I emailed Biketrac yesterday about their tracker constantly trying to update if there's no GPS signal, this is their response : "No our device does not continuously try and communicate, it will try every four hours and if it cannot check in due to lack of network, it stores the data in its history and tries again in four hours time."
This is an update to my previous post (#18) on this subject, which may be of interest to those possibly affected. I asked Biketrac why I did not receive an SMS low voltage warning from the tracker before the bike battery voltage dropped below its threshold level. They told me that they no longer send SMS messages for all alert warnings, and the current policy is: Apparently, I should have received an email warning, but an error with my recorded email address appears to have prevented this. I checked the current Biketrac website and it states the following: “Will BikeTrac drain my battery? Bike Trac has its own internal battery, so it only draws power from your bike's battery when it needs it. However, BikeTrac also notifies you if your battery voltage drops via text message, so you should never be left with a flat battery.” Which clearly states that an SMS text message will be sent to warn of low bike battery voltage. However, an update from Biketrac sent today states: "I am afraid You have pointed out an error on our website which we have missed and should have been updated five or more years ago when the changes were made. Thank you for pointing it out and we will get that changed. The current state of play is we send Email alerts and Push notification to a person’s phone as long as they have the App downloaded (the intention that this would replicate a text on some level) there is no option for SMS. Apologies for any misunderstanding that has occurred, you can see in the previous image the current state of the application and its associated alerts." I suppose for those who are able to run the APP, then this provides a workaround, otherwise low bike battery alert warnings will only be sent by email, which isn't always readily available, depending on where you are, which might lead to a flat bike battery and affect Tracker functionality before corrective action can be taken. This seems like a reduction in the extent of the alert warning system, which is not good news. Anyway, I hope this helps clarify how Biketrac deals with different types of alert warning, and helps avoid any associated problems. Tom.
They still send SMS warnings for movement, or when your battery is getting low. I can normally leave both bikes for about a month before receiving a low battery warning. In fairness both are normally left on trickle when not in use. I probably receive more warnings for wheeling them out of the garage without turning the ignition on oops.
I get a SMS, email & telephone for a movement warning on mine, then just a SMS & email for a low battery
That would make it about right, searching every 4 hours and not hooking up, after two weeks I had a problem with the flat battery.
Mine searches every 4 hours whether it finds its GPS location or not, I think this is the default. Biketrac said in their email the frequency of this "check-in" can be changed if you would like it to.
Dunno, but as I wrote my garage has a dead zone, put it there and two weeks the battery is dead, move in next room where phone signal is 100% I dont have that problem.
I've noticed a small drain on my battery via the app, I could well envisage a battery being run down in 2 weeks. at the moment i'm just charging the battery intermittently with my ducati charger, my bike isn't being used much anyway right now so i would be charging it up anyway.
Good point, in the winter my bikes in the back of hte garage/metal structure with foil lined insulation but in summer nearer the door so never though about that!
My biketrac has just been replaced after 4 years The first 2 years it worked fine but the last 2 years my bike was having all sorts of electrical issues and breaking down. The biketrac app over the last 2 years was reading 7 volts through to 11.4 volts when I believe it should be upwards of 12.5 volts. The bike dash gave correct readings of 12.5. But the app didn’t. Ducati along with biketrac found that both fuses had blown on the biketrac and the unit was faulty. It’s now been replaced and the app is now reading a steady 13.4
My biketrac tracker finally killed my battery (I think). The bike was permanently connected to the official Ducati battery maintainer. Still died about 3 weeks ago. My bike is mothballed until it warms up, probably until March or April, will it harm it having a dead battery connected up (I doubt it will) until I change the battery in a month or 2?
I chatted to the guys on the stand at the bike show as I found mine had started going off at the slightest movement. if I turned the ignition on and moved the bike straight away I was getting the warnings come through. Normally not an issue but in Andorra last year they phoned me when I just pulled forward a little at a petrol fill up and it cost me £6 for the phone call. They said they would reduce the sensitivity to prevent false alarms for me.
Biketrac has reduced the sensitivity a number of times on the unit fitted to my Panigale to hopefully prevent/reduce the number of false alerts. The most recent reduction seems to have improved things, but the bike is not in use during the winter, and is connected to a Ducati float charger that seems to be keeping the bike battery within specification. Regarding notifications for low battery, they referred me to: https://biketrac.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions "Bike Trac has its own internal battery, so it only draws power from your bike's battery when it needs it. However, BikeTrac also notifies you if your battery voltage drops, so you should never be left with a flat battery." and, "If your battery voltage drops below your defined threshold, we'll send you an alert." Apparently the low battery notifications are push notifications to the App: ".... push notification (if you have the app installed)." Unfortunately, the App does not run on all 'phone operating systems, and if you don't have the App you may not get an alert. If in doubt, they will usually respond to requests for assistance quite promptly. Hope it helps. Tom.
