{"schema_version":"1.0","service":"Publicasta","type":"article","id":781,"slug":"why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888","title":"Why a GPS tracker starts sending IMEI 888888000000888 and ID 88000000888","excerpt":"Why some GPS trackers suddenly report IMEI 888888000000888 and ID 88000000888, why the device stops updating under its original ID, and how to restore the correct IMEI on GT02, GT02A, TK110 and similar trackers.","language":"en","default_language":"en","canonical_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888?lang=en","image":{"url":"https://publicasta.com/storage/projects/4/pages/781/2026/10/bc10445b-6e00-48bf-9d47-b58346fe1816.webp","alt":"article_cover"},"publisher":{"id":4,"slug":"livegpstracks","name":"LiveGPSTracks","url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks"},"author":{"name":"LiveGPSTracks"},"published_at":"2026-10-08T17:51:09+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-08T17:51:09+00:00","content_markdown":"![article_cover](https://publicasta.com/storage/projects/4/pages/781/2026/10/bc10445b-6e00-48bf-9d47-b58346fe1816.webp)\n\nA GPS tracker may work normally for years and then suddenly stop updating in the account. The device itself may still be powered on, have mobile internet access, connect to the server, and continue sending location data.\n\nThe difference is that it now identifies itself as:\n\n**88000000888**\n\nIf you request the device parameters by SMS, you may also see an unusual IMEI:\n\n**888888000000888**\n\nWe have seen this more than once on the LiveGPSTracks platform. Similar packets also appear in logs from other GPS tracking systems.\n\nSo where do these numbers come from, and can the original IMEI be restored?\n\n## Where does 88000000888 come from?\n\nThe identifier a GPS tracker sends to a monitoring server does not always match its full IMEI.\n\nOlder GT02, GT02A, TK-110 and many similar trackers use a shortened device ID. Only part of the 15-digit IMEI is used to identify the device on the server.\n\nA short ID by itself is therefore not a sign of a fault.\n\nIn this particular case, the tracker starts using this value instead of its normal IMEI:\n\n```text\n888888000000888\n```\n\nThis produces the ID:\n\n```text\n88000000888\n```\n\nand the protocol may send it with a leading zero:\n\n```text\n088000000888\n```\n\nThe three values are connected:\n\n```text\n888888000000888\n        ↓\n88000000888\n        ↓\n088000000888\n```\n\nYou can see both values in the packet itself:\n\n```text\n(088000000888BP00888888000000888HSO199)\n```\n\nIt contains:\n\n```text\n088000000888\n```\n\nas the device identifier used by the protocol, and:\n\n```text\n888888000000888\n```\n\nas the IMEI value reported by the tracker.\n\nThe same IMEI may also appear when the device parameters are requested by SMS.\n\nThis rules out a server-side parsing problem in most cases. The LiveGPSTracks server does not replace the original IMEI with a string of eights. The tracker is already connecting with `888888000000888`.\n\nThe same values have been seen in logs from other GPS tracking systems. `888888000000888` is most likely a default, fallback or service value used by some firmware when the normal IMEI is no longer available.\n\nWe have not found manufacturer documentation that explicitly describes the purpose of this value.\n\n### Why can the original IMEI disappear?\n\nThe exact cause is not known.\n\nPossible causes include:\n\n- a failure when reading non-volatile memory;\n- corrupted stored settings;\n- an initialization error during startup;\n- unstable power;\n- an unexpected reboot;\n- a firmware bug.\n\nThe existence of `SETIMEI` commands is significant here. On some trackers in this family, the IMEI value used by the firmware can be written through a command. That also means this stored value can potentially be lost or replaced.\n\n## What the owner sees\n\nThe tracker does not disappear from the account. It simply stops updating.\n\nThe physical device may still:\n\n- be powered on;\n- register on the mobile network;\n- have internet access;\n- connect to the LiveGPSTracks server;\n- send coordinates.\n\nThe server is now receiving those packets under a different ID.\n\nIt has no way to know that `88000000888` is the same physical tracker that previously connected under another identifier. The device already added to the account therefore stops receiving new data.\n\n# What to do if your tracker starts using 88000000888\n\nThe first goal is to restore the original IMEI.\n\n## 1. Check which IMEI the tracker reports\n\nOlder GT02A firmware often supports:\n\n```text\nPARAM,<password>#\n```\n\nFor example:\n\n```text\nPARAM,666666#\n```\n\nOther firmware versions may use commands such as:\n\n```text\nimei<password>\n```\n\nor:\n\n```text\ngetimei<password>\n```\n\nSome versions use:\n\n```text\nCXZT\n```\n\nIf the SMS response contains:\n\n```text\n888888000000888\n```\n\nthe incorrect IMEI is already being reported by the tracker itself.\n\n## 2. Find the original IMEI\n\nCheck the label on the tracker first.\n\nThe IMEI may also be available:\n\n- on a label inside the case;\n- on the original packaging;\n- in the manual or warranty documents;\n- in old photos of the device;\n- in old SMS messages from the tracker;\n- on another tracking platform where the device was previously used.\n\nIf you only have the shortened ID that was added to your account, that may not be enough to reconstruct the full IMEI.\n\nDo not copy the missing digits from another GT02A or search for a “typical TK110 IMEI.” You need the IMEI assigned to that specific device.\n\n## 3. Check the firmware version\n\nIt is better to identify the firmware before changing the IMEI.\n\nSome older GT02A versions support:\n\n```text\nVERSION,<password>#\n```\n\nThe firmware version may also be included in the response to `PARAM`.\n\nTK110, GT02 and GT02A do not refer to one single hardware and firmware combination. Many different trackers have been sold under these names over the years, and their SMS commands are not always the same.\n\n## 4. Write the original IMEI back to the tracker\n\nSome TK110/GT02 firmware supports the `SETIMEI` command.\n\nOne documented format is:\n\n```text\n#SETIMEI#<password>#<original IMEI>#\n```\n\nOther firmware uses:\n\n```text\nSETIMEI<password>,<original IMEI>#\n```\n\nSome similar trackers use:\n\n```text\nsetimei<password> <original IMEI>\n```\n\nDo not send every variant one after another. Identify the firmware or at least the command family used by the tracker first.\n\n### Which password should be used?\n\nCommon factory passwords include:\n\n```text\n123456\n```\n\nand:\n\n```text\n666666\n```\n\nThe owner or seller may have changed the password, so a password shown in one manual will not necessarily work with every TK110.\n\n## 5. Check the result\n\nRequest the device parameters again after writing the IMEI.\n\nInstead of:\n\n```text\nIMEI: 888888000000888\n```\n\nthe tracker should report its original IMEI.\n\nAfter reconnecting to the server, it should also return to its previous device ID. If that ID is already registered in the LiveGPSTracks account, the existing tracker should start updating again.\n\nThere is normally no need to change the APN, server address or port just because the IMEI was restored.\n\n# If SETIMEI does not work\n\n### The tracker does not recognize the command\n\nIt probably uses different firmware and a different SMS command set.\n\nLook for documentation for the actual firmware version rather than relying only on the TK110 or GT02 name printed on the case.\n\n### The tracker reports an incorrect password\n\nA factory reset should not be the first response. The password may have been changed earlier.\n\nCheck old configuration notes or SMS commands that were previously accepted by the tracker.\n\n### The IMEI is restored but later changes back to eights\n\nIf the correct IMEI can be written successfully but later returns to:\n\n```text\n888888000000888\n```\n\nafter a reboot or some time in operation, the problem is probably no longer just a configuration issue.\n\nPossible causes include:\n\n- failing memory;\n- unstable power;\n- a firmware fault;\n- another hardware problem.\n\nRepeatedly writing the IMEI again will not fix the underlying fault.\n\n### The original IMEI cannot be found\n\nIf the label, packaging, old SMS messages and records from another platform are all unavailable, the remaining option is to contact the seller or manufacturer.\n\nDo not use an IMEI from another tracker or invent a new one.\n\n# Should you try a factory reset?\n\nSome GT02A firmware provides a `FACTORY` command, but it resets user settings.\n\nA factory reset may remove:\n\n- APN settings;\n- server address;\n- port;\n- reporting intervals;\n- time zone;\n- other configuration.\n\nThere is no guarantee that it will restore the original IMEI.\n\nYou may end up with the same `888888000000888` and a tracker that also needs to be configured from scratch.\n\nRestoring the IMEI first is usually the better approach.\n\n# Why 88000000888 cannot be used as a device ID\n\n`88000000888` is not unique to one physical tracker. Different devices can start using the same ID after their normal IMEI has been replaced by `888888000000888`.\n\nIf such an ID were added to an account, several unrelated trackers could start sending data to the same device entry.\n\nThe result would be obvious on the map: one point could appear in one city, the next hundreds or thousands of kilometres away, followed by another point somewhere else again. It would look like one tracker was jumping between completely unrelated locations, while the coordinates were actually coming from different physical devices.\n\nFor this reason, the LiveGPSTracks platform blocks `88000000888` as a device identifier. A tracker with this ID cannot be added to an account.\n\nIf your tracker starts connecting under this number, the solution is to restore its original IMEI and unique device ID.\n\n# Why can the tracker still use mobile internet with the wrong IMEI?\n\nThe IMEI or ID sent inside the GPS tracking protocol does not necessarily tell us which identifier the GSM modem is using to register with the mobile operator.\n\nA tracker reporting `888888000000888` in its GPS protocol may still:\n\n- register on the mobile network;\n- use mobile data;\n- connect to the monitoring server;\n- send GPS coordinates.\n\nThe problem appears when the monitoring server has to decide which tracker those packets belong to.\n\n# In short\n\nIf a tracker stops updating in the account and its parameters show:\n\n```text\n888888000000888\n```\n\nthe server may start receiving it under the ID:\n\n```text\n88000000888\n```\n\nThat value is generated and sent by the tracker itself.\n\nThe usual recovery path is:\n\n1. request the tracker parameters;\n2. find the original IMEI;\n3. identify the firmware version;\n4. find the correct `SETIMEI` command for that firmware;\n5. write the original IMEI back;\n6. check the parameters and server connection again.\n\nThe LiveGPSTracks platform does not allow `88000000888` to be added as a device ID because the same identifier can be used by multiple physical trackers.\n\nIf the restored IMEI later changes back to eights, the tracker may have a memory, power, firmware or hardware fault.","available_translations":[{"language":"de","title":"Warum ein GPS-Tracker plötzlich IMEI 888888000000888 und ID 88000000888 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88000000888","html_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888.md?lang=en","json_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888.json?lang=en","api_url":"https://publicasta.com/api/public/v1/channels/livegpstracks/articles/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888?lang=en"},{"language":"es","title":"Por qué un rastreador GPS empieza a enviar IMEI 888888000000888 e ID 88000000888","html_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888?lang=es","markdown_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888.md?lang=es","json_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888.json?lang=es","api_url":"https://publicasta.com/api/public/v1/channels/livegpstracks/articles/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888?lang=es"},{"language":"fr","title":"Pourquoi un traceur GPS se met à envoyer l’IMEI 888888000000888 et l’ID 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88000000888","html_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888?lang=th","markdown_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888.md?lang=th","json_url":"https://publicasta.com/livegpstracks/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888.json?lang=th","api_url":"https://publicasta.com/api/public/v1/channels/livegpstracks/articles/why_a_gps_tracker_starts_sending_imei_888888000000888_and_id_88000000888?lang=th"},{"language":"tr","title":"GPS takip cihazı neden IMEI 888888000000888 ve ID 88000000888 göndermeye 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