Frequently Asked Questions

PreStartGo makes sure machines get their pre-start inspection before they are used, and keeps the record. Operators do the pre-start on the mobile app; on a machine fitted with our Interlock, the Interlock is designed to stop the machine starting until a pre-start passes. Managers see every inspection, defect and service in the web console, with a full audit trail.

Pricing has two parts: a platform plan and a subscription for each device you fit. The four plans are named for who runs the machines: Plant Operator, Contractor, Builder, and Hire. Users are unlimited on every plan. GoTags are never billed a subscription; an Interlock carries a per-device monthly subscription, as will the Tracker once it is on sale. Hardware is purchased outright, each with a 12-month warranty. Discounts are available for annual prepay or a signed contract term, and they never combine. Contact sales for a quote.

Yes. The Plant Operator plan is free for a small number of machines and unlimited users, with no credit card required, and you can sign up online. You get the full compliance audit trail, the public digital logbook, the mobile app, and support for Interlocks. When you need more machines or features, talk to us about a paid plan and we set it up for you.

Any business that runs mobile plant or heavy equipment needing pre-start inspections, such as plant hire, civil construction, earthmoving and mining. Checklists are yours to set up, so you can match them to your equipment and the rules you work under.

A GoTag is the QR + NFC identity tag fitted to each piece of equipment. Operators scan it with the mobile app to start an inspection; anyone with a phone camera can scan it to view the public digital logbook — no app or login required. GoTags are sold outright and carry no subscription; replacements are supplied the same way. You can also print your own on every plan.

PreStartGo uses a Fail-START design. On power loss or device fault, the relay defaults to closed (startable), so equipment is never stranded in the field. Locking is immediate — when the Interlock decides to lock, it opens the relay straight away, whatever the ignition is doing. That is safe because the relay is only ever wired into the starter circuit or the operator-presence circuit, never a circuit carrying current while the engine runs, so opening it cannot stop a running machine.

Yes, deliberately — a machine must never be stranded in an emergency. Holding the button on the Interlock for ten seconds releases the interlock, with no phone or network needed. From the app, an operator can also bypass a failed pre-start, including on a machine a failed critical item has locked until its defect is closed: that bypass is recorded with the reason, who made it, when and, if the phone has a location fix, where — and your managers are notified. The bypass moves the machine; it never clears the lock. A technician's Out of Service lockout is the exception: it refuses the app's bypass until it is lifted. Technicians and supervisors can also put a machine into service mode for maintenance.

The Interlock is built to take firmware updates over Bluetooth from the mobile app: every update is cryptographically signed (ECDSA-P256) and verified before it installs, with automatic rollback if the new firmware fails to start. Updates from the app are not available yet: units in the field run firmware programmed and tested before they ship, and any update is done by our team. The Interlock has no internet connection, so it cannot be updated over the internet.

The Tracker is a standalone LTE/GNSS tracker that reports live position and telemetry to the fleet map, with zone entry and exit, power-loss, and offline alerts. It pairs alongside an Interlock or works on tracking-only equipment, but it has no interlock of its own — it tracks, it does not enforce compliance. The Tracker is coming and is not on sale yet; it will be sold outright, with a per-device monthly subscription for the cellular connection.

Yes. The Interlock is marked SIM on its label, and its certified model number is PSG-SIM-2285 — the hardware carries its technical name. It is the same device, and PreStartGo calls it the Interlock.

Yes. Operators can complete inspections, report defects and take photos with no signal, and unlock a machine offline once their phone holds that machine's unlock key, which it fetches online the first time. Everything is stored encrypted on the phone and syncs automatically when the signal returns. Offline access lasts for as long as the operator's licence is current.

Spotter Confirmation is a dual-person verification requirement for high-risk equipment. After the operator completes their inspection, a second person (the spotter) must confirm their presence. This can be done by Bluetooth proximity — the spotter's phone in range of the equipment — or with their 6-digit spotter code. The 6-digit code works fully offline.

The PreStartGo mobile app is available for iOS and Android. It needs iOS 16.2 or later, or Android 8.0 or later.

The typical Bluetooth Low Energy range is 10 to 15 metres depending on environmental conditions. The mobile app will discover nearby Interlocks automatically when Bluetooth is enabled.

Yes. A single user account can be a member of multiple PreStartGo organisations. You can switch between organisations in the app. Each organisation has its own equipment, users, and compliance data that are fully isolated from each other.

Yes. PreStartGo ships an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server as part of the developer-platform add-on, available on any paid plan. Generate a read-only API key in the dashboard, point Claude Desktop or Cursor at the server, and ask questions like 'Show me yesterday's bypass events on the Karratha site.' Read the MCP server setup guide.

Sixteen tool categories: equipment, checks, defects, services, sites, groups, tags, devices, alerts, observations, compliance, checklists, zones, documents, telemetry, and reports. The server is read-only — to write, use the REST API with a write-scoped key or a webhook subscription.

The web dashboard supports all modern evergreen browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge (latest two versions). Internet Explorer is not supported.

Yes. The dashboard supports CSV export for inspections, defects, audit logs, and compliance reports. On any plan, the account owner can also export a full copy of the organisation’s data from Data Archive and download it. Customers on any paid plan can send those exports to their own cloud storage (BYOB — Bring Your Own Bucket) on a schedule.

Yes. PreStartGo provides a RESTful API with full OpenAPI documentation. API access is available on any paid plan through the developer-platform add-on, for integrating with your ERP, CMMS, or safety management system. Webhooks are included with it for real-time event notifications.

Pricing has two parts: a platform plan and a subscription for each device. The four plans are named for who runs the machines. Plant Operator is free and you can start it online: a small number of machines, unlimited users, service management, spot checks, documents, the full audit trail, the public digital logbook, and every report on demand. Contractor is everything in Plant Operator with no cap on machines. Builder adds unlimited sites, site inductions, walk-up check-in, contractor management, observations and kiosks. Hire is for plant hire businesses: operating agreements, per-machine assignments and handover, and depot locations; it is kept separate from the other three plans. Contractor, Builder and Hire are set up by our team after a quote. Users are unlimited on every plan, and devices carry their own monthly subscription on top of the plan (nothing for a GoTag). A paid plan can be month to month, prepaid annually for a discount, or under a signed one, two or three-year contract for a larger discount; the two discounts do not combine. Add-ons are priced separately and available on any paid plan. The Plans & Billing section of the Support Centre has guides on device subscriptions, contract terms and invoices.

Your organisation moves to the free Plant Operator plan: a working account over your full history. Equipment, inspections, defects, the audit trail and the public logbook all stay, and you can come back to a paid plan at any time. The free plan’s machine limit then applies to registering new machines, but nothing existing is deleted or hidden.

Talk to us at sales@prestartgo.com or through the contact page. We agree the plan, the contract term and any add-ons with you, send a quote, and then set the account up. Your existing records carry straight over.

ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications are under way, alongside a customer trust portal. Whatever the certification status, every audit-log entry is append-only and cannot be changed, personal information is redacted from our logs, and data in transit uses TLS 1.2 or later (1.3 where your browser or device supports it).

Data at rest is encrypted using AES-256. Data in transit is protected with TLS 1.2+ -- TLS 1.3 is negotiated where the client supports it. Mobile app local caches are encrypted with AES-256-GCM. BLE commands between the app and hardware devices use application-layer HMAC-SHA256 signatures for authentication.

Yes. PreStartGo supports multi-factor authentication and requires it for Account Owners and Administrators. Corporate single sign-on is coming, as a paid add-on: you will be able to connect your existing identity provider (such as Microsoft Entra ID, Okta or Google Workspace) over SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect, so your corporate MFA policies apply.