Timeline for Are all OBD2 adapters born the same, or are there differences in what they can do?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
8 events
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| Oct 18, 2021 at 10:57 | comment | added | Vilx- | Oh, btw - I think there might be another point of confusion - if I understand correctly, there are two types of OBD devices - "adapters" and "readers". An "adapter" is just used to connect a computer (or a phone app) to the car. A "reader" is a standalone device with its own buttons and screen, which usually does not even connect to a computer/phone. I'm talking about the former (an "adapter"). | |
| Oct 18, 2021 at 10:46 | comment | added | Vilx- | What I'm trying to understand is - is there something special that needs to be done IN THE ADAPTER HARDWARE in order to get as much out of the OBD2 as possible, or is an adapter just a dumb data forwarder which works with well-standardized protocols, and all of the magic happens on the PC/phone which sends commands and deciphers the returned data? | |
| Oct 18, 2021 at 10:43 | comment | added | Vilx- | So... I take it then that they fail even at the basic task of forwarding data between the two interfaces? | |
| Oct 18, 2021 at 10:41 | comment | added | jwh20 | I've found that "ELM327" adapters are rarely what they are advertised to be. If you're shopping in the US$20 range you are looking at "cheap junk". | |
| Oct 18, 2021 at 10:38 | comment | added | Vilx- | Of course. I don't mean such crap that doesn't even perform what it is supposed to do. I mean, an adapter that just forwards the OBD2 protocol via Bluetooth and back and nothing more. That would not need to cost 100$, no? After a bit more research I found that a popular interface for this is "ELM327" and adapters like that retail for less than 20$. And most Android apps seem to support it. There is a risk that they could be knockoffs, but as long as it behaves identically to the original, I think I should be able to see everything there is to see, no? | |
| Oct 18, 2021 at 10:30 | comment | added | jwh20 | Well I suppose it depends on what you mean by "as cheap as it likes". Some cheap hardware is just junk. | |
| Oct 18, 2021 at 10:27 | comment | added | Vilx- | OK, but if I buy an OBD2<->Bluetooth adapter, then the adapter itself can be as cheap as it likes, as long as it passes the signal through properly, and the rest is handled in the PC/phone software, correct? | |
| Oct 18, 2021 at 10:24 | history | answered | jwh20 | CC BY-SA 4.0 |