Main screen

Figure 1. State view, 3 msg counters

Please use a help of a previous version for the general description of the main screen (icons etc.).

From version 2.15 onwards, a third counter number has been added to the Msg row in the state view:

The data row with label Msg at the bottom of the state view shows counters for location messages. The first counter is the number of messages transmitted to the server via the GPRS/3G data connection. The second counter is the total count of all the received NMEA messages from the Bluetooth GPS since the application start. The third counter shows the number of NMEA messages received since the previous display refresh. The display is periodically redrawn with a few seconds interval.

Figure 2. Log view

The log view shows a list of latest application status change messages. You can see the whole message and the associated timestamp by clicking the line with the selection key.

Figure 3. Info view

The info view shows possible feedback messages from the server, when the HTTP protocol is used.

Settings view

Figure 4. Settings view

This chapter explains the meaning of each configuration settings item.

1 Store GPS BT name

• On: Do not show the Bluetooth device selection dialog, when issuing the connect GPS command. Connect to the same Bluetooth device as on the previous time without asking the user to choose the device.
• Off: Ask the user to choose the Bluetooth device, when the connect GPS command is executed.

2 On startup GPS

• On: Causes automatic execution of connect GPS command when the application is started and whenever the GPS connection is lost.
• Off: User must manually choose the connect GPS command from the Options menu to get connected with the Bluetooth GPS.

3 On startup GPRS

• On: Causes automatic execution of connect GPRS command when the application is started and whenever the GPRS connection is lost. Use the stored GPRS Server IP and GPRS Server Port numbers instead of asking them interactively. Opens an UDP socket to the logging database server. The socket must be open before any information can be sent to the server. When Http protocol is used, the IP and port settings are redundant.
• Off: User must manually execute the connect GPRS command from the Options / GPRS data menu to open an UDP socket to the logging database server IP and port. The UDP socket must be open before any data

Figure 5. Settings view

4 On startup tracking

• On: Causes automatic execution of Start Cell Tracking command when the application is started.
• Off: User must manually execute the Start Cell Tracking command from the Options / GSM menu to enable some action based on GSM network cell change. Possible actions are: 1) show a note dialog with a beep tone each time the network cell changes, 2) send cell data possibly together with GPS coordinates to the database logging server each time the network cell changes.

NB. Series 60 version 2.x phone owners Please read known issues before switching this setting on.

5 Cell change beep

• On: Show a note dialog with a beep tone each time the network cell changes. Add cell change information to the list in the log view. Cell tracking must be activated  or otherwise this settings item has no effect.
• Off: Be silent about the cell changes. However, send data action may still be fired based on cell change even if this settings item is Off.

6 Time trigger

• On: Send GPS coordinate data periodically to the logging database server every <Time period, min> minutes. Requirements: GPS and GPRS must be connected, before this settings item has any effect.
• Off: Do not use a timer based send data action.

7 Time period, min

The time interval in minutes for timer based GPS data send action. Must be greater than zero for the trigger to work. In addition, Time trigger must be switched On.

8 Cell trigger

• On: Send GPS coordinate data together with the GSM cell information  to the logging database server each time the network cell changes. Requirements: GPRS must be connected and cell tracking must be activated, before this settings item has any effect. If this trigger is switched on and the GPRS is connected before the cell tracking is activated, the current network cell at the activation time gets immediately transmitted to the server.
• Off: Do not use a GSM network cell based send data action.

9 Distance trigger

• On: Send GPS coordinate data to the logging database server, when the current position fix differs at least by <Distance, meters> from the previously sent position fix. Requirements: GPS and GPRS must be connected, before this settings item has any effect.
• Off: Do not use a distance based send data action.

10 Distance, meters

The threshold distance, which causes GPS data send action, when the distance trigger is set on. In addition, Distance trigger must be switched On.

NB. The settings items 11, 12 and 13 can be ignored, when using HTTP instead of UDP.

11 GPRS Server IP

The IP address of the logging database server. The GSM Tracker application sends the GPS data and / or GSM cell data to this IP address as UDP datagram. You must have a GPRS/3G data service subscription from your cellular service provider and a suitable Internet Access point created in you phone's Connection settings.

This setting item can be ignored, when using HTTP instead of UDP.

Make sure, that the field "12 Optional Hostname" is empty, if you want that this IP address has an effect.

If you are using a public internet GPRS access point, you can use Aspicore's test server for testing purposes. Test server's IP address is 217.152.56.226. You can see the data stored by Aspicore's test server at URL http://www.toimii.com/gps/. You need to submit your IMEI code to see the data collected from your phone. 

12 Optional Hostname

By default this field is empty. If you enter a DNS name here, it overrides the "GPRS Server IP" above.

You can use this field e.g., if you haven't got a fixed public IP address for your server. You can access a server behind a dynamic public IP by e.g. using services from www.dyndns.com.

Note, that you should not add any http:// prefix in this field. Enter just the DNS name. (See figure 6). You can check, that a name is in proper format by giving a command like nslookup <your DNS name> (e.g. nslookup aspicore.dyndns.org) in the command prompt of your computer. If you get a proper IP address as an answer,  <your DNS name> is in a valid form.

This setting has effect only when the setting "On startup GPRS" is switched on. (Manual GPRS connects via the menu ask always an IP address and does not allow entering a DNS name.)

If you enter anything to this Optional Hostname field, please check that the GPRS connection status icon changes to connected state. This shows, that your DNS name works.

If the DNS name is invalid and the "On startup GPRS" is switched on, the GPRS connection status icon does not ever change to connected. Still the application continuously tries to resolve the IP address. You can see this in the Log view. If you see there repetitive "Looking up" messages followed by a time-out message, there is something wrong in your DNS name (or DNS server settings within your Internet access point). Change  the Optional Hostname field to a working form or clear it entirely and use a raw IP address from the field GPRS Server IP instead.

13 GPRS Server Port

The UDP port, the logging database server is listening. Aspicore's test server is currently listening on port 1002.

14 Diagnostics mode

Show additional debugging and diagnostics messages in the log view.

15 Store Access Point

• On: Do not show the Select access point dialog, when issuing the connect GPRS command. Connect to the same Internet access point (IAP) as on the previous time without asking the user to choose the IAP.
• Off: Ask always the user to select access point, when the connect GPRS command is executed.

Figure 11. Settings view

16 On startup backlite

• On: Causes automatic execution of keep backlight on command when the application is started.
• Off: Backlight is in power save mode when the application is started. The backlight is de-activated after approximately 13 seconds of inactivity. You can still manually execute the keep backlight on command from the Options menu, but the command does not stay in force when you restart the application.

17 Global backlight

• On: This setting makes the keep backlight on command to affect also other applications even when the Aspicore GSM Tracker is not in foreground. This setting does not turn the backlight on. It adjusts the scope of the keep backlight on command.
• Off: This setting makes the keep backlight on command to work only locally, when Aspicore GSM Tracker is running in foreground. Backlight power save mode is always enabled, when the application is put to the background even if the keep backlight on command is active.

18 System attribute

Possibility to set the system attribute in the settings. This prevents the OS memory management of closing this app down, when the other applications need more memory.

Figure 12. Http settings view

Figure 13. Http settings view

1 HTTP Protocol

• On: Use HTTP protocol to periodically send the GPS coordinates to a web server. The data is sent to the server with a HTTP GET transaction. The GPS data is sent as URL parameters. The possible textual response from the server is shown in the Info tab.
• Off: Use UDP datagrams to periodically send the GPS coordinates to a database server in the Internet. UDP is usually faster, more reliable and cheaper to use than HTTP, but UDP is not possible with all cellular providers and setting up an UDP server with a custom port number may be more problematic than setting up an ordinary web server with TCP port 80. Aspicore GSM Tracker uses UDP to one way communication only. It does not wait for any feedback from the server.

2 Internet page URL

The address of the web page, which is used to issue the HTTP GET transaction to upload the GPS data. The IMEI number of the phone (parameter 'imei') and selected GPS data values are appended to this web page address as URL parameters. Latitude and longitude are always sent (as decimal degrees with names 'lat' and 'lon'), but the rest of the parameter values are optional.

See examples of the web page implementations in our ASP tools page and PHP tools page.

3 URL param: status

• On: Append parameter called 'status' to the data upload URL. The possible values are 'A' and 'V'. These values come directly from the GPS receiver. The letter A shows that the coordinates are valid. The letter V means, that there were too few satellites visible to make an accurate position fix.
• Off: Do not send GPS status field to the web server.

Figure 14. Http settings view

4 URL param: speed

• On: Append parameter called 'speed' to the data upload URL. The value is speed in knots.
• Off: Do not send speed value to the web server.

5 URL param: course

• On: Append parameter called 'course' to the data upload URL. The value is 'true' course from the GPS receiver in degrees. ('True' instead of 'magnetic', but not necessary accurate especially when the target is stationary.)
• Off: Do not send course value to the web server.

6 URL param: time

• On: Append parameter called 'time' to the data upload URL. The value is the GPS time (UTC, format: hhmmss.sss).
• Off: Do not send time value to the web server.

Figure 15. Http settings view

7 URL param: date

• On: Append parameter called 'date' to the data upload URL. The value is the GPS date (UTC, format: DDMMYY).
• Off: Do not send time value to the web server.

Figure 16. Settings password

You can set password for the settings menu through by choosing Password... from the Options menu within the Settings view. When the settings password has been set, you cannot enter the Settings view again without entering the correct password.