Vehicle Tracking Questions Answered

The Tracking Co does not require contracts. Customers purchase GPS tracker hardware outright — once-off from R499 — and subscribe month-to-month from R50 per vehicle, or on an annual plan. You own the device permanently and can cancel the subscription at any time on 30 days' notice, with no penalties and no exit fees.

Yes. The Tracking Co sells hardware outright — once you pay for it, the device is yours permanently. This differs from the typical South African tracking model, where hardware is bundled into a service contract: when you cancel, you usually lose access to the device or have to return it. With The Tracking Co, you can pause or cancel your subscription and keep the hardware. You can also transfer it to another vehicle when you sell your current one.

Because you own the device. The monthly subscription (from R45/vehicle/month on annual, R50 on monthly) covers the tracking service and platform access — not the hardware. There's no separate device rental, activation fee, or contract.

Because the moment we did, we'd have to bake it into the monthly fee and lock you into a contract to recover it — which is exactly the model we're trying to replace. Keeping hardware and subscription separate is what lets you cancel at any time and own your tracker outright.

No setup fee, no activation fee, no cancellation penalty and no feature paywalls. The only optional cost beyond the device and subscription is professional installation for hardwired devices, which is quoted by location and vehicle — and you can avoid it entirely by self-installing or using your own auto electrician.

Everything. Live GPS, geofences, trip history, SARS-compliant logbook reports, movement alerts, the web dashboard, native mobile apps and API access — all on every plan. There are no tiers gating features behind higher prices.

GPS car tracking in South Africa costs between R50 and R280 per month depending on the provider and plan. The Tracking Co charges R50 per vehicle per month on a month-to-month basis, or R45 per month on an annual plan — hardware is a separate once-off purchase from R499. Traditional contract providers typically charge R180–R280 per month, with device costs bundled into the monthly rental fee. This means you never own the hardware under a traditional model.

No — a monthly subscription is required for live GPS vehicle tracking in South Africa. The GPS device communicates via cellular data networks, which carry an ongoing cost. The Tracking Co's subscription starts at R50 per month on a month-to-month basis. However, with The Tracking Co, the GPS tracker hardware is a once-off purchase that you own permanently. If you pause or cancel your subscription, the device remains yours and can be reactivated at any point without purchasing new hardware.

Just let us know — we ask for 30 days' notice. There are no contracts and no cancellation fees. Your subscription stops at the end of the notice period, and the hardware is yours to keep — move it to another provider or keep it as a spare.

Three reasons. You buy the hardware up front instead of financing it inside a monthly fee. We don't run sales commissions or large call centres. And we don't hide features behind paywalls or tier upgrades. The maths is the maths — there's no catch.

Honestly: you pay more upfront. Hardware is R499 to R1,199 depending on the device. After about 12 months you've broken even compared to a contract, and after 36 months you're saving R10,000+ per vehicle. If the upfront cost works for you, the model works for you.

A GPS tracker is installed in your vehicle and connects to cell towers to transmit location data to The Tracking Co's secure, South Africa-based servers. You view your vehicle's real-time location, trip history, and alerts via the TTC web platform or mobile apps (Android & iPhone). The tracker updates continuously, 24/7, across South Africa.

GPS works out where the vehicle is using satellites. GSM (the mobile network) is how the device sends that position to the platform. Both have to be working for live tracking — GPS for the location, GSM for the connection.

Yes. The Tracking Co's GPS trackers work anywhere in South Africa with cellular coverage. Devices use 4G LTE networks with automatic 2G fallback to maintain tracking in lower-coverage areas. TTC servers are locally hosted in South Africa for fast, reliable performance nationwide.

Live tracking needs GSM signal to send the position back to the platform. If a vehicle drives through a dead zone — a deep rural area, an underground parking — the device stores the GPS data internally. As soon as signal returns, the stored history uploads automatically and the gap fills itself in on the map.

The Tracking Co's GPS trackers are accurate to within 5–10 metres under normal open-sky conditions. Accuracy may be reduced in areas with tall buildings, tunnels, or underground parking — common limitations across all GPS systems. Once the vehicle returns to open sky, tracking automatically resumes at full accuracy.

The Tracking Co platform sends an immediate power disconnect alert via mobile app push notification, email, or WhatsApp — depending on your configured notification settings. The last known location is stored and visible on the platform. If you have the Stolen Vehicle Recovery add-on, the 24/7 control room is also automatically notified and will contact you directly.

Yes, as long as you own the vehicle or have the owner's written permission. Personal vehicles, company fleets, hire vehicles — all standard use cases. The only thing to flag is that you need the driver's knowledge if you're tracking a vehicle they consider their own (e.g. an employee's personal car used for work).

Yes. The TTC platform has a web dashboard and Android and iOS apps. Sign in on the app and you get live location, trip history, alerts, and reports — the same view as the desktop platform, sized for a phone.

The OBD Mini (R499) plugs in with no installation and is ideal for a single vehicle. The 4G900L (R769) is the everyday hardwired workhorse with SVR capability. The FMC920 (R999) adds advanced reporting for fleets. The FMC880 (R1,199) is rugged and weatherproof for farms, plant and harsh environments. Every device includes the same full platform — the difference is the hardware, not the features.

The OBD Mini plugs into the diagnostic port in about 30 seconds and works as a self-install tracker for one vehicle. The hardwired devices (4G900L, FMC920, FMC880, FMB140) connect to power and are concealed in the vehicle — they're harder to remove, support stolen-vehicle recovery, and unlock more advanced data. If you want SVR or a permanent fitment, you need a hardwired device.

For a single vehicle with no SVR, start with the OBD Mini. For a car or bakkie that needs SVR, the 4G900L is the best value. For a fleet wanting crash detection and driver behaviour, the FMC920. For outdoor/plant equipment, the weatherproof FMC880. For trucks or fleets that need real CAN data (RPM, fuel, odometer), the FMB140. Still unsure? Drop us a line and we'll recommend one in plain English.

The Tracking Co recommends the 4G900L (R769) as the everyday fleet workhorse — it supports live tracking, SVR, and engine cutoff. For fleets requiring advanced reporting and driver behaviour data, the FMC920 (R999) is the preferred device. Both are hardwired units purchased once and owned permanently. An engine cutoff relay can be added to either for R199 once-off.

Yes. The OBD Mini moves in seconds — unplug from one car, plug into another. Hardwired devices need to be unwired and refitted but the unit and your subscription move with you. There's no transfer fee.

Every device has a 12-month warranty on confirmed factory faults — we replace it. The warranty doesn't cover physical damage, water damage on non-weatherproof units, or tampering. The FMC880 is the only IP65-rated device in the range.

Yes — we courier nationwide, from R100. Hardware ships within one to two business days of payment. If you want a professional installer in your area, mention it on your quote request and we'll arrange one.

The OBD Mini works in nearly every petrol or diesel vehicle built since 1996 in South Africa — the OBD-II port has been industry-standard for almost 30 years. Most light commercial vehicles, bakkies, and SUVs are covered. If you can't locate the OBD port in your specific model, send The Tracking Co a quick message and we'll point you to it.

Yes — and that's why the OBD Mini is not sold for stolen-vehicle recovery. If the device is unplugged, the platform raises an unplug alert within seconds, so the owner knows straight away. For SVR, the recommended unit is the hardwired 4G900L (R769) which hides behind the dash and is much harder to remove. The OBD Mini suits single-vehicle owners who want live tracking and a logbook, not monitored recovery.

Yes. Unplug it from one vehicle, plug it into another, and trips continue logging against the same TTC account. There is no transfer fee. If the car is traded in, the device goes with the owner — The Tracking Co sells hardware outright, so it is not tied to a specific vehicle. The platform automatically picks up the new car the next time it is driven.

R499 once-off for the hardware. The tracking subscription is R45 per month on annual billing (R50 on monthly) — this covers the live platform, mobile app, geofence alerts, trip history, and SARS logbook. The Tracking Co does not charge a separate device rental, activation fee, or platform tier. The R45 a month is the full ongoing cost.

No. The OBD-II port is designed to be safely accessed by diagnostic tools and read-only devices — the OBD Mini is one of those. It does not write to the car's computer, change settings, or interfere with the engine. Many drivers leave one plugged in for years with no issue. If the car ever needs to go in for a diagnostic, the device unplugs in two seconds.

The 4G900L is hardwired — it powers off the vehicle electrics and hides behind the dash, which makes it much harder to disable. It also supports stolen-vehicle recovery, engine cut-off, and a backup battery. The OBD Mini plugs into the diagnostic port and works as a self-install logbook tracker for one vehicle. If a customer wants SVR or a permanent fitment, The Tracking Co recommends the 4G900L. If they want plug-and-play for under R500, the OBD Mini.

No. The 4G900L only needs two wires — a permanent 12 V live and a ground — and the whole install takes about 20 minutes for anyone comfortable with a multimeter. If you would rather use an auto electrician, any reputable one in South Africa can fit it in under an hour. The Tracking Co does not require an approved-installer list. Many fleets fit their own units in-house once they have done one or two.

SVR is a R40 per month add-on. With it active, The Tracking Co's 24/7 monitoring centre treats a confirmed theft alert as a recovery incident — locating the vehicle, co-ordinating with armed response, and tracking it until recovery. Without SVR, the 4G900L still tracks live but no monitored response is dispatched. SVR is optional and can be cancelled at any time, like the rest of the subscription.

The engine cut-off relay is a small 12 V relay that wires inline with the vehicle's starter or fuel-pump circuit. Once fitted, you can immobilise the engine remotely from the TTC platform — for example, in a confirmed theft. The relay is a R200 once-off, fits at install time, and is only compatible with the 4G900L and the FMC920. It is optional. Many customers fit one as a deterrent, others run SVR alone.

The 4G900L has a built-in backup battery. The moment main power is cut, the device raises a power-loss alert on the TTC platform and keeps reporting position from the internal battery for a limited time — long enough for SVR to act on it. The Tracking Co treats power-cut events as high-priority alerts on subscribed accounts. The battery is not designed for long-term operation; it is there to flag tampering and keep the device live during a theft.

Both are hardwired 4G trackers with SVR, relay, and backup battery support. The FMC920 adds a built-in accelerometer (crash detection and harsh-driving alerts), GSM jamming detection, internal offline memory, Bluetooth for external sensors, and driver ID tag support. The 4G900L is the better choice for an everyday work vehicle. The Tracking Co recommends the FMC920 for SME and mid-market fleets that need driver behaviour alerts, crash alerts, or sensor inputs.

The FMC920's built-in accelerometer detects severe impacts and raises an immediate crash alert on the TTC platform — useful for fleets that need to respond fast to driver incidents. The same accelerometer flags routine harsh driving — hard braking, hard cornering, and rapid acceleration — once the device is configured and calibrated for driver behaviour. The Tracking Co exposes both as live alerts on the platform. It is not a substitute for SVR, but it pairs well with it.

Only if you want every trip tied to a named driver instead of just a vehicle. The driver ID tag is a R499 once-off — an iButton or RFID key fob the driver touches against the reader before starting the engine. Trip reports, harsh-driving events, and fuel costs then attach to a person, not a vehicle. Useful for fleets where vehicles are shared. The FMC920, FMC880, and FMB140 all support it.

A GSM jammer is a device that blocks cellular signal in a vehicle, preventing the tracker from reporting position. The FMC920 detects when the cellular environment goes silent unexpectedly and raises a jamming alert on the TTC platform — so even if the device cannot transmit, the operations team knows something is wrong. Jamming events are flagged the moment cellular returns. It is a feature the 4G900L does not have.

Yes. Once the contract on the existing tracker is up (or terminated), an auto electrician removes the old unit and fits the FMC920 in its place — the wiring is straightforward and the cabin holes already exist. The Tracking Co activates the new device on a month-to-month subscription, no contract. Customers own the FMC920 outright from day one — unlike Cartrack and Tracker which rent hardware on multi-year contracts.

IP65 means the FMC880 case is dust-tight and protected against water jets from any direction. It is the right rating for trailers, plant machinery, farm vehicles, and engine bays. It is not submersion-rated — do not bolt one to a boat hull. For typical South African outdoor work, including rain, dust, and washdown, IP65 is what The Tracking Co recommends. The 4G900L and FMC920 are not weatherproof and should stay inside a cabin.

Yes. The FMC880 clamps onto the battery terminals — there is no loom wiring, no panel pulling, no dashboard work. A 10 mm spanner is the only tool needed. Most customers fit one in about 5 minutes. The Tracking Co flags it as the easiest device to install in the whole range, which is why it suits trailers, plant, and remote farm vehicles where the owner does not want to call out an installer.

Because of how it powers. The FMC880 clamps directly to the battery terminals, which is excellent for fast install and outdoor durability, but it does not tap into the vehicle's ignition or fuel-pump circuit — and that is where an engine cut-off relay needs to wire in. If you need remote engine cut-off, The Tracking Co recommends the 4G900L (R769) or the FMC920 (R999), both of which support the R200 relay add-on.

The FMC880 uses a dual-band GNSS receiver — it picks up two frequency bands of GPS signal simultaneously, which reduces error from atmospheric interference and reflections off buildings. In good conditions, it locates to within about 1.5 metres, compared to 5–10 metres for a typical single-band tracker. The Tracking Co does not promise this in city-canyon conditions, but for outdoor and exposed work it is noticeably more precise.

Not directly — it needs a 9–90 V power source. If the trailer has its own auxiliary battery (common for refrigerated trailers, livestock trailers, and trailers with electric brakes), the FMC880 wires straight onto that battery. If the trailer is unpowered, The Tracking Co recommends pairing the Asset Tracker (R699 + R30/month) instead, which runs on its own internal battery for up to 3 years.

For live tracking, yes — that is what a primary tracker is for. The Asset Tracker is designed for a different job: recovery after a primary has been disabled. One daily ping is enough to recover a vehicle in that scenario, and it lets the replaceable lithium battery last up to 3 years. The Tracking Co does not sell the Asset Tracker as a standalone tracking solution. It is sold as a backup, paired with a hardwired primary like the 4G900L or FMC920.

Two devices, two roles. The primary tracker (4G900L, FMC920, FMC880, or FMB140) handles live position, alerts, geofences, and SVR — wired into the vehicle and visible to anyone who knows where to look. The Asset Tracker is hidden separately, somewhere a thief is unlikely to find after disabling the primary. If the primary goes dark, you still have a daily location from the backup. Both devices appear on the same TTC account.

Anywhere ferrous, dry, and not where a thief would look after finding the primary tracker. Good spots: behind a wheel-arch liner, on the chassis rail, behind a metal panel, inside a hollow bumper. Bad spots: anywhere near the dash, engine bay, or under the seat — those are the first places a thief checks. The Tracking Co does not publish a recommended location publicly; it is something you decide and keep to yourself.

Yes, in normal use — one ping every 24 hours. The Tracking Co rates it at up to 3 years. Cold weather, weak cellular signal, or more frequent ping configurations shorten that. The lithium battery is replaceable — when the device sends a low-battery alert on the platform, you swap in a fresh cell rather than buying a new unit.

Yes — and that is one of its strongest use cases. Trailers and plant often have no permanent power source, which rules out hardwired trackers like the 4G900L or FMC920. The Asset Tracker needs no power supply, mounts magnetically, and survives the elements long enough to track location for years. For an unpowered trailer that does not need live tracking, the Asset Tracker on its own is fine. For a trailer that does need live tracking, pair it with the FMC880 (which can wire onto an auxiliary battery).

Yes. The TTC OBD Mini plugs directly into your vehicle's OBD port and takes under 30 seconds — no tools or wiring required. Hardwired trackers (4G900L, FMC920, FMC880, FMB140) connect to your vehicle's power supply and can be self-installed using The Tracking Co's step-by-step guides, or fitted by any auto electrician. Self-installation does not affect insurance approval or device warranty.

Yes. The Tracking Co sells hardwired devices outright from R769. Any qualified auto electrician — in-house or external — can wire one in around 20 minutes by connecting two wires: red to permanent 12V power, black to ground. Once installed, you message the device IMEI to TTC on WhatsApp, the platform activates it, and the vehicle appears live on your dashboard.

Around 20–30 minutes for a competent auto electrician. The device has two wires that need to be connected to power and ground, plus a mounting location with antenna sky view. A small fleet can be done back-to-back in a single morning.

Yes. The TTC OBD Mini (R499) plugs into the vehicle's OBD-II port — no wiring at all. It's the simplest entry point. The trade-off is no engine cutoff capability and visibility in the OBD port, which is why fleet operators tend to prefer hardwired devices.

If your insurer specifically requires installation by a VESA or SAQCC-accredited fitment centre for cover on a high-value or financed vehicle, use one of those installers. Get that requirement in writing from your insurer before deciding. For most business fleets, self-installation by a qualified auto electrician meets insurer requirements without an accreditation gap.

You remove it and install it in your next vehicle, or keep it on hand as a spare. The hardware belongs to you. Your subscription stays in place. You don't pay anyone to transfer the device, and the buyer doesn't inherit your contract — because there isn't one.

It depends on the provider. Across the major SA contract providers (Cartrack, Tracker, Netstar), the rented hardware remains the provider's property. The typical options are: hand the contract to the buyer (a "change of ownership"), pay a service or De-Re fee to move the device to your next vehicle, or pay early-cancellation costs. None of the four major providers publish what these fees actually cost — you have to ask.

Message The Tracking Co on WhatsApp during business hours (8am–5pm). Our team can verify the device is reporting, check the platform-side configuration and walk through any wiring questions. If a device arrives faulty, we replace it.

The Tracking Co includes every platform feature in the base subscription — no upsells, no paywalls. This includes: real-time GPS tracking, full trip history and playback, geofencing with entry/exit alerts, over-speeding alerts, power disconnect notifications, SARS-compliant logbook reports, mobile apps (Android & iPhone), sub-account management for drivers and managers, and email/WhatsApp notifications.

Yes. Every TTC subscription from R50/month includes the full platform — no paywalls, no add-ons, no feature tiers. Live GPS, trip history, geofencing, alerts, SARS logbooks, sub-accounts, and mobile apps are all included from day one. There is nothing to unlock.

Yes. Native apps are available on iPhone (App Store) and Android (Google Play) at no extra cost. The mobile app includes live tracking, alerts, geofences, trip history, and reports — every feature available on the web platform.

Yes. The Tracking Co allows unlimited vehicles on a single account. Each vehicle requires its own GPS tracker and subscription. Fleet managers can create sub-accounts with different permission levels for drivers, managers, or staff — useful for logistics fleets, long-term rentals, and multi-branch businesses.

Yes. TTC sub-accounts let you give drivers, dispatchers, or fleet managers their own login with custom viewing or editing permissions — at no extra cost. Sub-account management is included in every subscription.

Yes. Contact TTC to arrange a demo on real platform data. You can see live tracking, trip history, geofencing, reports, and alerts running on an active Cape Town fleet. Get a quote to start the conversation — the team typically sets up demo access within one business day.

Yes, any time. You can order additional devices and add them to your account yourself — no waiting on us to action it. Each device runs on its own monthly or annual subscription, and bulk fleet pricing is available if you're adding 5 or more.

The platform supports speed, geofence entry / exit, ignition on / off, power cut, harsh driving, idling, and event-based alerts. Most alerts can be scoped to specific vehicles, specific geofences, and specific time windows — so you can build compound rules like "overspeed above 100 km/h, but only on weekdays between 18:00 and 06:00".

Download the TTC mobile app, sign in with your platform credentials, and allow notifications in your phone's settings. Then tick "App push notifications" inside the alert's notification tab. Alerts fire on the device they're configured for — the same alert can also email a manager and ping a phone at the same time.

Yes. WhatsApp notifications are available on request — contact TTC support to enable them on your account. Once enabled, WhatsApp becomes another tick-box option alongside email and push inside the alert configuration.

Yes, with caveats. Some alerts can trigger a command back to the device — most commonly cutting the engine via the optional engine-cutoff relay on supported devices (4G900L and FMC920). Setup is hardware-specific; we recommend talking to TTC support before configuring a command-on-trigger alert to make sure the device and rule are a safe pairing.

No. Create as many alerts as you need, across as many vehicles as you have. Alerts are included in every TTC subscription from R50 / month — there's no extra fee per alert and no "alerts pack" tier. Same applies to alert recipients: add as many email addresses as you need.

No. Alerts fire forward — from the moment they're saved. To analyse historic events, use the reports system instead, which can show overspeed cases, geofence entries / exits, harsh driving events and other history filtered to any date range you choose.

Geofencing is a digital boundary drawn around a real location on a map — a yard, a customer site, a school, a no-go area. The tracking platform watches whether your vehicles are inside or outside each zone and can trigger alerts the moment they cross the boundary. It's how you turn a live map into something that notifies you instead of needing to be watched.

There's no limit on the TTC platform. Create one per customer site, one per no-go area, one for the home depot — as many as you need. Geofences can also be grouped and filtered, and a single geofence can drive multiple alerts (entry, exit, after-hours, etc.) so you don't need to redraw the same zone for different rules.

No — drawing the geofence sets the boundary, but you still need to create an alert and link it to the geofence to get notified. The two-step setup is intentional: it lets one zone power many different rules (entry alert, exit alert, after-hours alert, speed-inside-zone alert) without re-drawing the boundary.

Geofence triggers run off the same GPS position used for live tracking — typically accurate to within five to ten metres in open environments. In dense urban settings or underground parking, GPS accuracy drops; we recommend drawing zones slightly inside the real boundary in those areas to avoid false-positive entry alerts when a vehicle is parked nearby but not actually inside.

Yes. App push and email notifications are configured directly in the alert. WhatsApp notifications are available too — contact TTC support to enable them on your account.

Yes. Geofencing, unlimited zones, geofence-based alerts and geofence-filtered reports are all included in your TTC subscription from R50 / month. There are no separate "fleet" or "geofencing" tiers — the full platform is on every plan.

Nine common types: general summaries, drives-and-stops, drive time, stops, travel sheet, overspeed, geofence in / out, event history and per-day breakdowns. Each can be filtered to specific vehicles, date ranges, geofences and (where relevant) speed thresholds. Reports are exportable as PDF, HTML or Excel.

Yes. Any report can be scheduled to email itself daily, weekly or monthly to one or more recipients. The export (PDF / HTML / XLS) is attached. There's no limit on how many scheduled reports you can configure or how many recipients you can add.

The platform retains historic position and event data for the life of your subscription, so reports can be generated for any date range since the device was first activated on your account. Most fleets use rolling 30-day or 12-month windows for routine reports.

Yes. The XLS format is supported for every report type. This is the format most accountants and bookkeepers prefer because they can sort, filter and total columns in Excel directly.

Yes. All report types, unlimited generation, scheduled emails and unlimited recipients are included in every TTC subscription from R50 / month. There are no paywalled "reporting" or "fleet" tiers.

Yes. Use the travel-sheet (business / private) report. Together with the route-types tool, it produces a per-trip record of date, time, distance, start address, end address and trip classification — which covers most of what SARS asks for in a logbook submission.

A vehicle tracker generates the underlying data SARS wants in a logbook — date, start odometer reading, end odometer reading, kilometres travelled, business / private classification, and a note on the purpose where applicable. The TTC platform exports this as a travel-sheet report you can submit as your logbook. SARS accepts electronic logbooks; what matters is the accuracy and completeness of the record, not whether you wrote it down in a book by hand.

The platform uses time of day as the default classifier: trips that start between 08:00 and 17:00 on weekdays are tagged business, everything else is private. This is the most common 9-to-5 working pattern in South Africa. If your work hours are different — a tradesman who starts at 06:00, a sales rep who works Saturdays — you log the exceptions manually using the Route types tool.

SARS requires opening and closing odometer readings for each tax year, total kilometres travelled, total business kilometres, and a record of each business trip including the date, destination and reason for the trip. The TTC travel-sheet report shows the date, time, start and end address, distance and trip classification for every trip — covering most of what SARS needs. Add the year-opening and year-closing odo readings and a one-line purpose for each business trip, and you have a SARS-ready logbook.

No — that's the point of the default rule. Anything outside 08:00-17:00 on a weekday is already tagged private automatically. You only override the platform when a trip's real type doesn't match the default — a business meeting on a Sunday, a school pickup at 14:00. Most people log fewer than five overrides a month.

No. Route-type classification, travel-sheet reports, scheduled email exports and every other platform feature are included in your TTC subscription from R50 / month. There are no paywalled "fleet" or "tax" tiers — you get the full platform on every plan.

The Tracking Co's Stolen Vehicle Recovery is an optional monitoring add-on at R480 per year. A 24/7 control room monitors your tracker for theft indicators — battery disconnects, towing patterns, or out-of-hours movement. If your vehicle is stolen or hijacked, you contact the control room directly and they coordinate recovery with SAPS and a nationwide recovery team.

GPS tracking records and transmits your vehicle's real-time location, trip history, and movement alerts — accessible by you via an app or web platform. Stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) is a monitored add-on service where a 24/7 control room watches your vehicle for theft indicators and coordinates active recovery with SAPS and a nationwide armed response network if the vehicle is stolen or hijacked. GPS tracking is passive — you monitor. SVR is active — trained responders act on your behalf. The Tracking Co offers GPS tracking from R50 per month and SVR as an add-on from R40 per month.

No. SVR is entirely optional. You can subscribe to tracking-only from R50/month and add SVR whenever you choose — or never. There is no pressure, no upsell, no bundling. The same no-contract model applies: add or cancel SVR at any billing cycle.

SVR is compatible with TTC's three hardwired trackers: the 4G900L (R769), FMC920 (R999), and FMC880 (R1,199). The OBD Mini plug-in device does not support SVR. If you require SVR, a hardwired device is required — the 4G900L is the most cost-effective option.

Contact the TTC 24/7 monitoring centre directly. The control room uses your device's live GPS location to coordinate with SAPS and a nationwide recovery network. You'll receive regular updates throughout the recovery process.

Yes. SVR can be added to any active TTC subscription at your next billing cycle. Contact us via WhatsApp or email and we'll activate it same business day. The monthly or annual SVR rate applies per device you want monitored.

Yes. The optional engine cutoff relay (R200 once-off) can be installed alongside any hardwired device. This enables remote engine immobilisation via the TTC platform — useful during a theft event in coordination with the monitoring centre. The relay is compatible with the 4G900L, FMC920, and FMC880.

Yes. With live tracking you can share the position with SAPS or a private recovery team. With the optional SVR add-on, a control room is already monitoring 24/7 and coordinates response on your behalf. Either way, recovery odds go up sharply versus an untracked vehicle.

No. The Tracking Co does not require contracts for fleet tracking. Subscriptions are month-to-month from R50 per vehicle and can be cancelled at any time with no penalties or early termination fees. Unlike traditional tracking providers that use 24–36 month agreements to recover device rental costs, The Tracking Co sells hardware outright — so there is no need to lock customers in.

Yes. Because clients own the hardware, your team has full control of your fleet tracking infrastructure. Your mechanics or auto electricians can install and move devices. Your operations team manages sub-accounts, geofences, alerts, and reports directly on the platform. The Tracking Co does not need to be involved for day-to-day fleet management.

If you keep spare units on hand, a new vehicle can be tracked within hours of joining your fleet. Your auto electrician installs the device, you send The Tracking Co the vehicle details, and the tracker appears on the platform within minutes. There is no waiting for a provider to arrange an installation slot.

Every The Tracking Co subscription includes: live GPS tracking, full trip history, geofencing, speed and tamper alerts, SARS-compliant logbook records, sub-accounts, unlimited notifications, API access, and whitelabel access. Everything is included at every subscription level — there are no paywalls or feature tiers. Driver behaviour alerts are available on the FMC920 and FMC880 when the device is configured for it.

Yes. API access is included in every The Tracking Co subscription at no extra cost. The API provides real-time vehicle locations, trip history, geofence events, and device status via REST endpoints and webhooks. This is designed for logistics platforms, custom fleet dashboards, ERP integrations, and dispatch software. Custom development support is available at R750/hour.

A car tracking API is an interface that lets your software pull live vehicle data — locations, trips, alerts, device status — directly from a tracking platform. Instead of staff exporting reports manually, your dispatch system, fleet dashboard, insurance app or ERP requests the data programmatically and uses it in real time.

Yes. Every Tracking Co subscription includes API access at no extra cost. The API provides real-time location data, trip history, geofence events and device status through REST endpoints and webhooks. This is built for SaaS platforms, fleet management software, insurance integrations and dealer DMS systems. Most South African tracking providers either don't offer an API or charge enterprise rates for it.

Yes. Every paid TTC subscription from R50 per device per month includes full API access at no extra cost. There is no separate API tier, no per-call fee and no enterprise minimum.

Contact TTC support after subscribing. Your API hash is issued from your account record and can be rotated on request. There is no self-serve dashboard for API keys — credentials are tied to verified TTC accounts to keep things secure.

Dedicated South African infrastructure. Your fleet data never leaves South Africa, which keeps POPIA compliance straightforward and reduces latency for SA-based applications.

Yes. Speak to TTC support during evaluation and you can be issued a test hash to develop against. We can also point your test environment at a real device on a temporary subscription so you can see live data during integration.

Every API request carries your user_api_hash token as a query parameter. The token is account-scoped, only works over HTTPS, and can be rotated by contacting support.

Endpoints return standard HTTP status codes (200, 400, 401, 500) and the JSON response includes a structured status field. Error responses describe what failed so your application can handle it gracefully.

The live reference is at /api-docs/. It is auto-generated from the OpenAPI specification and includes every endpoint, parameter, request example and response shape.

Yes. Webhooks for events (geofence enter/exit, alerts, ignition changes) can be configured per integration. Speak to TTC support to register webhook endpoints for your account.

Yes — it is a common use case. You can use the API alone if you are building from scratch, or combine it with TTC's white-label platform for a faster path to launch. See our white-label options for full reseller deployment.

Yes. South African developers answer technical questions during weekday hours — no call centres, no Tier 1 ticket queues. Most queries are answered the same day.

Custom development is available at R750 per hour. Common projects include bespoke endpoints, dealer DMS connectors, ERP integrations, ETL pipelines into data warehouses and custom dashboards. Most projects scope at 5–20 hours.

A branded version of TTC's tracking platform running on your domain, with your logo, colours and company name on every screen your customer sees. Your customers log in to your portal and never see The Tracking Co. TTC runs the platform, ships hardware and maintains the recovery network behind the scenes; you handle sales, branding, pricing and the customer relationship.

No. There is no minimum. You can switch white-label branding on from your very first device. We'd rather work with a serious partner who starts with one vehicle than someone who hit an arbitrary minimum on paper.

Nothing. White-label branding is included with every TTC subscription at no extra cost — no setup fee, no platform fee, no per-seat charge. You pay TTC's standard hardware and subscription prices, and the white-label configuration is switched on as part of onboarding.

You pay TTC's standard prices and charge your customer whatever your market supports. The margin between the two is yours. There is no revenue share, no clawback and no obligation to disclose your end-customer pricing.

Yes. Your white-label instance has its own login URL, and you can point a domain you own at it via a standard DNS record. End customers see your domain in the address bar, not ours.

TTC has a native mobile app, but native-app branding is not switchable from the admin panel. If you need a fully branded iOS / Android app for your customers, we build them on demand at R750 per development hour. Most partners launch on the branded web platform first — it works on every phone via the browser — and add a native app later.

Your customer always owns their tracking data. As the partner, you have full admin access to every customer on your instance. TTC processes the data on the platform but does not sell it, share it or contact your customers directly.

You can. API access is included in every TTC subscription. Many partners use the branded web platform for non-technical customers and pull live tracking data into their own systems via the API for technical or enterprise customers. Both work off the same back-end.

TTC runs the platform, ships hardware, manages the recovery network and releases software updates. You handle sales, branding, customer support and pricing. If your customer needs something the platform doesn't do, we can build it as paid custom development at R750/hour — that's how partners get bespoke features without owning the codebase.

A reseller sells the TTC product under TTC's name. A white-label partner sells what looks like their own product, powered by TTC. Resellers do less branding work and use TTC's reputation; white-label partners build their own brand equity. Both are valid.

You can. There's no partnership contract. White-label branding is tied to your TTC subscription. If you cancel the subscription, the branding switches off, but your customer data stays exportable and the hardware stays with you — your customers can move to another provider, keep their devices and continue.

Car tracking in Cape Town with The Tracking Co costs R50 per month on a month-to-month basis. There is no setup fee, no activation fee, and no cancellation penalty. An annual plan is available at R45 per month (billed R540/year) for those who prefer to pay upfront. The GPS tracker hardware is a once-off purchase — from R499 for the OBD Mini plug-in — and it stays yours permanently.

Within 48 hours. The Tracking Co arranges professional installation across the Cape Town metro area — including the CBD, Southern Suburbs, Northern Suburbs, Atlantic Seaboard, and West Coast — typically within two business days. Professional installation is priced from R450 per vehicle. Alternatively, the OBD Mini tracker self-installs in under 30 seconds with no tools required.

The Tracking Co installs GPS trackers across the full Cape Town metro, including the CBD, Bellville, Brackenfell, Durbanville, Table View, Milnerton, Bloubergstrand, Atlantic Seaboard, Southern Suburbs, Northern Suburbs, Epping, and the West Coast. For areas outside the metro, the OBD Mini self-installs in seconds, or any local auto electrician can fit a hardwired device.

Yes. Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) is an optional add-on for Cape Town customers at R44 per month or R480 per year. SVR provides 24/7 monitoring by a control room that coordinates with SAPS and a nationwide armed response network if your vehicle is stolen or hijacked. SVR requires a hardwired GPS tracker — the 4G900L at R769 is the most cost-effective compatible device.

The Tracking Co operates on a fundamentally different model. You own the GPS tracker hardware outright — there is no leasing or rental. There are no contracts (cancel anytime, no penalties). All platform features — geofencing, alerts, SARS logbooks, sub-accounts, API access — are included at no extra cost, with no paywalls. Traditional providers like Cartrack and Netstar typically require 24–36 month contracts and rent the hardware back to you.

The best car tracking company in South Africa depends on your priorities. If you want no contract, hardware you own outright, and full platform access from R50 per month, The Tracking Co is the strongest option for individuals and SME fleet operators. If your insurance policy requires a specific approved provider, Cartrack, Tracker, or Netstar are the most widely accepted. For an objective choice, compare each provider on contract length, hardware ownership, monthly subscription cost, and whether platform features are included or gated behind higher tiers.

The Tracking Co is the main no-contract GPS vehicle tracking provider in South Africa. Customers purchase GPS tracker hardware outright — from R499 for the OBD Mini plug-in — and subscribe month-to-month from R50 per vehicle. There is no minimum term and no cancellation fee. Most other major tracking providers in South Africa — including Cartrack, Tracker, Matrix, and Netstar — require 24 to 36-month contracts.

Yes. Cartrack typically requires a 24 or 36-month contract for its GPS tracking subscriptions. The GPS tracking hardware is rented rather than sold outright, meaning the device is returned at the end of the contract period. Cartrack is the largest GPS tracking company in South Africa by subscriber count, with a wide service network and strong insurance acceptance — but its contract model and hardware rental distinguish it significantly from no-contract providers like The Tracking Co.

Most South African insurers offer a premium discount of around 10 – 20% for vehicles with an approved GPS tracking system. Check with your insurer for the exact discount and which device specifications they require.

In most cases, yes. The 2025 Pretoria High Court ruling often cited around tracker requirements turned on whether an operational tracker was installed at the time of loss — not on who installed it. The Tracking Co's devices are monitored, generate alerts and report device status on the platform, which meets the operational standard. For high-value or financed vehicles, check your specific policy wording: some insurers do prescribe a particular installer for cover above certain thresholds.

Yes. The Tracking Co's Cape Town-based support team is available 8am–5pm weekdays via WhatsApp (083 399 9937) and email. The team assists with platform setup, alert configuration, logbook reports, password resets, and technical queries. For Cape Town-area installations, same or next-day professional fitting can be arranged. Nationwide installations can be handled by any qualified auto electrician.