SUPPORT

Before purchasing

Is Connectini an OBD-II remote diagnostic device, or a tracker?

Connectini’s main function is remote monitoring of the car’s condition. Our service is built on hardware that reads the car’s ECU data, compatible with OBD-II protocols. Through this it also reads data remotely (via the SIM card we’ve already installed), even when the car is parked and you’re not in it. You don’t need to connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The hardware is just a few centimeters long: it doesn’t stick out of the connector like 8-13cm long diagnostic devices do. However, it mostly accesses brand-independent general engine data (ECU): temperature, pressure, RPM, mileage values. It doesn’t have the full access of expensive diagnostic equipment found in service garages (e.g. TCU, BCM, ABS, airbag) and doesn’t replace careful, regular service maintenance.

Full-value tracker (GPS and gyroscope) functions are of course part of the package.

My car is quite old. What can I expect?

We collect data via the OBD-II port. The OBD-II standard was made mandatory in the United States from 1996, and in the European Union from the 2001 model year for gasoline cars and from 2004 for newly manufactured diesel cars. If your car has an OBD-II port (typically lower left or center under the steering wheel, around the glovebox, or possibly at the right-hand door), we can definitely monitor route, location, sudden braking and cornering, vibration, collision, certify the distance traveled based purely on GPS, and track the car’s battery voltage even in your absence. That’s already 25-28 data points, and that’s the worst case, assuming we have access to these for a 2004 car. By comparison, for a 2017-2021 car we can already monitor over 50 data types, even every 2 seconds while driving, with details such as air and coolant temperatures, pressure values, pedal position, RPM, EGR values, engine load.

The newer the vehicle between 2004-2024, the more detail appears, but it’s model-dependent which ones we can access. Models manufactured from the late 2000s already show fuel level (%) or quantity (liter) data, the car’s own range estimate (km), even consumption, distance traveled with the engine fault light on, the time or distance since the fault code memory was last cleared, absolute load, engine load, intake manifold pressure, short-term fuel trim and similar. These are simply the online data we call “status data” (PID: On-board Diagnostics Parameter ID), and we measure and record their values even several thousand times a day. In contrast, we can read and interpret fault codes (DTC: Diagnostic Trouble Code) far more generically. Of the 10,000 DTC fault codes we interpret, roughly half are mandatory, brand-independent standard codes whose support was already expected in the early 2000s, provided the car had the appropriate sensors. The big difference between status values and fault codes is that statuses can be measured continuously, while fault codes are mostly absent — their absence means the failure isn’t detectable, and their appearance signals a symptom, but only a service garage can determine the exact cause (mechanical, damage, sensor fault, electrical network fault). In the Connectini Certificate we summarize the first appearance and clearing time of every single fault signal. However old your car is, if it supports OBD-II, you’ll learn about a fault code’s appearance sooner with %s than in any service garage or with any manual code reading. We read out fault codes potentially thousands of times on a day you drive the car, while a manual reading by a service garage typically happens once every 1-3 years, if at all. Many people only face their car’s fault signals when they want to sell it, and a potential buyer commissions an expert who discovers that the particulate filter has been dirty for 1.5 years, misfires occur, or a sensor is faulty. In broad terms, if your question is whether %s is useful for you, the answer is definitely yes. However, access to status values becomes increasingly detailed over time, depending on whether your car is 5, 10, 15, or 20 years old.

Supported car types

We can read more detailed data from thousands of models; you can find the list of supported car types here: connectini-compatibility.pdf

Setup and usage

How do I activate the service?

First you need to pair the Connectini 2G/4G device in the app, using the “add car” button. You only need to add it once — with either of the 2 QR codes on the device. To activate the service, after successful pairing you need to plug the Connectini 2G/4G device into your car’s OBDII connector. The first time you plug it in, park somewhere with reliable signal coverage. It’s best to be out in the open. With the engine off (no ignition), plug the Connectini 2G/4G device into your car’s OBDII connector. There’s only one way to plug it in, you can’t get it wrong. After plugging it in, wait about 1 minute, then start the engine and use your car as usual. In the first few minutes of starting to use the car, the Connectini 2G/4G device automatically downloads your car’s manufacturer-specific settings from our servers; after that the full range of data extractable from your specific model becomes available.

Where is the OBDII connector located?

You’ll typically find it lower left or center under the steering wheel, around the glovebox, or possibly at the right-hand door — the location varies by brand. The following website, not operated by Connectini, may help you find it: https://www.klavkarr.com/location-plug-connector-obd.php

Why does a message appear on my car’s display after connecting the Connectini 2G/4G device? Is my car broken?

The Connectini 2G/4G device doesn’t interfere with how the car operates, so it cannot cause a fault. With some car manufacturers, any device connected to the OBDII port causes the car to block the brand service’s remote data access. This is normal behavior for that car model, not a fault. In this case, after turning on the ignition, a message may appear on the display referring to the factory data connection/subscription. The message can usually be dismissed by pressing the OK button, and it doesn’t affect the car’s normal operation.

What does “running with a cold engine” mean on the Certificate?

It’s not good for internal combustion engine vehicles to be used for short trips during which the engine doesn’t reach its ideal operating temperature, i.e. it runs with a cold engine. In the Connectini Certificate, short trips count as cold-engine running if the coolant temperature doesn’t reach 70 degrees even by the end of the trip. On the Certificate’s diagram you see the proportion of kilometers driven this way compared to all other trip kilometers.

For example, if the engine was cold for the first 2km of a 10km trip, but the car didn’t stop there and continued the trip, that 2km will NOT be added to the cold-engine running total. We only count trips where the engine was stopped before it even warmed up. That’s also why we don’t count it as cold-engine running if you drove 2km but the coolant hadn’t cooled below 70 degrees since the previous use of the car (for example, it was already 75 degrees at the moment of starting). Another example: if the coolant was 50 degrees at start, then (a) if it reaches 70 degrees during the trip, we don’t record cold-engine use, (b) but if you stop the car at 69 degrees, we do record that short trip.

How can I restart (RESET) the Connectini 2G unit? What should I do if our central system failed to restart the Connectini 2G unit remotely?

Check the LED under the CE marking on the side of the Connectini 2G unit. If it’s lit continuously, you need to RESET the unit, which you can do as follows: unplug it from the OBDII connector, wait until the LED goes off, then plug it back in. About 1 minute after plugging it back in, the LED will start blinking (this is normal operation) — the RESET was successful.

Could a section of my route be missing from my trip log?

If the car is parked or driving somewhere with no or patchy mobile network coverage (e.g. tunnel, underground garage, mountains, or valleys), the latest data in the Connectini service (e.g. App) only becomes available once the data connection is restored; until then, the Connectini 2G/4G device’s internal memory stores the data. If the car is somewhere GPS satellites aren’t reachable (e.g. tunnel, underground garage), the car’s position can’t be determined. The Driving Log displays the distance covered during the time until the satellites become visible again as a straight line.

Can I use Connectini in multiple cars?

Yes, but with restrictions: you can re-pair the device every 30 days — for direct purchases, for the first time on day 30; for dealership purchases, for the first time on day 365. Chapter 8 of the Terms & Conditions describes this in detail. If, based on a change in the chassis number or the data “fingerprint”, we detect that you’ve moved the device without pairing it in the app, data collection stops automatically. If you plug it back into the paired car, data collection resumes.

We’ve committed to continuously certifying the car’s condition and usage, and we can only provide you with the greatest added value if the device stays in the same car continuously. However, if you’ve paired a device to one car, after 30 days you have the option to pair it to another, then to a next one after another 30 days. It’s also important that if you move it between already-paired cars, with the engine off it will still collect location and standing battery voltage data for the last-paired car, while with the engine running, for privacy reasons, automatic data collection shutoff is likely to kick in. For this reason it’s recommended — especially for electric cars — to delete the previous car and create the new one afterward. Note here that if you later recreate a deleted car with the same user in the app, your previously collected data will reappear. It only becomes permanently inaccessible if you use “delete my personal data” (and terminate your account).

If you purchased the device through a car dealership (at a discounted price), based on legitimate interest as the legal basis, for the first 12 months you can only pair it with the car you originally bought it for. If we detect a device transfer, we send an email and push notification to the last user’s account. If someone else tries to use it, for example because you sold the car, you need to consent to this in the app, or delete your car — you can find more details on this in the Terms & Conditions as well. In the notification you receive about the transfer, you can also indicate if theft may have occurred, in which case we’ll stop the service. If you get stuck and need help, we’re available by email.

Why is the display of speed, RPM, and outside temperature delayed on the Connectini Dashboard?

The Connectini App has no direct connection (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) with the data collection unit. It receives information from our servers, which the data must reach first — this causes the delay. The data read out is timestamped, so on the Certificate it’s always referenced with the actual status time, not the arrival time.

How can I manually refresh the displayed data in the app?

If you’re not sure you’re seeing up-to-date information, tapping the Connectini logo in the top-left corner once reloads the interface, along with the latest statuses of the data shown that we’re aware of.

Electric cars

Is it worth using Connectini with a fully electric car (EV)?

Electric cars also have an OBD connector. However, they don’t necessarily follow the same standards through which we access engine status on combustion-engine cars. Fault code storage and signaling, though, is similar. Before subscribing/ordering, it’s worth looking up your car’s type and model year in the compatibility list. A typical example: our system doesn’t support the messages of the Renault Zoe’s 2018 model, but from the 2019 model onward we can already provide more useful data. From our electric test cars we can already read battery health/degradation, charge level, average cell charge, coldest and warmest cell temperature information, but these are still being rolled out in early 2025, and aren’t yet available to our customers in the Diagnostics menu.

I have an electric car. I don’t see detailed status data.

For electric vehicles it’s important that the chassis number is entered exactly when you pair the car, because we read the manufacturer and model year from it. Check that you haven’t mistyped it. If you got it wrong, remove the car and recreate it. If your car shares detailed data with Connectini, then a few minutes or at most a few hours after pairing it downloads the model-specific parameters, and depending on the model you can expect data such as battery pack wear status, charge level, possibly cell temperature, cell voltage. If you don’t see any of these, either the chassis number is incorrect, or we don’t yet support this model’s parameters (this typically occurs for EVs from before 2020).

Contact

If you’d like to share your experiences, report a disturbing issue, or ask a question, you can reach us at support@connectini.com.