FAQ

 

Do I need 3G/4G or a cellular network data connection to use Valarm?

  • No, Valarm can be used with only WiFi networks, which means Valarm data will only be posted to the Valarm Tools website when a WiFi internet connection is available.  This is useful for data collection scenarios where real-time updates are not required but data may be collected for hours then later posted to Valarm Tools on the web.

 

What if I am subscribed to a cellular network plan and I lose 3G/4G/other connection?

  • Valarm will automatically buffer and save all Valarm data until a connection is available again and then automatically upload all of it when it gets service.  You may want to enable the “Upload newest first” setting in Web Integration settings on the device if a connection is spotty and you want to at least upload the latest, most pertinent data!

 

Do I need to pay monthly services for Valarm?

  • No, you may use the free mapping tool to see your Valarm data with advertising but if you upgrade (only 15 cents/day, $4.50/month!) there will be no ads and you will have access to the powerful Valarm Tools suite.
  • Valarm’s FREE basic tracking tool allow you to view the location of your Valarm-equipped device in real-time. Scroll through the history to see previous recorded locations. Use this FREE mode to test a device with Valarm web integration, and see how well the service works for you.
  • Registered users may choose to upgrade at any time to Advanced Tools for Subscribers to access powerful functionality for Fleet Management and Asset Tracking professionals. Advanced tools allow real-time tracking and historical analysis of any number of Valarm-equipped devices.

 

Is my data and communication secure?

  • Valarm secures all communication between the device and the valarm web servers with minimum 128-bit SSL: the same encryption used by banking websites. This approach costs us a little extra, but is vastly more secure than sending data openly across any GMRS (cellular, 3g/4g) or WiFi networks. Newer Android™ devices (3.0/Honeycomb and newer) will automatically use 256-bit SSL, which is massive overkill against current cracking technology!

 

What do I get with a subscription?

 

How much history is stored on the server?

  • Approximately 1 million data points (alerts) of historical data per subscribed device are stored on the server. Free accounts receive approximately 200 thousand. Subscribers may download the raw data at any time. You may also contact us if you need more than the usual storage.

 

How many alerts can my phone store?

  • Your phone can store as many alerts as the device’s internal memory will allow.  Some devices will hold more than others. Each alert is a few kilobytes and many thousands of alerts can be stored locally on your device.  Note that you can clear the local log on your device in the log view of Valarm and there is also a setting under Web Integration settings to automatically delete alerts that have been synced to Valarm web.

 

What kind of device will work?

  • We currently support Android devices with Android version 2.2 or higher.  Phones that we have personally used with Valarm include: Samsung Dart/T499, Samsung Exhibit II, Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC G2, T-Mobile/Huawei Comet, Motorola Droid, Google/HTC Nexus One, LG Optimus T.

 

Does it work on Tablets?

  • Yes, we have personally used the following tablets with Valarm: Google Nexus 7, HTC Flyer 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, Vizio VTAB1008, AGPTek 7″ 4.0.

 

Do I need 3G/4G service or will EDGE work?

  • Any cellular phone data service will work, non-3G/4G high-speed connections still work since Valarm alerts sent from a device to Valarm web are small in size.  As long as the Android device has a connection to the internet so does Valarm.

 

Why can’t I upload photos/audio to the website?

  • This would be a huge storage undertaking for us so for now the media is stored on the local device on the SD card.  We suggest using Dropbox or one of the many automatic sync apps available to automatically copy Valarm photos/audio to an account.

 

Why are there ads on your Public Tracker pages when viewed by my customers? Is there any way get rid of the ads?

  • There are ads to help us keep our costs down and enable our ridiculously low prices.  Contact us if you wish to get rid of the ads and we will discuss the options.

 

Can I customize the Public Tracker webpage so my customers don’t see the Valarm logo and Google Ads?

  • Yes, you can customize the Public Tracker webpage, show your logo, and remove ads.  Contact us and we will discuss the options.

 

How do I change the “nickname” of my device?

  • You can change the nickname of a device by going to Settings in Valarm on the device and then selecting Web Integration followed by pushing the “Already Registered Click to Re-Register” button.  This will give you a warning that the device is currently registered with a nickname and if you click Yes you will be able to change the nickname.

 

How do I customize the color of my device data on the maps?

  • In Device Manager on the Valarm tools website, click the color square to the left of a device name then use the color picker to select a color and remember to click Save on the right hand side of the device information block!

 

How do I replace an old device with a new one, but keep the historical data?

  • In the Device Manager on tools.valarm.net, disable the old device (uncheck the enabled checkbox) and save it. Then register the new device with the same name. The new device will take the place of the old one. In order to use the old device with Valarm again, you will have to delete all Valarm data from the old device (and/or reinstall Valarm) and register it with a new device nickname.

 

How do I get Valarm to record sensor data (e.g., mph, ambient light and accelerometer readings)?

  • In order to save battery life Valarm only collects data for sensors that are enabled.  If you want to use the device to calculate velocity values for every alert then turn on the “GPS Speed Sensor” under “GPS/Location Sensors” in Settings.  Turn on ambient light (max or min) and the motion sensor (accelerometer readings) in “Built-in Sensors” to get those values attached to each point.  If these are enabled then an alert triggered by the Interval Timer (e.g., take a reading every 30 seconds) will contain sensor reading values for each of the enabled sensors, including external Bluetooth and USB sensors.  This data is then available on the web via Valarm Tools and can be downloaded as CSV for Excel or GIS and KML for Google Earth.