OBDocker is compatible with OBDII adapters based on ELM/STN/MIC ICs (both bluetooth and Wi-Fi).

To find a suitable adapter, you can search on popular platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Temu, Aliexpress, Google using keywords like "elm obd" or "elm327 bluetooth" or "elm327 wifi".

The OBD2 adapter is an important tool to enable communication between the OBDocker application vehicle control units. Therefore, choosing a reliable adapter will be able to provide a smooth and high-quality experience for your car maintenance journey.

Two Primary Principles for Selecting an Adapter
1. Compatibility with your smart device operating system: There are differences in the adapter connection types supported by iOS and Android.
2. Adapter quality: A high-quality adapter can support more features. A low-quality adapter may not be able to execute some enhance features in OBDocker.

Connection Types and Supported Operating Systems

Connection Type Version iOS Android Remark

WiFi √ √

Bluetooth (classic) 1.x, 2.x, 3.x × √

Bluetooth LE 4.0 and above √ √

Bluetooth MFi √ √ eg. OBDLink MX+ /vLinker FS

USB OBDocker could not support
1. Bluetooth MFi adapter is classic Bluetooth with one basic condition: an iOS compatibility agreement must be reached between the manufacturer and Apple. Due to the limitations of the iOS operating system, the classic Bluetooth (versions 1.x, 2.x, 3.x) adapter cannot be used with Apple iOS devices in any program.
2. Bluetooth (classic) and Bluetooth LE are fundamentally different communication methods. (LE stands for Low Energy, i.e. low power consumption.)

Connection Type	Version	iOS	Android	Remark
WiFi		√	√
Bluetooth (classic)	1.x, 2.x, 3.x	×	√
Bluetooth LE	4.0 and above	√	√
Bluetooth MFi		√	√	eg. OBDLink MX+ /vLinker FS
USB				OBDocker could not support

Recommendations —— Connection Type
1. For iOS: It is recommended to choose adapter with Bluetooth LE (4.0) as they offer the most comfortable and simple connection with acceptable data transfer speeds and are easy to buy.;
  
  If you are on a budget, you can buy the faster and high-end adapter —— Bluetooth MFi (eg. OBDLink MX+ or vLinker FS).
  
  Wi-Fi adapters are not recommended as communication is often interrupted.
2. For Android: It is recommended to choose adapters with classic Bluetooth adapters which are faster than Bluetooth LE (4.0) and more reliable than Wi-Fi.

What are the problems with “BAD” adapter?
1. Unstable
2. Data distortion
3. Possible loss of data
4. Could not function at all
5. Could not support all control commands
6. Unable to communicate beyond the specific ECU
7. Limitaion of the length of requests and responses
8. Unable to execute "Coding" features (can't write data or write the wrong data)
9. Only support some communication protocols with the control unit (Otherwise the adapter could not work)
10. Unable to control the engine due to short-circuiting or sending garbage data and requests to the on-board network

Recommendations (no ads）

Adapter	Costs
OBDLink MX+ with Bluetooth MFi	around $100
OBDLink CX with Bluetooth LE	around $80
vLinker MC+ with Bluetooth LE	around $60
vLinker FS with Bluetooth MFi	around $60
MotorSure with Bluetooth (iOS & Andriod)	around $50
Vgate iCar Pro BLE 4.0	around $30

The form above only lists some recommended adapter models, and there are actually many good adapters on the market. You can decide which model to buy based on your budget, desired features, operating system and other factors.

Please also pay attention to the following 3 points when choosing an adapter

Do not buy cheap (less than $10) adapters.
Do not buy adapters name with "mini" , most of them would not work well.
Bluetooth MAC addresses beginning with 11:22:33 and 00:00:00

Have a good adapter already? Get started with OBDocker today and take control of your car's health!