Mastering Geotab
★ Geotab Products · IOX Add-On
The IOX-ALERT turns a simple dash-mounted switch into a one-press message to dispatch. The driver presses the button, the GO device logs it, and a MyGeotab rule decides who hears about it.
The IOX-ALERT is a small IOX cable with a single input wire. That wire connects to a momentary contact switch, which the fleet supplies, mounted where the driver can reach it. When the switch is pressed, the GO device records an "Alert button depressed" diagnostic and sends it to MyGeotab. From there, an event rule can notify a dispatcher, a supervisor or a group by whatever method the fleet has set up.
It is deliberately simple. There is no screen, no app and no two-way messaging. The value is that a driver can signal the office without picking up a phone, which matters when hands are busy or a call is not practical.
Geotab's own examples cover three situations: a vehicle problem that stops the driver from continuing, an emergency, and a driver signalling that a delivery stop is coming up. Those translate into a few concrete setups.
Route delivery and courier fleets can use a press as an arrival heads-up so the receiving dock or the customer gets notice without the driver texting behind the wheel.
Service vans and field techs can use it as a breakdown call. Dispatch sees which vehicle sent the alert, checks it on the map, and can start arranging a tow or a swap truck.
Transit, shuttle and paratransit operators sometimes want a discreet button a driver can press during a passenger incident without drawing attention. Geotab is clear that the product is not fail-safe, so this belongs alongside, not instead of, any required emergency procedure.
Lone workers in sanitation, security patrol or yard operations get a quick way to flag a problem when a radio or phone is out of reach.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Compatible GO devices | All GO7 and newer, including variants |
| Inputs | 1 alert input (black wire, AUX 1) |
| Input logic | Ground to float; active below 100 mV |
| Input impedance | 37 kΩ |
| Driving circuit resistance | Less than 100 Ω |
| Nominal input voltage | 12 V / 24 V |
| Current | 40 mA typical, 100 mA max, 0.4 mA sleep |
| Temperature rating | -40 °C to +85 °C |
| Weight | 50 g |
| Housing | PC+ABS clamshell |
| CAN | 500 kbps for daisy chaining |
The wiring is two connections: the black IOX wire to one side of a momentary switch, and the other side of the switch to a solid vehicle ground. A latching switch is the wrong part; it needs to spring back. Button placement is the real decision. It should be easy for the driver to find by feel, but not somewhere a knee or a bag will press it by accident, and the cable has to stay clear of the pedals. The IOX itself plugs into the GO device's expansion port with the GO unplugged, gets a light cable tie, and keeps its termination shunt only if it is the last unit in the chain. The step people skip is the MyGeotab side. Without an event rule built on the alert button diagnostic, a press is logged but nobody is told. We test by pressing the button after the install check passes and confirming the rule actually fires.
It fits fleets that want a low-cost, single-purpose way for drivers to flag the office, and that already work inside cellular coverage. Geotab states the IOX-ALERT is not designed to be fail-safe and is not recommended for safety-critical uses, because a delayed or failed notification is possible. Fleets that work beyond cell range should look at the IOX-SATIRDv2, which carries an alert input over satellite. Fleets that need several monitored inputs, such as PTO or door switches, should look at the IOX-AUXM.
No. The IOX-ALERT provides the input; a momentary contact switch is sourced separately. We can supply and install a suitable switch with the module.
Routing is handled by MyGeotab rules and notifications, so alerts can be scoped by vehicle group and sent to the right dispatcher or supervisor.
The IOX-ALERT document does not describe any acknowledgement back to the driver. If confirmation in the cab matters, we talk through another way to give the driver that feedback before the install.
Our crew supplies the IOX-ALERT together with a proper momentary switch, mounts both in each vehicle at your location and builds the notification rule so the first test press reaches the right dispatcher. Reach us at 803-513-1009, or start with Get a Quote and list the vehicles that need a button.
Sources: Geotab Support, IOX-ALERT installation document; Geotab blog, IOX expansion. GEOTAB is a registered trademark of Geotab Inc. API Signal is an independent installer and is not Geotab.
Tell us how many vehicles and what they are. We'll quote the hardware and the install together.