Geofencing
A geofence turns any area on the map into a live boundary. The moment a team member crosses it, entering or leaving, everyone in the group gets notified. It works automatically in the background, and it works without internet too.
How to set up an alert zone​
Alert zones are attached to area items. You enable them when creating or editing an area.
When creating a new area​
- Open the Command Grid and tap Draw Area
- Outline the zone on the map, then tap Finish
- In the Create Area sheet, scroll to the Alert Zone section
- Toggle Enable alert zone on
- Choose when to trigger the alert:
- Alert on enter, fires when someone crosses into the zone
- Alert on exit, fires when someone leaves the zone
- Enable both for full coverage
- Give the area a clear name, it appears in notification text (e.g., "Sarah entered Base Camp")
- Tap Create
On an existing area​
- Tap the area on the map to open its detail panel
- Tap Edit
- Scroll to Alert Zone and toggle it on
- Configure enter/exit alerts
- Tap Save
What happens when someone crosses the boundary​
Online groups​
- Every group member, including the person crossing, receives a push notification: "Alex entered Base Camp"
- A system message appears in the group chat as a visual record
- The server evaluates the crossing, so recipients are notified even if their app is closed
Radio groups​
- A notification fires on your device
- A system message appears in the radio group chat
- Everything runs locally, no internet required
Alert reliability by app state​
How reliably alerts fire depends on the group type and the app state of the people involved. "Backgrounded" here means the app is running in the background with Live Share active, see Background mode and Live Share.
Online groups​
| Your app state | Notification | Chat message |
|---|---|---|
| Open | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backgrounded | ✓ | ✓ |
| Closed | ✓ (server push) | Visible when you reopen |
The person whose location is being tracked must have the app open or backgrounded. If their app is fully closed, their location is not sent to the server and no alert fires for anyone.
Radio groups​
| Your app state | Notification | Chat message |
|---|---|---|
| Open | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backgrounded | ✓ | Visible when you reopen |
| Closed | , | , |
Radio geofencing runs entirely on-device. When the app is closed there is no background process to evaluate crossings, so no alert can fire.
Permissions required​
For alerts to fire while the app is in the background, Flaresat needs Always location permission:
- iOS, go to Settings → Flaresat → Location → select Always
- Android, go to Settings → Apps → Flaresat → Permissions → Location → select Allow all the time
Notifications must also be enabled. See your device's notification settings for Flaresat.
LoRa tracker geofencing​
In addition to tracking named group members, Flaresat also monitors LoRa radio trackers, dedicated GPS nodes broadcasting position packets over the mesh, against your alert zones. This works with both Meshtastic and MeshCore firmware. It activates automatically once a tracker's signal is received by the connected radio device.
How it works​
When a tracker's GPS position crosses an alert zone boundary, Flaresat:
- Fires a local notification on your device
- Posts a system message in the group that owns the matched area
Tracker geofencing runs entirely on-device and works the same way as member geofencing, enter, exit, or both, depending on how you configured the zone. It works both when the app is open and when it is running in the background.
App state coverage​
| Your app state | Notification | Chat message |
|---|---|---|
| Open | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backgrounded | ✓ | Visible when you reopen |
| Fully closed | , | , |
MeshCore note: background tracker geofencing is best-effort. Only trackers whose advertisement packet arrives during an active BLE sync window are evaluated. Trackers that transmit between sync windows may be missed until the app foregrounds.
Caveats​
- Tracker packets carry no group membership information. Flaresat checks the tracker's position against alert zones from all of your Radio groups and posts the system message to the group that owns the matched zone.
- If a tracker's node ID is already a registered group member, it is handled by the normal member geofencing path, the tracker path skips it to avoid duplicate notifications.
What appears in chat​
When a tracker crosses a boundary, a system message appears in the Radio group chat:
── Node A3F2 entered [Base Camp] ──
The area name in the message is a tappable link that flies directly to that area on the map.
Clickable area links in geofence system messages​
All geofence system messages, whether triggered by a group member or a LoRa radio tracker, include a tappable link to the area that was crossed. Tap the area name in the system message to navigate directly to it on the map.
This applies to both entry and exit events, and to both online and Radio groups.
Tips​
- Use descriptive area names, they appear verbatim in alerts and in the tappable link in chat
- Enable both enter and exit alerts for rendezvous points or timed operations
- You can have multiple alert zones active in the same group simultaneously
- Disabling the alert zone toggle on an area stops alerts without deleting the area shape
- For MeshCore tracker geofencing in background, keep battery optimization off for Flaresat so background sync windows fire reliably