Setup Geofences and Geofence Alerts
Summary
Geofences allow you to easily track the location of your assets and receive alerts when an asset moves outside of a specified area. Some ways that our customers use geofences include:
Preventing theft with notifications if an asset unexpectedly leaves a customer site
Ensuring timely maintenance by notifying technicians when an asset arrives at a maintenance facility
Saving time locating assets by notifying logistics teams when there is an unexpected move
Geofence Configuration and Management
To configure an individual geofence for your equipment:
Navigate to Settings > Account Settings > Geofences (under the Location section).
Select “+ Add Address” to open the Site Details configuration module.
Add a Name, Address, and any desired notes for the geofence.
If you have entered a valid address, the map view in the configuration module will automatically update to display your entered address. To add the geofence boundaries:
Select your geofence shape (box, circle, or freehand).
Click and drag the corners of your geofence to enclose your desired area. Use the zoom buttons in the top left corner to expand your view if necessary.
Select “Add Address”.
Use the map view to define your geofence boundaries and radius
You also have the option to bulk create a set of geofences by uploading a set of addresses and specifying a default geofence radius.
Geofence bulk creation module
To create a set of geofences in bulk via CSV upload:
Navigate to Settings > Account Settings > Geofences (under the Location section).
Select “More Actions”.
Select “Upload CSV”.
Populate this template with your addresses and upload the file within the bulk creation module.
Define your default geofence radius. Each geofence can be modified for each address after the upload if desired.
Select preview to view your list of addresses, any errors that require correcting will be displayed here.
Select “Confirm” to upload the list of addresses.
Geofence Alert Configuration
To configure a geofence alert:
Navigate to the “Alarms” page.
Select “Create an Alert” and then select “Geofence”.
Provide a new name for your alert at the top of the page.
Select an existing geofence address or type in a new address from the “Search for an address” dropdown:
If you have typed in a new address, you will need to define your geofence radius and name.
If you have selected an existing geofence address, your geofence radius and name will be predefined.
Select whether you would like to trigger the alert when your asset moves inside of the geofence or outside of the geofence using the radio button selector.
Select which assets you would like to apply the alert to:
You can apply the alert to individual assets using the “Assets” drop down menu.
You can apply the alert to groups of assets using the “Asset Labels” drop down menu.
(Optional) If desired, select a time range in which you would like to have the alert be disabled.
(Optional) You also have the option of only triggering the alert if the condition holds for more than a specified time period using. You can define this time period in minutes.
Finally, set up a notification for the alert by selecting the “Notifications” tab and your desired recipients.
Configuring a geofence alert
Browsing and Updating Geofences from Map View
Once you’ve configured a geofence, you’ll be able to see and update it in Map View. To do this:
Navigate to your Samsara homepage and make sure “Overview” is selected.
Each geofence name will populate on the map by default, to make any changes to it, simply click on the name to open the Site Details configuration module.
To view geofences on the map, click on the map options icon in the top right corner of the screen.
The map options icon will allow you to view your geofences on your map.
Check the Geofences overlay box.
If you zoom into view any one of your assets, your geofence boundaries will be visible.