Plug-in OBD trackers (CT-V10): installation guide

The CT-V10 is a 4G tracker that plugs straight into your vehicle’s OBD port, the diagnostic socket under the dash. It suits 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. It’s the quickest tracker we sell to fit, and the quickest to move to another vehicle.

It’s also the easiest to remove. Anyone who finds it can pull it out in a second, so a plug-in suits quick fitting, pool vehicles and trackers that move between vehicles rather than theft protection. If you want a tracker that stays put, look at the hardwired CT-V06 or the battery-mount CT-V09.

What’s in the box

Item	What it’s for
CT-V10 tracker	The tracker itself, with the OBD plug built in. If you bought it with one of our plans, our SIM is already fitted and your login is set up, so there’s nothing to configure.

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

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.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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 watch the position move: every 10 seconds on our Real-Time plan, or every 2 minutes on Power Saver.

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.

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. If you fitted your own SIM, check it’s active with data, and contact us about the APN setting.
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, though it helps to rename it on your map.

Need more?

Full specifications and purchase options are on the CT-V10 product page. Once the tracker is online, 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.