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 PLX Devices (Kiwi adapters) and ScanTool.net (OBDLink 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 Low Energy (BLE) adapters are the newest and the most popular type of OBD2 adapters in the market. Bluetooth Low Energy is also known as Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth 4.x/5.x.

Bluetooth Low Energy adapters 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.

Please note that your device needs to have Bluetooth 4.0 in order to use these dongles. If you are looking for the traditional Bluetooth adapters, check the next section.

Bluetooth is the recommended connection method for the OBD adapters. Bluetooth is wireless technology and it offers good performance for most use cases.

Compatibility

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

• Windows
• macOS (not with Monterey or Ventura)
• Linux
• Android
• iPhone / iPad (only OBDLink MX+)

Please note that your device needs to have Bluetooth in order to use these dongles. These adapters don't work with OBD Auto Doctor on iPhone or iPad (except the new OBDLink MX+ which is "Made for iPhone"). If you are looking for an adapter other than the MX+ for iPhone or iPad, check the Bluetooth Low Energy adapters above or the WiFi adapters below.

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

NOTE: macOS Monterey and Ventura have some compatibility issues with all the classic Bluetooth adapters and won't connect with any of them.

WiFi is the recommended connection method for iPhone and iPad users if the new Bluetooth Low Energy adapters don't suit you. WiFi is wireless technology and it offers better performance compared to the traditional Bluetooth in some cases. WiFi adapter 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 adapters work also with other devices.

WiFi adapters are not as easy to connect as Bluetooth adapters. Therefore, we recommend Bluetooth adapters more.

Compatibility

These adapters 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 adapter. If you don't have specific need for WiFi adapter, we recommend that you get one with Bluetooth connectivity.

USB adapters make wired connection between the adapter and computer. They offer the fastest possible connection between the two. The downside is that wired connection is not as convenient as wireless connection.

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 adapter. Remember to check if the adapter supports your operating system. If you don't need the fastest connection possible, we recommend that you get an adapter with wireless connectivity.