OBDII Data Capture on smartphone

[Richard]

Hi

Does anyone use a tool to capture OBDII data from their car on a smart phone? The tools I've looked at allow you to configure your own dashboard with live data, so you're no longer stuck with the gauges and trip computer on your car.

They also include GPS tracks so you can build a database of journeys and show them on Google Earth.

I imagine they'd be useful for geeks wanting to understand how their car is performing and track people wanting get lap data. I organise a few club trips each year and it'd be great to build a log of our routes, especially so we can compare data between two people on the same route.

Here's a link to one supplier.... http://www.plxkiwi.com/kiwiwifi/software.html

I'm seriously tempted to finally get a smart phone just for this. Any feedback on similar phone apps and hardware would be appreciated before I spend my cash.

Richard

[Giblet]

I would be apprehensive as to the accuracy of the GPS in the iPhone. Its great for getting from A to B and seeing the route, but it isn't 'true' GPS and works off cell tower and wifi triangulation. When I use my running app it occasionally shows me cutting corners when I clearly didn't run over someone's house.

Its constantly figuring out where it is, instead of just knowing based on never changing satellites.

The tie in to the cars diag and data outs is nice though. It would be cool if you could have a speed delta for your daily drive.

"Shave a 10th off that corner by clipping the pedestrian"

http://www.scantool.net/obdlink-wifi.html

Is that up your alley?

[GKlein]

The iPhone does have real GPS capability. You can use it where there are no wifi networks.

It uses AGPS which combines both GPS and wifi network location data to decrease the time to locate itself.

The iPod and iPad do not have built-in GPS receivers and only use wifi network location data.

[Richard]

The 3G versions of the iPad have AGPS.

[strad]

Way cooler app than Angry Birds or whatever dumb game or 90% of the other apps I've seen

[Cold Fussion]

I would be apprehensive as to the accuracy of the GPS in the iPhone. Its great for getting from A to B and seeing the route, but it isn't 'true' GPS and works off cell tower and wifi triangulation. When I use my running app it occasionally shows me cutting corners when I clearly didn't run over someone's house.

Its constantly figuring out where it is, instead of just knowing based on never changing satellites.

The tie in to the cars diag and data outs is nice though. It would be cool if you could have a speed delta for your daily drive.

"Shave a 10th off that corner by clipping the pedestrian"

http://www.scantool.net/obdlink-wifi.html
Is that up your alley?

That was true for the early ones but even since the 3GS they have a proper GPS system. The iPhone 4s even supports GLONASS.

[andylaurence]

The iPhone GPS (or the GPS in any other phone) is not suitable for data logging. It's not worth bothering with. If you want to get any sort of meaningful data, you need a GPS like the QStarz BT-818X and an application like Trackmaster for Android or Racechrono for Symbian/Windows Mobile.