Plug-in OBD trackers (CT-V08, CT-V10): installation guide
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The CT-V08 and CT-V10 are 4G trackers that plug straight into your vehicle’s OBD port, the diagnostic socket under the dash. They suit 12 V and 24 V vehicles: cars, utes, vans and trucks. There’s no wiring and nothing to mount: find the port, push the tracker in, and it’s on your map within the hour. This guide covers both trackers; they fit the same way.
What’s in the box
| Item | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| CT-V08 or CT-V10 tracker | The tracker itself, with the OBD plug built in. |
Nothing else is needed. There’s no lead, no tape and no tools.
Find the OBD port
The OBD port is a D-shaped, 16-pin socket. On most vehicles built since the 2000s it’s usually under the dash on the driver’s side, within about a metre of the steering wheel: near your knees, behind a small flip cover, or behind a clip-off trim panel. A few sit further across, near the centre console or in the glovebox. If you can’t find it, your owner’s manual will show where it is, or ask us.
Plug it in
- 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.
- Push the tracker firmly into the port. It only fits one way round. Push until it’s fully home and sits square in the socket; a half-seated plug is the usual reason a tracker doesn’t power up, and the port cover won’t close over it.
- Check it’s seated. Give it a gentle wiggle. It should feel solid, with no movement, and its lights should come on within a few seconds (see Check it’s working below).
- Check it’s out of the way. Sit in the driver’s seat and press each pedal fully. The tracker must not touch your knees or legs, get in the way of the pedals or the steering column, or stop the port cover or trim panel from sitting properly. If it does, don’t drive with it there: see Port in use or hard to reach below.
Check it’s working
Status lights
The tracker has two status lights: Navigate (GPS) and Status. On first power-up both come on while it starts; the lights settle once it has found the network and a GPS fix.
| Light | What you see | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Navigate | Blinking once a second | Working normally, with a GPS fix |
| On all the time | Looking for GPS. Give it a few minutes with a clear view of the sky | |
| Blinking fast, non-stop | Updating its software. Leave it plugged in | |
| Off | GPS is off: the tracker is asleep, or not working | |
| Status | Blinking once a second | Working normally |
| Blinking every two seconds | Asleep. This is normal while the vehicle is parked | |
| Short bursts of fast blinks | Sending data. This is normal | |
| Off | Not working. See Troubleshooting below |
On our platform
Log in to our platform at platform.crucialtracking.com.au and check the tracker shows as online with a position. It’s on your map within the hour; out in the open, the first GPS fix usually takes under a minute. Then drive around the block and check the position moves.
Port in use or hard to reach
Some vehicles have something else in the OBD port already (a dash cam, an insurer’s device, a service tool), some ports are tucked up where a tracker won’t fit or won’t clear your knees, and some owners would rather the tracker sat up behind a trim panel. In any of those cases, contact us before you fit it: we can supply an OBD extension lead so the tracker sits up behind a trim panel, or suggest the hardwired CT-V06 for an auto electrician to fit instead. Don’t force the tracker into a port it doesn’t fit, and don’t drive with it pressing on your legs.
📝 Servicing. If a mechanic needs your OBD port, they can unplug the tracker (ignition off first) and plug it back in afterwards. You may get an unplug alert while it’s out; that’s normal.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to try |
|---|---|
| No lights at all | Unplug the tracker and push it back in, firmly and square, until it’s fully home. Then try again with the ignition on: a few vehicles only power the port with the key 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. Still nothing? Contact us. |
| Navigate light stays on | It hasn’t found GPS yet. Move the vehicle outside, away from carports and tall buildings, and give it a few minutes. Metallised or heat-reflective window tint can also weaken GPS under the dash. |
| An unplug alert when nobody touched it | Check the tracker is still firmly seated. A plug that has worked loose over bumps will drop out and back in; push it fully home again. |
| It gets in the way of feet or knees | Don’t drive with it there. Contact us about an extension lead so it can sit up behind a trim panel. |
Moving it to another vehicle
Switch the vehicle off first, then pull the tracker straight out of the port and plug it into the next vehicle exactly as above. You’ll get an unplug alert when you remove it; that’s normal. Nothing needs changing on the tracker or on the platform.
Need more?
Full specifications are on the CT-V08 and CT-V10 product pages.
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.