OBD2 scanner and apps

[mylittlepony]

Anyone have OBD2 scanner and apps that will measure battery usage? There are multiple scanners and apps but which is best for measuring MME stats?

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[Nklem]

Carscanner pro and a $20 OBD dongle. Give it a try for free on the App Store. The upgrade was only $6.99. It may do what you want and your out only a few bucks. I installed on my IPAD and my OBD dongle is WiFi. I am attempting to get it working with the MMB player to get it live on the Mache Screen. No time to get that done yet but I think it will work. That way I can have a custom dashboard on specific Mach E parameters displayed on the screen.

 

[mkhuffman]

Like Norm, I also recommend Car Scanner. I used to use Torque, but then I saw people posting in this forum about Car Scanner and it is awesome. It even has a MME profile you can load that has 10+ prebuilt dashboards that show you everything you could want to see from the OBDII scanner.

Note that a OBDII scanner can kill your LVB when left plugged in and the car is off.

 

[PhillyYa]

Any dongle device or a specific one?

 

[alexgorod]

Can CarScanner be used on the same phone as PAAK, or it will interfere with its connection?
I use it on a separate (old) phone, but curious.

 

[geftsnowball]

Can CarScanner be used on the same phone as PAAK, or it will interfere with its connection?
I use it on a separate (old) phone, but curious.

Yes, no issues.

 

[mkhuffman]

Any dongle device or a specific one?

IMO, this is the best choice because it is fast and secure. You have to press a button on the scanner to put it in pairing mode. Some scanners are always in pairing mode which leaves them open to hacking.

https://www.obdlink.com/products/obdlink-mxp/

 

[mikeinet]

With CarScanner are you able to get battery life data? I have a ton of missing data on mine... wasn't sure if it's my cheap (probably knock off) dongle, or the app or the car?

 

[mkhuffman]

With CarScanner are you able to get battery life data? I have a ton of missing data on mine... wasn't sure if it's my cheap (probably knock off) dongle, or the app or the car?

If you mean the HVB State of Health (SoH), yes.

 

[doogie63]

Like Norm, I also recommend Car Scanner. I used to use Torque, but then I saw people posting in this forum about Car Scanner and it is awesome. It even has a MME profile you can load that has 10+ prebuilt dashboards that show you everything you could want to see from the OBDII scanner.

Note that a OBDII scanner can kill your LVB when left plugged in and the car is off.

‎
I been looking at ‎OBDLink MX+ because it says

• Intelligent sleep mode: plug it in, and forget about it — it won't drain your car's battery

 

[JimmyMachE]

I chose Vgate vLinker MC+
- a button on the scanner to put it in pairing mode
- intelligent sleep mode

 

[mkhuffman]

‎
I been looking at ‎OBDLink MX+ because it says

• Intelligent sleep mode: plug it in, and forget about it — it won't drain your car's battery

My comment you replied to was incomplete. The OBDII scanner will kill your LVB if you are using it to read data. If you disconnect Car Scanner (or whatever software you are using) the car will go to sleep and the OBDII scanner will not drain your LVB. Well, at least the ones I have tried won't. Power draw is very small. What drains the battery is keeping the car's modules active while you read data from them.

I also have a Veepak scanner and it won't drain your battery either. But I would not leave that one plugged in because it is always in pairing mode. I leave my MX+ plugged in all the time with no issues.

 

[mkhuffman]

Can CarScanner be used on the same phone as PAAK, or it will interfere with its connection?
I use it on a separate (old) phone, but curious.

PaaK problems are so difficult to troubleshoot it is hard to know. I have used Car Scanner on my PaaK phone many times without issues. The problem is if you want to record data while away from the car, you have to leave your PaaK phone in the car. I won't do that. Having a separate phone is a good idea in that case.

 

[PhillyYa]

Sooooo, I bought the OBDLinkMX+ during Amazon Prime. I've also downloaded CarScanner for IOS. I am able to connect the dongle to their own OBDLink app, but for the life of me can't get it to connect to Car Scanner's app. I get a big long error message which says if trying to connect via wifi, I have my permissions disabled and have to go to settings and enable it. I went to the settings and it was already enabled. Then it says if I want to connect via bluetooth, go to the bluetooth settings, when I do that and select it, it doesn't connect. The error messages just go in a circle. Any advice? Thanks all...

Quick Update: no, the wifi network cast by the OBDLink does NOT show up in my list of available networks to connect to in my iPhone and yes, my phone is connected successfully to the dongle via Bluetooth, but yet the app still does not connect.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Sooooo, I bought the OBDLinkMX+ during Amazon Prime. I've also downloaded CarScanner for IOS. I am able to connect the dongle to their own OBDLink app, but for the life of me can't get it to connect to Car Scanner's app. I get a big long error message which says if trying to connect via wifi, I have my permissions disabled and have to go to settings and enable it. I went to the settings and it was already enabled. Then it says if I want to connect via bluetooth, go to the bluetooth settings, when I do that and select it, it doesn't connect. The error messages just go in a circle. Any advice? Thanks all...

Quick Update: no, the wifi network cast by the OBDLink does NOT show up in my list of available networks to connect to in my iPhone and yes, my phone is connected successfully to the dongle via Bluetooth, but yet the app still does not connect.

Update the firmware on the OBDLink first, there were some connection bugs. Then unplug it, plug it back in, and immediately try to connect to it in bluetooth settings. If it's been plugged in for more than a couple minutes it won't accept new connections for security.

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