Spider questions
What are the main differences between the spidertracks tracking units?
The Spider S4: Bluetooth for wireless connection, Radius, more robust and has an external keypad. The Spider S3: Smaller, lighter and has an integrated keypad. Please see more technical details in the table on the feature comparison page.
Do the Spiders come with an external antenna?
No. The Spiders have both the GPS and Iridium antenna inside the enclosure. To work the unit will require a good view of the sky. We recommend placing the unit on the dash of the aircraft.
Do the units require an STC or other certification?
No. The units are considered carry-on or role equipment therefore do not require an STC to be placed inside the aircraft. The Spiders have been tested by Eurocopter for interference with the FADEC engine and Cessna have given a letter of no technical objection for installation into their aircraft. Please see a download of the installation documentation.
Can I easily shift my Spider between multiple aircraft?
Yes. You can purchase more brackets and power leads and then easily shift the unit between multiple aircraft.
Does the Spider have an internal battery?
No. The Spiders run completely from an external power source. They are designed to 'live and die' with the aircraft power however external batteries can be used if necessary. We recommend not to use an external battery if possible to increase the integrity of the system.
Can the LED on the Keypad be dimmed for night flying?
Yes. By holding down the Mark button on the Keypad, the LED will cycle through levels of brightness. Release the Mark button for the desired level. Contact spidertracks if you require NVG compliant modifications done on the Spider LED.
How long is the warranty on the Spider S3 and S4?
The warranty is one year from date of purchase and it is on a back to base terms. This means you will be required to send the unit back to either Spider Tracks Limited in New Zealand or the USA at your own expense. Please retain your proof of purchase when applying for a warranty repair or replacement.
Is the unit vibration resistant?
Yes. For normal aviation or land use the Spider is shock resistant.
Does it work on the cell phone network?
No. Spidertracks only uses the Iridium Network to send data as this is the only guaranteed method of transferring data from the unit to the servers in real time. Cell phone networks will have black spots where there is no coverage.
What is the coverage area of the Iridium Satellite Network?
Iridium has complete global coverage. The 66 orbiting satellites are not geostationary, like some other satellite networks, and therefore there will never be any black spots. Iridium is currently upgrading all existing satellites with Iridium Next. Read more...
What happens, when flying with Spiderwatch active, if I forget to turn off Watch at the end of the flight? Will my support people be alerted?
Yes. The spidertracks' servers will treat a loss of power the same as a crash. If within 15 minutes from power down, the pilot can turn the Spider on and press the Watch button manually, then press it off, and wait until the LED stops flashing to prevent an SOS message from being sent. We recommend the pilot be a tier one contact so they can easily cancel any SOS alerts.
Tracking questions
Which website should I use?
Fleetpro is designed for commercial operators with more than one aircraft and more than one Spider. All aircraft can be displayed on one map at one time. Aviator is designed for recreational pilots with one aircraft.
Can I have an account on both Fleetpro and Aviator?
Yes. You can signup and register your Spider S3 or Spider S4 to both websites however you will only be able to change the settings of the Spider on one of them. Please let spidertracks know which one you would like to use.
Who has access to my tracks and how long do they stay there?
You control who can view your tracks via the website. As the administrator (Fleetpro) or owner (Aviator) you can invite people to view specific flights, aircraft or all the aircraft in your account. Unless you are, via AFF or Global Viewer, supplying the tracking information to government organisations, the CAA or other administrative bodies will not be able to view you flights. If required by law spidertracks will provide tracking information. The tracks are stored on the spidertracks' servers until you delete them.
Can I add an overlay (KML) onto the map?
Yes. KML overlay can be added to the map, allowing you to display features that are not normally displayed on Google Maps. For example, an out at sea oil rig can be displayed in order to show where helicopters are landing. Please see Adding KML on our support site for more information.
What is AFF?
AFF is Automated Flight Following. There are a set of standards that tracking companies must adhere to in order to be AFF certified. Once AFF certified, tracking companies can supply the tracking information (at customer request) to specific organisations such as the US Forest Service. Spidertracks is AFF certified.
Can spidertracks send data to the US Forest Service or other government organisations?
Yes. Spidertracks is certified to send data through an AFF feed. Via the Fleetpro website you can set your Spider to send the information to US Forest Service, NAFC (Australia) and many other organisations. To change this please go to the Spider Settings page and check the AFF box.
Pricing questions
Can I use my Spider on any of the pricing plans?
Yes if it is a Spider S3 or Spider S4.
Can I have a fleet wide pricing plan?
No. The plans are all per Spider. Each Spider will have it's own plan so there are no fleet wide pricing plans available.
Can I suspend or cancel my service at any time?
This will depend on the plan you are on. Most plans will allow you to suspend the Spider for up to four months at a cost of $7 per month. To deactivate your account you may be charged a fee dependant on your plan.
Except for my normal monthly data fees, what other costs are involved?
Use of the Aviator and Fleetpro websites are free of charge however you can add features. Please see our extra add-ons page for details.
How will I be invoiced for my monthly plan?
Spidertracks will automatically generate an invoice at the end of your billing month. You billing month end date is the day that you register your first Spider, for example, if you register it on the 6th of March, your billing date will be the 6th of each month.
How can I pay for the monthly fees?
On registering your Spider, you will be required to enter credit card details. Spidertracks will automatically charge your credit card when an invoice is generated once per month.
I don't have a credit card, how can I pay for the monthly fees?
For all customers outside of New Zealand we require payment by credit or debit card. Please contact us if this is an issue.
Extra add-on questions
Do you have a Spiderviewer application for Blackberry or Android phones as well as the iPhone?
No, at this time we only have the iPhone application.
What smartphones can I use with Spidertxt?
As at December 2011 only Blackberry and Windows phones with Bluetooth can be used with a Spidertxt activated Spider S2 or Spider S4.
How do I set up a Geofence?
Currently spidertracks has to manually activate the Geofence on all Spider versions. To setup a geofence please follow these instructions.
How do I set up my SOS alerts to go to the spidertracks SOS call centre?
Please contact spidertracks to have this set up for your account.
Other questions
I want to make a suggested feature, where can I do this?
You can make feature requests on our support page, under feature requests. Please check that the feature request does not already exist.
Will spidertracks sponsor our event?
Maybe. Depends how cool it is!
I couldn't find the question I want to ask here. Where can I find more information?
Please visit our support site to find out more about using your spidertracks units or send us a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
