How to Activate and Install the I-PASS | Illinois IPass Guide

                              

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I-PASS Activation and Installation Guide

The IPass device should be activated first and then installed.

If your purchased your I-PASS at a Illinois Tollway Customer Service Center it will have been activated for you, hence you can proceed directly to the install process, otherwise you will (probably) need to activate it yourself prior to install.

When you have a new I-PASS transponder, you are ready to go. Follw the steps below:

a) Take your I-PASS device out of the box and look at the face/top:

Activation Sticker      

Notice that the activation sticker has the activation number and the I-PASS serial number on it. Those 2 numbers are needed to activate your I-PASS device.

b) Call 800-926-6500, or go to www.illinoistollway.com, log into your account and follow the prompts. If you do not have an account, you will need to create one first. In either case, you will need the activation number and the serial number.


- When finished, you can peel off the activation sticker and throw it away. The activation number is needed only once.

Peel Activation Sticker      


Once activated, transponders are ready for use within 24 hours in Illinois and within 48 hours in other states that accept I-PASS.

How do you know if your IPass is activated?

Either:
- Drive through an I-PASS lane on any Tollway ramp and if there is a blue or yellow light, your transponder is working.
Or
- Drive through a cash lane and if the transponder is activated, the red (stop) light will turn green automatically. If not, no problem, you can pay the toll with cash.

See additional details from Illinois tollway.

Step 1: Make sure that the inside of your windshield is clean, dry and warm.

Step 2: With the arrows of the transponder pointing toward the roof, align the transponder on the windshield behind the rearview mirror, at least one inch below the metal roofline and one inch to the right or left of the mirror post.

Step 3: Remove the plastic backing tape from the mounting strips and firmly press the IPass transponder against the glass for 15 seconds. You're done!

See this document if you want to see more detailed instructions of the above, if your windshield has metal components, if your vehicle has a vertical windshield, or if your vehicle has solar ray glass, solar tint, heat reflective windshields, insulated or insta-clear glass, or compass/temperature in the rear-view mirror.


You can use the Illinois Tollway system without having an I-PASS transponder via using Pay By Plate, but the system is optimized to use by the I-PASS transponder, so the toll rates will be lower if you use the I-PASS.