GPS BOX
Support
Start
- Plug the Ethernet cable into the GPS BOX and into the house router. Plug in power. Wait 2 minutes.
- Install the Android app. Stay on house Wi-Fi. Tap Find GPS BOX.
- The first phone becomes the manager. It asks for the email billed for the family, then a name.
- Later phones become members. They pick a name. A nickname is fine. GPS BOX does not ask them for an email.
- On the manager phone, name the box and change the setup password. The first login is admin / password.
On the map
Tap a name at the bottom of the map to jump to that person. Long-press the name to follow them. AUTO in green sits above the name. The map stays with them while they are walking or driving. Long-press again to turn it off. AUTO also turns off after they have been still for 20 minutes. A touch on the map does not turn AUTO off. The red X hides the name bubble. The crosshair puts the bubbles back.
The plan
One plan per GPS BOX, billed to the manager's email, for up to 8 people. That email is not shown on the map. Locations stay on your GPS BOX. We do not keep a second copy of the map. If the plan lapses, the map at home still works. Away-from-home updates need an active plan.
Write in
Use the contact form and pick topic GPS BOX. Include:
- The GPS BOX name
- Whether the Ethernet cable is plugged into the house router
- Whether Find GPS BOX found an address
- The version in the top-right of the splash screen
If something is wrong
No lights on the GPS BOX
Check the power supply and the outlet. Try another outlet. A weak charger often fails.
Find GPS BOX finds nothing
Stay on house Wi-Fi, not guest Wi-Fi, and not cellular. Seat the Ethernet cable. Wait 2 full minutes after power, then Find again.
Setup page asks for a password you forgot
That is the setup-page password, not the phone lock. If you never changed it, the first login is admin / password. If you changed it and lost it, the card needs a new image. That is a fresh start.
Scan does nothing
Stay on house Wi-Fi and allow the camera. Find GPS BOX is the usual path. The QR on the setup page is the backup. Do not scan an old picture if you used Reset.
Share is on but others see you red
Set battery to unrestricted. Allow location all the time. Wait a couple of minutes. If this phone is at home and they are away, they need an active plan to see live updates.
Setup page used to open, now it does not
The house number probably changed. Find GPS BOX again. Then reserve that address in the router so it stays the same.
I plugged in Wi-Fi and a cable
The box uses the cable. Unplug the cable only if you intend to run on Wi-Fi, then save the network on the Network page.