When a Relay is online (has a connection), it will ping (contact) our servers every 10 minutes to report whether or not it has entered or exited a geofenced area. If the Relay has not entered/exited a geofenced area since the last time it pinged our server, then you would not receive a notification. 

One of the main things to be aware of is that geofence notifications can be delayed by up to 10 minutes depending on when the last time the Relay has pinged our servers. 

For example, if the Relay pinged our server 1 minute before it left the geofenced area, then you would not receive a notification that your Relay has left that area until 9 minutes later. If you adjust the frequency in which the Relay pings our servers from every 10 minutes to every 5 minutes, then there would only be up to a 5 minute delay in being notified. 

Learn how to adjust how often the Relay pings our servers here.

Once an app user has received a notification that their Relay has entered a Geofenced area, the app will display the Relay at the center of the Geofence circle regardless of where the Relay is located inside of said Geofence circle. 

In the picture below you'll notice that the two Relays inside of the Geofence are centered at the center of the Geofence circle. However, this does not reflect where the Relays are physically located inside of the circle, as the exact physical location for the Relays could be closer to the Entrepreneurship building or the parking deck.

As mentioned above, once the Relay recognizes that it has entered a Geofenced area it will be displayed at the center of the circle even if it's physically in a different area of the Geofenced area. But you can be confident that the Relay is located somewhere within the circumference of the Geofenced area, so when creating a Geofence it's important to set the appropriate radius for your needs.

Your Relay being online is key to allowing you to receive Geofence notifications. If a Relay has gone offline (loses connectivity or dies), then it will not be able to ping our servers and notify you that it has entered or exited a Geofenced area. 

For example, if your Relay goes offline on the way to its destination where a Geofence is set up, then you would not be notified that it has arrived at its destination unless it came back online while in the geofenced area. The same applies if a Relay leaves a Geofenced area, if it has no connectivity after leaving an area then it will not be able to ping our servers and notify you that it has left. 

If you find that your Relay is consistently offline, please contact our support team as they'll be able to ensure that the Relay is using the best underlying carrier for your area.

Lastly, one should be conscientious of the time it takes to get from one Geofenced location to another. Due to the 10-minute interval between pings, if it takes less then 10 minutes to get from one Geofence location to the next, then it may seem as though the notifications are not working. 

For Example, if you have Geofences set up at your home and child's school, and the distance between the two is less than 10 minutes, you may only receive a notification that they have arrived at home. This is due to the Relay leaving the school and arriving at your home before it has the opportunity to inform you that it has left the school. 

Remember, the Relay checks it's location every 10 minutes, so if it pinged our servers shortly before it left the school's Geofence it may not do so again until your child has made it to the Geofenced area for your home.