is, the network will provide your phone with information that helps determine your location more quickly and accurately.

To create a geofence, do the following:

1. Log in to ulocate
   
2. Click on the the “My Account” tab
   
3. Click on “Locations and geofences”
   
4. Click the “Add” button
   
5. Type in:
          - a label for your location (e.g. Ben's school)
          - the corresponding location address
          - check off the “geofence” box
   
6. Click preview
   

1. Adjust the location. To adjust the location:
          - place your cursor anywhere on the map and click the mouse. The map will be redrawn with the revised location.
   
2. Change the radius of the default perimeter from 660 feet to a desired value. To change the value:
          - highlight the default “660” feet
          - type in the desired value in feet
   
3. Select an icon for the location. To specify an icon:
          - click on the “Change Icon” button
          - select the desired icon's radio button
   
4. Click the “Save” button
   

1. Select the phone in your account from the drop down menu.
   
2. Click the “Add” button
   
3. Add other phones as desired.
   

1. Go to "My Account"
2. Click on "Contacts"
3. Click the Add button
4. Enter the name of the contact
5. Enter the contact method
          - select the appropriate radio button
6. Click the Save button
   
7. Click the Done button
   

• Click the Notification button
• Highlight the desired contact in the "Notify" drop down menu
• Click the Add button
• Click the Done button

To autostart uLocate when the phone is powered on, do the following:

• Press the Menu button
• Scroll to Settings and press OK button
• Scroll to Personalize and press OK button
• Use the down arrow key (located below the "OK" button) to scroll down to "Power Up", and press OK button
• Use the right arrow key (located to the the right of the "OK" button) to scroll through until "!uLocate" is highlighted.
• When "!uLocate" is highlighted, select "OK".
• Press the red hang-up button (located at five o'clock to the "OK" button)

If you press the soft key under LOCATE, you should get a reponse from our server within 60 seconds. If the system does not respond within that time.

Call Nextel Data Support at 1-800-369-3242 and ask for the data department.

Explain that you are having trouble with a data application. You want to confirm that your phone is provisioned with Total Connect and has an IP address. Ask them to double check that your account is in the TUEE (pronounced tooey) subsystem.

There is a known bug with Macintosh computers running 5.2.3 operating system and Internet Explorer when attempting to access a secure server. We are exploring solutions to this.

Here are two short term work arounds:

• Download the Safari browser from Apple Computer and use that instead of Internet Explorer. Please visit Apple.com for more infomation.
• Login to uLocate using a non-secure connection. Go to this registration page, bookmark this page and use it going forward.

  NOTE: This is a non-secure connection.