Hardware setup
Shipping container tracking
Battery-powered GPS for 20ft / 40ft containers, trailers, and break-bulk cargo. No wiring, 30+ day battery.
Recommended hardware
Concox AT4
TZS 130,000Best value. Magnet mount, IP67, 30-day battery at 4 daily pings, motion-wake.
- ✓Magnetic, no wiring
- ✓30+ day battery
- ✓IP67 weatherproof
- ✓Motion-wake (no false pings)
Teltonika TAT100
TZS 380,000Premium. 5-year battery option, geofence on-device, fall detection.
- ✓5-year battery (low ping)
- ✓On-device geofence
- ✓Door / shock sensors
- ✓Heavy-duty enclosure
Where to mount
- Outside corner of container, top-rear (most common) — clear sky for GPS, hard to remove.
- Inside, on door header — protected from theft, but GPS struggles when stacked or below deck.
- On the chassis for trailer-only tracking — works but exposed.
Tip: paint over the magnet edges with matching container color to disguise.
Setup steps
- Insert SIM (Vodacom M2M, Halotel IoT, or Airtel) into the AT4. Press the power button for 3 seconds.
- Send config SMS — see Connect your first device. Use port
5023(Concox protocol). - Magnet-mount the AT4 outside, top-rear corner of container.
- In Trakora dashboard: /assets → New asset → type=
container→ name=CMA-CGM-12345→ add tag kind=imei. - Set up a geofence around your warehouse / port → alert when the container arrives or leaves.
Use cases
GPS pings every 2 min while moving, every 30 min while parked. Full route history. Border-crossing alert.
Container scanned IN at port via UHF gate (if equipped) → GPS confirms it reached your warehouse. Discrepancy alert if delayed.
Add anti-tamper / shock sensor → alert on impact above threshold. Custody chain via UHF scan at every transfer.
Add temperature probe — see Cold-chain container setup guide. See guide.
Battery management
AT4 default ping interval = 4×/day for 30-day battery. For active shipments, send TIMER,300,300# via SMS to switch to 5-min pings (battery now ~7 days). Then back to TIMER,21600,21600# when at rest.