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Mobile Application User Guide

This document is the User Guide for the Ranger Mobile application.

If you have any questions or comments about this guide, please contact Ranger technical support.

Overview of the Ranger Mobile Application

The Mobile Application enables digital communications between the dispatcher and service technician.

Features

Key features of the Mobile Application include:

  • Driver/Truck Availability - logged in, logged out, and status.
  • Driver/Truck Location - via integrated GPS.
  • Job Status - enroute, arrived, hooked, dropped, and clear.
  • Job Updates - acquire vehicle VIN, customer credit card number, etc.
  • Job Pricing - tow charge, unloaded mileage, loaded mileage, etc.
  • Text Messaging - text communications between dispatcher and driver.
  • Offline Operation - driver can update/save job details while out of network coverage.

Devices and Networks

The Mobile Application currently supports the following devices and networks:

  • All Motorola iDEN iXXX phones on Nextel that support Java application. Examples include the i615 and i850.
  • Blackberry 7520 on Nextel. BlackBerry OS V4.1.x or higher.
  • Mogul (by HTC) on Sprint.
  • Mentor Ranger (by Mentor Engineering) on Sprint.

Note that “hybrid” Nextel phones are not currently supported.

Support for additional devices and networks are in progress. If the device and/or network you want to use are not listed above, please contact Ranger technical support regarding availability.

Conventions used in this Guide

In some instances, a feature of the Ranger Mobile Application is unique to a particular mobile device or network. These special features are highlighted as follows:

Motorola iDEN iXXX on Nextel

This is a special instruction or note for Nextel phones.

Before you Begin

Installation and Configuration

Motorola iDEN iXXX Phones on Nextel

Prerequisites

The Ranger Mobile application requires that each phone have Nextel “packet data” service and a “public IP” address.

To enable these services, call you Nextel representative and tell them to add “packet data with public IP” to all phones you intend to install the Ranger Mobile Application on. Note that as of June 2008, “packet data with public IP” is $12.99/month ($9.99 for packet data and $3.00 for public IP) per phone.

Check for a Public IP. From the home screen of the phone, choose the menu key and go to My Info (you might have to choose “More” to see My Info). Scroll down to the Carrier IP field. If the Carrier IP starts with “10.” or “192.168.” you DO NOT have a public IP and should call Nextel immediately.

Packet Data Not Working. Some phones might not “see” the packet data service unless the Name and Lines fields are filled out on the My Info screen. To check for this issue: From the home screen of the phone, choose the menu key and go to My Info (you might have to choose “More” to see My Info). If the Name field is blank, enter your name in it. If the Line 1 field is blank, enter your phone number in it. If the Line 2 field is blank, enter your phone number in it.

Installation

There are two alternatives for installing the Ranger Mobile Application on Nextel phones:

  1. Over-The-Air Installation. This approach allows you to download the application via the wireless network. This is the preferred approach because it allows you to quickly and easily update a large number of phones, and in many cases the phone user can perform the update.
  2. Cable Download. This approach requires you to connect the phone to a PC with a data cable. This approach is more complicated because you have to touch each phone.
Over-The-Air Installation

Installation requirements:

  • Phone with “packet data and public ip.”
  • “Download Apps” installed on the phone. To determine whether you have Download Apps apps installed: From the home screen of the phone, choose the menu key and go to Java Apps (you might have to choose “More” to see Java Apps). In Java Apps, look for a red triangle icon named Download Apps. If you don't see Download Apps, you can download it from Motorola and install it via a data cable.

Installation instructions:

  1. Start Download Apps (From the home screen of the phone, choose the menu key and go to Java Apps [you might have to choose “More” to see Java Apps]. In Java Apps, choose the red triangle icon named Download Apps.)
  2. Go into “New Purchases”
  3. Select the Ranger application, e.g. “Ranger V2.26.” The application will download to the phone.


System Administrator Note

There are two things you can try to force the app to reappear in "New Purchases:"
1. Unassign TOW2 from the phone, then reassign it to the phone.
2. Delete TOW2 from MAM, then reupload it and reassign it to all phones.

Note that you may need always exit MAM and clear my browser cookies/cache after unassigning or 
deleting an app.  Otherwise, MAM   sometimes shows stale data.
System Administrator Note
To fix the other phone, you need to reinstall Download Apps.  To do that,
you need a Windows PC, data cable, and the appropriate Download App Utility
from:

http://idenphones.motorola.com/iden/support/software/html/firmware_utility.html

Connect the data cable to the PC and phone, then run the Utility and follow
the on-screen instructions.
Cable Download

Installation requirements:

  • Phone with “packet data and public ip.”
  • Data Cable
  • PC with OpenJAL installed. Download OpenJAL.
  • ZIP file containing the Ranger Mobile Application.


Installation instructions:

  1. Use data cable to connect phone and PC
  2. Launch OpenJAL on the PC and choose “Connect to Phone”. If the connection fails, check the Preferences. Make sure “Connect via USB” is checked, the port matches that of your USB connection, and that the baud rate matches that of the phone (Phone Home Screen → Menu Key → Settings → Advanced → Baud Rate)
  3. Click “Download.”
  4. Navigate to the directory where you unzipped the Ranger Mobile Application.
  5. Choose TOW2.JAD. You'll see a progress bar as the file downloads.
  6. When the download is complete, choose “Disconnect from Phone”.

Master Reset

A Master Reset forces a Nextel phone to refresh it's network settings. This is useful whenever Nextel has reconfigured your phone, particulary when you've switched from a Private IP (the default) to a Public IP (required by Ranger Mobile Application).

To perform a Master Reset:

  1. Press the Menu key.
  2. Scroll to Settings and press OK key. Note that Settings might be on Page 2, and if so, you need to press More to see it.
  3. Scroll to Advanced and press the OK key.
  4. Scroll to Connectivity and press the OK key.
  5. Scroll to Master Reset and press the OK key.
  6. Enter “000000” (six zeroes) for the Security Code and choose OK.
  7. Press YES to confirm.
  8. Press the OK key if warned to “see manual”. The phone will turn itself off.
  9. Wait 60 seconds, then turn the phone back on. The phone will power up.
  10. If the phone prompts to “update your browser info,” choose OK.

Blackberry on Nextel

Installation

The Blackberry application is installed via a data cable connection to your Windows PC.

Installation requirements:

  • Blackberry device with OS V4.1.x or higher.
  • Data cable (USB)
  • Blackberry Desktop Software V4.1 (downloadable from BlackBerry) installed on a Windows PC.
  • ZIP file containing the Ranger Mobile Application.

Installation instructions:

  1. Unzip the application files to a new folder on your hard drive.
  2. Plug the data cable into the Blackberry and PC
  3. Start the BlackBerry Desktop Software. The Desktop Software will connect to the device.
  4. Click on Application Loader. After inspecting the device, the Application Loader Wizard will show the “Device Application Selection” screen.
  5. Choose the Add button, navigate to the folder where you unzipped the attachment, then select TOW2.ALX. Ranger should then appear in the application list.
  6. Make sure the box next to Ranger is checked. Then choose Next, then Finish, and the app will be downloaded to your BlackBerry.

Note that sometimes the BlackBerry will soft reset after an application is installed. You can tell the device has reset if you see an hourglass cursor (for up to 3 minutes) on the device screen. Do not disconnect Desktop Manager until after the reset is complete and you see the home screen icons (the “ribbon”) on the device screen.

If the device locks up during or after installation, you can manually perform a soft reset (ALT + CAP + DEL at the same time) and try again.

Important: After installation is complete, you need to turn the wireless radio back on (Desktop Manager turns it off). To turn wireless on, scroll through the ribbon until you reach an icon (usually second to last) that's labeled “Turn Wireless On” and press the scroll wheel. The ribbon icon will change to show radio waves, and within 30 seconds you should see the Nextel coverage bars in the upper right corner of the screen.

First Run

The first time you run the app, you will be prompted with 3 or 4 permission popups. These popups are a bit more complex than the ones on the Motorola phones. Each popup has one or more checkboxes, plus Yes/No or Allow/Deny buttons. What you need to do for each popup is check all the boxes (usually one, but sometimes two or more), then choose Yes or Allow. This will ensure you only see the popups once.

Note that one of the popups will probably occur during Login while the “Please Wait…” screen is displayed. If you are slow to check the boxes and choose Yes or Allow, login might fail. That's OK. If it fails, just try to login again.

If login fails repeatedly, make sure you have good coverage and make sure that wireless is turned on (per my instructions in the previous section).

General Usage

You navigate between screens by clicking the roller wheel and choosing an option from the context menu. In nearly all cases, the default menu item is the one you'll want (e.g. Next). To go back to the previous screen, you can choose Back from the context menu or use the Escape key (just below the roller wheel). To exit the app, choose Close on the context menu.

Deinstallation

To uninstall the Ranger app, run Desktop Manager again. In the Application Loader, uncheck the box next to Ranger. Then choose Next, then Finish, and the app will be removed from the device.

Mogul on Sprint

The Ranger application for the Mogul device is packaged as a standard Windows Mobile device CAB installation file. You install this file as you would any other Windows Mobile CAB file.

Before installing, you may wish to verify your device has the latest Mogul ROM. Some older Mogul device ROM versions did not support the internal GPS. To check the device's ROM Version, go to Start > Settings > System Tab > Device Information on your device. You should have at least ROM Version 3.35.651.2. You may find more information at HTC's website regarding ROM upgrades: http://www.htc.com/us/FAQ_Detail.aspx?p_id=75&act=sd

Installation

There are two alternatives for installing the Ranger Mobile Application CAB file on Sprint Mogul Windows Mobile phones:

  1. Over-The-Air Installation. This approach allows you to download the application via the wireless network and the Mogul's built in web browser.
  2. Cable Download. This approach requires you to connect the phone to a PC with a data cable. This approach requires you to have Active-Sync setup and configured on your PC.
Over-The-Air Installation

Open Internet Explorer on your Mogul device. Enter the following URL:

 http://jason.devoutr.net/ranger/releases.html

Click the latest release file version at the top of this web page page. If a previous version of the Ranger application exists, the device will inform you it will uninstall this previous version before installing the new version. The device will also prompt you to install to your “device” or to the “Storage Card”. It is best to use the storage card option whenever possible because the device memory fills up fast and things start slowing down and acting strange when the device memory gets low.

After clicking the Install softkey, you should see a success message. Press OK to close the install. The Ranger Tow application is installed and you will see a Ranger Icon in the Start Menu → Programs area. Double click this icon to run the Tow application.

Cable Download

The first step is to move the .CAB installation file you downloaded to the Pocket PC. First, sync your Pocket PC with your Windows PC using Active Sync. After synchronization, select the Explore feature from ActiveSync's main screen on your PC.

The Explore feature allows you to browse your Pocket PC's internal storage like you would browse your computer's hard drive(s) in My Computer or Windows Explorer. Once the Mobile Device explorer window is open, go to your Windows Desktop, or wherever the file you want to move to the Pocket PC is stored. Right-click it. When the menu drops down, select Copy. Return to the Mobile Device explorer window, right-click somewhere in the window, and select Paste:

The .CAB file will be moved to the Pocket PC. Allow this process to complete. Remove your Pocket PC from its cradle or disconnect it from its sync cable. On your Pocket PC, go to File Explorer in the Program folder on the Start Menu.

Find the file you moved in File Explorer. When you find it, double-click it. It will install itself on your Pocket PC and add itself to the Start Menu or the Programs folder.

You're done. The program will now appear in the Programs folder. You may delete the .CAB file from your Pocket PC's memory if you wish.

http://pocketpccentral.net/help/softinstall.htm#ppc

General Usage

You navigate between screens by using the soft keys (Next or Back) or clicking a menu item directly on the screen.

Mentor on Sprint

This section describes the steps for setting up a fresh out-of-the box Mentor device with both the Modem drivers and the Ranger Tow application.

Prerequisites

Files

You will need the following files: Velos1xForRanger.cab and TowMentorInstall.Cab.

Modem Information

Each device must be registered to a Sprint account. To setup the devices on the Sprint Network:

You will need to provide Sprint the following information about each device:

  • Serial Number
  • EID
  • ESN

For each unique device, Sprint shall provide the information below. You will use these numbers in the Modem Install steps later in this document.

  • Carrier (Sprint will always be 12).
  • SPC
  • MDN
  • MIN

Quick Step Summary

You may copy, paste and print this section as a quick reference to use when installing the application.

Copy Install Files
  1. Copy the TowMentorInstall.Cab and Velos1xForRanger.cab files from your PC to the Compact Flash Card.
  2. Insert the Compact Flash Card into the Mentor Device.
  3. Double click the “My Device” Icon in the upper left of the Mentor Desktop.
  4. Browse to “Storage Card 2” and copy the two install files to “FlashDrive”. Note: The Mentor device deletes CAB files after the install process. This is why it is necessary to copy the cab files to the device’s flash drive and run the CAB install process from the CAB files on the internal “flashdrive” rather than the removable Compact Flash Card.
Install Modem
  1. In the “FlashDrive” folder, double click the Velos1xForRanger icon to begin the Modem Install.
  2. During the modem install, press OK without changing any file locations in the popup box.
  3. Once the install is complete, enter the Carrier (Sprint is 12), SPC, MDN, and MIN obtained for this specific device from Sprint.
  4. Reboot the device via the Start→Programs→Utilities→Software Reset icon.
  5. Test the modem by checking to make sure the Network Icon is not X’d out and verify you are able to view the default website in Internet Explorer.
Install Ranger for Mentor
  1. In the “FlashDrive” folder, double click the TowMentorInstall icon.
  2. During the install press OK without changing any file locations in the popup box.
  3. Once the install is complete, reboot the device device via the Start→Programs→Utilities→Software Reset icon. After the device reboots, the Ranger Tow application will launch at startup.

Detailed Install Instructions

The sections below provide a detailed summary of the installation process.

Copy the install files from your PC to the Compact Flash Card

This step copies the Modem Driver install file and Ranger Tow application install file to the compact flash card. After this step is complete, you will insert the Compact Flash card into each Mentor device and continue with the remaining install steps. You will only need to do this step once to get this install files on the compact flash card (or whenever there is an update to the application that needs to be distributed to the Mentor devices).

Copy the following files from your PC to the compact flash card using a USB Compact Flash Card Reader:

  • Velos1xForRanger.cab – The Mentor Modem Driver Setup File.
  • TowMentorInstall.CAB – The Ranger Tow Mentor Application Setup File.

Note: *.CAB files are industry standard setup files used by Windows Mobile and PocketPC devices.

Copy the install files from the Compact Flash Card to the Mentor device

Insert the compact flash card into the left side of the Mentor device. The compact flash card will look like a new “disk drive” on the Mentor device. You can see the files on the compact flash card by double clicking on the “My Device” icon in the upper left corner of the desktop.

mentorinstallscreen010.jpg

Once the “My Device” application is open you will see a list of all the “drives” on the device. Double click the “Storage Card 2” icon to open the folder with the files you copied above.

Note: The “Storage Card” icon is the internal storage card. “Storage Card 2” is the removable storage card you inserted into the side of the device.

Copy these files to the flash drive of the device by selecting “Select All” then “Copy” from the Edit menu

mentorinstallscreen020.jpg

Now that all the files are selected and copied, you need to paste them to the flash drive. Click the back arrow at the top of the screen to return to the list of all drives. Next, click the “FlashDrive” Icon and select Edit→Paste.

Note: The Mentor device deletes CAB files after the install process. This is why it is necessary to copy the cab files to the device’s flash drive and run the CAB install process from the CAB files on the internal “flashdrive” rather than the removable Compact Flash Card.

Install and Test the Modem Drivers

When in the “FlashDrive” folder, double click the Velos1xForRanger.cab file to begin the Modem Install Process. After a few seconds you will see the prompt shown below. Simply press the OK button in the upper right corner of the box. It is important not to change the location of the install files – Just press OK.

mentorinstallscreen030.jpg

The install process will continue installing files on the device. After this process is complete (about 1 minute), you will be prompted to enter modem settings as seen in the screen below:

mentorinstallscreen040.jpg

Here you will need to enter the following settings specific for this device previously obtained from Sprint:

  • Carrier (Sprint will always be 12).
  • SPC
  • MDN
  • MIN

You may leave the other fields in the screen blank. Once you are done entering the above fields, visually verify they are correct and press OK.

The Modem Install is now complete. Next reboot the device to verify you have a connection. To reboot, select the Start→Programs→Utilities→Software Reset. Press “Yes” when prompted if you are sure you want to perform a Software Reset.

mentorinstallscreen050.jpg

Once the device reboots you will see a network icon in the bottom right tray next to the clock. Initially the icon will have an X though it, but after about a minute the X should disappear if the modem settings were correct and Sprint recognizes your device.

X Icon over network indicating no connection (you will see this for about 30 seconds to 1 minute after rebooting):

mentorinstallscreen060.jpg

Network Connected Icon:

mentorinstallscreen070.jpg

Install Mentor Tow application

Only proceed to this step when a successful modem connection is made and you browse the internet using Internet Explorer.

Open “My Device” from the desktop and browse to the “FlashDrive”. Find and double click on the TowMentorInstall icon that was previously copied from the Compact Flash card. Note: The .CAB extension may not be shown, so you might only see TowMentorInstall as the name under the icon.

mentorinstallscreen080.jpg

You will see a popup prompt after double clicking on the TowMentorInstall icon. Simply press OK in this box without changing any settings.

mentorinstallscreen090.jpg

Wait for the Installing RangerSST RangerTowMentorInstall box to complete. Once the install is complete, reboot the device by selecting Start→Programs→Utilities→Software Reset.

Once the device restarts, the Ranger Tow Application will start automatically and the device will be in security desktop lockdown mode.

About Desktop Security Lockdown Mode

Once the Ranger Tow Application has been installed, the device will be put into Desktop Security Lockdown Mode. In this mode the Ranger Tow application always starts when the device is booted up and the user has limited access to the desktop. Typically the user cannot access the desktop because the Ranger Tow application never really exits. Fox example, after “Logging Out” of Ranger Tow, the only option is to “Restart” which reboots the device and re-runs the Ranger Tow application.

If the user does find a way to close the Ranger Tow application without rebooting the device (or the application crashes), the Mentor desktop looks as follows and has limited functionality. The start menu does nothing and the only option is to reboot the device via the “Reboot Device” icon.

mentorinstallscreen100.jpg

As an administrator, you may need to exit this security lockdown mode at times (i.e. to update the RangerTow application). To exit this security lockdown mode, proceed to either the Login or Logout’s Starting Mileage screen.

mentorinstallscreen110.jpg

Next press the F5 (Kybd) button until you see the Alpha SIP as shown below:

mentorinstallscreen120.jpg

Contact technical support to obtain the passwords to exit security lockout mode.

Using the Mobile Application

Understanding the phone

Downloading Ranger to your Phone

  • *M*
  • *RA*, repeat until you get to “Java Apps” icon
  • *OK*
  • *RA*, repeat until you get to “Download” icon (this might be the first icon)
  • *OK*
  • *DA*, repeat until you get to “- New Purchases” menu item
  • *LD*, which selects the “SELECT” soft key
  • *DA*, repeat until you highlight the “TOW209” menu item
  • *LD*, which selects the “SELECT” soft key
  • *LD*, which selects the “GET IT” soft key

If download is successful, you should get a “Thank You” screen.

  • *RD“, which selects the “EXIT” soft key
  • Wait until a new icon appears in the icon list, as this takes a few seconds
  • *RA*, repeat until the new icon is selected, which should be titled “TOW2”
  • *OK*, which starts installing the app. This process might take as long as a minute.
  • *RD*, which selects the “Done” soft key, and returns you to the “Java Apps” menu

Running the Ranger Application

  • *M*
  • *RA*, repeat until you get to “Java Apps” icon
  • *OK*
  • *RA*, repeat until you get to “TOW2” icon
  • *OK*

The first time, you will have to set up some permissions. If this is the case, follow these steps:

  • If you see the message “TOW2 Requests App Auto Invocation Permissions” message, hit *LD*, which selects the “Grant” soft key
  • *UA*, repeat until “Always” is selected
  • *OK*

You should now see the Ranger splash screen.

  • *OK*
  • If may be shown the Company Number entry screen first. If so, and you don't know your company number, the dispatcher should know it. Enter it with the keypad.
  • *OK*

Suspending the app

  • *HU*
  • If you wish to restart the app, hit *LD*, selecting the “End” soft key. Otherwise, hit *RD*, selecting the “Back” soft key.
  • If you selected the “End” soft key, you will be given one more chance to return without restart. If you still wish to restart, hit *LD*, selecting the “EndNow” soft key. Otherwise, hit *RD*, selecting the “Back” soft key.

Note that suspending the app does not log the driver out of Ranger. When you run the app again, you will bypass the login process and be taken to the driver menu, as previous login information was retained on suspend.

Logging out of the app

  • From app main menu, repeat *DA* until the Logout menu option is selected.
  • *OK*
  • If the phone has queued up messages to be delivered to Ranger, logout will be prevented, and the message “There is X messages queued up to be sent…” will be displayed.
  • If logout is an option, the ending mileage screen will be displayed. Enter the truck's odometer, and hit *LD*, selecting the “Next” soft key.
  • The vehicle passed inspection page is displayed. If the company requires an inspection, hit *LD* for Yes, or *RD* for No. If the company does not require an inspection, hit the *RD*, which selects the “No” soft key.
  • The phone will communicate with Ranger for 20-30 seconds.
  • If an error occurred during logout for some reason, the phone will indicate a communication failure. This generally indicates a Ranger error condition. If multiple attempts to logout fail, Ranger technical support should be contacted.
  • If logout is successful, the phone will display the Logout Successful page, along with statistics regarding the driver session. Hit *LD*, selecting the “Exit” soft key.

Troubleshooting

support/mobile/user_guide.1215551489.txt.gz · Last modified: 2008/07/08 17:11 by jmather