DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Nov. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Description of Business	Description of Business CalAmp Corp. (“CalAmp” or the “Company”) is a leading provider of wireless communications solutions for a broad array of applications to customers globally. The Company’s business activities are organized into its Wireless DataCom and Satellite business segments. In March 2016, the Company completed the acquisition of all outstanding shares of common stock of LoJack Corporation (“LoJack”), a global leader in products and services for tracking and recovering cars, trucks and other valuable mobile assets. See Note 2 for a description of this acquisition. Products of the Company's Satellite segment were sold to EchoStar, an affiliate of Dish Network, for incorporation into complete subscription satellite television systems. In April 2016, EchoStar notified the Company that it would stop purchasing products from the Company at the end of its then-current product demand forecast as a result of a consolidation of its supplier base. EchoStar’s product demand forecast with the Company extended through August 2016, and the products covered by this forecast were substantially all shipped prior to August 31, 2016. In light of the fact that EchoStar accounted for essentially all of the revenues of the Satellite segment, the Company’s Satellite business was shut down effective August 31, 2016. Certain notes and other information included in the audited financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K are condensed or omitted from the interim financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Therefore, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 20, 2016. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position at November 30, 2016 and its results of operations for the three and nine months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015. The results of operations for such periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full fiscal year. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition The Company recognizes revenue from product sales when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collection of the sales price is reasonably assured. Generally, for product sales that are not bundled with an application service these criteria are met at the time product is shipped, except for shipments made on the basis of “FOB Destination” terms, in which case title transfers to the customer and the revenue is recorded by the Company when the shipment reaches the customer. Customers generally do not have a right of return except for defective products returned during the warranty period. The Company records estimated commitments related to customer incentive programs as reductions of revenues. In addition to product sales, the Company provides Software as a Service (SaaS) subscriptions for its fleet management and vehicle telematics applications through which customers are provided with the ability to wirelessly communicate with monitoring devices installed in vehicles and other mobile or remote assets via software applications hosted by the Company. Generally, the Company defers the recognition of revenue for the products that are sold with application subscriptions because the products are not functional without the application services. In such circumstances, the associated product costs are recorded as deferred costs in the balance sheet. The deferred product revenue and deferred product cost amounts are amortized to application subscriptions revenue and cost of revenue on a straight-line basis over minimum contractual subscription periods of one to five years. Revenues from renewals of data communication services after the initial contract term are recognized as application subscriptions revenue when the services are provided. When customers prepay application subscription renewals, such amounts are recorded as deferred revenues and are recognized ratably over the renewal term. In the United States, the Company generally recognizes revenue on LoJack product sales that have no associated continuing service obligations on the part of the Company upon installation of the products. Revenue relating to sales made to the Company’s third party installation partners, who purchase the Company’s products and perform installations themselves, is recognized upon shipment, which is prior to the installation of the related products in the end user’s vehicle. Revenue from the sales of products to international licensees is recognized upon shipment of the products to the licensee or when payment becomes reasonably assured, whichever is later. In Italy, the purchase of an initial vehicle monitoring service contract is a requirement at the time the consumer purchases a LoJack product. Revenue is recognized over the life of the contract. These contracts, which are sold separately from the LoJack hardware, are offered for terms ranging from 8 to 96 months and are generally payable in full upon activation of the related unit or renewal of a previous contract. Customers are also offered a month-to-month option for service contracts. The Company offers several types of extended warranty contracts in the United States related to its LoJack products. For those contracts for which an independent third party insurer, and not the Company, is the primary obligor, the Company recognizes revenue at the time of the sale of the warranty. For those warranty contracts to which the Company is the primary obligor, revenue is deferred and is recognized over five years, which is the estimated life of new vehicle ownership. For the majority of extended warranty contracts originated after 2011, the Company recognizes revenue at the time of sale. For those warranties for which an independent third party insurer, and not the Company, is the primary obligor, the Company records revenue on a gross basis, with related costs being included in cost of goods sold. The Company considered the factors associated with gross vs. net revenue recording and determined that despite not being the primary obligor for the majority of these arrangements, gross revenue reporting was appropriate based on the relevant accounting guidance. Specifically, the Company has latitude in establishing price; it can change the product offering; it has discretion in supplier selection; it is involved in the determination of product or service specifications; it bears the credit risk; and the amount that it earns on each contract is not fixed.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments with remaining maturities at date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements The Company applies fair value accounting for all financial assets and liabilities and non-financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements. The Company defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly manner in an arms-length transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value is estimated by applying the following hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value into three levels and bases the categorization within the hierarchy upon the lowest level of input that is available and significant to the fair value measurement: Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 – Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 – Inputs that are generally unobservable and typically reflect management’s estimate of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. In accordance with the fair value accounting requirements, companies may choose to measure eligible financial instruments and certain other items at fair value. The Company has elected the fair value option for its investment in marketable securities on a contract-by-contract basis at the time each contract is initially recognized in the financial statements or upon an event that gives rise to a new basis of accounting for the items.
Foreign Currency Translation and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Account	Foreign Currency Translation and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Account A cumulative foreign currency translation loss of $406,000 related to the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is included in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the stockholders’ equity section of the consolidated balance sheet at November 30, 2016. The aggregate foreign currency transaction exchange rate losses included in determining income (loss) before income taxes and equity in net loss of affiliate were $173,000 and $31,000 in the nine months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards	Recently Issued Accounting Standards In June, 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses. This update amends the FASB’s guidance on the impairment of financial instruments. Under the new guidance, an entity recognizes as an allowance its estimate of expected credit losses, which the FASB believes will result in more timely recognition of such losses. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption will be permitted. The Company does not anticipate a significant impact on the financial statements upon adoption. In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-09, Compensation — Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). This update is intended to simplify the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, Leases. The new standard establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with the classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-01, Financial Instruments–Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2016-01”). This standard revises an entity’s accounting related to (1) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. It also amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. Under the new guidance, entities will have to measure equity investments that do not result in consolidation and are not accounted for under the equity method at fair value and recognize any changes in fair value in net income unless the investments qualify for the new practicality exception. ASU 2016-01 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”). The revenue recognition standard provides a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date, which deferred the effective date of this revenue standard for periods beginning after December 15, 2016 to December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted but not earlier than the original effective date. ASU 2014-09 must be applied retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Company is continuing to evaluate the effect and methodology of adopting this accounting standard on its results of operations, cash flows and financial position. In April 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity (“ASU 2014-08”). This update amends the definition of a discontinued operation, and requires additional disclosures about discontinued operations, as well as disposal transactions that do not meet the discontinued operations criteria. Under this new guidance, only disposals of a component representing a strategic shift in operations that has or will have a major impact on the Company’s operations or financial results should be classified as discontinued operations. The effective date of this standard was March 1, 2015. See Note 15 which describes the effect of the adoption of this standard.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain amounts in the financial statements of prior years have been reclassified to conform to the fiscal 2017 presentation, with no effect on net earnings.

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Nov. 30, 2016

Description of Business

CalAmp Corp. (“CalAmp” or the “Company”) is a leading provider of wireless communications solutions for a broad array of applications to customers globally. The Company’s business activities are organized into its Wireless DataCom and Satellite business segments.

In March 2016, the Company completed the acquisition of all outstanding shares of common stock of LoJack Corporation (“LoJack”), a global leader in products and services for tracking and recovering cars, trucks and other valuable mobile assets. See Note 2 for a description of this acquisition.

Products of the Company's Satellite segment were sold to EchoStar, an affiliate of Dish Network, for incorporation into complete subscription satellite television systems. In April 2016, EchoStar notified the Company that it would stop purchasing products from the Company at the end of its then-current product demand forecast as a result of a consolidation of its supplier base. EchoStar’s product demand forecast with the Company extended through August 2016, and the products covered by this forecast were substantially all shipped prior to August 31, 2016. In light of the fact that EchoStar accounted for essentially all of the revenues of the Satellite segment, the Company’s Satellite business was shut down effective August 31, 2016.

Certain notes and other information included in the audited financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K are condensed or omitted from the interim financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Therefore, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 20, 2016.

In the opinion of the Company’s management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position at November 30, 2016 and its results of operations for the three and nine months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015. The results of operations for such periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full fiscal year.

All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue from product sales when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collection of the sales price is reasonably assured. Generally, for product sales that are not bundled with an application service these criteria are met at the time product is shipped, except for shipments made on the basis of “FOB Destination” terms, in which case title transfers to the customer and the revenue is recorded by the Company when the shipment reaches the customer. Customers generally do not have a right of return except for defective products returned during the warranty period. The Company records estimated commitments related to customer incentive programs as reductions of revenues.

In addition to product sales, the Company provides Software as a Service (SaaS) subscriptions for its fleet management and vehicle telematics applications through which customers are provided with the ability to wirelessly communicate with monitoring devices installed in vehicles and other mobile or remote assets via software applications hosted by the Company. Generally, the Company defers the recognition of revenue for the products that are sold with application subscriptions because the products are not functional without the application services. In such circumstances, the associated product costs are recorded as deferred costs in the balance sheet. The deferred product revenue and deferred product cost amounts are amortized to application subscriptions revenue and cost of revenue on a straight-line basis over minimum contractual subscription periods of one to five years. Revenues from renewals of data communication services after the initial contract term are recognized as application subscriptions revenue when the services are provided. When customers prepay application subscription renewals, such amounts are recorded as deferred revenues and are recognized ratably over the renewal term.

In the United States, the Company generally recognizes revenue on LoJack product sales that have no associated continuing service obligations on the part of the Company upon installation of the products. Revenue relating to sales made to the Company’s third party installation partners, who purchase the Company’s products and perform installations themselves, is recognized upon shipment, which is prior to the installation of the related products in the end user’s vehicle. Revenue from the sales of products to international licensees is recognized upon shipment of the products to the licensee or when payment becomes reasonably assured, whichever is later.

In Italy, the purchase of an initial vehicle monitoring service contract is a requirement at the time the consumer purchases a LoJack product. Revenue is recognized over the life of the contract. These contracts, which are sold separately from the LoJack hardware, are offered for terms ranging from 8 to 96 months and are generally payable in full upon activation of the related unit or renewal of a previous contract. Customers are also offered a month-to-month option for service contracts.

The Company offers several types of extended warranty contracts in the United States related to its LoJack products. For those contracts for which an independent third party insurer, and not the Company, is the primary obligor, the Company recognizes revenue at the time of the sale of the warranty. For those warranty contracts to which the Company is the primary obligor, revenue is deferred and is recognized over five years, which is the estimated life of new vehicle ownership. For the majority of extended warranty contracts originated after 2011, the Company recognizes revenue at the time of sale.

For those warranties for which an independent third party insurer, and not the Company, is the primary obligor, the Company records revenue on a gross basis, with related costs being included in cost of goods sold. The Company considered the factors associated with gross vs. net revenue recording and determined that despite not being the primary obligor for the majority of these arrangements, gross revenue reporting was appropriate based on the relevant accounting guidance. Specifically, the Company has latitude in establishing price; it can change the product offering; it has discretion in supplier selection; it is involved in the determination of product or service specifications; it bears the credit risk; and the amount that it earns on each contract is not fixed.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with remaining maturities at date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements

The Company applies fair value accounting for all financial assets and liabilities and non-financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements. The Company defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly manner in an arms-length transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value is estimated by applying the following hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value into three levels and bases the categorization within the hierarchy upon the lowest level of input that is available and significant to the fair value measurement:

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 – Inputs that are generally unobservable and typically reflect management’s estimate of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

In accordance with the fair value accounting requirements, companies may choose to measure eligible financial instruments and certain other items at fair value. The Company has elected the fair value option for its investment in marketable securities on a contract-by-contract basis at the time each contract is initially recognized in the financial statements or upon an event that gives rise to a new basis of accounting for the items.

Foreign Currency Translation and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Account

Foreign Currency Translation and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Account

A cumulative foreign currency translation loss of $406,000 related to the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is included in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the stockholders’ equity section of the consolidated balance sheet at November 30, 2016. The aggregate foreign currency transaction exchange rate losses included in determining income (loss) before income taxes and equity in net loss of affiliate were $173,000 and $31,000 in the nine months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In June, 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses. This update amends the FASB’s guidance on the impairment of financial instruments. Under the new guidance, an entity recognizes as an allowance its estimate of expected credit losses, which the FASB believes will result in more timely recognition of such losses. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption will be permitted. The Company does not anticipate a significant impact on the financial statements upon adoption.

In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-09, Compensation — Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). This update is intended to simplify the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, Leases. The new standard establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with the classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In January 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-01, Financial Instruments–Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2016-01”). This standard revises an entity’s accounting related to (1) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. It also amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. Under the new guidance, entities will have to measure equity investments that do not result in consolidation and are not accounted for under the equity method at fair value and recognize any changes in fair value in net income unless the investments qualify for the new practicality exception. ASU 2016-01 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”). The revenue recognition standard provides a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date, which deferred the effective date of this revenue standard for periods beginning after December 15, 2016 to December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted but not earlier than the original effective date. ASU 2014-09 must be applied retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Company is continuing to evaluate the effect and methodology of adopting this accounting standard on its results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

In April 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity (“ASU 2014-08”). This update amends the definition of a discontinued operation, and requires additional disclosures about discontinued operations, as well as disposal transactions that do not meet the discontinued operations criteria. Under this new guidance, only disposals of a component representing a strategic shift in operations that has or will have a major impact on the Company’s operations or financial results should be classified as discontinued operations. The effective date of this standard was March 1, 2015. See Note 15 which describes the effect of the adoption of this standard.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications

Certain amounts in the financial statements of prior years have been reclassified to conform to the fiscal 2017 presentation, with no effect on net earnings.

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for cash and cash equivalents, including the policy for determining which items are treated as cash equivalents. Other information that may be disclosed includes (1) the nature of any restrictions on the entity's use of its cash and cash equivalents, (2) whether the entity's cash and cash equivalents are insured or expose the entity to credit risk, (3) the classification of any negative balance accounts (overdrafts), and (4) the carrying basis of cash equivalents (for example, at cost) and whether the carrying amount of cash equivalents approximates fair value.

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