Bluetooth Adapters
This is a list of adapters that Torque has been tested with which work with OBD2 compliant vehicles:
(Note: All the adapters offer the same access to all the available OBD2 sensors in the vehicle. The adapters do not determine what sensors are or are not available, they are all the same in this respect)
Note: 'BLE' bluetooth adapters are not fast - these are different than the normal bluetooth OBD2 adapter. Do not expect fast updates from any BLE adapter on things like CANBUS vehicles as they are not suited for OBD and you will be disappointed. The fastest Bluetooth adapter(Not BLE) is the OBDLink series of adapters and for the fastest update rate any USB adapter is best (with the OBDLink USB again being the fastest).
Contents
Working Bluetooth Adapters
Adapter | Form factor | Other features | Cost(at time of writing) | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Scantool.net OBDLink MX | Small unit | Power, Host, Bluetooth and OBD status lights, High speed PID reading
Device Security |
$199.95 | Flash upgradable firmware, Powersave/sleep function, Support forums
Reports of good customer support. This is the best adapter if you want the fastest PID read speed. Read speeds can be as fast as 100PIDs/sec over Bluetooth (Tested on a Galaxy S4, CANBUS protocol) This device also offers security to prevent unauthorized use |
Scantool.net OBDLink LX | Small unit | Power, Host, Bluetooth and OBD status lights, High speed PID reading
Device Security |
$69.94 (special offer), $99.95 normally | Flash upgradable firmware, Powersave/sleep function, Support forums
Reports of good customer support. This is the best adapter if you want the fastest PID read speed. Read speeds can be as fast as 100PIDs/sec over Bluetooth (Tested on a Galaxy S4, CANBUS protocol) This device also offers security to prevent unauthorized use |
Scantool.net OBDLink | Adapter and cable (adapter can be separated from cable) | Rx/Tx Host<->ECU status lights | $149.90(Special offer), $179.90 Normal | Flash upgradable firmware, Powersave/sleep function, Support forums
Reports of good customer support. Fast PID read speeds, in excess of 160PIDs/second using a Motorola Xoom and USB |
obd2world ELM329 Adapter website | Moulded adapter (single unit) | Power, OBD, and PC(Host) status lights | € 99.50 | Fully checked and tested before dispatch - This is the official version of this adapter (others that look like it are lesser quality clones) |
OBDPros website | Adapter and cable (adapter can be separated from cable) | Rx/Tx Host<->ECU status lights | $84.95 + BT option at $74.95 = $159.90 | Upgradable firmware |
Diamex DX70 & DXM website | Adapter in single unit | RX/TX status light, Power Light | 149EUR | Not the fastest adapter, but good construction, reliable. |
PLX Devices Kiwi Bluetooth | Adapter and cable (adapter cannot be separated from cable) | On/off switch, link light | $99.99 | New versions of this adapter appear to require a manual 'link' button to be pressed to wake it up before Torque will be able to connect. If you use automatic logging you may wish to avoid this adapter
There have been user reports of some of these adapters being faulty like some of the clone adapters. If Torque reports there is an issue with the adapter, check with PLX devices support for more help or getting a replacement Support forums |
Adapter from China/via ebay/amazon | Single moulded unit (though there are several different coloured 'stickers' used) | Rx/Tx Host<->ECU status lights | $20.00 to $60.00 | Some units seem to suffer poor build quality and reliability issues. Other units are perfectly fine. Make sure you purchase with a buyer who has a decent returns policy should the unit turn out to be defective. If you have connection issues, or displays randomly 'pausing' in the app then it is most likely an adapter issue.
If you are using the USB version of this adapter then be aware that you will need to make sure the adapter uses an FTDI or Prolific usb to serial converter chip and have an android device running Android 3.1 or 4.0(or above) and supports USB host mode - you will also need the Pro version of Torque for USB support (though this will be ported to the lite app eventually)
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Working WiFi Adapters (non ad-hoc mode)
Adapter | Form factor | Other features | Cost(at time of writing) | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vgate WiFi (found on ebay/amazon)
|
Small moulded adapter | WiFi connection using infrastructure mode, not ad-hoc | About 34ukp (from ebay) | Suitable for use with Blackberry Q10 & Z10 devices - adapter can get warm, but has an inbuilt powersaving mode |
Working USB Adapters
Adapter | Form factor | Other features | Cost(at time of writing) | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Scantool.net OBDLink | USB Adapter | Activity/status light | $49.95(Special offer), $74.95 Normal | User upgradeable via free downloads, Support forums
Reports of good customer support. Fast PID read speeds, in excess of 165 PIDs/sec with USB to a Samsung Note 3 |
Supported Non-OBD2 adapters
Adapter | Form factor | Other features | Cost(at time of writing) | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Track Electronics ConsultBT | Moulded plug | Works with Nissan Consult systems (using special non-OBD2 socket, beta testing in Torque) | ||
WBH-BT4 Website | Moulded plug | Works with WV/Seat/Audi using VW's native protocols (beta testing in Torque) |
Adapters that are not currently supported
Adapter | Form factor | Other features | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Garmin EcoRoute | Moulded plug attached to cable, not detatchable | Works with EcoRoute HD navigation, "offline" data storage | Non ELM327 compatible. The protocol was discovered, however the adapter proved to be too slow to be of any use. |
GoPoint BT1 | Moulded plug | Non ELM327 compatible. Uses their own closed protocol. | |
Actron U-Scan | Large moulded plug | Not ELM327 compatible, uses their own closed protocol. Not interoperable with other industry standard ELM327 OBD software |