FAQ

General Questions

Q: What is a GPS Log Book?

The GPS Log Book is an automatic trip recorder that records the position, speed and other data of your vehicle so that the mileage of the vehicle can be accurately tracked.

Q: How does it work?

The GPS Log Book calculates your position, speed, heading and altitude from GPS satellites as you travel. These points are stored in memory and then uploaded to the GPS Log Book server via the USB port on a PC or Mac computer. Once the trips have been uploaded, the data is processed and the vehicle’s trips are displayed on the web site. You easily mark trips as either business or personal travel, enter comments against the trips and even view the detailed route on Google Maps.

Q: Is there a subscription fee associated with the GPS Log Book?

Yes. Your initial purchase includes the first year subscription automatically. Thereafter you will have to renew your subscription in order to continue to use the system. The subscription fee of $24 includes the cloud hosting for the web and your data plus the licence fees we need to pay Google for the maps.

Q: What is the warranty on the device?

There is a one year limited warranty on the GPS Log Book device from date of purchase.

Q: What does the warranty cover?

The one year warranty guarantees the purchaser that the GPS Log Book device that they purchased may be returned within the warranty period if found to be faulty or not working in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.

Q: Is the GPS Log Book compatible with all makes of vehicles?

The GPS Log Book device has been tested in a huge range of major makes and models of vehicles across the world and works with all of the vehicles we have tested. (this includes working inside the armrest of the BMW X5!). Although we would like to think it is 100% compatible with all vehicles, there is a small possibility that it may not work with your particular vehicle. If this is the case then please let us know and we will refund you.

Q: Is the GPS Log Book device heat sensitive?

The GPS Log Book device is able to withstand temperatures that a car would experience during typical use, including being left in the sun, or in the cold overnight.

Q: What are the minimum PC requirements?

  • Microsoft Windows:
    • Microsoft .Net Framework v3.5 or above
    • Available USB port
    • Internet Connection
  • Apple Mac:
    • Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) or later
    • Available USB Port
    • Internet Connection

Q: How do I unsubscribe from the mailing list?

Once logged into the website, select Update Details under the Account menu tab on the menu bar. Deselect the tick box adjacent to the mailing options and click Save to apply your changes.

Q: What if I do not have internet access?

You will not be able to upload your trips, view your trips, or access your account information.

Q: What are ‘reminders’?

The ‘reminders’ service is intended to bring important information to the attention of GPS Log Book users. Your details will never to be supplied to third parties.

Q: What are newsletters?

These are news bulletins that are periodically issued to GPS Log Book users.

Q: What does the “Open Web Page” setting do?

This setting tells the Sync App to open your Trips page within your default web browser once the trips have been uploaded from the device.

Q: Why do I need to provide my tax details?

The GPS Log Book allows you to easily and automatically generate an IRS compliant log book and for that your tax details are required. Please note that you only need to provide this information once and the information can be edited at a later stage if required.

Q: Geocode and Reverse Geocode a location?

If the link says Location Look-up, Google Maps will attempt to find the street address of the point on the map. When the link says Address Look-up, you can enter an address into the text field and Google Maps will attempt to place a marker on the map at the specified street address.

Q: What is auto brightness?

The Auto Brightness setting enables or disables the automatic adjustment of the GPS Log Book LED brightness depending on the time of day. By selecting this option you will also be able to set the night time brightness of the LED on the device.

Q: Where can I purchase additional cables?

Contact our support team and we'll mail you one.

Device Questions

Q: What comes in the box?

  • GPS Log Book device
  • USB cable
  • Illustrated quick start guide
  • One year web site subscription

Q: Where do I plug the device into my car?

The GPS Log Book should be plugged into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter/12V power socket.

Q: What if the cigarette lighter/12V power socket is in the armrest of my car?

The GPS Log Book has a high sensitivity GPS, so provided the armrest is not shielded with metal it should still perform well.

Q: What if the cigarette lighter/12V power socket is already being used?

You would need to purchase a cigarette lighter/12V expansion/splitter socket.

Q: When I use my device for the first time, why does it take so long to get a GPS fix?

When the device is used for the first time, straight out of the box, the GPS Aiding Data required for a very fast fix is not present on the device. Synchronise the device with your online account, using your Mac or PC, to download the latest GPS Aiding Data onto the GPS Log Book. This will ensure that the GPS gets a fix in the fastest possible time. This 'aiding data' is valid for two weeks - so we suggest that you sync your device every 2 weeks to get the best performance.

Q: How do I switch the device on and off?

There is no need to switch the device on or off as it will start automatically when the ignition is on and the vehicle starts moving.

Q: Do I need to unplug the device to stop recording?

There is no need to unplug the device when the vehicle has stopped as it will automatically stop the recording of the current trip. If you do not want a specific trip recorded then the device should be removed from the socket.

Q: What do the different colour LED lights mean

RED: Locating satellites
GREEN: Satellites detected and position located
FLASHING RED: 80% data space used, data upload necessary

Q: What are all the connections and the LED for?

  • LED: Shows the current status of the device.
  • USB SYNC PORT: Used to connect the GPS Log Book to your PC or Mac in order to upload the trips from the device.
  • USB CHARGING PORT: Most USB devices can be connected to this port and charged/run while the GPS Log Book is in use.

Q: How do I know if the Log Book is full?

The LED will *flash* RED.

Q: Which devices can the GPS Log Book charge?

Although we are confident that the charger will work on most modern smartphones and USB devices we cannot guarantee this. Some devices require a special charging cable.

Q: Will the device affect the performance of my car battery?

The GPS Log Book device uses a very small amount of power from the car battery and will not affect the performance of your vehicle.

Q: What is the Static Threshold Parameter?

The static threshold parameter is how many minutes the device is stationary, before any subsequent movement is regarded as a new trip.

Warning: Setting this parameter to "never" may have adverse effects. Please be sure this is the desired behavior.

Website Functionality Questions

Q: Why does the website not display correctly?

Please ensure that you are using the latest version of your web browser and that compatibility mode has been disabled in the browser settings. The GPS Log Book website has been designed to be compatible with the following web browsers:

Q: What is my device name?

The device name required on the registration page can be set to any value. This name is used when displaying a list of your devices. Choosing something like Jack's device will make it easy to identify a specific device in a list.

Q: Do I need to enable to JavaScript in my web browser?

Yes, the GPS Log Book website uses JavaScript extensively to provide a feature rich user experience and without it, the website will not display correctly.

Q: How do I upload the data to the website?

  • Ensure that the Sync Application has been downloaded and installed on your computer.
  • Plug the device into the USB port of the computer using the USB cable provided.
  • The Sync Application should start up automtically and provide the status of the upload.

Q: How do I download the application required to sync my device?

Download and install the Sync Application from www.gpslogbook.com/us/downloads.

Q: What is a trip?

A trip is a recorded journey from a start location to an end location. Whenever the GPS Log Book is powered, the device will begin to record trips. GPS points for the trip are recorded as well as speed, time, and distance. If your vehicle’s ignition does not remove power from the device when turned off, the device will automatically enter a low power sleep mode. Any change in movement will reactivate the device, and a new trip will be started.

Q: How many trips can I record?

Depending on your vehicle use you should be able to drive for at least two months, however it is highly recommended that you sync your device every two weeks.

Q: What can I do when viewing a trip?

You can change the start zone, end zone, designation and the comment on the trip, delete the trip, and view the complete trip on the map. Check the Show trip data checkbox and hover the mouse pointer over the trip line on the map to see data for the closest logged point.

Q: Why am I missing part of my trip?

  • Power to the device may have been lost while driving.
  • Device may have been loose in the cigarette lighter socket.
  • Device may have lost the GPS satellite signal during the missing part of the trip. This could happen if you were to drive through a tunnel or in cases of severe weather.

Q: How do I merge trips

On the View trip popup click on the link Merge This Trip. Add all the trips you want to merge together and click Save

Q: How regularly should I upload trip data from the device?

It is recommended that the data on the GPS Log Book device is uploaded at least every two weeks. This can, however, be done as often as required. When the LED is flashing red, the memory is 80% full and an upload should be done soon.

Q: Is it possible to split a trip?

It is not currently possible split a trip on the GPS Log Book system.

Q: My trip ended out of a zone, now what?

If the trip started/ended within the Snapping Distance of a zone, that zone will automatically be selected. The assigned zone is referred to as a Snapped Zone. If a zone could not be ‘snapped to,’ you can select a nearby zone when viewing the zone in the Trips page if it is close enough. The assigned zone is referred to as a Selected Zone. The zone can be edited in the Zones page, or by selecting Edit this zone when viewing the zone in the Trips page.

Q: What can I do when viewing a zone on the trips page?

You can do the following:
  • Change the designation, the comment, and the shape of a zone.
  • Create a new zone to assign to a trip.
  • Change the zone that was assigned to that point of the trip.
When you add or change a zone, all your trips will be reprocessed and the zone will be assigned to any relevant trip.

Q: What is a log level and how does it impact my trips?

The log level setting on your device determines the frequency at which your current location is recorded on the device. When the log level is set at HIGH, it will use more memory but will be more accurate.

Q: Can I change the vehicle assigned to a trip?

Yes.

Q: What is a zone?

A zone is an area marked on a map that gives the starting point or ending point of a trip a meaningful description or designation. Whenever a trip starts or ends within a zone, that trip is automatically given the private or business designation. Reports can be run to pull statistics on a particular zone, providing sales representatives with travel reports for example. In order to automatically select the designation of a trip (business or private), zones need to be created.

Q: What are "snap to" and "selected zones"?

If the trip started or ended within the Snapping Distance of a zone, that zone will automatically be selected. The assigned zone is referred to as a Snapped Zone and marked in the Trips page with a *. If a zone could not be ‘snapped to,’ you can select a nearby zone when viewing the zone in the Trips page if it is close enough. The assigned zone is referred to as a Selected Zone and marked in the Trips page with a ~.

Q: What are tracking zones?

Tracking zones are zones for which distance and time measurements are kept in the system. Any time spent travelling in a zone or distance travelled in it will be tallied and available in the tracking zone report. Please use this setting only where required as it will negatively impact the processing time of your uploads. The additional information is only calculated and kept for future trips, any trips already in the system will not reflect this information.

Q: What are known zones?

If the trip started or ended within a zone, the assigned zone is referred to as a Known Zone. Another zone cannot be assigned to this point of the trip.

Q: What can I do when viewing a zone on the zones page?

You will be able to change the designation, the comment, and the shape of a zone. When you add or change a zone, all your trips will be reprocessed and the zone will be assigned to any relevant trip.

Q: What is a snapping distance?

Occasionally a trip will begin or end outside of a zone. This could be because the zone was not large enough or the GPS Log Book was unable to find sufficient satellites quickly enough in the case of a start point. The snapping distance is the distance outside of the zone that will be considered as close enough to be in the zone.

Q: What does the “Nearby Zone Feet” setting do?

The nearby zones distance is a distance that determines how far zones can be away from a certain point to be considered nearby. This would come into play when you would like to select a zone after not beginning or ending a trip in a specific zone. You will get a list of nearby zones as determined by this distance.

Q: What type of reports can be created?

The following reports are available on the GPS Log Book website:
  • Travel logbook - use this report to generate a compliant travel logbook.
  • Business travel claims - this report can be used to claim for business mileage.
  • List of all trips - this report lists all the trips in the specified time period, grouped by designation.
  • Weekly comparison report - week by week comparison of business vs. personal mileage.
  • Detailed zone reports - this report shows all the trips made to and from a specific zone.

Q: Why do I need a vehicle to be assigned to the device?

The GPS Log Book device is intended to be used to track your vehicle’s trips and therefore you are required to provide information about the vehicle in which the device will be used.

Q: How do I add a vehicle?

Once you have logged into the website, click on the Account menu tab, then the Vehicles menu item. You will be redirected to a list of vehicles linked to your account. Click the Add Vehicle link on the bottom left of the list to add a new vehicle.

Q: Why would I want to change a vehicle?

In the event that you change your vehicle (for whatever reason), you may want to associate your device with a vehicle that you have registered on the system or to add a new vehicle.

Q: Why would I want to deactivate a vehicle?

If you change your vehicle (for whatever reason), you may want to deactivate that vehicle on the website. Please note that the trips associated with that particular vehicle will not be deleted and records of the vehicle’s trips can be obtained at any point.

Q: Why is there a one device limit on a vehicle?

The system only allows for a single device to be associated with a single vehicle at any point. The general rule of a log book is that it contains trip records for a SINGLE vehicle but multiple vehicles are catered for.

Q: How do I add a new device?

Make sure that the Sync Application is downloaded and installed on your computer, and that it is connected to the internet. Plug the new device into the computer using the cable provided. A registration page will open and you can follow the steps to register your device.

Q: How did my device end up without a vehicle?

One of three scenarios resulted in your device not having a vehicle associated with it:
  • You chose to change the vehicle and did not attach another vehicle (existing or new) to the device afterwards.
  • The vehicle that was originally attached to your device has been deactivated.
  • The vehicle that was originally attached to your device has been detached from the device and linked to one of your other devices.

Q: Why would I want to deregister my device?

If you no longer want to use the device, if it has been lost or stolen, or if it has been damaged, you may choose to deregister the device. Please note that this action is 100% reversible in that you can reregister the device to your membership account again.

Q: How do I add personal information?

Once you have logged into the website, click on the Account menu tab, then the Update Details menu item. You can then update your details and click Save to apply your changes.

Ordering and Delivery Questions

Q: How do I order a GPS Log Book?

All US orders are fulfilled using Amazon. Click here to complete your purchase

Q: What is the cost of the GPS Log Book device?

Please refer to the web site for the latest pricing.

Q: What is the cost of delivery?

Select your preferred delivery option at checkout.

Issues

Q: No lights show on my device, what do I do?

  • Check that the unit has been securely inserted into the cigarette lighter/12V power socket.
  • Check that the ignition of the vehicle has been switched on.
  • Remove the device and try using it in another vehicle.
  • Check that the cigarette lighter / 12V power socket fuse has not blown. Consult your vehicle’s user manual for more information on where to find this.
  • If the problem persists then please contact us for further assistance by completing the form on the Contact Us page.