Geofencing: How to Set Up Safe Zones for Your Family
A safe zone is a virtual boundary around a real place. When someone leaves it, you get a notification. No manual checking needed — it just happens.
June 3, 2025 · 5 min read
What is geofencing?
Geofencing combines GPS coordinates with a defined radius to create a digital perimeter around a physical location. When a tracked device enters or exits that perimeter, the system fires a trigger — in Raksha's case, a notification to every linked family member.
Think of it as an invisible fence with an alarm. Unlike manually checking the map every hour, geofencing is passive — you only get notified when something changes. Your child arriving at school, your elderly parent leaving their building unexpectedly, or a family member reaching home safely after a late shift — all handled automatically.
4 use cases for safe zones in India
Know when your elderly parents leave the house unexpectedly or when your child arrives home after school
Get alerted the moment your child leaves school. Coordinate pickup time without constant phone calls
Your spouse commuting to the office? Geofence the office entrance for peace of mind
Prevent wandering by getting instant alerts if your elderly parents leave a safe area like their clinic or neighborhood
How to set up a safe zone in Raksha
⏱️ Takes 2 minutes
- Open Raksha and go to Settings (gear icon, bottom-right)
- Tap "Safe Zones" from the settings menu
- Tap "Add Zone" (the plus button)
- Tap "Use Current Location" to mark your device's location as the zone center
- Name the zone: "Home", "School", "Office", etc.
- Choose the type: Home, School, Office, or Custom
- Adjust the radius with the slider (50m–2000m). Recommendation: home/office = 200m, school = 300m
- Tap "Add Safe Zone" and done!
Understanding the radius: How far is too far?
The radius is the distance your device can wander from the zone center before triggering an alert. Here is a practical guide:
Accurate GPS in dense urban areas, office lobby
Covers a house/office building + parking, driveway, street
Covers the school building, playground, nearby roads
Entire residential complex, shopping mall, campus
What happens when someone exits or enters a zone?
📤 When they EXIT
Everyone linked to the device gets a notification: "[Name] left Home". You can open Raksha to see their location on the map. If they left by car, there is a brief GPS delay (1–2 minutes) before the exit is detected.
📥 When they ENTER
The same notification fires: "[Name] arrived at School". Helpful for knowing when a child has reached school safely, or when an elderly parent is back home.
⏸️ In offline mode
If the device is offline, the alert is queued. When it comes back online, the transition is reported retroactively. So if your child turns off the phone in school, you won't know until they turn it back on and it re-connects.
FAQ: Common questions
A: No — each person sets up their own zones from their device. But everyone linked sees the same notifications.
A: Increase the radius to 300–500m to account for GPS drift. Urban canyons (tall buildings) cause inaccuracy; open areas are more reliable.
A: Raksha checks geofences passively using Android's low-power API. Battery impact is minimal — less than 1% per day in normal use.
A: Yes! Raksha notifies you for both entry and exit. You can customize which events matter to you.
A: 5 zones per device. This is intentional — too many zones create alert fatigue.
Privacy note: Geofence coordinates are stored on your device and your family circle. No location data is shared with Raksha or any third party.