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What do the LED lights on my tracker mean

Your tracker's LED lights tell you about its network and GPS connection status at a glance. Here's what each light color means and how to check them on your specific tracker model.

 

Before you start: how the LED lights look

The LED lights will differ depending on your tracker model:

Tracker model Expected light behavior

DOG 6 with two LEDs

Tractive DOG 6 tracker showing three LED indicator locations: position 1 (top left) for network connection with signal icon, position 2 (top right) for GPS with location pin icon, and position 3 (bottom) for battery level with battery icon

Both LEDs on top of the tracker will light up for network (1) and GPS (2).

The LED strip at the bottom (3) represents its battery level.

Trackers with one LED: DOG 4, DOG XL, and CAT Mini

Tractive tracker showing single LED indicator (also represents DOG 4, DOG XL, and CAT Mini models for the purpose of this article)

The LED will flash twice.

The first light represents the network connection.

The second light represents the GPS connection.

Now that you know what to expect, let's dive into the LED colors, what they mean, if they're expected, or if there are quick fixes that you can do on your end.

 


 

Network and GPS LED light colors and what they mean

When the tracker is on, press the power button for one second to check its network and GPS connection status.

LED colors What they mean and what you could do to fix
🟢 🟢 green, green The tracker knows its GPS location and can send it to your phone via cellular network.

🔴 🟢 red, green

 

The tracker knows its GPS location, but can’t connect to cellular networks to send it to your phone.

Try moving to an area with good cellular network connection.

Press the power button to check the status again.

🟢 🔴  green, red

 

The tracker is connected to cellular networks, but can’t detect its GPS location. It might be indoors or in an area with limited GPS coverage, like a forest.

Try to go outside or move to an open area. Wait for a minute

Press the power button to check the status again.

🔴 🔴  red, red 

 

The tracker doesn’t know its GPS location and can’t connect to cellular networks.

If you're indoors, go outside and wait for a minute.

Press the power button to check the status again.

 

What to do when the red lights persist

If network (first light) is red, see My tracker shows “Offline” in the Tractive app for help.

If GPS (second light) is red, see Tracker not updating location or says "No GPS" in the Tractive app for things you can try.

 


 

Other LED light meanings

The LED lights also indicate other things apart from network and GPS connection. These can help you diagnose why some functionalities might not be working.

LED colors What they mean and if you need to do anything
⚪ ⚪ white, white When the tracker is on and you press the power button for one second and the light is white-white, this means it’s in a Power Saving Zone.
🟣 ⚪ 🔵 purple/pink, white, or blue Applies to trackers with one LED light
When the LED light is blinking purple/pink, white, or blue, this means the tracker is in LIVE Tracking mode.
🔴  red Applies to trackers with one LED light
If the tracker light is blinking red, this means that the battery is low. While plugged in, a steady red light means it's charging.
🟢  green Applies to trackers with one LED light
When plugged in, a steady green light means the battery is full. For older models, the light turns off once it's fully charged.
🔵 🔵 blue, blue

Tractive DOG 6
If this happens when you’re trying to charge the tracker, it means there’s water in the USB-C port.

Open the charging port and allow it to dry before trying to charge again.

If the blue light persists, check out My Tractive tracker isn’t charging for more things to try.

Battery LED indicator for Tractive DOG 6 showing four levels: 25% (one segment lit), 50% (two segments lit), 75% (three segments lit), and 100% (all four segments lit) Tractive DOG 6
A short press on the power button will light up the bottom LED bar white. How far along the strip lights up indicates how much battery is left.

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