How to Hardwire a GPS Tracker

I'm Ryan Horban, and I've spent the last 15 years working with GPS vehicle trackers, fleet tracking devices and commercial GPS tracking systems across real-world fleets.

Fleet managers and everyday drivers reach for GPS tracking for the same reason: knowing where a vehicle is, at any moment, without guesswork. Hardwired trackers beat battery-powered portables on one front especially. They never run dry.

Did you know hardwiring your GPS tracker to a car provides a seamless tracking experience, minimizing disruptions caused by your tracker's battery dying? By connecting your GPS device directly into your vehicle or asset's electrical system, you ensure consistent, real-time location data.

Below, I walk through all seven steps of a hardwired install, start to finish. After that, our master installer's 4-step battery method shows the same idea on a golf cart, with a SpaceHawk tracker and its permanent power kit.

What Do You Need Before You Start?

You need three things before you touch the vehicle: a clear head about the risks, the right tools within reach, and a tracker built for a permanent install. Sort all three first and the install itself goes smoothly.

Read This Before You Touch a Wire

Modern vehicles carry airbag circuits, CAN bus lines and control modules that cost more than the tracker. If you're not confident, a professional install is cheap next to the alternative. Check your warranty terms too, since some manufacturers treat unauthorized electrical work as grounds for a denied claim.

Materials Checklist

Before you begin installing your vehicle locator, it's best to have some basic tools readily available: simple hand tools, electrical tape, your tracking system's user manual, a flashlight, and maybe an extension cable. For a full hardwired install, have all of these within reach before you open the dash:

• The GPS tracker, its wiring harness and the user manual
• A multimeter for confirming what each wire does
• Wire strippers and a crimping tool
• Crimp connectors, or a soldering iron and solder
• An add-a-fuse tap if you are pulling power from the fuse box
• Heat-shrink tubing or electrical tape
• Zip ties for securing cable runs
• An extension cable if the mounting spot sits far from power

The Tracker Built for a Permanent Install

For This Install

Fleet1st Hardwired GPS Tracker With Kill Switch

Price: $249.95 (was $299.95), plus a $29.95 monthly plan

Wired into the vehicle rather than plugged in, so nobody pulls it out. Constant power means no charging, and the tracker keeps reporting with the engine off.

The starter disable is the reason most owners pick this one. If a parked vehicle is stolen, you can stop it from being restarted with a tap in the app.

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Dos and Don'ts of GPS Tracking Installation

Before we get into the steps of installing a wired GPS tracker, let's first go over some basic dos and don'ts. That way you won't fry your GPS vehicle tracking device or mess up the 12-volt system of your automobile.

If the warranty question decides it for you, an OBD2 GPS tracker plugs into the diagnostic port with no wiring at all.

How to Hardwire a Tracker in 7 Steps

A hardwired install comes down to seven steps: choose the tracker, pick a power source, identify the wires, make the connections, run an extension if needed, mount the unit, and add a dash cam if you want one. Take them in order and test before the trim goes back on.

Step 1: Choose the Right Tracker

The device you pick shapes everything that follows. For a permanent setup you can rely on, hardwired units usually win. They're built to integrate with vehicle systems and run continuously with no battery to think about.

• Features: Live tracking, geofence alerts and trip history cover the basics. Driver reports and engine diagnostics go further.
• Reviews: Retail ratings and owner forums show how a device holds up in service, rather than on a spec sheet.
• Support: A device that goes quiet on a Friday needs somebody who answers on a Friday.
• Compatibility: Confirm the tracker's voltage range matches the vehicle, especially on 24-volt trucks.

Step 2: Pick Your Power Source

Your power source matters more than most people expect. Aim for something constant, unaffected by whether the ignition is on. Tapping the battery is the safest bet, and the supply near the steering column works too.

• Voltage match: Confirm the tracker's requirements line up with the vehicle's system.
• Fuse the tap: An add-a-fuse holder protects both the circuit and the tracker.
• Secure connections: Loose wires cause faults later, so lock everything down.
• Keep wires clear: Route cables away from heat, moving parts and airbag components.

Disconnect the negative battery cable before you touch anything. That single step protects you and the vehicle's electronics.

Step 3: Identify the Wires

This is where installs go wrong. Two separate sets of wires are involved, and they follow different rules. Keep them straight before you cut anything.

• The tracker's harness: Standardized by the manufacturer. Red for power, black for ground, and usually white or yellow for the ignition sense.
• The vehicle's wiring: Not standardized at all. Colors change between makes, models and even model years, so the tracker's color code tells you nothing about the car's.

Step 4: Make the Connections

Getting the joints right matters more than any other step here. A poor connection works on the bench and fails three weeks later on a rough road.

• Tracker red to a constant 12-volt supply, so the unit runs around the clock
• Tracker black to a clean chassis ground or the vehicle's ground wire
• Tracker ignition wire to a circuit that only carries power once the key is on
• Crimp or solder, then insulate with heat-shrink tubing rather than leaving bare metal

Crimping is the easier route. Strip both ends, slide them into the connector until they meet, then squeeze it shut with a crimping tool. Soldering gives a more permanent bond if you'd rather go that way.

Step 5: Run an Extension Cable If Needed

If the mounting spot sits far from the power source, an extension cable closes the gap. Route it carefully rather than taking the shortest line.

• Steer clear of moving parts such as the steering mechanism and seat rails
• Keep well away from hot surfaces near the engine or exhaust
• Zip tie the run so nothing dangles or catches
• Leave a little slack at each end rather than pulling the cable tight

Step 6: Mount the Tracker

With the wiring done, find a discreet spot. Under the dashboard or behind the glove compartment usually works, and both stay shielded from the weather.

• Avoid metal barriers: Large metal panels above the device block the signal.
• Face the antenna up: Point it toward the sky where the design allows.
• Double-sided tape: Fast and simple, on a surface you clean first.
• Zip ties: Sturdier if the unit has mounting holes, looped to a harness or bracket.

Reconnect the battery and confirm the tracker reports its position before you put the trim back. Testing with the dash apart is far easier than testing after.

Step 7: Add a Dash Cam (Optional)

A dash cam pairs well with a tracker if you want another layer. The tracker tells you where the vehicle went, and the camera tells you what happened around it.

• Wire it to the same power source as the tracker
• Mount it on the dashboard or high on the windshield
• Keep the lens clear of wiper blind spots
• Check your state's rules on windshield-mounted devices

The Fleet1st Dash Cam records the road and the driver and tracks the vehicle live on the same plan. Our guide to the best dash cameras with GPS tracking compares it with five other cameras.

If Your Unit Has a Starter Disable, Read This

Install a Tracker to a Battery in 4 Steps

Using a golf cart battery and the SpaceHawk GPS as an example, our master installer created this simple 4-step guide on how to install a hardwired GPS tracker. That way, you can permanently install your GPS device at home without hiring a professional!

The permanent power wire kit used in this method

1. Setup and Connection Points

• First, decide where you want to connect the red wire and black terminal. For our guide, we're using a golf cart battery array suitable for six-volt batteries. But you can adapt this to fit your needs.
• Now, gently loosen the bolts at your chosen connection points. Attach the red wire to the positive terminal and the black one to the negative. You're making great progress!

2. Preparing and Connecting the GPS Tracker

• Remove the rubber cap from your SpaceHawk; you won't be needing it for this permanent setup. Next, pull back the pins at the device's connection point.
• Go ahead and connect the hardwire kit to your SpaceHawk GPS car tracker. When you see a red light, it's a sign your device is charging. Remember, it's just charging, not necessarily powered on yet.

3. Activation and Placement

• Grab the pin provided and turn on the device. Those flashing LEDs mean you're powered up and ready. A solid red light? That's your confirmation of a stable connection.
• Tighten the screws on the connector. Ensure they're firm but not overly so to keep that rubber in perfect shape. This step seals the waterproof connection. Well done!
• Now, find a spot! Use the built-in magnets to stick it to metal surfaces or get creative with velcro for a super secure fit.

4. Secure the Tracker and Double-Check Everything

• Double-check all your connections to make sure they're tight and that your device sits securely.
• There you have it! Your SpaceHawk is now hardwired, protected from water, and ready to deliver exceptional tracking.

Remember, while our guide uses a golf cart as an example, you can permanently install the tracker on a car, boat or asset. Always prioritize safety when working with electrical systems, and enjoy your enhanced tracking experience!

Where Should the Tracker Go?

The best spot is hidden, protected from heat and water, attached to the solid body of the vehicle, and has a clear view of the sky through glass or plastic rather than metal. Decide where every component goes before you drill a hole or run a wire.

• Before drilling any holes or running any wires (as applicable), decide where each hardware component will be located (device, mounting bracket, cable, etc.).
• Locate a suitable mounting location with a clear view of the sky (GPS satellites), preferably above any metal that could obstruct GPS signals. GPS signals can be received through glass and plastic.
• Typically, for vehicles, the unit should be placed near the dashboard to the right of the driver, with open exposure to the front windshield. The unit also shouldn't interfere with the vehicle's airbag system in any way.
• Consider the visibility of the LEDs on the unit too, since you'll periodically want to check them to confirm the tracker is working properly.
• Make sure that the device will not be exposed to damage from the sun, heat, rain, moisture, people or objects.
• Attach the unit to the solid body of the vehicle or asset, not to plastic panels, and make sure the cables (if any) are not cut, bent or constricted in any way.
• Secure the unit and any excess wire with non-conductive fasteners and ties, making sure not to crimp or flatten the wires. Do not re-use any wire tie that surrounds the cable used in shipping. Do not glue the unit to the dashboard.

Most failed installs I see aren't wiring mistakes. They're a device mounted under a metal panel, where the signal never had a chance.

The Tracker in This Guide

Hardwire Your Own SpaceHawk GPS Tracker

Price: See current price on Fleet1st, with plans from $19.95 a month

SpaceHawk is the tracker this battery method is built around. Use the magnetic mount to attach it in seconds, or hardwire it with the permanent power kit for a set-and-forget install.

Location updates arrive as fast as every 3 seconds, accurate within 6 feet, in an IP67 waterproof case.

View On Fleet1st Buy on Amazon

Should You Hire an Installer?

Hire an installer if you're not comfortable inside a vehicle's wiring, the vehicle has complex electronics, or you're fitting a whole fleet. Tracking down a reputable local installer takes some legwork, but a clean install and compliance with local rules both depend on picking somebody reliable.

Online reviews are a starting point. A recommendation from somebody who has been through it carries more weight. GPS suppliers are another route, since many either install themselves or can point you to a trusted fitter nearby.

Prefer to handle it yourself? Follow the manufacturer's guide closely. Most devices ship with wiring diagrams, though basic technical knowledge goes a long way toward protecting the vehicle's electronics. For a broader walkthrough across vehicle types, see How to Install a GPS Tracker On My Vehicle.

Final Thoughts

A hardwired GPS tracker is the closest thing to set-and-forget tracking. Once the wiring is right, there's no battery to charge, nothing for a driver to unplug, and the vehicle keeps reporting with the engine off.

Getting the wiring right comes down to three habits. Disconnect the battery first, confirm every vehicle wire with a multimeter, and test the tracker before the trim goes back on. Do those three and the rest of the install is just patience.

If opening the dash isn't for you, that's fine too. Hire an installer, or pick a magnetic tracker and skip the wiring completely. For fleets weighing the options, our guide to types of GPS trackers breaks down which one fits each job.

Learn more about GPS asset tracking by visiting Fleet1st.io.

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