Alternatives to MyHonda? OBD2 Tracker + Diag

[Mingueeel]

Hello guys,

My trial period for myHonda is expiring in a few days and I was asking myself if there is any alternative OBD2 gadget that does something similar (tracking + diagnostics).

In an ideal world, it would be an open solution where I could host the server and be the owner of my own data.

Do you have any experience with anything similar?

Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[bcrichster]

Could try a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter ($15 - 50, depending on what you want to trust) and just use a decent app like Torque Pro ($5).. The thing is, I'd be more likely to trust a well known seller with an insanely high number of real reviews with our newer cars due to electrical specs/sensitivity. While I do recommend the BT OBD2 adapter, I am just advising to choose carefully concerning the cheaper ones (cuz ya never know)

 

[Mingueeel]

Could try a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter ($15 - 50, depending on what you want to trust) and just use a decent app like Torque Pro ($5).. The thing is, I'd be more likely to trust a well known seller with an insanely high number of real reviews with our newer cars due to electrical specs/sensitivity. While I do recommend the BT OBD2 adapter, I am just advising to choose carefully concerning the cheaper ones (cuz ya never know)

Yes, that solves the part of car diagnostics, but I think it doesn't include the tracking of the car when it's parked like MyHonda does.

I've been searching for a while and I havent't managed to find an OBD2 module that does both things, and much less if you want something open that you can host in your own server...

Looks like OpenXC is the nearest thing to what I'm searching, but it's only focused on developers right now.
https://openxcplatform.com

Another option would be buying a chinese OBD2 tracker and hacking their communication protocol so it sends the data to your server instead. That would turn into an interesting project. XD

 

[rplush]

I use T-Mobiles sync up drive. It's cheap ($10-$15/month), has a top level overview of OBD2 diagnostics capability (just tells you if your car has a problem). Can tell you where your car is, trip tracker (with stats), give's you LTE hotspot (2GB/month), notifications if your car gets bumped/moved/etc, car started, car off, etc.

 

[Mingueeel]

I use T-Mobiles sync up drive. It's cheap ($10-$15/month), has a top level overview of OBD2 diagnostics capability (just tells you if your car has a problem). Can tell you where your car is, trip tracker (with stats), give's you LTE hotspot (2GB/month), notifications if your car gets bumped/moved/etc, car started, car off, etc.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I see some problems with that solution:
1. I'm in the EU (Spain, to be exact).
2. MyHonda has similar features and it's 7 EUR/month (cheaper).
3. Ideally, I would prefer to host my data.

I've read there are similar services in Spain (Movistar Auto), but I trust Honda more than those telecomm companies.

Thanks anyway!

 

[bikejog]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I see some problems with that solution:
1. I'm in the EU (Spain, to be exact).
2. MyHonda has similar features and it's 7 EUR/month (cheaper).
3. Ideally, I would prefer to host my data.

I've read there are similar services in Spain (Movistar Auto), but I trust Honda more than those telecomm companies.

Thanks anyway!

Just get a cheap Android phone and a cheap data plan and toss that in the car. I know first hand it works in the EU (UK, Ireland, Netherlands) and S Korea. This will track your car (not sure if it's in real-time but probably is. I know an IPhone will track in very near real-time) on google map. And then get a cheap OBD-II adapter and Torque Lite and you're all set. Although I wonder how much current draw is needed to keep the phone in the charger all the time.

 

[Mingueeel]

Just get a cheap Android phone and a cheap data plan and toss that in the car. I know first hand it works in the EU (UK, Ireland, Netherlands) and S Korea. This will track your car (not sure if it's in real-time but probably is. I know an IPhone will track in very near real-time) on google map. And then get a cheap OBD-II adapter and Torque Lite and you're all set. Although I wonder how much current draw is needed to keep the phone in the charger all the time.

Well, I think you're quite right about your approach.

I have an old Galaxy Nexus in a drawer that could be perfect for the job (it's running Android 7.1, not bad at all).

I've found Traccar, which can do the tracking part to my own server using a mobile phone or an OBD2 device, but I would use a phone.

As the OBD port would be free, I can buy a WiFi OBD2 device for diagnostics and connect it with that phone over a hotspot. In addition, I could use the phone so the headunit always tethers from there.

So both the phone and the headunit would have access to the OBD device.

I would just need a duplicate of my SIM for the phone, I don't think the bandwidth required would be very high.

Only question is if the USB ports in the car are powered when the car is stopped (I guess they aren't) and, if not, if it would be safe to have a powerbank on the car, taking into account we can reach 40ºC in summer where I live.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will report back when (or if) I have the time to test everything. Luckily, I have vacations the second half of August.

 

[bikejog]

Well, I think you're quite right about your approach.

I have an old Galaxy Nexus in a drawer that could be perfect for the job (it's running Android 7.1, not bad at all).

I've found Traccar, which can do the tracking part to my own server using a mobile phone or an OBD2 device, but I would use a phone.

You don't even need to run Traccar. Just sign into your google account on your phone and you automatically get map timelines. It even tracks without internet access, but obviously, internet is needed to upload the trackings to the cloud. Below is my flight between LHR and DUB. My timeline has all my trips around the world. It's fun to look back at the places I've been and the routes I've taken. There must also be a way to upload photos keyed to my map timelines. I'm not sure if you need an US google account though. And I'm also not sure how "realtime" it is. But Traccar is probably more capable.

 

[Mingueeel]

You don't even need to run Traccar. Just sign into your google account on your phone and you automatically get map timelines. It even tracks without internet access, but obviously, internet is needed to upload the trackings to the cloud. Below is my flight between LHR and DUB. My timeline has all my trips around the world. It's fun to look back at the places I've been and the routes I've taken. There must also be a way to upload photos keyed to my map timelines. I'm not sure if you need an US google account though. And I'm also not sure how "realtime" it is. But Traccar is probably more capable.

Thanks! That looks quite good as well, I will consider in case I don't feel like installing Traccar or I have issues installing it on my server.

Just for the record, it seems ELM327 WiFi OBD devices have a web interface and it seems you can change them from AP mode to client mode, it took a while to find that info on the web.

More info here: https://forscan.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16

I will buy a WiFi OBD adapter and will play with it a little...