IPhone OBD-II App

Rev by DevToaster is an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that allows real-time monitoring of vehicle ECU data from the OBD-II port. Rev interfaces with a WiFi OBD-II dongle.

If your check engine light is on or flashing, REV is able to check the engine code, list all of the engine codes stored in the vehicle, and reset the stored codes or check engine light.

Rev is able to monitor real-time; vehicle speed, RPM, fuel consumption, engine coolant temp, fuel pressure, calculated engine load, throttle position, intake manifold pressure, air intake temp, timing advance, mass air flow, fuel level, barometric pressure, EVAP system vapor pressure, and fuel trim.

A brief video of REV in action is after the break.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRfLS6jkBMY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]

[via Autoblog]

61 thoughts on “IPhone OBD-II App

  1. How much lag is there between the ODB-II and the iPhone/iPod touch? Many PC-based, directly connected, ODB-II programs still have some slight lag. Is the lag with this app really noticeable?

  2. Interesting project. Definitely trumps the ODB-II monitor plugins available, since you have a more complex system which allows for more available data (though granted, the lag may be up to a second, at the worst.)

  3. ive seen this on a few sites now, and it looks sweet. but, as on all the other sites, here, the “rev” website and the internet in general there is no mention of where or how to get a hold of an obdii->wlan adapter. i dont think they exist.

    1. A OBD-II adapter to iPhone plug can be found at Wal-Mart now. Or you can buy one online. The one that Wal-Mart sells (In the iPhone and iPod accesories isle) is a GOPOINT Technology GS-1 adapter. Works Excellent. Rev is a good app, so is DashCommand, GoPoint and GoPoint ReadyLINK, as well as many other apps in the apple app store. Search keyword “OBD”

  4. Not sure about Wifi, but I know there are bluetooth OBD-II readers available. Though the company that developed this software is “working on” a wifi OBD-II.

    Not sure how much freedom there is in the software configuration, but they also make USB OBD-II readers, so maybe that would work. Or if you really wanted to go wireless (but can read from a USB OBD-II reader and price isn’t a factor) you could get the USB one, hook it up to a wireless USB hub like http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=356042 , and plug the wireless USB dongle into the phone. Extreme overkill.

  5. It would have to be a wifi odbii adapter that can accept ad-hoc connections or else you’re going to need a separate wifi network.

    Why not just use the built in serial port on a jailbroken phone?

  6. @craig and m
    I work as an autotech and when i was going to college for it we had a scan tool at school that had wifi and blue tooth that could send the info to a computer/portable device in ‘real time'(there was a little bit of lag but it was reasonable) it wasn’t a cheap one tho prolly a $4-5000 scan tool, you can get obd2-usb adapters for under $100 tho im not sure what the iphone/itouch have for ports but you might be able to rig it up to the mini usb port on a nokia n series or to a psp, or maybe use some type of arm board with wifi and plug it into the usb to send the data…you might be able to get away with something like that for under $250 …heres one i found w/ google http://www.obd-ii.de/news.html

  7. Hey now, this isn’t digg, everyone be nice.

    But I do agree, the iPhone is rather not worth the hype or money. It can be useful, but having used the non-3G version why the hell didn’t they put GPS in it? Then you could have an OBDII monitor, GPS Nav, Phone, Ipod, and anything else you can think up in one device. Also, doesn’t the iPhone have accelerometers in it? Couldn’t you do something like a 1/4mile time meter and torque meter purely from the Accels?

  8. Perhaps someone from HackADay could work on creating one of these cheap-to-produce OBDII-WLan adapters?

    straight from the rev site, the reason they haven’t gone bluetooth is because the bluetooth API is locked-down for app-store applications, same for USB.

  9. It’s not open as far as i can tell.

    Anyway, is anyone out there tinkering with VPW? I’ve managed to get the PCM, BDM, and ICP for my car. I was tinkering with them on the bench and found some very interesting oversites regarding the break symbol and how each module handles loss of communication due to extended break symbol.

    I also grabbed a few packets and tossed together a spread sheet to help tear it down.

    I added the URL to a related automotive project. It deals with the 7.3L Ford power stroke electronics. Injector Driver Module(IDM) reverse engineering.

  10. “QUOTE” This doesn’t work for some reason on my car…using Kiwi Wifi. Its connected fine, but every metric is stuck at 33.3 WTF “QUOTE”

    i got the same problem :(

  11. My REV + Kiwi WIFI also makes all the metrics sit on 33 or 33.3.

    I damn hope it can read check codes after forking out hundreds of dollars.

    I’ll be trying it on some newer cars than my 2002 VX-II LS1 commodore before I see if it’s buggered.

  12. Ok got the answer for the ‘33.3 issue’ from a utube video comment.

    Buy the app! ..you won’t be sorry :-)

    And don’t leave the Kiwi Wifi dongle connected for more than a couple of days. I almost drained my large battery after having it connected 2 days with the car parked in the garage.

  13. EXTREMELY expensive for what it is. Obviously if you want to spend time building your own OBDII wireless kit and try and chop the price by some 40% – fine. But the software itself isn’t very advanced, even version 2.0. Latency can also be a problem. If you are serious about getting all the log and fault info you need, stick to a USB type OBDII interface, and get a much more advanced piece of software. You’ll save yourself a hell of a lot of money. Otherwise just get a decent scanner.

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