Trapster Users

Scamera Van Detester

With cameras now out there, I thought a thread on this app would be useful.
This is a free app, so don’t expect a bug free, super-duper, wonder app that’ll satisfy your every whim and want
I’m just a user, not a moderator, not an expert, or connected to Trapster in any way. I’ve come up with a brief Q&A as below.
Other boards.ie posters may contradict me or know more about the app than I do. Let me know and I’ll edit.

I would ask that this thread be used for discussion of the app, experiences etc.
Please not the usual ‘just stay under the limit and you don’t need to worry about cameras’ *Plenty of threads for that already.

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What is Trapster?
Its an application for smart phones (Android, iPhone, Nokia etc) that alerts users to dangerous road conditions and ‘safety’ camera locations.
For convenience, lets call these ‘traps’

How does it work?
It works by mapping your location as you’re out and about via the GPS in your phone.
As you approach a live trap, or a location which is known to regularly have a trap, it alerts you 400m away - or whatever you set it at

How does it know trap locations?
By user input. If a user is out and about, and spots a trap, they report it there and then via the app.
Other users in the area are alerted to the live trap. If a location gets reported regularly, it turns into a ‘known enforcement point’
Users can also report a ‘known enforcement point’ straight up, even if its not live, just experience

Are trap locations accurate?
Depends on user input. Each trap is rated by confidence level.
It will be either low, medium, or high confidence level depending on how many times or how often its reported, or if users rate it up or down.
Low confidence traps expire. High confidence or high rated traps don’t expire. You can set alerts by confidence level if you want
Live trap alerts expire after a couple of hours.

Are there many users in Ireland?
Don’t know – there is a facebook page out there for them though.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trapster-Users-Ireland/166545893376205

Is it fool proof?
No

Is it fail safe
No

Will it tell me the location of all traps?
No
Someone has to be the first to drive past a trap and report it. Rest assured, you will come across a trap that you’ve not been alerted to.
Just make sure you report it for users coming behind!!

Is it better than my GPS with traps programmed in?
Some say yes, some say no. Depends on your preference. I’d say give it a chance for a while and see how you go.
One major benefit is being able to report/receive info on a live trap in real time so users are as up to date as they can possibly be

Is the app a battery killer?
Yep, seems to be.

How do I avoid a dead battery?
If you’re driving a lot and using the app while you are, then get a car charger, its almost a must
Users figure out what settings suit them best and get the most of their battery when using the app.
One iphone set-up is:-
While driving: Use a charger and let the app run. Allow background running to alert you to traps if you don’t have the app on the screen all the time.
Finished driving: Close the app. Double press the home button to bring up a scrolling line of recent/open apps. Hold down the trapster app until icons shake and a red label appears. Press the red label to kill the app. The direction arrow next to battery level indicator disappears. (There is an app setting to alert you that background running is on when you close it. I switch this off and make sure I always kill the app this way instead)

What about push notifications?
Not the same as background running!! You may have killed the app and still get notifications via push.
Users can select which notifications they want to get.
Although it uses some juice, I leave them on without too much effect. Switch them off if you like, you’ll get the alert as you approach the trap anyway.

What about data use?
The app uses data all the time. Make sure your price plan allows you to have it on and avoid a chunky phone bill.

Where do I get proper help with this app?
Go to http://www.trapster.com
They have help pages, a proper FAQ, account login, news, blog etc.
They also have a forum to search for a common problem and its fix

Atomic Pineapple

This is about the 5th thread started on Trapster!

biko

My Nokia 5800 GPS warns me when I go too fast, for free (no data connection/signing up).

-Chris-

draffodx wrote: »

This is about the 5th thread started on Trapster!

Correct. Thread closed.