What is the Zonar LD?
Zonar LD is a telematics control unit (TCU) designed for use with light duty trucks, vans, cars, and other vehicles which use an ODBII network. It is a compact, easy to install solution with no cabling or peripherals required.
This article describes how to install the Zonar LD TCU, some differences to expect between it and the standard TCUs Zonar offers, and how to identify and resolve potential issues that may arise.
Installation
The Zonar LD TCU must be assigned to an asset in Ground Traffic Control prior to hardware installation. The Zonar LD does not auto-create a new asset in the same way as standard TCUs and data will be lost if the Zonar LD TCU is unassigned.
Step 1: Ground Traffic Control
Currently, Zonar pre-creates Zonar LD TCU assets in your account during delivery to prevent data loss. The asset needs to be renamed to the asset number you intend to associate the Zonar LD TCU with.
- Log into Ground Traffic Control.
- Go to Manage in the top menu, then click Assets.
- Find the asset with the TCU Serial Number attached.
- Click the pencil icon to edit the asset.
- Verify the information is correct and rename the asset to the desired asset number.
- Click Save.
- The TCU can now be installed in the vehicle.
Step 2: Hardware Installation
Before starting, ensure the vehicle is parked in a well-ventilated area.
- Turn the vehicle engine off.
- Ensure no other devices are sharing the OBDII port.
It is possible to use a splitter cable, however devices sharing the port may cause ECU request collisions which can limit device functionality. Use at your own risk.
- Plug the Zonar LD device into the OBDII port.
- Turn the vehicle engine on.
- Allow the vehicle to idle for at least 15 minutes and until both LEDs on the front of the device have been lit and solid for more than 1 minute.
Do not move the vehicle during this time.
- Once both LEDs are solidly lit, the vehicle may be driven as normal.
This process is known as binding. Both LEDs being solidly lit means the Zonar LD has been successfully bound to the vehicle. If the device needs to be bound again, there are two methods to do so: the soft reboot and hard reboot.
Rebooting
Soft Reboot
A soft reboot is generally needed when the device is working, but acting oddly (such as producing unusual data). This can also be helpful when the initial install fails.
- Turn the engine off.
- Wait for all LEDs on the device to go out.
- Remove the device from the OBDII port.
- Plug the device back into the OBDII port.
- Allow the vehicle to idle for at least 15 minutes and until both LEDs on the front of the device have been lit and solid for more than 1 minute.
Do not move the vehicle during this time.
- Once both LEDs are solidly lit, the vehicle may be driven as normal.
Hard Reboot
A hard reboot is generally needed in the following situations:
- a soft reboot has not worked to correct any issues;
- to confirm LD TCU hardware is working correctly by bringing it to a "known good" vehicle;
- the Zonar LD TCU was installed in the vehicle over 7 days ago but was not properly bound;
- to properly update firmware as needed.
- Turn the engine off.
- Wait for all LEDs on the device to go out.
- Remove the device from the OBDII port.
- Take the device to another vehicle.
- With the second vehicle's engine off, plug the device into the OBDII port.
- Turn the engine on.
- Wait 30 seconds after the blue LED begins flashing and the green LED turns solid.
- Turn the engine off.
- Wait for all LEDs on the device to go out.
- Remove the device from the OBDII port.
- Take the device back to the original vehicle.
- Repeat the standard Installation procedure.
Differences between the Zonar LD and other Zonar TCUs
Hardware
- Because the Zonar LD is a self-contained solution, it cannot make use of wired Zonar peripherals or the WiFi-only Driver Coach camera. The Zonar LD is compatible with the SIM-enabled Driver Coach camera.
Software
- As mentioned in the Installation section, Zonar LD TCUs do not auto-create an asset when plugged into a vehicle. The TCU must be assigned to an asset first in Ground Traffic Control prior to installation.
- Most expected GPS and vehicle data is available from the Zonar LD, and as a result it is compatible with most Ground Traffic Control reports. Exceptions include:
- ZFuel
- ZAlerts
- FaultIQ
- Trip Report
Provided Data
- All GPS data points normally delivered via Zonar are also delivered by Zonar LD. Differences include:
- Cold Starts (TCU has regained power after losing it) are not recorded.
- GPS points are recorded every 5 seconds in motion and approximately every 13 seconds while idle. The data is sent to Ground Traffic Control every 20 seconds.
Troubleshooting
The green LED is not lit.
The green LED indicates cellular connectivity. Possible causes include:
- The vehicle's engine has just turned on. Allow up to 5 minutes for LED to light up.
- The vehicle is inside a metal, concrete, or underground structure which is preventing a cell signal. Move the vehicle outside.
- The vehicle is in an area with poor cellular coverage. Move the vehicle to an area with known good coverage.
Contact Zonar Support if the above remedies have been tried with no success. The SIM card may not have been provisioned correctly or there may be another issue with the device.
The blue LED is not lit.
The blue LED indicates power status. Possible causes include:
- The vehicle's engine is not turned on. The blue LED should begin blinking when the engine is turned on.
- The TCU is not fully connected. Follow the Installation instructions to ensure a proper connection.
The blue LED is blinking when the engine is turned on.
The blinking blue LED status indicates GPS configuration. Possible causes include:
- The vehicle's engine has just turned on. Allow up to 5 minutes for LED to turn solid.
- The TCU is incompatible with the vehicle. The TCU is only supported for vehicles of model year 2008 and newer.
- The device is no longer bound. Follow the hard reboot steps to correctly bind the device to the vehicle.