Why did my Text-to-Activate fail?

Firstly, please check that lights are showing on the device. If no lights are showing on the tracker then the device has not powered up.

• For hardwired units this is because the red wire is not in the right location.
• For OBD units this is sometimes because the vehicle's OBD port is faulty and not providing power to the tracker. Try plugging the device into a different vehicle and seeing if the lights come on. If lights do show in the second vehicle then it is likely you need to have the first vehicle's OBD port checked, starting with the fuse to the port.

The most common reason Text-to-Activate fails is due to ignition not being detected during the last steps of the process.

You are asked to turn the vehicle's engine on, let it run for at least 30 seconds and then turn it off. 

• For hardwired / covert units, this process may fail if you do not have the white wire correctly hooked up to a circuit that gets a consistent 12V when the engine is ON, and that rests at 0V while the engine is OFF.
• For OBD / plug in units, the process may fail because the tracker is unable to detect ignition on its regular programming. Certain vehicles will require a programming change to detect ignition using different parameters.
  • If you are using a JBUS adapter - the device must be on alternative programming.
    • Generally, if ClearPathGPS was aware at time of shipment that the OBD device would be used with a JBUS adapter then we preload this programming.
    • Please call us if your Text-to-Activate is failing during the ignition cycle process so we can help you quickly identify the issue. 

If you receive a response that says "device already activated" then it is likely this unit was previously installed in another vehicle or someone in your organization has pre-named the device. Please contact us if you are switching a tracker between vehicles or if you get this response.

Note: If you are installing a unit inside of a building (garage, loading bay, parking structure, etc.) then the device may not have cellular or GPS coverage.

• If the device is out of cellular coverage and we have not yet received the ignition events then the process will fail. Try pulling the vehicle out of the building and then re-cycle the ignition.
• At times, a device can have cellular coverage but no GPS lock. In these situations we will likely receive the ignition events but the device will not show on the map. In this case, the Text-to-Activate process will be successful but you may not see the device showing on the map.
  • If you check the event detail report you'll be able to see what events have been received to the portal, even if they came without a GPS location.