Understanding the Data Usage Indicator
What the data usage percentage on your device means, and what to do about it.
What is the Data Usage indicator?
The Data Usage indicator shows how much cellular data your device has used during its current billing cycle. Think of it like the data meter on your phone. It appears on the Equipment page in Locate and displays:
- Data used so far this billing period
- Data limit for your device's plan
- Usage percentage as a visual progress bar
- Last updated timestamp
This is a standard platform feature designed to give you visibility into your device's data consumption.
Why am I seeing this?
We added this feature so you can monitor your data usage before it becomes a problem. Previously, if a device went offline or a video request failed because of a data limit, there was no easy way to know that was the cause. Now you can check the indicator yourself at any time.
Does high data usage affect my service?
It can. If a device reaches its data limit for the billing cycle:
- GPS trackers may go offline and stop reporting location data.
- Cameras may lose the ability to live stream or download video clips.
Service restores automatically at the start of the next billing cycle. If you need service restored sooner, contact our Support team -- we can help add data or investigate the cause.
Why do only some of my devices show it?
The indicator only appears when your device's SIM provider shares usage data with our platform. Devices on pooled or shared data plans will not display this information, as we cannot determine a per-device limit for those plans.
What should I do if a device shows high usage?
- For GPS trackers: High usage is uncommon and may indicate a configuration issue or device fault. Contact Support so we can investigate.
- For cameras: Cameras use significantly more data than trackers, especially during live streaming and video downloads. If you're approaching your limit, consider reducing how often you stream or request footage until your next billing cycle.
Can I turn off the Data Usage indicator?
No. This is a permanent feature across the platform. It's designed to help you stay informed and troubleshoot connectivity issues faster.
Need help?
If your device has reached its data limit, or if you're seeing unexpected data consumption, contact the PosiTrace Support team. We can:
- Confirm whether a data limit has been reached
- Help restore service by adding additional data
- Investigate unusual data spikes