Tracking
Categories
Categories let you organize assets into logical groups with shared default settings. They simplify fleet management by applying consistent configuration across multiple assets at once.
What categories are
A category is a named group that assets can belong to. Categories serve two purposes:
- Organization -- Group related assets together for easier filtering, searching, and reporting.
- Shared defaults -- Define default settings, such as alert preferences, location filtering, and supported GPS tracker reporting rules, that apply to all assets in the category.
Every asset can belong to one category. Category settings propagate through the category tree: child categories can override parent category values, while asset-level Trip Tracking and Event Thresholds remain separate controls for per-asset trip grouping, event triggers, and webhook movement thresholds.
Creating a category
To create a category, go to Categories in the sidebar and click Create Category. Fill in the following fields:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | A descriptive name (e.g., "Delivery Vans") |
| Description | No | Optional details about the category's purpose |
| Icon | No | An icon displayed on map markers and in lists |
| Color | No | A color for visual identification |
| Parent category | No | The parent category for nesting (see below) |
Naming conventions
Use clear, specific names for categories. "Delivery Vans" is better than "Group 1". Good names make filtering and reporting intuitive for all team members.
Category settings
Each category can define default values that apply to all assets within it. These defaults are used when an asset does not have its own override.
Location recording rules
Location recording rules reduce storage and noise by deciding which location points are saved to history. They are category defaults: child categories inherit from their parent unless they define their own value, and system defaults apply when no category value is set.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Minimum distance | The minimum distance in meters an asset must move before a new location point is recorded |
| Minimum interval | The minimum time in seconds between recorded location points |
| Heading change | Preserve a turn point when the reported heading changes by at least this many degrees |
| Turn distance | Require this much movement before preserving a heading-change point |
| Motion change distance | Preserve stop/start transitions after this much movement |
| Low-accuracy jitter | Ignore short movements when reported GPS accuracy is poor; also used by history playback as the default parked/stay grouping radius |
Tip
For GPS trackers reporting every few seconds, the system defaults are a good starting point for most fleets. Increase low-accuracy jitter when parked vehicles create noisy saved points, and tune asset Minimum trip distance when parked GPS drift should not become a trip. Lower those values only when short on-site movements are operationally important.
GPS tracker reporting
For supported Teltonika trackers, category settings can also control the device-side reporting periods used while moving and while stopped. When you save recording or reporting settings, Pointeron reconciles supported devices in that category. Connected trackers receive the GPRS command immediately; offline trackers keep the command queued until they reconnect.
Alert preferences
Configure default alert settings for the category:
- Which alert types are enabled (geofence crossing, speed, battery, idle)
- Notification channels (email, push, webhook)
- Cooldown periods between repeated alerts
Individual assets can override these defaults if they need different alert behavior.
Geofence sync
You can assign geofences directly to a category. When you do, every asset in that category is automatically monitored against those geofences. This is much more efficient than assigning geofences to each asset individually.
To assign geofences to a category:
- Open the category detail page
- Go to the Geofences tab
- Click Add Geofence and select from your existing geofences
- Choose the alert triggers (entry, exit, dwell, speed)
When a new asset is added to the category, it automatically inherits the geofence assignments. When an asset is removed from the category, the geofence assignments are removed.
Geofence precedence
If an asset has its own geofence assignments in addition to those inherited from its category, both sets of geofences are active. There is no conflict -- all assigned geofences are monitored.
Nested categories
Categories support parent-child relationships, allowing you to build a hierarchy. Child categories inherit settings from their parent unless explicitly overridden.
Example hierarchy
Vehicles
Delivery Vans
Electric Vans
Diesel Vans
Long-haul Trucks
Service Vehicles
Equipment
Forklifts
Generators
Personnel
Field Technicians
Delivery Drivers
How inheritance works
Settings flow down from parent to child:
- A parent category defines a minimum recording interval of 30 seconds
- A child category "Delivery Vans" overrides it to 10 seconds
- A grandchild category "Electric Vans" inherits 10 seconds from its parent
- An individual asset in "Electric Vans" can use its own override when supported
If a child category does not define a setting, it uses the parent's value. If neither defines it, the system default applies.
Tip
Keep your hierarchy to three levels or fewer. Deeply nested categories make it harder to understand which settings are active and where they come from.
Best practices
Here are recommended ways to structure your categories depending on your use case:
By fleet group
Group assets by operational function:
- Delivery Vans
- Service Vehicles
- Executive Cars
- Rental Fleet
By department
Group assets by organizational unit:
- Sales Team
- Operations
- Logistics
- Management
By device type
Group assets by the kind of tracker they use:
- AirTag Tracked (15-min sync, points mode)
- GPS Tracked (3-sec sync, trips mode)
- Phone Tracked (mode-dependent mobile app collection)
Phone collection cadence depends on whether Pointeron Mobile uses Balanced, High Fidelity, or On Demand. This is separate from the asset's Trips, Points, or Disabled processing mode. See Mobile App & Phone Tracking.
By geographic region
Group assets by the area they operate in:
- Northern Region
- Central Warehouse
- City Center
- Airport Zone
Combining approaches
You can combine these approaches using nested categories. For example, "Northern Region > Delivery Vans > Electric Vans" uses geographic, fleet, and vehicle-type groupings together.
Managing categories
Editing a category
Open the category from the sidebar and click Edit. Changes to default settings will apply to all assets in the category that have not individually overridden those settings.
Deleting a category
When you delete a category, all assets in it become uncategorized. Their individual settings are preserved, but they lose any category-inherited defaults and geofence assignments.
Deleting parent categories
Deleting a parent category also removes the parent-child relationship for its children. Child categories become top-level categories. Assets in the deleted category become uncategorized.
Moving assets between categories
To move an asset to a different category, edit the asset and change its category field. The asset will immediately adopt the new category's defaults (unless it has individual overrides) and inherit the new category's geofence assignments.