Plug-in — visible, removable
Plugs into the OBD port in seconds, no wiring. Great for logbooks, reports and live tracking — but in plain sight, so it can be unplugged. That’s the OBD Mini, R499.
GPS devices · South Africa
GPS Tracking Devices in South Africa
Plug-in, hardwired, rugged or wireless — there’s a GPS tracking device for every vehicle and every need. The Tracking Co sells them outright from R499, so the device is yours to keep, with no contract. Here’s how the types differ and which one is right for you.
- Own from R499
- Plug-in or hardwired
- No contract
- R50/mo or R540/yr
01 · The choice
Visible and easy, or hidden and permanent.
The Tracking Co is a Cape Town-based GPS vehicle tracking company founded in 2016. Almost every tracker comes down to one decision — a plug-in device you can fit and remove yourself, or a wired-in device that stays hidden. Wired trackers simply need 12V power, so they go in almost anything: cars, bakkies, trucks, trailers, plant and generators. Below, each type in detail.
Hardwired — hidden, permanent
Wired into the vehicle and tucked out of sight, so it can’t just be pulled out. The proper setup for stolen vehicle recovery. Hardwired devices start at R769.
02 · Hardwired trackers
Hardwired — hidden, and built for recovery.
A hardwired tracker wires into the vehicle’s 12V supply and hides — in the fuse box, behind the dash, or in the engine bay. Because it can’t simply be unplugged, it’s the right choice for live tracking and stolen vehicle recovery. These are the everyday and fleet workhorses.
Most popular 
4G900L
The everyday workhorse
R769
Once-off · you own it
- Live tracking and stolen-vehicle recovery in one hardwired unit
- Wires into 12V power and hides behind the dash; DIY or your own auto electrician
- Add the R200 relay for remote engine cut-off from the platform
- Movement, ignition, and over-speeding alerts as they happen
Best for: Cars and bakkies going onto monitored recovery, with an optional engine cut-off.
See the 4G900L in detail →
FMC920
Advanced fleet tracker
R999
Once-off · you own it
- Everything the 4G900L does, plus the data fleets act on
- Crash detection and harsh-driving alerts flag risky driving
- Jamming, towing, and unplug alerts catch tampering
- Add the R499 driver ID tag to tie every trip to a named driver
Best for: SME and mid-market fleets needing driver behaviour, crash detection, and reporting.
See the FMC920 in detail →
Need CAN BUS data — RPM, fuel level, odometer? The hardwired FMB140 (R1,499) reads it straight from the vehicle. See the full side-by-side comparison →
03 · Plug-and-play
Plug-and-play — track in seconds.
A plug-and-play tracker pushes straight into your car’s OBD port and starts working immediately — no wiring, no tools, no installer. Same live tracking, trip history and reports as a wired device; the trade-off is that it’s visible, so it suits logbooks and keeping an eye on a vehicle rather than theft recovery. Move it between cars yourself in seconds.
04 · Rugged & weatherproof
Rugged — for anything with a 12V battery.
The rugged FMC880 is weatherproof and clamps straight onto 12V battery terminals, so it moves easily between vehicles, trailers, machinery, generators and plant — anything you can connect to a battery, fitted in about five minutes with no loom wiring. It’s the device for kit that lives outdoors or off the road. See the full asset & equipment tracking options.
05 · Backup wireless tracker
A wireless backup with no wiring at all.
The one device that needs no 12V power. The Asset Tracker is wireless, battery-powered and magnetic — designed as a hidden second line of defence. If a thief finds and disables your primary tracker, it keeps reporting from somewhere they didn’t look.
- Sealed unit, no wiring — none of the install signatures a thief looks for
- Magnetic mount sits anywhere ferrous — wheel arch, chassis rail, inside a panel
- Up to 3-year battery life on a replaceable lithium cell — fit it and forget it
- 4G LTE — sends a single location ping to the platform per day
- A backup, not a replacement — pair it with any hardwired primary tracker
Heads-up: daily ping only — this isn’t live tracking, it’s a recovery aid. For continuous tracking, use the 4G900L, FMC920 or FMC880 as your primary unit.
Asset Tracker
Wireless · magnetic · backup
R699 Hardware · once-off · you own it
R30/mo Data subscription · one ping per day
- Magnetic mount
- 3-year battery
- 4G LTE
- Daily location
06 · Own it, no lock-in
You own the device. No subscription trap.
With most providers the tracking device is rented — it stays theirs and you stay on a 24- to 36-month contract. The Tracking Co works the other way: you buy the device once, from R499, and own it outright. Live tracking is then R50 per vehicle a month, or R540 a year with no monthly debit order — effectively the no-subscription way to track. Pay once a year, renew or don’t, and the device stays yours either way. It’s the same model behind our wider fleet tracking and pricing.
Owned, not rented
Buy the hardware once from R499 — it’s yours to keep, move, or resell.
No contract
Month-to-month at R50, or pay R540 once a year. Cancel or stop anytime.
Full platform
Live map, trips, geofences and alerts on web and mobile — no tiers.
07 · Device questions
GPS tracking device questions, answered.
What is the difference between an OBD and a hardwired GPS tracker?
An OBD tracker plugs into your car’s OBD port and works in seconds with no wiring — but it sits in plain sight, so if someone unplugs it, tracking stops. A hardwired tracker is wired in and hidden (in the fuse box, under the dash, or in the engine bay) so it cannot simply be removed. The Tracking Co sells both: the plug-in OBD Mini from R499 for logbooks and self-monitoring, and hardwired devices from R769 for proper anti-theft and stolen vehicle recovery.
Are there wireless GPS trackers?
Yes. The Tracking Co’s Asset Tracker is a wireless, battery-powered device with a magnetic mount and no wiring at all — designed as a hidden backup to a main tracker, or on trailers and equipment with no power source. It is R699 once-off plus R30 a month for data. It pings a location once a day rather than tracking live, so most owners pair it with a plug-in or hardwired primary device.
Do GPS trackers need a power source?
Most do — a wired GPS tracker simply needs 12V power to run, which is why it can go in almost any car, bakkie, truck, trailer, generator or piece of plant. The Tracking Co’s plug-in and hardwired devices draw that power from the vehicle, while the rugged FMC880 clamps straight onto the battery terminals. The wireless Asset Tracker is the exception: it runs on its own internal battery, so it needs no power connection at all.
What is the best GPS tracking device for a car?
For most South African cars, The Tracking Co recommends the hardwired 4G900L at R769 — it is hidden, hard to remove, and ready for stolen vehicle recovery. If you mainly want a logbook or to keep an eye on a vehicle and value plug-in simplicity, the OBD Mini at R499 is the easy choice. Fleets that need advanced reporting use the FMC920, and farms or plant use the rugged FMC880. Every device runs on the same R50-a-month platform.
Do GPS tracking devices need a subscription?
Yes — a live GPS device needs a subscription to send its location over the mobile network. With The Tracking Co that is R50 per vehicle per month, or R540 a year with no monthly debit order. You own the hardware outright from R499 regardless, so the subscription only covers tracking, not the device. There is no contract, so you can cancel or simply not renew at any time and keep the unit.
Can I move a GPS tracker to another vehicle?
Yes. Because you own The Tracking Co hardware outright, you can move it to a new vehicle whenever you like. A plug-in OBD Mini simply unplugs and plugs into the next car; a hardwired or battery-terminal device is unclipped and refitted, which any auto electrician can do in under an hour. Your subscription stays at R50 per vehicle per month and there is no transfer fee, because nothing is rented or contracted.
Ready to start tracking?
Hardware from R499. Subscriptions from R50 a month. No contracts, no setup fee, no surprise upgrades.
Get my quote → Or call the office on 021 330 5408, or WhatsApp 083 399 9937.