We use Hexnode geofencing for worker devices and occasionally get email alerts saying a few devices have moved outside the geofenced location. It usually happens only on 3–4 devices.
When I manually run a device scan and then scan for the device location, the same devices show up inside the geofence. The location looks fine after refreshing, so I’m trying to understand why these false out-of-geofence alerts are being triggered in the first place.
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Hi @hugo_l ,
This usually happens when the location used to trigger the geofence alert is different from the location reported during the later manual refresh.
For geofence alerts, compare the alert timestamp with the device’s location history at the same time. If the location entry around the alert time was recorded using IP-based or network-based location instead of a direct GPS fix, the device may appear outside the geofence temporarily.
IP-based location can be inaccurate because it depends on ISP routing and network location data. In some cases, it may place the device miles away from its actual physical position. When the device later gets a proper GPS fix, or when a manual location scan is triggered, it reports the correct location again and appears inside the geofence.
To reduce these false geofence alerts:
Regards,
Isabel Lora
Hexnode UEM
That makes sense. I checked the location history near one of the alert times, and the entry that triggered it was not a normal GPS location. A later entry after refreshing showed the device back inside the fence.
In that case, the alert was most likely caused by temporary GPS loss or an IP-based fallback rather than the device actually leaving the geofence.
This can happen when devices are indoors, have weak satellite visibility, or when power-saving settings interfere with continuous location updates. Hexnode evaluates the geofence based on the location data available at that moment, so an inaccurate temporary location can trigger an out-of-compliance alert.
The best practical fix is to improve location accuracy on the affected devices and make the geofence less sensitive to short-lived location jumps. High Accuracy mode, disabling battery optimization for Hexnode, and adding a small radius buffer or grace period are the recommended changes.
Regards,
Isabel Lora
Hexnode UEM
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