Trailer & Asset Tracking FAQ

The Piccolo AT Asset & Trailer GPS Tracking device is exceptional in 2 significant ways. First, it is very small with integrated antennas and completely self-powered. This means there is literally nothing to connect to it, making it a breeze to install. Secondly, it uses state-of-the-art electronic design to reduce its power consumption, so that in spite of its tiny size, it can last several years on a set of standard "c" size batteries.

When your trailer or the asset you are tracking is not moving, the entire unit goes into a sleep mode where it draws only micro-amps. Rather than having to power the GPS receiver and wireless data modem, we only need to power its microprocessor and a built-in motion detector. When movement is detected, it automatically wakes up, connects to the wireless network and sends its position information. Once it is awake due to movement, it reports its position periodically on a pre-programmed basis. Once it stops moving, it goes to sleep again. To our knowledge, there is nothing else on the market with this combination of capabilities.

Installation is very simple in most cases: just mount it externally to the asset or trailer and you are done. The unit could be mounted internally as well if there is an area not covered by sheet metal, where it can still receive GPS signals.

Fleet.NET™ uses Microsoft MapPoint maps, which cover all of North America. Most of North America is also very well covered by the wireless data service, with over 90% of populated areas covered. Our installed units also feature store and forward capability, so that if a vehicle ventures into an area where there is no wireless coverage, it will store all of its GPS position reports and update the system as soon as it is back in coverage. Ask your Future Quest representative for details.

You have 3 choices: First, you could subscribe on a monthly basis to our hosted Fleet.NET Desktop system. We offer a special low rate for trailer tracking because you will not be typically sending a lot of positions as you would with real-time vehicle tracking. Secondly, you could purchase your own enterprise version of our Fleet.NET™ system. In this case, you would own the system outright and just pay for the wireless data service and a small monthly or annual support fee. Our Enterprise system is highly scalable, so you could easily maintain a fleet of several hundred units. Thirdly, you could integrate the Piccolo AT into your own mapping or dispatch system using our standard API.

Ask your Future Quest rep to show you an on-line demo of a live system by calling us or send an email to: It only takes a few minutes.

The Piccolo AT sends its battery reading with every GPS transmission. Our Fleet.NET system will alert you when the batteries become low in any unit. The 2 'C' size batteries will power the unit up to 3, 4 or even 5 years, depending on how often it sends position information and the type of batteries you use. For example, if you are only sending 1 position per day and using Lithium Ion batteries, it should last at least 3 years.

There is only 1 ongoing charge each month, which covers both the monthly tracking service and the data service. It is billed monthly in advance and is very reasonable. We have a special low rate for the Piccolo AT due to its less frequent GPS reporting. (Request an instant quote to see detailed pricing)

It’s very simple: