Decoding the OBD2 Protocol: Your Comprehensive Guide to On-Board Diagnostics

Are you looking for a straightforward and practical understanding of the Obd2 Protocol?

This guide provides an in-depth introduction to the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD2) protocol, encompassing the OBD2 connector, OBD2 Parameter IDs (PIDs), and its connection to the CAN bus.

This is designed as a hands-on introduction, equipping you with the knowledge to request and decipher OBD2 data, explore key logging applications, and gain valuable practical insights.

Discover why this guide is becoming the go-to resource for mastering the OBD2 protocol.

You can also watch our OBD2 intro video above – or get the PDF

What is the OBD2 Protocol?

The OBD2 protocol is your car’s integrated self-diagnostic system. It is a standardized protocol that enables the retrieval of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and real-time data through the OBD2 connector.

You’ve likely already encountered the OBD2 protocol in action:

Have you ever noticed the malfunction indicator light on your dashboard?

This light is your vehicle signaling an issue. When you take your car to a mechanic, they utilize an OBD2 scanner to pinpoint the problem.

To do this, the mechanic connects the OBD2 reader to the OBD2 16 pin connector, usually located near the steering wheel. The tool transmits ‘OBD2 requests’ to the car, and the car responds with ‘OBD2 responses’. These responses can include data like speed, fuel level, or Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), significantly speeding up the troubleshooting process.

Alt Text: Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) on a dashboard, indicating an OBD2 system alert. A mechanic uses an OBD2 scanner to diagnose the issue.

OBD2 Protocol Compatibility: Does Your Car Support It?

In short: Most likely, yes!

Almost all modern non-electric vehicles are compatible with the OBD2 protocol, and many operate on the CAN bus network. For older vehicles, even if a 16-pin OBD2 connector is present, it might not support OBD2. A reliable way to check compliance is based on where and when the vehicle was initially purchased:

Alt Text: Chart illustrating OBD2 compliance by region (EU, US) and vehicle type, helping determine if a car supports the OBD2 protocol.

History of the OBD2 Protocol

The OBD2 protocol has its roots in California. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) mandated OBD in all new vehicles from 1991 onwards to monitor and control emissions.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended the OBD2 standard, which standardized DTCs and the OBD connector across different manufacturers (SAE J1962).

The implementation of the OBD2 protocol unfolded gradually:

1996: OBD2 became mandatory in the USA for cars and light trucks.
2001: Required in the EU for gasoline cars.
2003: Required in the EU for diesel cars as well (EOBD).
2005: OBD2 became mandatory in the US for medium-duty vehicles.
2008: US vehicles were required to use ISO 15765-4 (CAN) as the foundation for OBD2.
2010: Finally, OBD2 was required in US heavy-duty vehicles.

Alt Text: Infographic depicting the history of the OBD2 protocol, highlighting its evolution from emission control to data access via CAN bus.

Alt Text: Timeline illustrating the key milestones in OBD2 protocol history and the progression of on-board diagnostics.

Alt Text: Graphic representing the future trends of OBD3, including remote diagnostics, emissions testing, cloud integration, and IoT.

The Future Trajectory of the OBD2 Protocol

The OBD2 protocol is set to remain relevant, but its form is evolving.

Key trends to consider include:

Originally designed for emissions control and testing, legislated OBD2 has a significant implication: electric vehicles aren’t obligated to support the OBD2 protocol in any form. This is evident as most modern EVs do not support standard OBD2 requests. Instead, they often use OEM-specific UDS communication. This generally complicates data decoding from electric vehicles, except in cases where decoding rules have been reverse-engineered. Examples include case studies for electric cars like Tesla, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, and VW/Skoda EVs.

The OBD2 protocol today has limitations in data richness and lower-layer protocols, leading to modern alternatives like WWH-OBD (World Wide Harmonized OBD) and OBDonUDS (OBD on UDS). These aim to improve OBD communication using the UDS protocol as a foundation. Learn more in our intro to UDS.

In our connected world, traditional OBD2 tests can be inefficient. Manual emission checks are time-consuming and costly.

The proposed solution is OBD3 – integrating telematics into all vehicles.

OBD3 would incorporate a small radio transponder (similar to those used for bridge tolls) in all cars. This would allow the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) and DTCs to be transmitted via WiFi to a central server for automated checks.

Many current devices already facilitate CAN or OBD2 data transfer via WiFi/cellular, such as the CANedge2 WiFi CAN logger or the CANedge3 3G/4G CAN logger.

While this offers cost savings and convenience, it raises political challenges related to surveillance concerns.

The OBD2 protocol was initially designed for stationary emission controls.

However, third parties now widely use OBD2 for real-time data generation through OBD2 dongles, CAN loggers, etc. The German car industry is considering changes:

“OBD has been designed to service cars in repair shops. It was never intended to allow third parties to build a data-driven economy on the access through this interface.“

Christoph Grote, SVP Electronics, BMW (2017)

The proposal suggests deactivating OBD2 functionality during driving, centralizing data collection on manufacturer servers. This would place manufacturers in control of the ‘automotive big data’.

Arguments for this shift include security enhancements (e.g., reducing car hacking risks), though many view it as a commercial strategy https://www.navixy.com/blog/obd-trackers-what-future-awaits/. Whether this trend gains traction remains to be seen, but it could significantly impact the market for third-party OBD2 services.

Alt Text: Illustration of an OBD2 connector being removed from an electric vehicle, symbolizing the limited OBD2 protocol support in EVs.

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OBD2 Protocol Standards

On-board diagnostics, or OBD2, operates as a higher-layer protocol – akin to a language. CAN functions as the communication method, similar to a phone line. This places the OBD2 protocol in the same category as other CAN-based higher-layer protocols like J1939, CANopen, and NMEA 2000.

Specifically, OBD2 standards define the OBD2 connector, lower-layer protocols, OBD2 Parameter IDs (PIDs), and more.

These standards can be organized using a 7-layer OSI model. The following sections will focus on the most critical standards.

In the OSI model overview, you’ll notice that both SAE and ISO standards cover multiple layers. This generally reflects the standards for OBD defined in the USA (SAE) and EU (ISO). Many standards are technically very similar, such as SAE J1979 versus ISO 15031-5, and SAE J1962 versus ISO 15031-3.

Alt Text: OSI 7-layer model diagram comparing OBD2 and CAN Bus standards, including ISO 15765 and ISO 11898.

Alt Text: Pinout diagram of a Type A OBD2 connector socket, detailing the Data Link Connector (DLC) pin assignments.

The OBD2 Connector [SAE J1962]

The 16-pin OBD2 connector provides easy access to your car’s data and is specified in the standard SAE J1962 / ISO 15031-3.

The illustration shows an example of a Type A OBD2 pin connector, also known as the Data Link Connector (DLC).

Key points to note:

The connector is typically near the steering wheel, but may be hidden.
Pin 16 provides battery power, often even when the ignition is off.
The OBD2 pinout varies depending on the communication protocol.
CAN bus is the most common lower-layer protocol, meaning pins 6 (CAN-H) and 14 (CAN-L) are usually connected.

OBD2 Connector Types: A vs. B

In practice, you might encounter both Type A and Type B OBD2 connectors. Type A is generally found in cars, while Type B is common in medium and heavy-duty vehicles.

As shown, both types have similar OBD2 pinouts but differ in power supply outputs (12V for Type A and 24V for Type B). Baud rates often vary as well, with cars typically using 500K and heavy-duty vehicles often using 250K (though 500K support is increasing).

Type B OBD2 connectors have an interrupted groove in the middle, making them physically distinguishable from Type A. A Type B OBD2 adapter cable is compatible with both Type A and B sockets, while a Type A adapter will not fit into a Type B socket.

Alt Text: Diagram comparing OBD2 Connector Type A and Type B, highlighting differences in voltage (12V/24V) as per SAE J1962 for cars and trucks.

Alt Text: Diagram illustrating the relationship between OBD2 and CAN bus according to ISO 15765 standards.

OBD2 Protocol and CAN Bus [ISO 15765-4]

Since 2008, CAN bus has been mandatory as the lower-layer protocol for OBD2 protocol in all vehicles sold in the US, as per ISO 15765.

ISO 15765-4 (also known as Diagnostics over CAN or DoCAN) specifies a set of constraints applied to the CAN standard (ISO 11898).

It standardizes the CAN interface for test equipment, focusing on the physical, data link, and network layers:

CAN bus bit-rate must be either 250K or 500K.
CAN IDs can be 11-bit or 29-bit.
Specific CAN IDs are designated for OBD requests and responses.
Diagnostic CAN frame data length is fixed at 8 bytes.
The OBD2 adapter cable must not exceed 5 meters.

OBD2 CAN Identifiers (11-bit, 29-bit)

All communication within the OBD2 protocol involves request/response message pairs.

Most vehicles use 11-bit CAN IDs for OBD2 communication. The ‘Functional Addressing’ ID is 0x7DF, which queries all OBD2-compatible ECUs if they have data for the requested parameter (refer to ISO 15765-4). CAN IDs 0x7E0-0x7E7 can be used for ‘Physical Addressing’ requests to specific ECUs (less common).

ECUs can respond with 11-bit IDs ranging from 0x7E8 to 0x7EF. The most common response ID is 0x7E8 (ECM, Engine Control Module), followed by 0x7E9 (TCM, Transmission Control Module).

Some vehicles, particularly vans and medium to heavy-duty vehicles, may use extended 29-bit CAN identifiers for OBD2 communication instead of 11-bit IDs.

The ‘Functional Addressing’ CAN ID in this case is 0x18DB33F1.

Responses from the vehicle will use CAN IDs from 0x18DAF100 to 0x18DAF1FF (typically 18DAF110 and 18DAF11E). The response ID is sometimes presented in the ‘J1939 PGN’ format, specifically PGN 0xDA00 (55808), which the J1939-71 standard reserves for ‘ISO 15765-2’.

Alt Text: Diagram illustrating OBD2 protocol request and response frames, showing PID data and parameters exchange.

Alt Text: Illustration contrasting OBD2 and proprietary CAN bus data, highlighting differences in accessibility and standardization.

OBD2 Protocol vs. Proprietary CAN Protocols

It’s important to understand that your vehicle’s electronic control units (ECUs) do not rely on the OBD2 protocol for their core functions. Instead, each Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) implements their own proprietary CAN protocols for these operations. These proprietary CAN protocols can be unique to the vehicle’s brand, model, and year. Unless you are the OEM, interpreting this data is generally not possible without reverse engineering.

Connecting a CAN bus data logger to your car’s OBD2 connector might capture OEM-specific CAN data, typically broadcast at 1000-2000 frames per second. However, many newer vehicles use a ‘gateway’ that blocks access to this CAN data, only allowing OBD2 protocol communication through the OBD2 connector.

In essence, consider OBD2 protocol as an ‘additional’ higher-layer protocol functioning alongside the OEM-specific protocol.

Bit-rate and ID Validation for OBD2 Protocol

As mentioned, the OBD2 protocol can use two bit-rates (250K, 500K) and two CAN ID lengths (11-bit, 29-bit), resulting in 4 potential combinations. Modern vehicles commonly use 500K and 11-bit IDs, but external tools should systematically verify this.

ISO 15765-4 provides guidelines for a systematic initialization sequence to determine the correct combination, as shown in the flowchart. This method uses the fact that OBD2-compliant vehicles must respond to a specific mandatory OBD2 request (see the OBD2 PID section for details) and that incorrect bit-rate transmissions will cause CAN error frames.

Newer ISO 15765-4 versions account for vehicles supporting OBD communication via OBDonUDS instead of OBDonEDS. This article primarily focuses on OBD2/OBDonEDS (OBD on emission diagnostic service as per ISO 15031-5/SAE J1979) rather than WWH-OBD/OBDonUDS (OBD on Unified Diagnostic Service as per ISO 14229, ISO 27145-3/SAE J1979-2).

To test for OBDonEDS versus OBDonUDS protocol, a test tool may send additional UDS requests with 11-bit/29-bit functional address IDs for service 0x22 and data identifier (DID) 0xF810 (protocol identification). Vehicles supporting OBDonUDS should have ECUs that respond to this DID.

OBDonEDS (also known as OBD2, SAE OBD, EOBD, or ISO OBD) is currently used in most non-EV cars, while WWH-OBD is mainly used in EU trucks and buses.

Alt Text: Flowchart illustrating the OBD2 bit-rate and CAN ID validation process according to ISO 15765-4.

Alt Text: Diagram showing the five lower-layer OBD2 protocols: CAN (ISO 15765), KWP2000, SAE J1850, ISO 9141.

Five Lower-Layer OBD2 Protocols

CAN is now the primary lower-layer protocol for the OBD2 protocol in most vehicles, as per ISO 15765.

However, when inspecting older vehicles (pre-2008), it’s helpful to know the other four lower-layer protocols previously used for OBD2. Note the pinouts, which can help determine the protocol used in your vehicle.

ISO 15765 (CAN bus): Mandatory in US vehicles since 2008 and now widely used.
ISO14230-4 (KWP2000): Keyword Protocol 2000, common in 2003+ vehicles, especially in Asia.
ISO 9141-2: Used in EU, Chrysler, and Asian vehicles from 2000-2004.
SAE J1850 (VPW): Primarily used in older GM vehicles.
SAE J1850 (PWM): Primarily used in older Ford vehicles.

Transporting OBD2 Messages via ISO-TP [ISO 15765-2]

All data within the OBD2 protocol is communicated on the CAN bus using a transport protocol called ISO-TP (ISO 15765-2). This allows for payloads exceeding 8 bytes, necessary for operations like retrieving the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs). ISO 15765-2 handles segmentation, flow control, and reassembly. More details are available in our intro to UDS.

Often, OBD2 data fits within a single CAN frame. In these cases, ISO 15765-2 specifies using a ‘Single Frame’ (SF), where the first data byte (PCI field) indicates the payload length (excluding padding), leaving 7 bytes for OBD2 communication.

Alt Text: Diagram illustrating ISO 15765-2 ISO-TP OBD2 frame types, showing different frame formats for data transmission.

The OBD2 Diagnostic Message [SAE J1979, ISO 15031-5]

To better understand OBD2 protocol over CAN, let’s examine a raw ‘Single Frame’ OBD2 CAN message. In simple terms, an OBD2 message includes an identifier, data length (PCI field), and data, which is further divided into Mode, Parameter ID (PID), and data bytes.

Alt Text: Breakdown of an OBD2 message structure, explaining the raw frame, mode, PID, ID, and data bytes components.

Example: OBD2 Request/Response

Before detailing each part of the OBD2 message, let’s look at a request/response example for ‘Vehicle Speed’.

An external tool sends a request message to the car with CAN ID 0x7DF and 2 payload bytes: Mode 0x01 and PID 0x0D. The car responds with CAN ID 0x7E8 and 3 payload bytes, including the Vehicle Speed value in the 4th byte, 0x32 (50 in decimal).

Using OBD2 PID 0x0D decoding rules, we find that the physical value is 50 km/h.

Next, we will explore OBD2 modes and PIDs.

Alt Text: Example of an OBD2 request (7DF) and response (7E8) for vehicle speed, demonstrating OBD2 protocol communication.

Alt Text: Example of OBD2 PID 0D for vehicle speed, detailing the parameter identification and data interpretation.

Alt Text: Diagram illustrating the 10 OBD2 service modes, including current data, freeze frame, and clear DTC functionalities.

The 10 OBD2 Services (aka Modes)

There are 10 standardized OBD2 diagnostic services, or modes. Mode 0x01 provides current real-time data, while others are used to display or clear diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) or show freeze frame data.

Vehicles are not required to support all OBD2 modes and may include modes beyond the 10 standardized ones (OEM-specific OBD2 modes).

In OBD2 messages, the mode is in the second byte. In a request, the mode is directly included (e.g., 0x01), while in a response, 0x40 is added to the mode (e.g., resulting in 0x41).

OBD2 Parameter IDs (PIDs)

Each OBD2 mode contains Parameter IDs (PIDs).

For example, mode 0x01 includes approximately 200 standardized PIDs providing real-time data such as speed, RPM, and fuel level. However, vehicles do not have to support all PIDs within a mode. In practice, most vehicles support only a subset.

One PID is particularly important.

If an emissions-related ECU supports any OBD2 services, it must support mode 0x01 PID 0x00. In response to this PID, the vehicle ECU indicates whether it supports PIDs 0x01-0x20. PID 0x00 is therefore useful as a fundamental ‘OBD2 compatibility test’. Further, PIDs 0x20, 0x40, …, 0xC0 can be used to determine support for the remaining mode 0x01 PIDs.

Alt Text: Diagram illustrating OBD2 protocol request and response frames in relation to PID data and parameters.

Alt Text: Screenshot of an OBD2 PID overview tool, highlighting service 01 and its functionalities.

Tip: OBD2 PID Overview Tool

Appendixes in SAE J1979 and ISO 15031-5 provide scaling information for standard OBD2 PIDs, allowing you to decode data into physical values (as explained in our CAN bus intro).

For looking up mode 0x01 PIDs, our OBD2 PID overview tool is a valuable resource. It helps construct OBD2 request frames and dynamically decode OBD2 responses.

OBD2 PID overview tool

How to Log and Decode OBD2 Protocol Data

This section provides a practical example of logging OBD2 data using the CANedge CAN bus data logger.

The CANedge allows configuration of custom CAN frames for transmission, making it suitable for OBD2 logging.

Once configured, the device can be easily connected to your vehicle via our OBD2-DB9 adapter cable.

Alt Text: Diagram showing an OBD2 PID data logger request (7df) and response (7e8) sequence, demonstrating data logging setup.

You can send a CAN frame at e.g. 500K, then check if it is successfully sent

The responses to ‘Supported PIDs’ can be reviewed in asammdf

Alt Text: OBD2 PID lookup tool interface showing supported PIDs, aiding in decoding results from OBD2 data logging.

#1: Test Bit-rate, IDs & Supported PIDs

As discussed, ISO 15765-4 outlines how to determine the bit-rate and IDs used by a vehicle. You can test this with CANedge as follows (see CANedge Intro for details):

Send a CAN frame at 500K and verify success (if not, try 250K).
Use the identified bit-rate for subsequent communication.
Send multiple ‘Supported PIDs’ requests and examine the results.
Determine 11-bit vs. 29-bit IDs based on response IDs.
Identify supported PIDs based on response data.

We provide plug & play configurations to perform these tests.

Most 2008+ non-EV vehicles support 40-80 PIDs using 500K bit-rate, 11-bit CAN IDs, and the OBD2/OBDonEDS protocol.

As shown in the asammdf GUI screenshot, multiple responses to a single OBD request are common because we use the 0x7DF request ID, which polls all ECUs for responses. Since all OBD2/OBDonEDS-compliant ECUs must support service 0x01 PID 0x00, there are often numerous responses to this PID. Subsequent ‘Supported PIDs’ requests typically receive fewer ECU responses. Notice that the ECM ECU (0x7E8) supports all PIDs supported by other ECUs in this example, meaning busload can be reduced by specifically requesting responses from this ECU using ‘Physical Addressing’ CAN ID 0x7E0 for future communication.

#2: Configure OBD2 PID Requests

Once you know your vehicle’s supported OBD2 PIDs and the correct bit-rate and CAN IDs, configure your transmit list with the PIDs of interest.

Consider these points:

CAN IDs: Switch to ‘Physical Addressing’ request IDs (e.g., 0x7E0) to avoid multiple responses per request.
Spacing: Add 300-500 ms intervals between OBD2 requests to prevent ECU overload.
Battery drain: Use triggers to stop transmissions when the vehicle is inactive to avoid ECU ‘wake-up’.
Filters: Implement filters to record only OBD2 responses, especially if OEM-specific CAN data is also present.

With these configurations, your device is set to log raw OBD2 data!

Alt Text: Example of a CANedge OBD2 PID request transmit list, showing configured parameters for data logging.

Alt Text: asammdf software visualization of decoded OBD2 data plotted from a CAN bus DBC file, showing data analysis.

#3: DBC Decode Raw OBD2 Data

To analyze and visualize your logged data, you need to decode the raw OBD2 data into ‘physical values’ like km/h or °C.

Decoding information is available in ISO 15031-5/SAE J1979 and online resources like Wikipedia. We provide a free OBD2 DBC file for easy DBC decoding of raw OBD2 data in most CAN bus software tools.

Decoding OBD2 data is more complex than regular CAN signals because different OBD2 PIDs use the same CAN ID (e.g., 0x7E8). The CAN ID alone is insufficient to identify the signals in the payload.

To address this, you must use the CAN ID, OBD2 mode, and OBD2 PID to identify the signal. This multiplexing method is known as ‘extended multiplexing‘, which can be implemented in DBC files.

CANedge: OBD2 Data Logger

The CANedge simplifies OBD2 data recording to an 8-32 GB SD card. Connect it to a car or truck to start logging and decode the data using free software/APIs and our OBD2 DBC.

OBD2 logger intro
CANedge

OBD2 Multi-Frame Examples [ISO-TP]

All OBD2 protocol data communication uses ISO-TP (transport protocol) as per ISO 15765-2. Most examples discussed so far involve single-frame communication. This section provides multi-frame communication examples.

Multi-frame OBD2 communication requires flow control frames (see our UDS intro). In practice, this can be achieved by transmitting a static flow control frame, e.g., 50 ms after the initial request frame, as shown in the CANedge configuration example.

Furthermore, multi-frame OBD2 responses require CAN software/API tools that support ISO-TP, such as CANedge MF4 decoders.

Alt Text: Example of an OBD2 multi-frame request message for Vehicle Identification Number retrieval, illustrating ISO-TP in action.

Example 1: OBD2 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is crucial for telematics, diagnostics, and more (see our intro to UDS for details). To retrieve the VIN using OBD2 protocol requests, use mode 0x09 and PID 0x02:

The tester tool sends a Single Frame request with the PCI field (0x02), request service identifier (0x09), and PID (0x02).

The vehicle responds with a First Frame that includes the PCI, length (0x014 = 20 bytes), mode (0x49, i.e., 0x09 + 0x40), and PID (0x02). Following the PID is byte 0x01, the Number Of Data Items (NODI), which is 1 in this case (see ISO 15031-5 / SAE J1979 for details). The remaining 17 bytes constitute the VIN and can be converted from HEX to ASCII using methods discussed in our UDS intro.

Example 2: OBD2 Multi-PID Request (6x)

External tools can request up to 6 mode 0x01 OBD2 PIDs in a single request frame. The ECU responds with data for supported PIDs (excluding unsupported ones), possibly across multiple frames as per ISO-TP.

This efficient method allows for higher frequency OBD2 data collection, but the signal encoding is specific to your request, complicating the use of generic OBD2 DBC files. We generally advise against this method. Below is an example trace:

The multi-frame response is similar to the VIN example, but the payload includes both the requested PIDs and their data. PIDs in the example are ordered similarly to the request order, which is common but not strictly required by ISO 15031-5.

Decoding this response via DBC files is complex and not recommended for practical data logging unless your tool has built-in support for this method. It involves extended multiplexing, with each PID’s payload position needing to be accounted for in the DBC file. This approach is difficult to generalize across vehicles with varying supported PIDs and becomes nearly unmanageable with multiple multi-PID requests.

Workarounds might include custom scripts and recording transmit messages, allowing the script to interpret responses based on requests. However, these methods are generally hard to scale.

Example 3: OBD2 Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)

You can request emissions-related Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) using OBD2 protocol mode 0x03, ‘Show stored Diagnostic Trouble Codes’. No PID is included in the request. The targeted ECU(s) will respond with the number of stored DTCs (possibly 0), with each DTC occupying 2 data bytes. Multi-frame responses are needed when more than 2 DTCs are stored.

The 2-byte DTC value is typically split into two parts, as per ISO 15031-5/ISO 15031-6. The first 2 bits define the ‘category’, and the remaining 14 bits form a 4-digit hexadecimal code, as shown visually. Decoded DTC values can be looked up using OBD2 DTC lookup tools like repairpal.com.

The example below shows a request to an ECU with 6 stored DTCs.

Alt Text: OBD2 DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) DBC interpretation example, detailing the decoding process and data structure.

OBD2 Protocol Data Logging – Use Case Examples

OBD2 data from cars and light trucks has numerous applications:

Alt Text: OBD2 data logger connected to a car, illustrating on-board diagnostics and data logging in vehicle applications.

Logging data from cars

OBD2 data can be used to reduce fuel costs, improve driving habits, test prototype parts, and for insurance purposes.

obd2 logger

Alt Text: OBD2 real-time streaming diagnostics setup via USB, showing data flow for live vehicle analysis.

Real-time car diagnostics

OBD2 interfaces enable real-time streaming of human-readable OBD2 data for diagnosing vehicle issues.

obd2 streaming

Alt Text: OBD2 data logger for predictive maintenance, highlighting telematics and IoT applications for vehicle health monitoring.

Predictive maintenance

Cars and light trucks can be monitored via IoT OBD2 loggers in the cloud to predict and prevent breakdowns.

predictive maintenance

Alt Text: CAN bus data logger functioning as a vehicle black box, useful for insurance, warranty, and diagnostic data recording.

Vehicle blackbox logger

An OBD2 logger can serve as a ‘blackbox’ for vehicles, providing data for disputes or diagnostics.

can bus blackbox

Do you have an OBD2 data logging use case? Contact us for free consultation!

For more introductions, see our guides section or download the ‘Ultimate Guide’ PDF.

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