Garmin inReach® (satellite)

The Garmin® inReach® Mini and inReach Explorer are satellite messengers. They publish location updates over the Iridium satellite network — so they keep working in places where there is no cell service and never will be: deep wilderness, polar regions, the open ocean.

For long expeditions, the inReach is the most reliable live-tracking device on the market.

What you'll need

  • A Garmin inReach device (Mini, Mini 2, Explorer, Explorer+, Messenger).
  • An active Garmin satellite plan with MapShare enabled.
  • A few minutes to wire up the MapShare share link in your Where Is Tereza? admin.

How it works

Garmin doesn't expose a direct "POST to my URL" feature for inReach devices. Instead, the device pushes points into Garmin's MapShare service, and our backend polls your MapShare KML feed at a regular cadence — typically every two to five minutes. New points appear in your map shortly after the device reports them.

Live tracking on the inReach itself is configurable from 2 minutes to 60 minutes per ping; we'll pick up whatever cadence you set.

Setup

  1. In your Garmin Explore web account, enable MapShare for the device.
  2. Set your MapShare to public. Our backend polls the MapShare KML feed, which is only accessible when the share page is set to public. If MapShare is password-protected, we have no way to read the feed and your points will not appear.

We will never ask for your MapShare password. Do not share passwords with us or enter them anywhere in our admin. If someone claiming to represent Where Is Tereza? asks for a password, it is not us.

  1. Copy the MapShare URL (looks like https://share.garmin.com/...).
  2. In your Where Is Tereza? admin → GPS sources → Add inReach. Paste the MapShare URL.

Within a few minutes you'll see the most recent track points appear on your map.

Caveats

  • Latency: expect 2–10 minutes between device ping and map update. This is fundamental to satellite + polling — not something we can speed up further.
  • Cost: Garmin satellite plans run roughly €15–€65 per month depending on tier and are billed by Garmin separately.
  • Battery: at 10-minute intervals, an inReach Mini lasts 5–10 days on one charge; at 2-minute intervals, 1–2 days.
  • Out-and-back trips: the device will burn through messages quickly if you keep it on for weeks. Most expedition users only enable tracking during the active hours of the day.

Combining with phone tracking

A common pattern: run OwnTracks on your phone for high-resolution tracking when you have cell coverage, and the inReach as a fallback for the deep wilderness sections. Both feed the same map; the dots interleave by timestamp.

Garmin® and inReach® are registered trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Garmin.

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