Frequently asked questions

Yes, the ODIN GPS-03 can be permanently connected to a power source and will still continue to work. You can, for example, connect the tracker to an external USB powerbank (for mobile applications) or to a permanent USB socket in a vehicle (for modern cars). When the power is connected to the tracker the internal battery will get charged, and when the power is disconnected the tracker will automatically switch to the internal battery.

It is also possible to permanently connect the ODIN GPS-03 to a 12V power source by using a generic "12V to 5V USB adapter", which you can buy in many online stores. This, for example, will allow you to permanently connect the tracker via USB to a car battery.

There can be multiple reasons for why the tracker (suddenly) runs out of battery more quickly than expected. Please check the list below for common scenarios.

1. Movement activation is enabled and the tracker is moving.
When movement activation is enabled and the tracker detects movement, the tracker will switch to real-time tracking for 5 minutes, which means that for the following 5 minutes a location update will be sent every 3-5 seconds. This will drain the battery more quickly, depending on how much the device moves. For example if the device is placed in a moving vehicle or object (e.g. a bag), then it will likely trigger its movement activation very often. If you do not want the battery to drain very quickly, try turning off movement activation in the app (Settings --> Device "Tracker" --> Location updates).

2. Live tracking override is (accidentally) enabled in the live tracking screen.
When you open the live tracking screen in the app (which you can do by clicking on the tracker on the map or by clicking the live track button in the bottom right corner), there is an option to temporary switch the tracker to live tracking. This is done by clicking on the text in the top-right corner. When the text says "delayed" and you click on it, you get the option to switch to live tracking. When this is enabled the normal location updates settings are ignored and the device enters real-time tracking mode. This option stays enabled until you disable the option by clicking on the text again, or until the device is manually turned off. If the tracker runs out of battery very quickly, then check if this override has been set.

The ODIN GPS-03 contains a multi-color LED which indicates the status of the device. Below you can find more information which explains the different statuses of the device.

Turning the device on/off

When the device is OFF, and you want to turn it on:
The LED will be off and will not blink. When the device is OFF and the power button is being pressed, the LED will show a white color. When the power button is being pressed down for 1 full second the device will turn ON and the LED will display a short sequence of red, green and blue colors. The device is now on and the LED will blink every second.

When the device is ON, and you want to turn it off:
The LED will either blink or be off (depending on the device settings in the app). To turn off the device: press the power button, the LED will show a red color. Keep the power button pressed for 2 full seconds, after which the LED will turn green for a moment and then turn off. The device is now powered off.

How to know whether the device is ON or OFF?
Normally when the device is ON the LED will blink every second. However the LED can either be turned off manually (via the smartphone app in the device settings) or can be turned off temporary while the device is sleeping (which happens when the device is set to only send location updates once every x minutes). To know for sure whether the device is powered ON or OFF you can shortly tap the power button. If the LED turns WHITE it means the device is currently powered OFF. If the LED turns RED the device is currently powered ON.

When the device is on
When the device is powered ON, the LED will blink every second by default and there are three different options:
- White (blinking): The device has just been turned on and is looking for a network connection, but has not found one yet.
- Green (blinking): The device has an active network connection and is sending low-accuracy location updates to the server.
- Blue (blinking): The device has an active network connection and a valid GPS fix, and is sending high-accuracy location updates to the server.

In the first few seconds after the device is turned on the device runs a few checks.
- If the LED flashes RED for a few times and then turns off: it means the battery is empty. Please recharge the device via the USB-C cable, then try turning it on again.
- If the LED flashes PURPLE for a few times and then turns off: it means an internal error occurred, for example: the SIM card cannot be accessed. Try recharging the device to 100% and then try powering ON the device again. If it still doesn't work then please uninstall the smartphone app (and remove all settings), download the latest version of the app and pair the tracker again. This reconfigures the tracker and makes sure all settings are correctly synced. If it still doesn't work, please contact customer support.

When the device is being charged
If the USB-C power cable is attached to the device, the internal battery will be charged automatically. This will be indicated by the LED which will turn RED for the duration of the charging process. When charging is complete, the LED will flash GREEN a few times and then automatically extinguish and turn off. If the LED alternates between RED and YELLOW it means the device is powered ON and charging at the same time.

When activating pairing mode
When pressing the power button 5 times within a few seconds the LED will turn BLUE. This means that pairing mode is currently activated. The device can now be paired with your smartphone. To disable pairing mode, either press the power button again for 5 times to switch to normal tracking mode, or keep the power button pressed for 2 seconds to turn the device OFF.

You can charge the tracker with the USB-C cable and wall charger that are included in the box. The LED of the tracker will turn red when it is charging, and will extinguish when charging is complete. The total time to fully charge the tracker takes about 2-3 hours.

The battery lifetime of the device depends on the settings as configured in the app. The less often location updates are sent, the longer the battery lasts.

The ODIN GPS-03 can last from anywhere from 16 hours with real-time tracking to over 2 weeks with location updates every 2 hours. You can configure the location update frequency (and thus the average battery lifetime) through our app. This can be done entirely remotely, so you are always able to choose the most appropriate setting for your situation.

We support over 40 countries. There are no additional roaming charges. See the full list of countries that ODIN products support on our supported countries page.

Yes. The ODIN GPS-03 has four different methods of finding the actual location, including triangulation. If the device is indoors with no visible sky it will still be able to approximate the location, however it will be less accurate. You can view the actual signal strength of the shown location in the ODIN tracking app.

Tip: all ODIN trackers have built-in self-learning mechanisms which allows it to get to know its surroundings better over time. Whenever the ODIN tracker has a valid GPS fix (3 bars of signal strength) it will record various information about the surroundings. This will allow the tracker to get a more accurate location the next time the tracker is located in the same vicinity (even in a building!). If you have difficulty getting an accurate location indoors, try placing the tracker near a window for a few minutes with real-time tracking enabled. Alternatively try walking around the outside perimeter of the building(s) with the tracker. Within a few hours you should then be able to see an improvement on the signal strength, even when placed away from a window inside a building.

No. The ODIN GPS-03 has a built-in SIM card that works in over 40 countries. For more information, view our coverage map. Every ODIN GPS-03 comes with free international data (fair-use), so there are no additional monthly expenses.