CT-V05 Installation Guide: Fitting Your OBD Tracker on the Extension Lead

The CT-V05 is a compact 4G tracker that runs from your vehicle’s OBD port, the diagnostic socket under the dash. It suits 12 V and 24 V vehicles: cars, utes and trucks. Every CT-V05 comes with an OBD extension lead, and the lead is how it’s installed: the lead plugs into the port, the tracker plugs into the lead, and the tracker is tucked up behind a dash panel, well away from the driver and passengers. There’s no wiring to do.

What’s in the box

Item	What it’s for
CT-V05 tracker	The tracker itself. If you bought it with one of our plans, the SIM is already fitted.
OBD extension lead	About 50 cm long. Plugs into your vehicle’s OBD port so the tracker can sit up behind a dash panel. The tracker is always installed on this lead.

You’ll also need a few cable ties or some cloth tape to hold the tracker in place.

Find the OBD port

The OBD port is a D-shaped, 16-pin socket. It’s usually under the dash on the driver’s side, near your knees. Some sit behind a small flip cover or a clip-off trim panel, and a few are further across, near the centre console. If you can’t find it, your owner’s manual will show where it is, or ask us.

Fit the tracker, step by step

1. Switch the vehicle off. Turn the engine off and take the key out, or switch a push-button-start vehicle fully off. If you can, park outside with a clear view of the sky: it helps the tracker get its first GPS fix when you check it at the end.
2. Plug the lead into the port. Push the lead’s plug firmly into the vehicle’s OBD port until it’s fully home. It only fits one way round.
3. Route the lead up behind the panel. Feed the other end of the lead up behind a plain trim or kick panel (never an airbag panel, see above), away from the pedals and the steering column. Keep it clear of anything that moves, and don’t let trim clips pinch it. Don’t tie anything to the steering column; it moves when adjusted.
4. Plug the tracker into the lead. Push the tracker firmly into the socket on the end of the lead. Its lights should come on: check them now, before it goes out of sight (see Check it’s working below).
5. Secure the tracker at least 20 cm from where anyone sits. Tuck it up behind the panel and hold it firmly with cable ties or cloth tape to an existing wiring bundle or bracket (never yellow airbag wiring). Check the distance with the driver’s seat moved fully forward: measure from the tracker to where the knees and legs are, not to the seat back, and allow about the length of a 30 cm ruler, with the panel between the tracker and the driver. Tie up any spare lead the same way, then press each pedal fully to check nothing touches the lead or tracker. The tracker must never:
   • hang loose or sit in the footwell;
   • get in the way of the pedals or the steering column;
   • sit on, in front of or behind an airbag (anything marked SRS or AIRBAG, including the knee airbag some vehicles have in the lower dash), or be tied to yellow airbag wiring;
   • sit behind or under heavy metal, such as the dash frame, which can weaken its GPS and 4G reception (tying it alongside a bracket is fine).
6. Refit the port cover or trim. Put back any port cover and any plain trim or kick panel you took off, and make sure it doesn’t pinch the lead.

Check it’s working

Status lights

The tracker has three status lights. Check them straight after you plug the tracker into the lead (step 4), before it goes up behind the panel.

Light	Shows
Red	Power
Blue	GPS positioning
Green	Mobile network (4G)

If no lights come on at all, see Troubleshooting below.

On the Open Platform

Log in to the Open Platform at platform.crucialtracking.com.au and check the tracker shows as online with a position. Out in the open, the first GPS fix usually takes under a minute. Then drive around the block and watch the position move: every 10 seconds on our Real-Time plan, or every 2 minutes on Power Saver.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to try
No lights at all	Push both ends of the lead fully home: the plug into the port, and the tracker into the lead. Then try again with the ignition on. If the lights still don’t come on, contact us.
Not showing on the platform	Give it a few minutes outside with a clear view of the sky, then take a short drive. Check you’re in 4G coverage. If you fitted your own SIM, check it’s active with data, and contact us about the APN setting.
Position jumps around or drops out	The tracker is probably behind metal. Move it higher up behind the panel, away from the dash frame. Metallised or heat-reflective window tint can also block GPS.
A pull-out alert when nobody touched it	Check the lead and the tracker are both still firmly plugged in and the cable ties are holding. If anything has worked loose, re-secure the tracker so it can’t move.
The lead or tracker gets in the way of feet or knees	Re-route it higher up behind the panel and secure it again. Nothing should hang below the dash, and the tracker must stay at least 20 cm from where anyone sits.

Moving it to another vehicle

The lead goes with the tracker. Unplug the lead from the port, take the tracker and lead out together, and fit them in the next vehicle exactly as above: on the lead, behind a dash panel, at least 20 cm from anyone. You may get a pull-out alert when you unplug it.

Need more?

Full specifications, compatibility and purchase options are on the CT-V05 product page. Once the tracker is online, log in to the Open Platform at platform.crucialtracking.com.au to see it reporting. 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.