OBD Adapters & Dongles

OBD Auto Doctor supports all ELM327 based hardware interfaces. Some of the adapters are listed in this page but many are left out. The best adapters in the market are from ScanTool.net (OBDLink adapters) and PLX Devices (Kiwi adapters) . Those adapters have the best performance and compatibility with vehicles, and they are manufactured with high standards.

We recommend that you get a high quality adapter and suggest that you forget the cheap chinese OBDII clone adapters. If you are on budget, look for an older model of one of the premium models. You might find good deal on a genuine adapter.

In any case we do not recommend the clone OBD2 adapters. Some of them might work but some will not. The advertising on some of these adapters is incorrect and they might not work on the advertised cars. Moreover, getting a similar looking device doesn't guarantee similar behaviour. The clone manufacturers put different electronics in the same looking housing. At least be prepared to return a faulty unit back to the seller. Remember to check for the refund policy before purchasing one.

Bluetooth is the recommended connection method for the OBD dongles. Bluetooth is a wireless technology and it offers good performance.

The Bluetooth dongles work automatically with all platforms with some exceptions on iPhone and iPad devices. If you are using only Apple products (macOS, iOS, iPadOS), we recommend the Bluetooth Low Energy dongles listed in the next section.

Compatibility

These adapters work with OBD Auto Doctor software on the following platforms:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• Android
• iPhone / iPad (only OBDLink MX+ and vLinker FS)

Please note that your device needs to have Bluetooth in order to use these dongles. The classic Bluetooth dongles don't work with OBD Auto Doctor on iPhone or iPad (except OBDLink MX+ and vLinker FS that are "Made for iPhone"). If you are looking for a dongle for iPhone or iPad other than the exceptions, check the Bluetooth Low Energy dongles or the WiFi dongles below.

Please be aware of that macOS refuses to work with some of the clone Bluetooth dongles. While this is internal macOS matter, we suspect the reason is non-standard Bluetooth stack in the clone dongles.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) dongles are the newest type of OBD2 dongles in the market. Bluetooth Low Energy is also known as Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth 4.x/5.x.

Bluetooth Low Energy dongles work with all mobile platforms including Apple devices. However, each adapter model needs specific support from the software. It means that any generic BLE adapter will not work with OBD Auto Doctor automatically. We need to tailor the software and add special support for each adapter separately.

While the BLE dongles work well with Android and iOS, they might have some problems with computers. If you are planning to use mainly Windows or Linux, we recommend the classic Bluetooth dongles.

Please note that your device needs to have Bluetooth 4.x/5.x in order to use these dongles. If you are looking for the classic Bluetooth adapters, check the section above.

WiFi is the recommended connection method for iPhone and iPad users if the new Bluetooth Low Energy adapters don't suit you. WiFi dongle creates a Wifi hotspot and allows your device to connect to it. It enables Apple devices such as iPhones and iPads to connect to it although these dongles work also with other devices.

WiFi dongle are not as easy to setup and connect as Bluetooth dongles. Therefore, we recommend Bluetooth dongles more.

Compatibility

These dongles work with OBD Auto Doctor software on the following platforms:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• Android
• iPhone / iPad

Please note that your device needs to have WiFi in order to use these dongles. Notice that you can't be connected to another WiFi hotspot while you are connected to the WiFi dongle. If you don't have specific need for WiFi dongle, we recommend that you get one with Bluetooth connectivity.

USB dongles make a wired connection between the dongle and a computer. Compared to the wireless dongles, the downside is that wired connection is not as convenient as wireless.

Please note that our Android and iOS apps don't support USB dongles at all.

Compatibility

These adapters work with OBD Auto Doctor software on the following platforms:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

Please note that your computer needs to have free USB port in order to use these dongles. You might be also required to install drivers for the dongle. Remember to check if the dongle supports your operating system. If you don't have a specific need for a wired connection, we recommend that you get an dongle with wireless connectivity.