Motive Vehicle Gateway has two LED lights (left and right) that communicate the device's status. Together, the color and blink pattern of each LED tell you whether the Vehicle Gateway has power, a valid GPS signal, a vehicle telematics connection, and if the Motive Driver App is connected.
Use the tables below to look up what your Vehicle Gateway lights mean. For full troubleshooting on a specific state, follow the provided link.
Identifying the left and right LEDs
Position the Vehicle Gateway with the Motive logo facing up. From this orientation, the Vehicle Gateway's two LEDs are labeled with icons next to each one:
- The left LED is marked with a GPS icon and shows GPS or cellular status.
- The right LED is marked with a mobile device icon and shows the Driver App connection and vehicle telematics status.
- The USB port between the two LEDs is marked with a bolt icon, indicating a high-power port used for connecting an AI Dashcam or other accessories.
The two LEDs work independently. You can interpret each one separately, then combine them to understand the overall state of the device.
| Note: If your Vehicle Gateway is mounted under the dashboard and you cannot easily see the LEDs, you can verify the status information in the Fleet App under Devices > Vehicle Gateway > Verify Installation. |
Vehicle Gateway models
Motive has two generations of Vehicle Gateways, and their LEDs work slightly differently:
- Vehicle Gateway 3.6 or above (LBB ≥ 3.6+) are current-generation devices that use full RGB LEDs and can display white, red, green, orange, yellow, violet, and blue lights. These devices use white to communicate boot, sleep, firmware update, and reset states.
- Vehicle Gateway 3.55 or below (LBB ≤ 3.55) are earlier-generation devices that use simpler RG LEDs and can display only red, green, and orange lights. These devices use amber to communicate boot, sleep, and firmware update states. They do not have a pinhole reset.
You can find your Vehicle Gateway model on the sticker on the bottom of the device or in the Fleet App under Devices > Vehicle Gateway > Model. Most of this article applies to both generations, and older-model differences are noted at the end.
Left LED reference (GPS/cellular)
| LED Color/Pattern | Meaning | Troubleshoot |
|---|---|---|
| Solid green | Vehicle Gateway has a valid GPS signal. Normal operation. | No action needed. |
| Solid red | No GPS signal. The Vehicle Gateway cannot acquire a reliable GPS fix. | Move the Vehicle Gateway away from metal plates, heating vents, or other sources of interference. Ensure the Motive logo is facing up and the device has a clear view of the sky. See Troubleshooting GPS in Troubleshooting common issues with the Vehicle Gateway. |
| Off | Vehicle Gateway is not receiving power. | See Both LEDs are off in the Both LEDs table below. |
Right LED reference (Driver App and vehicle telematics)
| LED Color/Pattern | Meaning | Troubleshoot |
|---|---|---|
| Solid green | Driver App is connected to the Vehicle Gateway via Bluetooth or USB. Normal operation. | No action needed. |
| Solid red |
Engine is off (or no engine RPM detected), and the Driver App is not connected.
|
If the ignition is on but the engine is off, this is normal.
If the engine is running, the Vehicle Gateway may not be detecting engine RPM. Check cable connections and contact Motive Support if the issue persists. |
| Slow blinking red | Engine is on and the vehicle is stationary. Driver App is not connected. | Connect the Driver App to the Vehicle Gateway. |
| Fast blinking red (or orange) | Vehicle is in motion, but the Driver App is not connected. Drive time may not be recorded under the correct driver. | Connect the Driver App immediately. See Connect the Driver App. |
|
Both solid white (4-5 seconds), then blinking white (10-15 seconds)
|
Vehicle Gateway is powering up.
|
Wait for boot to complete, which takes about 15 seconds total. |
| Off | Vehicle Gateway is not receiving power. | See Both LEDs are off in the Both LEDs table below. |
Both LEDs
These patterns affect both LEDs together and indicate a system-wide state, such as boot, firmware update, reset, or a power-related condition.
| LED Pattern | Meaning | Troubleshoot |
|---|---|---|
| Both solid green | Vehicle Gateway has a valid GPS signal, and the Driver App is connected. Normal operation. | No action needed. |
| Both LEDs blinking white on Vehicle Gateway 3.6+ | Vehicle Gateway is powering up. | Wait for the boot to complete, which takes about 15 seconds total. The LEDs will change to indicate GPS and Driver App status once the reboot finishes. |
| Both LEDs blinking amber on Vehicle Gateway 3.55 or below | Vehicle Gateway is powering up. | Wait for the boot to complete. |
| Both blinking red | Initial power-on state. Normal during the first few minutes after the Vehicle Gateway is powered on. | Wait 2-3 minutes for the LEDs to change. If lights remain red after 5 minutes, see the Left LED and Right LED tables above. See Both LEDs are blinking red. |
| Left LED solid green with Right LED blinking red | Normal in-cab operation when the Driver App is not yet connected. The Vehicle Gateway has GPS and is capturing engine telematics. | Connect the Driver App to the Vehicle Gateway. |
| Blinking yellow and white (for Vehicle Gateway LBB 3.6 or higher) | Firmware update is in progress. | Do not unplug the Vehicle Gateway until the lights have stopped blinking. The update can take several minutes. |
|
Blinking orange and green (for Vehicle Gateway 3.55 or below).
|
Firmware update is in progress. | Do not unplug the Vehicle Gateway until the lights have stopped blinking. The update can take several minutes. |
| Both blinking orange (persistent) | Device is in a waiting or power-related state. | If lights remain orange for more than 1 minute, contact Motive Support. |
| Both off | Vehicle Gateway is not receiving power. | Check cable connections, vehicle ignition, fuses, and battery. See Vehicle Gateway Powered Off. |
Pinhole reset states for Vehicle Gateway 3.6
| Note: Vehicle Gateway 3.55 and below do not have a pinhole reset button. To reset an older Vehicle Gateway, unplug it from the diagnostic port and re-plug it after one minute. |
If you have performed a pinhole reset (using the small reset button next to the USB port), you may see the following:
| LED Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Blinking green and blue for 30 seconds, then yellow for 4-5 seconds, then white | Pinhole reset is in progress. The Vehicle Gateway is rebooting and will return to normal operation when both LEDs blink green or red. |
| No LED change | Reset button was pressed for less than 1 second. No reset was triggered. |
For full reset instructions, see Vehicle Gateway Settings. If the pinhole reset does not fix the issue you are facing, you can also perform a Factory Data Reset on Vehicle Gateway (VG3).
| Note: A pinhole reset simply reboots and restarts the Vehicle Gateway without erasing any data. However, a factory data reset is a deeper recovery step that clears the Vehicle Gateway’s local data and settings, then lets it reconnect and restore its configuration from the Motive Platform. |
LED lights on older Vehicle Gateways (LBB 3.55 or below)
If you have an older Vehicle Gateway (model 3.55 or below), the LEDs can display only red, green, and orange. Use this simpler reference:
| LED Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Orange (brief, on startup) | Device is waiting or starting up. Normal during boot. |
| Orange (persistent, longer than 1 minute) | Device or power issue. Contact Motive Support. |
| Red | Not connected (GPS on the left LED, or Driver App on the right LED). |
| Green | Connected. |
| Blinking orange and green | Firmware update in progress. |
For older models, follow the same Left LED and Right LED logic from the tables above. The role of each LED is the same. Only the available colors and the firmware-update pattern differ.
What to do if your LEDs do not match any state above
If you see a color or pattern that is not covered in this article:
- Verify the Vehicle Gateway is receiving at least 11 volts of power. Most unusual LED patterns are caused by insufficient or unstable power.
- Wait 5 minutes. Some patterns are transient. Boot, firmware update, GPS acquisition, and Bluetooth pairing can all temporarily change LED behavior.
- Take a clear photo of the LED pattern with the engine running, along with photos of your cable connections at both the Vehicle Gateway port and the vehicle's diagnostic port.
- Contact Motive Support and include the photos, your Vehicle Gateway serial number, and a description of when the issue started.
Share this with others