• The tracker is displayed somewhere in the ocean

• No coordinates from the tracker for a long time

• There was a result on the test port, but the tracker is still displayed in zero coordinates

• The tracker is displayed somewhere in the ocean as an icon of 3 colours ball

• The tracker is displayed in some old coordinates, as an icon of 3 colours

• Tracker can't get GPS signal

• The tracker was working fine, but now it's not working

• When adding a device "Error! This IMEI is already registered"

Immediately after connecting you see the tracker in the ocean with an exclamation mark icon. Pay attention to the inscription at the top of the map “No coordinates from the tracker”.

This is not an error, it means that so far your tracker has not sent any real coordinates to the port you have selected, so the monitoring platform is forced to display the location in zero coordinates. This will be the case until the tracker sends at least one data packet or IMEI identification packet (Ping packet) to the port set in its settings.

If the tracker does not send coordinates within an hour after connection, you should look for an error in the device configuration.

A long time - more than 1 hour of tracker's work.

If the tracker can not to send its real location or identification packet (Ping packet) for more than one hour it can mean:

❌ You have not configured the tracker.
Completely skipped step 1

❌ You have not completely configured the tracker.
For example, you forgot to send a command to set the server address and port, APN, data transmission interval or disable the modes of device sleep without moving, by time, etc.

❌ Tracker settings are not saved on the device.
For example, the tracker didn't reply with a reply SMS command that it received it, or it replied “OK” but didn't apply it. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the case with Chinese trackers.

❌ You have chosen the wrong port to receive data from your tracker.
Completely skipped step 2

❌ You made a mistake when entering the IMEI number
When connecting your tracker to your account you have made mistake in IMEI number.

❌ Your tracker sends a shortened IMEI number or ID
You entered the full IMEI when connecting to the account. But in the data packet, your tracker sends a shortened IMEI or ID number.
If the tracker has an ID, it is always written on the box or on the tracker case. The format of the sent IMEI is checked by test port.

❌ You have connected the tracker to the wrong server complex.
When adding the tracker to your account, you selected one server complex, but in the SMS message you sent the address of another complex to the tracker. Check if the settings on the device and in your account is the same.

❌ Tracker can't catch GPS signal
It simply has nothing to send to the server. More details about the intricacies of GPS search are described in this article

Check the following:

✅ Server complex address.
When adding the tracker to your account, you selected one server complex, but in the SMS message you sent the address of another complex to the tracker. Check if the settings on the device and in your account is the same.

✅ IMEI number format.
The test port also gives the format of the IMEI number that comes from the tracker in the data packet.
Often it can be that IMEI is cut off and does not contain all 15 digits of the original number.
In the “IMEI” field when connecting the tracker to the account, you should only enter the IMEI in the form in which the test port issued the IMEI.

✅ Have you changed the data reception port on the tracker?
You need to send SMS command to the tracker to set the server address and port, specifying the correct port for data reception (which was issued by IMEI).
port for receiving data (which was given by the test port).

✅ Tracker can't catch GPS signal and it simply has nothing to send to the server.
Learn more about the intricacies of GPS retrieval in this article

✅ Check the data transmission interval and no data without movement or sleep modes in the tracker settings.
The tracker can send only 1 data packet to the test port and on this basis you will get the result in the port interface.
After connecting to the port to receive data, if the transmission interval is long or the tracker is in sleep mode, there will be no real coordinates from the tracker.

Tracker status indicator in the form of a 3-colour ball icon means that the tracker sends a Ping packet to the server, i.e. a packet that contains only IMEI number, but no coordinates or other data. More details about what Ping packet is described in this article of our documentation.

Ping packet arrival unambiguously signals that there is internet on the tracker, server address is entered correctly, data transmission interval is set (if Ping packets arrival corresponds to the frequency you have set in the tracker settings).

What could be the reason for the lack of coordinates:

✅ The tracker can't catch a GPS signal and it simply has nothing to send to the server, so it sends a packet with IMEI as an identifying sign that it somehow works. More details about the intricacies of GPS searches are described in this article

✅ You have selected the wrong port to receive data from your tracker (step 2 of the tracker connection instructions).

✅The port is correct, but your tracker is sending data in a format that is not supported by the server software.
Unfortunately, Chinese manufacturers often copy data transmission protocols from each other, making some changes in them. For example, changing the order of parameters in a string, or presence/absence of response from the server part when receiving data. Reliable manufacturers of trackers can also make adjustments to the data transmission protocols with the release of a new device. As a result of such changes, the server software cannot find the coordinates in the sent data, so the map shows a Ping packet.
If you are sure that GPS signal is caught, the test port gave you a response in the form of a port to receive data, but on the map for a long time only Ping-packet in zero coordinates (ocean in the area of Africa), please inform our support team by email support@livegpstracks.com. Be sure to specify:

• That you used the test port and it gave you a response. Specify which port was issued.
• If you did not use the test port (according to step 2, in case of reliable manufacturers, for which you need to choose the port to receive data immediately), then on which port you configured the tracker.
• Tracker IMEI number and device model

This means that the tracker sends an identification packet (Ping packet) without real coordinates.

If the Ping packet contains only a unique identifier number (IMEI, ID) the site displays the last known coordinates from the tracker and other previously sent data.

If the same coordinate comes up in the Ping packet, the site displays it.

In most cases trackers send a Ping packet when they can't detect GPS signal, but the tracker lets you know that it has internet, the settings are not reset and it is generally working.
Reasons why the tracker can't catch GPS signal and recommendations are described in this article of our documentation.

In more rare cases, the tracker may send a Ping packet while in sleep mode or to keep connection with the server.

This article assumes that you have configured and connected the tracker.
If you have done everything according to the instructions, but still no coordinates, then it is possible that the tracker itself simply cannot determine its location.

✅ Take the tracker outside or place it on a window sill.

• For details on why this is important, read here

  It should be understood that the signal from satellites that are in space, in the orbit of our planet, is not so powerful to pass through any obstacles - walls, roofs of houses, dense foliage of trees. Therefore, in order for the signal to be received, it is necessary to provide the GPS-receiver with visibility of a clear sky, without obstructing structures, objects, building elements.

  It is also important to note that even a visible piece of clear sky may sometimes not help. For example, a yard-well - the sky is visible, but there may be no satellites in this area, especially since to determine the location it is necessary to receive a signal not from one satellite, but from at least three. Three is a theoretical minimum, in practice you need 4. Taking into account that there are about 30 satellites in total (all over the planet), what is the probability that the availability of only a small part of the sky will allow to see 4 satellites?

  It is for these reasons that the tracker cannot receive a signal and locate indoors, well yards or dense forests. Of course, it is not always possible to go outdoors to test your device, so we can recommend you to put it as close as possible to a place where there will be a high probability of successful reception - for example, on a windowsill.

✅ Leave it there for an extended period of time.

• When you first set up your tracker after purchase or after a long shutdown, the tracker may not detect your location for a very long time. Long is not five minutes, not ten. On average, half an hour is enough, but in some cases, on cheap Chinese products, this process could last for hours.

✅ Set the minimum data transmission interval.

• Let's note an important point - let's say you want the tracker to work in save mode and transmit data once an hour. And that's exactly how you set it up the first time you switch it on. It may happen that the tracker will never catch a signal at all, because in the save mode there may be a limitation on satellite search time. For example, 3 minutes. It turns out that during these three minutes it did not find the coordinates (see point 2) and switched off until the next session. At the next session - similarly. And so on indefinitely.

Therefore, during initial setup, set the minimum transmission interval - for example, every 10 seconds. Then, after successful testing, change it to the desired one.

✅ If the first three points didn't help, move.

• It often happens that the tracker starts any actions (GPS search, sending data to the server) only when it is active, e.g. moving or shaking. A special sensor is integrated into the device for this purpose and, according to the manufacturer's idea, it should save battery power. Therefore, you should either disable this mode or (if the manufacturer has not provided for disabling) - actively move and shake your device. Naturally, these actions should be performed outdoors.

FAQ about GPS signal:

• Question 1: Your tech support team says that the tracker did not catch GPS and therefore does not send to the site, but when I ask by SMS - it sends coordinates in response.
  Answer: Several options are possible:
  • have you checked what coordinates you receive? Often the coordinates are defaulted during production and they point to some place in China, for example Shenzhen province, where these trackers are mass produced.
  • the last time the coordinate was determined a long time ago, for example a few days ago. The tracker has memorised it and sends it by SMS-request, and the algorithm sends only fresh coordinates to the site, which it has not yet been able to determine.
  • the tracker firmware has different mechanisms of operation when sending via SMS or via the Internet. For example, for sending by SMS the need for accuracy is reduced. The tracker catches 4 satellites, determines the coordinates with an error and sends. But for sending via the Internet the accuracy requirements are higher and with the same 4 satellites they cannot be achieved, so the sending does not take place.

• Question 2: The tracker is finally detected, but why does the tracker show that I am 200 metres away from the house, although I am at home now? At the same time the smartphone shows absolutely accurately, almost the flat window on the house. And not even at the window, and in the depth of the room.
  Answer: Because the accuracy of location depends on many factors - the density of urban development, the thickness of walls, cloud trees, electromagnetic fields, etc. The more conditions differ from ideal, the greater the likelihood of inaccurate positioning, especially if you're trying to catch satellites indoors. And a smartphone determines location not only by GPS or GLONASS, but also often tethered to Wi-Fi, which can provide good accuracy, provided the coordinates of the Wi-Fi point are known to Google.

• Question 3: The tracker is detected once and that's all, it doesn't send any more. Or it sends only once, when switching on.
  Answer: Most likely, you have the setting to send data only when moving or shaking. Disable this setting or shake/move.

The question “does not work”, “does not show on the map” often asked by users means that the tracker icon is always red and it says that the tracker is switched off.
Read about colour indication of the tracker status in this article of our documentation

There are quite a few reasons why a tracker may stop sending data. The most common ones are:

❌ If your tracker is configured and worked previously on ports 3339/3359, then the problem is definitely in the tracker.
Please read the information below.

❌ If you have several identical trackers configured on the same port, but one of the trackers is red and all the others are green, then the problem is definitely in the tracker.

❌ If all your trackers are red. Trackers are set to the same port, then check the time of last activity.
To do this, click on the icon of each tracker on the map and among the information there will be an inscription “Last activity: more than N days ago”
If all trackers have different last activity time, it means that each of them has a different reason why they don't work. You need to deal with each device separately.

❌ If all your trackers are red and the last activity time is the same for all trackers:

• Check if you have a corporate mobile phone tariff. If yes, you have not forgotten to pay for the internet.
• Check with your mobile operator if there is no problem with internet channel to our server.

❌ The tracker has run out of internet.
Go to your mobile operator's website and check your SIM card balance and availability of the Internet option.
Besides, the presence or absence of GPRS on the tracker can be confirmed by the fact of Internet traffic by packets of approximately the same size, repeated at intervals corresponding to the set interval of sending.
If you see such packets in the traffic report, it means that there is Internet on the tracker, the data transmission frequency is set, most likely the problem is in the server address and port settings.
If there is no internet traffic, it means that the tracker is not sending anything anywhere. Check again if your operator has blocked the internet on your SIM card. If the internet is available, the most likely reason is that the tracker can't catch GPS and therefore has nothing to send to the server.

❌ Problems with your mobile network operator with the Internet channel. Sometimes mobile network operators have problems, during which some Internet resources may work fine and some may not.

❌ Tracker is stuck.
You should try to reboot the tracker. You can do it either by SMS command (if available), or by power button on the tracker body, or, if there is no SMS command or power button, just remove and reinsert the battery.

❌ The tracker has reset the settings.
Many models, especially from Chinese manufacturers, have the property of periodically resetting the settings. This can happen as a consequence of an error or such an idea in the firmware of the tracker, and under the influence of external factors (voltage surge when charging or in the on-board network of the car, full discharge of the battery).
Almost all models have SMS command to check settings. Send such a command and make sure that the server address, port, APN and data transmission interval correspond to the required values.

❌ Tracker has arbitrarily changed IMEI.
Unfortunately, there are cases when after some time of operation the tracker resets the IMEI and replaces it with a non-unique set of digits embedded in the device firmware.
Send a verification SMS command to the tracker, which in response gives the IMEI number and make sure that it matches the one entered on the website.

❌ In the course of external influences the SIM card has moved and can no longer provide GSM network operation.
You can check it by calling to the tracker, if the SIM card is out of the network access area, you need to disassemble the tracker and try to remove and insert the SIM card again.

❌ The tracker has lost GPS signal and can't catch it.
The quality and ability to find the GPS signal depends very much on the environment where the tracker is located.
For example, the tracker in a car has accidentally moved from its original position. This may mean that the tracker will no longer be able to catch GPS and thus send anything to the monitoring service. On models with external antennas, it is not uncommon for the connector to become unscrewed.

❌ The tracker has not been used for a long time.
If the tracker has not been used for a long time, it is very likely that the tracker has reset the settings.
Try resetting the tracker again.

❌ Intentional tampering by your employees.
Drivers very often resort to various methods that interfere with the tracker's operation (deliberately disconnecting the power supply, wrapping the tracker in foil to screen the signals, shifting or disconnecting GPS and GSM external antennas, etc.).
Those who use software trackers on smartphones can put software to spoof coordinates or manually switch off the software tracker.

❌ The tracker is broken.
If the tracker has been working for a long time and at one point stopped working, it is highly probable that it has simply exhausted its resource.

The probability that the tracker sends data to the monitoring server correctly, but the server software does not process this data is extremely low.

It is important to understand the following:

• Our specialists monitor the service performance almost round the clock 7 days a week. Undoubtedly, we are all human beings and are not immune to mistakes, but over the years of our work on the service we have tried to develop mechanisms that allow us to respond as quickly as possible to various situations that can affect the quality of work.

• Removing a tracker from your account and adding it again will in no way help to restore the tracker's work.

• Data reception and display on the map does not depend on the selected tariff.

• Monitoring server does not control your tracker and does not affect its performance in any way. The only task of the server software is to receive data from the tracker. I.e. tracker sent data - accepted and immediately shown on the map, tracker did not send data - no location update on the map (with time - red indicator). Why the tracker didn't send data - the server software doesn't know and can't influence it.

• There is no delay between receiving data and displaying it on the map. I.e. if a correct packet with coordinates is received from the tracker, it will be immediately displayed on the map.

If my tracker still works properly, what should I do?

If you have made a thorough diagnostics of your tracker and are 100% sure in its operability, but nevertheless the tracker is not displayed on the map, in this case you need to write to our technical support team: support@livegpstracks.com. When contacting us, you need to describe in detail all the steps and the results of the diagnostics.

To messages with the content “I checked everything, it doesn't work here” we can give an answer right now: “The problem is in your tracker, please read this article carefully”.

The error means that the tracker with this number is already connected to some account on the platform.

According to the platform rules, the same IMEI/Shortened IMEI or ID can be added to only one account.

Please be reminded that IMEI/Shortened IMEI or ID is a unique number that comes from the tracker with each coordinate. Due to the uniqueness of the number, you can unambiguously determine in which account you need to show the received data.

Please note that if the tracker sends a shortened IMEI in the data package, then only adding a device with shortened IMEI will show your location on the map. Do not add tracker with full IMEI, you will not see the data, because tracker does not send full IMEI as identification number.

Most common causes and solutions:

❌ You have previously created another account and connected your tracker to it.
You need to restore access to this other account and remove the tracker from it. After that add your tracker to the new account.
Please note that “automatically”, “suddenly”, “on their own”, “over time”, “accidentally”, “I deleted it, it is not in my account, but IMEI is already registered” trackers are not deleted from accounts and do not disappear, while remaining registered in the system. We ask you to be attentive to the accounts you create and the trackers you add to them.

❌ Your IMEI/ID number is not unique.
If in the verification SMS from the tracker IMEI number looks too simple, for example, 522000000, 8888880000000, 3405000000001, and does not coincide with the number written on the tracker case or next to the SIM card slot, it is a typical plug in the tracker firmware, not a real unique number. If IMEI is cut down by the manufacturer from the beginning and from the end to 10-12 digits and in the course of reduction you get the same simple sequence containing many zeros, for example 4560000001, then in this case the number loses its uniqueness. Hundreds of thousands of other devices of completely different models may have such a number, and it is not recommended to use such a number. Even if you add a device with such a number, the next user will configure his tracker to our service and you will receive his data together with your own.

You need to look for an SMS command to change IMEI or ID. If there is no such command, contact the seller or manufacturer with a question why the tracker does not send real IMEI/ID number. This is a bug in the firmware of your device.
More advanced users can try to reflash the tracker and thus change the IMEI to the required one. We are sorry, but we can't tell you how to reflash your model. Please use internet search.

❌ You have bought a used tracker and the old owner used our service at some point.
If possible, please contact the person who sold you the tracker and ask to remove the device from their account.
If it is not possible, write a request to our support team at support@livegpstracks.com. Be sure to specify that the tracker is used and its IMEI/ID. The support team will give further instructions to solve the problem.

❌ You bought a new tracker from a not very big local seller, the seller tested the tracker on the platform.
There are cases when some sellers test the device on our platform and then forget to remove it from their test account.
If possible, please contact the seller and ask him to remove the device from his account.
If it is not possible, write a request to our support team at support@livegpstracks.com. Be sure to mention that the tracker was purchased from a local seller, not China, and its IMEI/ID. The support team will give further instructions to solve the problem.

To resolve a situation with an already registered IMEI, you can always contact our support team at support@livegpstracks.com. Please specify IMEI/shortened IMEI or ID (depending on what the tracker sends) when you contact us.