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Hardware guide · tk103 · port 5002

TK103: the SERVER command, and the IMEI trap nobody warns you about

The TK103 family is old, cheap and still everywhere. It takes a hostname happily — but a few units announce themselves under a truncated IMEI, and then look like they never arrived.

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Summary

Protocol Port Server command APN command Tested on
tk103 5002 SERVER,666666,0,<host>,5002,0# APN,666666,<APN># 23 vehicles in service (9 plus 14 Askoll e-bikes)

Server: trackers.moongpstracker.com (169.58.68.140), TCP. Some firmware refuses domain names — then use the IP.

What it is

TK103 is a Chinese tracker design from the early 2010s, cloned into hundreds of variants — the flat black "soap bar" units you find on scooters and e-bikes. They speak the tk103 protocol and are configured with comma-separated SMS commands terminated by a hash.

Unlike the GT06 clones, TK103 units generally do resolve domain names, so you can use the hostname and not care about our IP changing.

What you need

  • A data SIM in the device, and the APN string for that SIM
  • The SIM's phone number for the two SMS below
  • The device IMEI, printed on the case — but read the gotcha about truncated IMEIs first

APN examples

The APN belongs to the SIM, not to the tracker. These are the two we use ourselves:

  • 1NCE: iot.1nce.net
  • Truphone: iot.truphone.com

On both, the APN username and password are empty — which is the usual case on IoT SIMs. If your SIM comes from a mobile operator, ask them for all three values.

SMS commands

Send both SMS from any phone. 666666 is the TK103 factory password. Note the trailing # on each command: without it the device ignores the message.

Point it at Moon by hostname 
SERVER,666666,0,trackers.moongpstracker.com,5002,0#

The third field is the address mode: 0 means "what follows is a domain name". The last field is the protocol (0 = TCP).

Set the APN (replace <APN> with your SIM APN) 
APN,666666,<APN>#

APN username and password go in two extra comma-separated fields if your SIM needs them. Most IoT SIMs do not.

Fallback: point it at the IP instead 
SERVER,666666,1,169.58.68.140,5002,0#

Third field 1 means "what follows is an IP address". Use this on firmware that cannot resolve domain names — the symptom is a device that acknowledges SERVER and then never connects.

After the device is configured it turns up in Unknown devices in the Moon panel — or straight on your map, if you registered its identifier first. The first position normally lands within minutes.

What Moon shows you

  • Live position, speed and full trip history with stops and addresses
  • Ignition state on units wired to the ignition line
  • External supply voltage and internal battery, where the device reports them
  • SOS and alarm events, as they arrive from the device

What it does not do

  • No CAN data and no odometer from the vehicle: distance is computed from the positions the device sends.
  • Engine cut depends entirely on the variant and the installation — many TK103 clones have no usable output.

Which values arrive depends on the device and the installation, never on your licence: every Moon account has the whole platform. See what the platform does.

Gotchas

The things that cost us time on real vehicles, written down so they do not cost you any.

They do not accept adminip or dns

The adminip and dns commands belong to the GT06 and h02 families. On a TK103 they do nothing. If you administer a mixed fleet, this is the most common cause of "half the batch migrated".

Some units register under a truncated IMEI — ours did

A subset of TK103 devices announce their identifier as a leading zero followed by the LAST ELEVEN DIGITS of the IMEI, not the full 15-digit number printed on the case. On our own migration this bit us: fourteen devices were registered under the IMEI on the box, and stayed silent, while the real identifier sat in Unknown devices under a number nobody recognised.

If a TK103 does not appear after the SERVER command, look through Unknown devices for an ID that ends the same way as your IMEI. That is your device. Register it under the identifier it actually announces.

The trailing # matters

Every TK103 command ends with #. A phone keyboard that autocorrects or an SMS gateway that strips it turns the command into a message the device discards without replying.

Factory password

The commands on this page use the factory password (666666). A tracker left on its factory password can be reconfigured by anyone who knows its SIM number. Change it, or use SIMs that cannot receive SMS from outside numbers — the 1NCE and Truphone SIMs we ship are set up that way.

TK103 and compatible trackers: questions we get asked

The device is not in the panel after the SERVER command.
Check Unknown devices for an identifier made of a leading zero and the last eleven digits of your IMEI: some TK103 units announce themselves that way. If that is not it, send the APN command again, and if the firmware cannot resolve names, use the IP form of the SERVER command.
Can I use adminip on a TK103?
No. adminip belongs to the GT06 and h02 families. TK103 hardware only takes the SERVER,password,mode,address,port,protocol# form.
Hostname or IP — which should I use?
Hostname, with the third field set to 0. TK103 firmware generally resolves names, and a hostname survives an infrastructure change. Fall back to the IP form only if the device acknowledges the command and then never connects.
Is a TK103 good enough for a rental fleet?
For position and trip history, yes, and it is cheap. For engine cut, inputs or voltage monitoring you want Teltonika hardware — we will tell you which of the two your operation actually needs rather than selling you the more expensive one by default.

Two ways to go from here

Send the commands yourself and register the device in the panel, or tell us what you have and we will confirm what it can do on Moon before you commit to anything.

Talk to us Already a customer? Open Unknown devices

No account yet? Send us the make and model and we will set the device up on a demo account for you.

Not sure it is the right model? Send it to support@moongpstracker.com and we will tell you before you buy.

Other hardware guides

The compatibility hub lists every open port against the protocol it serves.