Battery-powered trackers (CT-A07): getting started
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The CT-A07 is a small rechargeable 4G tracker for tools, equipment, trailers, caravans, machinery, bikes and bags. There is nothing to wire and nothing to configure: charge it, fix it in place and it reports to your map. This guide covers the first steps, what the button does, what the light means and how the tracker is set up out of the box.
What you get
| Item | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| CT-A07 tracker | The tracker itself. If you bought it with one of our plans, our SIM is already fitted and your login is set up. |
| USB-C cable | For charging. One end is angled so the cable can sit flat against the case. |
| Dust plug | Push it into the USB-C port whenever the tracker is not on charge. |
First steps
- Charge it. Plug the cable into the USB-C port and any 5 V USB charger or power bank. The light pulses yellow while charging and glows green when the battery is full. Give it a full charge before first use.
- Switch it on. Press and hold the button for about 5 seconds and watch the light. Green for a few seconds means it was off and is now on. Red for a couple of seconds means it was already on and you have just switched it off, so hold again to switch it back on.
- Give it a clear view of the sky. Straight after switching it on, leave the tracker outdoors or by a window for a few minutes so it can find its first position. It is awake for a while after switching on; from then on it only wakes when it is moved. After the first position it finds its place much faster.
- Fix it in place. Mount it with the top face (the side with the light and the button) facing up or out towards the sky, using a cable tie or double-sided tape. In a vehicle, trailer or caravan the best spot is high and near a window, roof lining or plastic panel. On a bike or bag, keep it near the outer surface. Never fit it face-down, under metal, or buried in the middle of a bag or toolbox.
- Check your map. Log in to the Open Platform at platform.crucialtracking.com.au. Once the tracker has moved for a minute or two with a view of the sky, it appears with a position.
The button
The one button does two things, depending on how long you press it.
| Press | What happens |
|---|---|
| Tap (while on) | Raises an alert. The light pulses red for about six seconds and the alert reaches your map and anyone you have set up to be notified, with the time and position. Use it to flag a problem with the asset, for example at a breakdown or a handover. |
| Hold for 5 seconds | Switches the tracker off if it was on, or on if it was off. Off: the light glows red for a couple of seconds, then goes dark, and from then on a tap does nothing and the tracker stops reporting. On: the light glows green for a few seconds as it starts up. |
What the light means
The CT-A07 has one status light. Most of the time it is dark: the tracker sleeps between movements to save battery, and it does not flash when it sends a position. These are the signals you will see.
| Light | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ● Green, steady for a few seconds | Switching on |
| ● Blue, a short blink about once a minute | Awake and running normally |
| ● Yellow, slow pulse | Charging |
| ● Green, steady while on charge | Fully charged |
| ● Red, blinking on and off every second | Low battery. Charge it soon |
| ● Red, pulsing for about six seconds | Alert sent (the button was tapped) |
| ● Red, steady for a couple of seconds, then dark | Switching off |
| ● Blue, very fast blinking | Updating its software. Leave it alone until it stops |
| ● Blue, steady for a few seconds | New settings received from us |
ℹ️ Dark light: on or off? A tracker that has been still for a while is asleep and shows nothing, which looks the same as switched off. Move it and the blue blink comes back once it has woken up. To be sure, hold the button for 5 seconds and watch: green means it was off and is now on; red means it was on and you have just switched it off, so hold again.
How it’s set up out of the box
Your CT-A07 ships ready to go with these settings. They suit most assets; if yours is used differently, we change them remotely and you never need to touch the tracker.
| Setting | Out of the box |
|---|---|
| Tracking | Movement mode. The tracker wakes when the asset moves and reports its position every 2 minutes while it keeps moving. |
| When still | Sleeps fully. Once the asset stops, the tracker switches off its radio and GPS and sleeps until the next movement. This is what gives it its battery life. |
| Parked position | Held steady. While the asset is still, the tracker holds its last position rather than letting small GPS wobble make it look like it is creeping around the map. |
| Button | Tap for an alert, hold to switch off. Both can be changed. |
| Light | Power, charging and status signals only. It does not flash when sending positions, so it stays unobtrusive. |
📝 Short trips. After a long rest the tracker needs a minute or two of movement to wake up and find its position, so a very short trip of a few minutes may not show on the map. Longer trips and regular movement will. If you need every short movement captured, tell us and we’ll change its set-up.
Charging and battery
- Any USB-C charger or power bank. The tracker charges from 5 V USB: a phone charger, a laptop port or a power bank. For long jobs away from a charger it can run straight from a power bank.
- Charge between 0 and 45 °C. The tracker will not charge when it is hotter or colder than that, for example inside a parked vehicle on a hot day. Move it somewhere cooler and it will start.
- Battery life depends on how much it moves. The tracker sleeps when the asset is still, so an asset that mostly sits goes a long time between charges. An asset on the move every day needs charging more often.
- Keep the dust plug in whenever it is not on charge.
Nothing on the map yet?
The tracker keeps every position it records and sends them as soon as it has a mobile signal, so a gap usually fills itself in once the asset is moved somewhere open. If the tracker is new, give it a few minutes of movement outdoors. If you are not sure it is on, use the 5-second hold described above and watch the light. Still nothing after an hour? Contact us and we’ll check it from our end.
Need more?
Full specifications and purchase options are on the CT-A07 product page. The GPS Tracking Platform User Guide explains events, geofences and trips, and Install the Open Platform as an App puts it on your phone’s home screen.
Stuck on a step? Call us on 0413 418 743 during business hours, email team@crucialtracking.com.au or request a callback and we’ll walk you through it.