Connect your own JT808 tracker
Point a third-party JT808 device at our gateway and run it on a Vectra subscription.
Vectra’s gateway speaks JT808, the protocol most Chinese-manufactured GPS trackers already use. If you have a fleet of compatible units already installed, you do not necessarily have to replace them to get the dashboard, the geofences, and the alerts.
$4.99/month or $39.94/year per tracker, service only, with 14 days free. Check whether your device works — and subscribe once it does — at vectragps.com/connect.
The check is not a formality. We will not sell you a subscription for a tracker we have never heard from, because that sale ends in a refund and a bad afternoon for both of us. Point the device at us first, confirm it reports, then pay.
What has to be true
- The device speaks JT808 (JT/T 808-2011 or 2013) over TCP. Most units sold as "JT808 GPS tracker" do.
- You can reconfigure its server address — by SMS command, by its own configuration tool, or over the air from its current platform.
- It has a working SIM with data. On BYOD, connectivity is yours: we do not supply the SIM, and coverage problems are between you and your carrier.
- Its device ID is stable. We identify assets by IMEI, so a unit that reports a different ID after a reset will look like a new asset.
Pointing it at us
The exact command varies by manufacturer, but almost all of them take a form like this — server host, port, and a connection type where 1 means TCP:
IP2,gps.vectragps.com,8883,1#Set the device clock to UTC as well if the firmware allows it — trackers shipped from the factory frequently default to UTC+8, and a device reporting in the wrong timezone produces trips that appear to happen in the middle of the night.
UTC,0#Getting it onto your account
- 1Point the device at the gateway
Using the command above, then reboot it.
- 2Wait for it to dial in
A device that connects successfully is visible to us within a minute or two of its first report.
- 3Check it at vectragps.com/connect
Enter the IMEI. We tell you straight away whether we can see it — connected, seen before, already registered, or nothing yet.
- 4Subscribe
Verified trackers go straight to checkout. The first 14 days are free, and the tracker is claimed to your account the moment payment completes.
The checker keeps a list. Verify as many trackers as you like, then subscribe to all of them in one go.
What works, and what does not
| Feature | BYOD |
|---|---|
| Live position, trails, playback | Yes |
| Geofences and alerts | Yes |
| Reports and analytics | Yes |
| Share links | Yes |
| Battery and voltage monitoring | If the device reports it — most do |
| Ignition state | If wired and reported |
| Remote cut-off | Only if the device has a relay output AND accepts the standard relay command |
| Tamper / wire-cut alerts | Varies by model |
| Automatic configuration | No — a third-party device keeps whatever settings you give it |
| Hardware support from us | No. We support the platform; the hardware is yours |
| The SIM and its data | Yours. Coverage problems are between you and your carrier |
| Price | $4.99/month or $39.94/year per tracker, 14 days free |
While a device reports to us it is not reporting to whatever platform it used before. Make sure you are not mid-contract somewhere that expects it, and keep a note of the original server address in case you want to go back.