System Architecture

From jungle floor to cloud — how TRAK works

A three-layer network: custom hardware in the field, a mobile app in the researcher's hands, and a cloud backend that captures everything when connectivity allows.

Network Overview
COLLAR A04 COLLAR B09 HANDHELD 3 TRAP T12 REPEATER LoRa relay only BASE STATION CLOUD HANDHELD 1 HANDHELD 2 LoRa LoRa relay LoRa LoRa alert LoRa mesh LoRa msg BLE WiFi
Base Station
Collar A04
Collar B09
Trap T12
Trap T08
Repeater
Cloud
Researcher App
Off-Grid Communications

Team messaging with no cell signal

Messages travel over the same LoRa mesh as sensor data. Any researcher can send a text to a specific device or broadcast to all — the system handles delivery with acknowledgements and automatic retries.

Addressed & broadcast modes
Send to a specific device ID or broadcast to all units in range.
ACK delivery tracking
App shows delivered / failed status for every message, with automatic retries on failure.
Critical for large field sites
Coordinates teams spread kilometres apart without walkie-talkies or cell coverage.
→ BROADCAST
Team, trap T12 has triggered. Moving to check now.
07:14
Copy that. Collar B09 moving south, may be heading there too.
07:16
Acknowledged. I'll wait at the trap.
07:17 — retrying...
3 devices online · LoRa –87 dBm
GPS Collars

Smart collars built for the field

Each GPS collar is designed for long-term deployment and built in a customisable size — combining precision positioning, ultra-low power consumption, and wireless remote control via the TRAK network.

Real-time location data

GPS fixes transmit over LoRa the moment they're acquired and are simultaneously saved to the collar's internal storage. Locations update live on the researcher's map — no waiting for a manual download or return to camp.

Wirelessly change schedule

Adjust the transmission interval of any collar from the TRAK app — no recapture needed. Commands queue on the base station and deliver over LoRa the next time the collar is in range.

Activity-based scheduling

Set different fix rates for day and night, or tie transmission bursts to movement thresholds. Capture high-resolution data during active periods while conserving battery during rest.

Long-life battery

Powered by a high-capacity lithium cell, collars run for months in the field on a standard schedule. Battery level is reported with every transmission so you always know the remaining life.

Multi-animal tracking

Every collar transmits a unique device ID. The TRAK app tracks each individual simultaneously, displaying named animals on the map and maintaining full movement histories in the cloud.

Research-ready data export

All location data exports directly to Movebank-compatible CSV format. Share datasets with collaborators or submit to international wildlife databases without any reformatting.