OBDII/Smartphone Combos which Work/Do Not Work

[mwalsh]

Yep, ELM was working fine. Now not. Definitely a problem with it. But it doesn't appear to be an easy one to get apart, so I'm not going to fool with it.

Got my CAR-CAN ELM going again. Took numerous Bluetooth pairing/unpairings and selecting/deselectings of the OBD from within the app. And I eventually brought in a voodoo priestess to cut the head off a chicken and swing the carcass over the car. But I did get everything going again, even though connectivity within the app was not as rock-solid as it had been. Then, today, when I went to update the app to the latest beta I saw the the setting for EV-CAN was selected. D'oh! Now I don't remember selecting this when I tried FairwoodRed's modified ELM, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility, and was likely the cause of at least one of my issues.

So now I'm up to the latest beta of the app with nothing adverse to report yet. But if I do, I'll take it to the other thread.

 

[michapok]

HTC One + Vgate (from amazon that is linked to from the Wiki) works perfectly. Paired on first try and connected to the app without any issues.

 

[FalconFour]

Could we, perhaps, add the wording to the Wiki page, to clarify the true device compatibility of the Leaf app? I propose adding the phrase in the device list:

• Nearly any Android device with Bluetooth that can "side-load" an app

Problem is, most people I know that aren't computer experts don't understand that these apps are universal and this one only uses basic Bluetooth functionality - no special hardware is actually required. I'm worried that they'd just skim past it thinking they can't use it with their phone, without even trying...

With this wording, they'd know to at least try the app on their phone, that there's always the possibility it would fail to function properly ("Nearly any..."), and they'd need to look up "side-load" and understand the procedures and implications in order to feel confident enough to try it. Seems like a win/win and safe way to say it.

 

[vrwl]

Could we, perhaps, add the wording to the Wiki page, to clarify the true device compatibility of the Leaf app? I propose adding the phrase in the device list:

• Nearly any Android device with Bluetooth that can "side-load" an app

Problem is, most people I know that aren't computer experts don't understand that these apps are universal and this one only uses basic Bluetooth functionality - no special hardware is actually required. I'm worried that they'd just skim past it thinking they can't use it with their phone, without even trying...

With this wording, they'd know to at least try the app on their phone, that there's always the possibility it would fail to function properly ("Nearly any..."), and they'd need to look up "side-load" and understand the procedures and implications in order to feel confident enough to try it. Seems like a win/win and safe way to say it.

Done. It now says: "The following phones and tablets have been specifically tested and reported to work, but nearly any Android device with Bluetooth that can "side-load" an app will work:"

 

[GlennD]

The Kyocera Event is back to $39 at Amazon.

 

[LEAFfan]

The Kyocera Event is back to $39 at Amazon.

That's what I paid locally at Target. Don't know though if they still have them at that price.

 

[vrwl]

The Kyocera Event is back to $39 at Amazon.

That's what I paid locally at Target. Don't know though if they still have them at that price.

That Target price was a sale price. I *think* the regular price was somewhere in the ballpark of $59.00, IIRC.

 

[GerryAZ]

I just bought the Kyocera Event for $39 at Best Buy. I don't know how long the sale lasts. Any hints on configuring the Kyocera? I have been using my Samsung tablet for a while, but wanted something smaller.

Gerry

 

[KJD]

I just bought the Kyocera Event for $39 at Best Buy. I don't know how long the sale lasts. Any hints on configuring the Kyocera? I have been using my Samsung tablet for a while, but wanted something smaller.
Gerry

When I set up my Kyocera, I just left all the default settings as is and it worked fine. Just load the software and install.

 

[vrwl]

I just bought the Kyocera Event for $39 at Best Buy. I don't know how long the sale lasts. Any hints on configuring the Kyocera? I have been using my Samsung tablet for a while, but wanted something smaller.
Gerry

When I set up my Kyocera, I just left all the default settings as is and it worked fine. Just load the software and install.

The one thing I did was turn on Airplane Mode so that's it's not looking for a 3G/4G signal all the time (preserve battery life) since I never bothered to activate the phone.

 

[GerryAZ]

I just bought the Kyocera Event for $39 at Best Buy. I don't know how long the sale lasts. Any hints on configuring the Kyocera? I have been using my Samsung tablet for a while, but wanted something smaller.
Gerry

When I set up my Kyocera, I just left all the default settings as is and it worked fine. Just load the software and install.

The one thing I did was turn on Airplane Mode so that's it's not looking for a 3G/4G signal all the time (preserve battery life) since I never bothered to activate the phone.

Thanks for the tips. I had some trouble with "connection errors" from Google when trying to download the software through my wi-fi connection, but it eventually worked to download the lite version. This may be the same problem someone noted in the thread specifically for Spy and Spy Pro. I went back to purchase the pro version a few minutes later and there were no Google errors so the issue resolved itself.

I was running an earlier beta version on the Samsung and really appreciate the enhancements made to the pro version.

Gerry

 

[Slow1]

I just got a Samsung Victory 4g phone. I downloaded the Leaf Spy Lite version. When I launch, I enable bluetooth and then it says "Choose Device" but there is nothing below the box to choose from.

I went to bluetooth settings on the phone and it detects the OBDII connector. On another phone (wife's) it connects fine.

Anyone have an idea what I'm doing wrong here and/or if it is hopeless?

[Edit to add update] - I figured it out. I needed to pair the phone with the ODBII first. Yeah, RTFM (Read the fine manual), ha!

So, you can add in the combination of the Samsung Victory 4g (FreedomPop model if that makes a difference) working with "BAFX Products - Bluetooth OBD2 scan tool" through a "Low Profile Right/Left Angle OBD 2 II Extension with Flat Ribbon Cable 3'/1m" (both obtained from Amazon)

The nice thing about this approach is that even though I paid extra for the phone over a "cheap $20 phone without service" I now do have 200minutes of calling time and some data each month without monthly costs associated with it giving me the potential of use in an emergency or whatnot (actually use the phone as a phone).