Reliability issue with an FMC003

Telematics Question
1

Hi,

I’m having a serious reliability issue with an FMC003 and I’m trying to work out whether this is a known problem, a hardware fault, or something configuration-related.

Setup

  • Device: Teltonika FMC003

  • Firmware: 04.01.00 Rev.13

  • Platform: Traccar

  • SIM: Soracom

  • Protocol: TCP

  • The tracker is plugged directly into the OBD port

  • I also tested with and without an OBD extension cable, and the issue happens either way

Main problem

The tracker works well until it loses signal once. After that, it often goes offline for a long period, typically around 18 minutes or more, even after the vehicle has returned to a high signal area.

So the issue is not just brief signal loss. The main problem is that recovery is extremely slow after signal loss.

Severity / pattern over time

Over a typical 24-hour period, the device can be offline for around 3–4 hours in total.

Each time it goes offline, it is usually offline for 18+ minutes before reconnecting. This is not just a few seconds or a couple of minutes — it is long enough to make live tracking unreliable.

Typical behaviour

  • Tracker is online and sending normally

  • Vehicle enters a low signal area

  • FMC003 goes offline in Traccar

  • Even when the vehicle returns to a high signal area, it often stays offline for around 18 minutes or more

  • This pattern repeats

In one real driving test, it was offline for a very large part of the journey after losing signal once.

What I have already tried

  • Confirmed the issue happens both with and without the OBD extension cable

  • Updated to the latest firmware

  • Applied the recommended settings changes

  • Set:

    • Open Link Timeout = 600

    • Network Ping Timeout = 5

    • Sort by = Newest

  • Installed the other newer/aggressive settings as well

Other strange behaviour

The device also feels very temperamental in general. For example, after moving it only a short distance (eg. 10m), it could stay offline for a long time instead of reconnecting quickly.

Important point

The FMC003 is actually good when it is online. The real problem is the recovery after signal loss. It seems like once it drops, it can take far too long to reconnect, even when conditions improve.

My questions

  1. Is this a known FMC003 issue, especially on 04.01.00 Rev.13?

  2. Is there any confirmed fix for very slow reconnect/recovery after signal loss?

  3. Could this indicate a hardware fault with this unit?

  4. Has anyone solved this without changing to a different tracker model?

Any advice would be appreciated, because this issue is making the FMC003 unsuitable for live vehicle tracking in my case.