Garmin inReach

Device Summary

Garmin inReach devices are Iridium satellite communicators for tracking, two-way messaging, and SOS in places without cellular coverage. The inReach line was originally sold by DeLorme; it has been a Garmin product since 2016, and inReach accounts are managed in Garmin Explore. GSatTrack receives tracking points, check-ins, preset and free-text messages, and SOS events from any inReach-capable Garmin device on a Garmin Professional account through inReach Portal Connect (IPC).

Supported Devices

Any inReach-capable Garmin device on a Garmin Professional account can report to GSatTrack, including:

inReach Mini 3 Plus, inReach Mini 3, inReach Mini 2, and inReach Mini
inReach Messenger
GPSMAP H1i Plus and GPSMAP H1
GPSMAP 86i / 86sci, GPSMAP 67i, and GPSMAP 66i
Montana 710i / 760i and Montana 700i / 750i
Tread models with inReach
Legacy inReach SE, inReach Explorer, and inReach Explorer+

Configure inReach Portal Connect (IPC)

inReach Portal Connect is available on Garmin Professional accounts (including accounts migrated from DeLorme / inReach Enterprise). It is configured once per Garmin account and applies to every inReach device on that account. Setup has two halves, a gateway account in GSatTrack and the Portal Connect settings in Garmin Explore. Do both in one sitting: between creating the gateway account and saving its token in Garmin Explore, Garmin's deliveries for your account are refused and retried, so reports are delayed until both are done.

Sign in to Garmin Explore at explore.garmin.com with an administrator login for your Professional account.
Open Admin Controls, then Portal Connect. Under Inbound Settings, copy the Inbound URL, then click Generate API Key and copy the key. Garmin keys expire after one year by default.
In GSatTrack, go to Settings and open Gateway Accounts, then create a new gateway account of type Garmin inReach Portal Connect (IPC).
Enter the Inbound URL and the API key. GSatTrack checks the key with Garmin when you save and refuses a key Garmin rejects. The Inbound URL must be an address at inreachapp.com or garmin.com.
GSatTrack shows the Outbound URL to give Garmin, and generates an Outbound token for the account. Copy the token, or replace it with a token of your own.
In Garmin Explore, open Portal Connect and turn Outbound Settings on.
Enter the Outbound URL shown on the gateway account page in GSatTrack. Choose token authentication and paste the Outbound token. Leave the remaining outbound options at their defaults.
Click Save at the bottom of the page.
Confirm the token with a real report from one of the account's devices, such as a message or a location request that shows up on the asset in GSatTrack. Garmin's Test button does not prove the token is right, so confirm with a real report from one of your devices instead.

Garmin documents Portal Connect in the Garmin Explore Web Help for inReach Professional (Settings) and, for IT staff, in the developer.garmin.com inReach Portal Connect overview.

One token per Garmin account

A Garmin Explore account sends a single token with every delivery.

If several GSatTrack accounts hold devices from the same Garmin account, give the gateway account in each one the same token (and a key from that Garmin account).
If one GSatTrack account holds devices from two Garmin accounts, give each Garmin account its own IPC gateway account in GSatTrack, with that Garmin account's Inbound URL and API key, and choose for each asset the gateway account of its device's Garmin account. Commands reach a device only with an API key from the device's own Garmin account. The two gateway accounts may use the same Outbound token.

A delivery with a wrong or missing token is refused whole and nothing in it is stored, so every device on that Garmin account stops reporting until the token is fixed. Garmin retries a refused delivery, pauses after 12 hours of failures and emails the account administrator, and suspends delivery after 5 days until Garmin support restarts it.

Add the Asset in GSatTrack

Events for a device are only stored once it exists as an asset in GSatTrack. Set the asset up as an inReach model, or its reports are not recorded.

Add a new inReach on the tracking page, as below. A new inReach added without choosing a gateway account, including through bulk import and the mobile app, uses the account's IPC gateway account. Create that gateway account first, or the add is refused.

Go to the navigation menu and click on 'Add Item', then 'Add Asset'.
Choose the matching Garmin device (for example inReach Mini 3 or GPSMAP 86i). A model without its own entry takes the nearest model of the same family: choose Montana 700i for a Montana 710i and Montana 750i for a Montana 760i. For a Tread model with inReach, choose any inReach model except the GPSMAP H1 and H1i Plus, which cannot be sent messages.
Enter the device's 15-digit IMEI. In Garmin Explore the IMEI is shown for each device under Devices; it is also printed on the device or shown in its About screen.
Choose the IPC gateway account in the Gateway Account field. New inReach assets need one. An inReach asset added earlier without one keeps working, and you can assign it a gateway account at any time; once it has one, it cannot go back to none.
Click on 'Create Asset'.

Models that only report, such as the GPSMAP H1 and H1i Plus, take the gateway account too, because it secures what they report.

Send Commands to an inReach

With an IPC gateway account, you can send a text, a location request, or a tracking change to the device from the tracking page. The inReach Mini 3 Plus can receive messages, location requests, and tracking changes only through the gateway account; with none, when you send from the tracking page (the asset's message, location request or tracking command), GSatTrack tells you the asset needs one. Other ways of sending a text report only that it failed. Older inReach models with no gateway account keep working as before.

Texts are limited to 160 characters; longer text is cut. The device shows the message as coming from your site's address. A reply from the device appears on the asset.
Choosing a tracking interval changes the interval only. Choosing none turns tracking off.
Garmin sends no delivery receipt. A command shows as sent once Garmin accepts it, and as failed, with the reason, if Garmin refuses it.
If Garmin refuses the API key, it may have expired. Generate a new key in Garmin Explore and update the gateway account.
If Garmin reports the device is not on the Garmin account, the key belongs to a different Garmin account from the device.
If Garmin is busy, try again in a few seconds. GSatTrack does not retry on its own.
Commands sent through Garmin are billed to your Garmin plan.

What GSatTrack Records

Tracking points and located positions, including position reports sent while tracking, replies to a locate request, and reference points.
Start-tracking, tracking-interval, and stop-tracking events.
SOS on and SOS cancelled, recorded as emergency events on the asset.
Check-ins and the three preset messages.
Free-text messages sent from the device, up to 160 characters each.

Additional Information

Key Features

Global Satellite Coverage — tracking and communication anywhere in the world over the Iridium network.
Two-Way Messaging — send and receive messages between remote users and their teams.
Emergency SOS — an SOS button sends an alert with the user's location to a 24/7 emergency response coordination centre.
Durable and Rugged Design — built to withstand harsh outdoor environmental conditions.
Integrated GPS Tracking — accurate real-time location tracking and, on the GPSMAP, Montana, and Tread models, full navigation.

Use Cases

Outdoor Adventures — hikers, climbers, and outdoor enthusiasts track routes and share locations for safety in remote areas.
Search and Rescue — rescue teams coordinate efforts and track personnel across challenging terrain.
Field Research — scientists in remote locations collect data and communicate during fieldwork.
Marine Tracking — boaters and fishermen maintain communication and track positions on the water.

Troubleshooting

The Test button in Garmin Explore fails: check that the Outbound URL is exactly the one shown on the gateway account page in GSatTrack and that Outbound Settings is turned on and saved.
The Test button succeeds but no reports arrive: the Test button does not prove the token is right. Check that the token in Garmin Explore matches the Outbound token of the gateway account, and that the Garmin account's deliveries are not paused (Garmin lists delivery errors under Portal Connect).
The device reports in Garmin Explore but not in GSatTrack: confirm the asset's IMEI matches the IMEI shown for the device in Garmin Explore, and that the device is on the Professional account whose Portal Connect settings point at GSatTrack. Garmin also lists recent delivery attempts and errors under Portal Connect.
Nothing has arrived for several days: Garmin pauses and eventually suspends outbound delivery after repeated failed deliveries and emails the account administrator; once the cause is fixed, contact Garmin support to resume delivery.