Mastering Zonar
★ Zonar Products · Solar Asset Tracker
The solar asset tracker is Zonar's no-wiring tracker for trailers, containers and equipment with no power of their own. Here is how it works and how to mount it right.
Drawing for reference, not a product photo.
The solar asset tracker, model TLP2-SFB, is a self-contained tracker for assets with no power of their own. A solar panel on top keeps a 9,600 mAh battery charged, the antennas are inside, and the whole unit is sealed to IP67, so it screws onto a trailer, container or machine and runs without any wiring.
Zonar's brochure says the design runs with no maintenance for up to 10 years. When the asset moves it reports every 15 minutes, and at rest it checks in every 4 hours.
Zonar's brochure lists a wide range: heavy equipment such as dozers, graders, excavators, cranes and pavers; containers and trailers from flatbeds to lowboys and drop decks; towable and leave-behind gear like light towers, generators, compressors and waste bins; light equipment such as skid steers, forklifts and lifts; recreational units; and farm, lawn and landscape equipment.
The common thread is an asset that sits in the open and has no battery to tap. Equipment rental yards see where every unit is and how long it has sat. Construction companies recover stolen gear sooner. Trailer fleets find dropped trailers without sending a driver to look.
Zonar publishes standby times with no solar charging at all and two hours of active tracking a day: about 320 days at a 10-minute reporting interval, 170 days at 5 minutes and 68 days at 1 minute. With the panel in daylight, the battery is topped up, which is why placement matters more than anything else on this install.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | TLP2-SFB |
| Size and weight | 3.35 x 7.28 x 1.22 in (85 x 185 x 31 mm), 370 g |
| Battery | Rechargeable lithium, 9,600 mAh at 3.6 V, solar charged |
| Cellular | LTE Cat-M1 and NB-IoT with GSM fallback |
| GNSS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou; under 2 m CEP; hot start under 1 s |
| Sealing | IP67 |
| Operating temperature | -25 to +80 °C (-13 to 176 °F) |
| Mounting | Screw (preferred) or magnet |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, light sensor for removal alert, temperature sensor |
| Lights | Network, GNSS and battery level LEDs |
| Sound | None. The solar tracker has no buzzer |
It ships asleep. A sticker covers the light sensor on the back, and the unit wakes only after that sticker comes off and the sensor sees light, so peel it and watch for the LEDs next to the sensor to flash; in a dark shop, a flashlight on the sensor does the job. Write down the serial number and the trailer or asset number before mounting, because both are needed to match the unit in the software. Mount it where the panel gets full sun and will not be hit by road debris or caked with dirt or grease, on the roof or a forward or side vertical surface; on a trailer, the top rail at the nose is the usual spot. Zonar recommends the four self-tapping screws in the kit with 9/64 inch pilot holes, warns that adhesive will damage the tracker, and says rivets must be tested so they do not vibrate or pull through. Follow lockout and tagout on the equipment first, then allow up to 10 minutes for the unit to first appear in the platform.
It fits unpowered assets that spend their days outside. Assets kept indoors or under cover will not charge, so ZTrak, with a battery rated for years at one or two pings a day, is the better choice there. Powered equipment that needs inputs or starter interrupt belongs on a TTU-2830. We can supply and install whichever one matches the asset.
When you are ready to put solar tracker units in your vehicles, API Signal supplies the hardware, sets up the monthly service and has our technicians install it on site at your yard, so the vehicles never leave your lot. Call 803-513-1009 or use Get a Quote to set a date.
Sources: Zonar solar asset tracker spec sheet, Zonar solar powered asset tracking brochure, Zonar solar tracker (TLP2-SFB) installation guide. ZONAR is a trademark of Zonar Systems, Inc. Other product names belong to their owners. API Signal is an independent installer and is not Zonar.
It is probably still asleep. Remove the sticker over the light sensor on the back and expose the sensor to light until the LEDs flash. It can take up to 10 minutes to show up in the platform.
No. Zonar says adhesive will damage the tracker. Use the four self-tapping screws in the kit, or test rivets carefully.
Zonar lists every 15 minutes while moving and every 4 hours at rest, and it can be configured for other intervals.
Tell us how many vehicles and what they are. We'll quote the hardware and the install together.