ZAP SITE GUIDE. V2 Updated 2/16/10 SAN. Page 1 of 1

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Leo Todd Dixon
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2 WELCOME TO BOLTAGE Boltage uses state of the art hardware built by the Dero Bike Rack Company. Dero has made significant contributions to the Boltage Program, and they also makes the best bike racks - so check them out at This guide contains information that will help you determine the best location to install your ZAP at the school. Please follow the instructions carefully and exercise all necessary precautions to prevent injury. Please see the ZAP Pole Guide for specific information about pole installation, available at You should reference the Zap Pole Guide before deciding on your ZAP location so you understand the different options available for pole installation. SITE SELECTION There are a number important considerations in deciding on the best location for your ZAP: 1. Exposure to the sun. 2. Ground & surface conditions. 3. Wifi or cellular reception. 4. Proximity to metal objects. 5. Access by the kids. EXPOSURE TO THE SUN The ZAP is solar powered. Therefore it must have an unobstructed view of the sun (please be sure that the ZAP will not become shaded during the winter months when the sun will be much lower in the sky). The ZAP solar panel needs to face due south. The solar panel can be oriented independently of the RFID antenna (which controls where the kids RFID tags will be read by the ZAP). Page 2 of 2

3 GROUND & SURFACE CONDITIONS Please refer to the ZAP Pole Guide, available at to understand the pole installation options. The site you select must be able to accommodate the installation of the pole, either in a surface mount installation (typically on an existing concrete slab), or in a in-ground installation (which requires the excavation of a hole). WIFI OR CELLULAR RECEPTION The Zap must communicate with the internet to record the kids trips. There are two versions of Zap systems - a wifi version and a cellular version. THE CELLULAR VERSION IS STILL IN BETA TESTING AND MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR YOUR SCHOOL - PLEASE CHECK WITH US IF YOU THINK YOU NEED A CELLULAR SYSTEM. The wifi ZAP needs to be close enough to school to receive wireless signal from the school s network. A good way to test this is to stand in the preferred location with a laptop or smartphone and see if it picks up the school s wireless network. If so, then the ZAP, with its more powerful antenna should be able to pick up the network. The cellular Zap must be located in an area served by the Sprint cellular data network. You can test this by using a smartphone that operates on the Sprint network at the preferred location and seeing if you can use a web browser. Please do not rely on the coverage map published by Sprint - a field test is far more reliable. If necessary, we can send you a device that can be plugged in to a laptop to perform this test. PROXIMITY TO METAL OBJECTS Metal can interfere with the RFID antenna, so please do not place the ZAP so that the RFID antenna is pointing directly towards bike racks or other metal objects such as a chain link fence. ACCCESS BY THE KIDS THIS IS A CRITICAL PART OF A SUCESSFUL BOLTAGE PROGRAM. Your ZAP should be located where it is convenient for the kids to walk or ride by--but not where it will inadvertently scan the tags of kids who did not walk or bike that day. The key here is to position the ZAP in such a way that the kids Page 3 of 3

4 need to make a small but conscious effort to have their tags scanned. Some general pointers: Kids should not need to go out of their way to scan their tags. So pick a location that takes into account the direction kids are coming from and that makes it convenient for them to go past the ZAP. The ZAP shouldn t be too close to the school entrance as it is powerful and if located within 30 feet of the entrance it may inadvertently scan kids who have tags but who may not have walked or ridden that day. Near a sidewalk or path. Near the bike racks and the entrance of school (or, if you have several entrances, one of the main entrances) Kids will be walking or riding their bikes close to the ZAP, so you don t want to put the ZAP in the middle of a field that is rocky, bumpy, muddy, etc. Make sure there are no other obstructions or unsafe surface conditions in the vicinity. Not right next to drop off or pick up areas, busy streets, etc. Safety is of utmost importance, so please consider the traffic patterns of cars, buses, etc. If the ZAP is located near the bus loading/unloading zone or where parents drop off or pick up their kids, then kids who didn t ride or walk may accidentally be scanned by the ZAP. As the ZAP is operational throughout the day, another important consideration is to ensure that the kids will not pass the ZAP during the course of the day with their backpacks and RFID tags. The following images illustrate ZAP placement at some existing schools. In each image, the location of the ZAP is indicated by a red star. Page 4 of 4

5 At this school, the ZAP is positioned near the bike racks. This is very convenient for bike riders but does require walkers to coming from the right side of the image to completely walk pass the school to scan their tag. Unfortunately the ZAP is very close to the general use sidewalk which might allow for students to inadvertently scan their tags. The ZAP has excellent solar access. Here the ZAP is on the far right side of the school. Again, this is near the bike racks. The position is inconvenient for some walkers but is well positioned to prevent inadvertent scanning. Again, the ZAP has excellent solar access. Page 5 of 5

6 At this school the Zap is ideally placed in next to a playground area where all students congregate before school. The ZAP is along a path through a garden which requires participating students to explicitly pass the ZAP to scan their tags. This ZAP has no trees or buildings interfering with the solar access. This site represents the optimal ZAP placement. Page 6 of 6

Bicycle Parking Guide

Safe Routes to School Bicycle Parking Guide Get the most out of federal Safe Routes to School Funds B I K E R A C K S Cover photo courtesy of Bikes Belong Coalition Contents What is Safe Routes to School?