Tracking Device Installation for Light Duty and Medium Duty Vehicles

Locating the Engine Diagnostics Port

Tracking device installation is a simple procedure. It is very easy and requires no tools. Every light vehicle made after 1996 has an onboard diagnostics (OBD) port.  Examples of vehicles with OBD port include all passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, as well as medium-sized pickup trucks, tow trucks or work trucks/van.  The port is typically a 1.5″ trapezoidal shape as shown in the video. Typically you will find the port to the left of the driver near the parking brake or hood release. The port might be behind a plastic panel.

When looking at a heavy-duty vehicle, you might find a round-shaped port about 1.5″ in diameter instead. If you find a round port, you will need an adapter.

Please confirm that the port is located in a place where it is safe from being knocked. If you think driver interference due to the location of the port may be a problem, then we do have extension cables that you can order. You do not have to install the tracking unit connected to the engine diagnostics port. You can optionally connect the tracking unit with a 3-wire (power/ground/ignition) cable adapter.

Follow four simple steps, and within minutes your Geotab fleet management device will be out of the box and hard at work for your business. This installation doesn’t require any special tools or the assistance of a professional installer – you can do it.

Find the printed installation guide for the Geotab GO Plug-&-Play Vehicle Tracking Device here.

If you find that the engine diagnostics port ( OBDII ) unit sticks out too much, then you could consider making a small adjustment to reposition the OBDII port, which is very easy for you to do. We strongly recommend that you do this for every installation.

To check the status of your installed Geotab GO Plug-&-Play Vehicle Tracking Device, visit the Geotab Install Page.

For semi-covert installation and installation in locations that are hard to reach, Geotab offers the universal OBDII T-harness with various mounting brackets.