Overview
The Oyster is a battery-powered device made by Digital Matter. It can be set up in one of two ways:
GPS tracker: the Oyster finds its own location with GPS and sends it to ToolWatch over the cellular network.
Bluetooth gateway: the Oyster scans for nearby Bluetooth tags and sends their data to ToolWatch over the cellular network. Other ToolWatch articles call this a battery-powered gateway.
Use Part 1 if your Oyster is a GPS tracker. Use Part 1 and Part 2 if your Oyster is a Bluetooth gateway.
Part 1: Oyster as a GPS Tracker
Use this part if the Oyster is not reporting, does not show in ToolWatch, or its GPS location is not updating.
Make sure the Oyster is in an area with cellular service. The Oyster uses the T-Mobile cellular network. When there is no service, the Oyster stores its location data and sends it when service returns.
If service is poor, or the Oyster is inside a structure that blocks the signal, move it to an area with better coverage. Wait for the Oyster to report.
Remove the batteries from the Oyster.
Wait at least 1 minute. This lets the device turn off completely.
Put the batteries back in.
Look inside the Oyster for the green LED. It is inside the device and can only be seen while the device is open. If it blinks, the Oyster is on again. Close the device and wait for it to report. If it does not blink, go to step 7.
Replace the batteries with 3 new AA lithium batteries, then do steps 3 to 6 again. For battery information, see Batteries for Gateways, GPS Devices, and BLE Tags.
Part 2: Oyster as a Bluetooth Gateway
Use this part if Bluetooth tags are not detected, tags are not updating their location, or the gateway is online but no tag activity shows.
Do all steps in Part 1 first. The gateway cannot send tag data if the Oyster itself is offline.
In Tracking > Wireless Gateways, check the gateway's Last Scan and Battery Level. If Battery Level shows Replace Battery Soon, replace the batteries (Part 1, steps 3 to 7).
Check where the Oyster is mounted. It needs an open area around it.
Make sure the tags are within range. Under ideal conditions, the Oyster can detect tags up to about 200 feet away. Walls, steel shelving, and heavy machinery reduce this range.
Make sure the Oyster is not mounted under equipment, inside a closed compartment, behind dense materials, or under stacked equipment or supplies.
Make sure the Oyster is not under a metal structure, inside a metal enclosure, or surrounded by metal objects. Bluetooth signals cannot go through solid metal, so there must be a clear path between the Oyster and the tags.
Check the gateway's Min RSSI setting. See Check the Min RSSI Setting below.
Note: The Oyster scans for tags about every 2 hours and reports about every 4 hours. A delay of a few hours is normal.
When to Contact ToolWatch Support
Contact ToolWatch Support if the Oyster still does not report or detect tags after these steps. Some checks can only be done by Support. Support can:
Confirm the Oyster is connected to the correct ToolWatch server for your organization.
Confirm the Oyster is turned on and set up correctly as a gateway for your organization.
Reset the Oyster remotely.
Check the Oyster for a hardware problem.
Check the Min RSSI Setting
Click Tracking.
Select Wireless Gateways.
Select the checkbox next to the gateway.
Click the Actions drop-down menu and select Edit.
In the Wireless Gateway window, check the Min RSSI field. If the field is blank, the gateway uses the default of -75 and no change is needed. If the field has a number other than -75, change it to -75.
Click Save Changes.
Note: Min RSSI controls how weak a Bluetooth tag signal the gateway accepts. The default is -75. A more negative number, such as -120, accepts weaker signals. Min RSSI does not affect GPS or cellular.
Screenshots for Checking the Min RSSI Setting on a Gateway