Connected Car Devices Image

Connected Car Devices

Find and compare Wifi and Bluetooth driving assistance systems. OBD 2 adapters to track and monitor driving and car diagnostics remotely from your Android or iOS device.

A new class of devices are being developed that capture your cars computer sensor data using your vehicles on-board diagnostic port (OBD II is available on cars built from 1996 on) and adds a layer of additional features on top.

These devices turn this information into a resource to help easily understand a check-engine light, adjust your insurance rate based on how/when you actually drive, and create added safety features through tracking and emergency response services.

The following Channel Guide will help you:

  • Get device and their app reviews. Determine if the adapter/dongle can work with your car model and your Android or iOS phone.
  • Filter based on monthly pricing, or by feature (theft tracking, api access, insurance or parental monitoring, etc).

11/01/2019

Featured

Device spotlight

Bluedriver Professional OBD2 Tool

Bluedriver Professional OBD2 Tool Image

Highlights

  • Trusted by mechanics and developed by Professional Engineers in North America
    • Smog Ready Check
      • Advanced test results (like misfire counts) for On-Board Diagnostic System Monitors.

Quick Links


Merchant

$99.95 - Direct

Online Pricing

$119.95 - Amazon More

Consumer

OBD monitoring devices currently on the market

Automatic

Automatic Image

Highlights

  • App Marketplace
    • OBD-II Port and Bluetooth Connectivity
      • Collision Detection using built-in accelerometer

CarLock

CarLock Image

Highlights

  • The CarLock Cloud will inform your emergency contacts via SMS if you had an accident. - Add backup SMS or call notifications (SIM card included)
    • Export your trips data to your computer with CSV or XLS export
      • CarLock actively monitors the health of your vehicle and alerts you in advance if your car battery is running dangerously low or is experiencing high battery drain.

Dash Car

Dash Car Image

Highlights

  • Integrates with IFTTT
    • Take pole position on the leaderboard, win rewards and share road trips
      • Dash works with preferred OBD devices, starting as low as $10. Provides automated VIN decoding, multi-car support and push alerts.

Quick Links


Merchant

$19 - Direct

Verizon Hum

Verizon Hum Image

Highlights

  • Includes Bluetooth speaker clips to your visor. It gives you one-button access to emergency help, plus safe, hands-free talking
    • Sutomatic crash detection and roadside assistance
      • Mechanics Hotline

Quick Links


Merchant

$49.99 - Direct

Online Pricing

- Amazon More

Vinli

Vinli Image

Highlights

  • Vinli turns your car into a rolling WiFi hotspot
    • 4G LTE, Wifi, and Bluetooth Connectivity
      • Standalone GPS and app store

Quick Links


Online Pricing

Price not available - Amazon More

Vyncs Link

Vyncs Link Image

Highlights

  • No monthly fees, no contract
    • 3G wireless connection nationwide in US over AT&T and T-Mobile
      • Zone notifications, trip history, driving score, roadside assistance optional, and an optional remote lock/unlock accessory

Quick Links


Merchant

$72.98 - Direct

Online Pricing

$79.99 - Amazon More

Comparison Articles:

NYTimes: Picking Your Car’s Computerized Brain - 11/19/2014 Winner: Automatic

Additional OBD2 Dongle Options


Standalone Apps

Another option is to pair a cheaper $11-$20 standalone Bluetooth or Wifi dongle from Amazon and then pair it with one of the following Apps.

Itunes

Name Reviews Price
DashCommand 4.5/5 (48 Reviews) $9.99
Engine Link 3.5 (14 Reviews) $5.99
iOBD2 2.5/5 (204 Reviews) Free

Android / Google Play

Name Reviews Price
Torque Pro 4.5/5 (44,000 Reviews) $4.95
Torque Light 4/5 (20,000 Reviews) Free
Car Gauge Pro 3.5/5 (439 Reviews) $8.95
OBDLink 4/5 (5000 Reviews) Free

Consumer: Insurance Focused

Help cut your current insurance costs down, or pay for only how much you drive.

metromile

METROMILE

Metromile’s pay-per-mile insurance offering saves low-mileage drivers a ton of money. All pay-per-mile insurance customers receive the Metromile...

TRAVELERS INTELLIDRIVE

TRAVELERS INTELLIDRIVE

"As an IntelliDrive customer, you can save money if you are a low mileage driver. Getting started takes minutes and your first benefit starts as...

PROGRESSIVE SNAPSHOT

PROGRESSIVE SNAPSHOT

"This little device turns your safe driving into savings. It just makes sense—insurance should be based partly on how you actually drive, rather...

LIBERTY MUTUAL RIGHTTRACK

LIBERTY MUTUAL RIGHTTRACK

"Connect, drive and save with RightTrack from Liberty Mutual Insurance."

App Based:

Insurance Side Software

  • Amodo - "Our Driver Suite – Driver Copilot, enables all stakeholders in the automotive ecosystem to better understand how their products and services are being used, thus enabling better cross-sell and up-sell opportunities for businesses and optimized car ownership for drivers."

Fleet Management

Enterprise fleet tracking products and services to provide access, track location and improve operational efficiency.

WATSON IOT AUTOMOTIVE

WATSON IOT AUTOMOTIVE

Deliver new service models to your customers by developing, manufacturing and maintaining connected cars

LOCALMOTION - BY ZIPCAR

LOCALMOTION - BY ZIPCAR

"Share vehicles effortlessly, increase fleet utilization, and streamline operations with Local Motion’s keyless access and web-based motor pool...

CLOUD YOUR CAR

CLOUD YOUR CAR

"Cloud Your Car provides the tracking hardware with built-in GSM connectivity, cloud data processing platform and a set of online tools for...

FLEET GENIUS

FLEET GENIUS

"Full featured fleet management with fleet maintenance software, fleet tracking and driver safety monitoring."

ZUBIE BUSINESS

ZUBIE BUSINESS

Low-cost fleet tracking, made simple. Zubie includes always-connected cellular service, so you can stay connected to your fleet from anywhere.

Software & Platforms

  • Watson IoT Automotive: Deliver new service models to your customers by developing, manufacturing and maintaining connected cars
  • Venium - "Veniam turns vehicles into WiFi hotspots. We build and operate city-scale vehicular networks that expand wireless coverage and collect terabytes of urban data.'"
  • Carvoyant - "Provides easy access to connected car data via our API. The API IS our product. You build what you need to help your clients with our tools. Carvoyant takes months off the time to go to market for connected car development and continues to support the data needs of your application."
  • Weather Cloud
    A Boulder based company looking to improve road condition safety and traffic routing using a cloud service and data gathered from sensors installed on a vehicle's license plates.
  • OpenXC Platform "OpenXC™ is a combination of open source hardware and software that lets you extend your vehicle with custom applications and pluggable modules."
  • Open Car Project "A platform to connect your car to the internet. Your car will connect without any help of other devices such as smartphones. The data will be available online, where you get smart analytics. The device and data will be open and accessible, so an ecosystem for smart car applications will grow."
  • CargoAI - "Cargo is seeking awesome automotive applications and the developers who create them to help realize the connected car."
  • otonomo - Autonomous cars use otonomo to connect to digital infrastructures and exchange data in real time with other connected and autonomous cars.

Alliances

  • Ford Sync
  • Open Automotive Alliance
    "The OAA is a global alliance of technology and auto industry leaders committed to bringing the Android platform to cars starting in 2014."
  • GENIVI
    "A non-profit industry alliance committed to driving the broad adoption of an In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) open-source development platform."

DIY & Open Source

Projects

  • mHUD - An Ionic 2 Mobile heads-up display This app turns your phone in to a heads-up display for your car. It displays your current speed, rpm, and the road speed limit.
  • Ryan C. Gordon ("icculus") - OBD GPS Logger

Additional Resources

Have a car older than 1996 without an OBDii port?

You can convert an older vehicle with an OBD1 to work with new OBD2 devices using an adapter like this one sold on Amazon for $15

Background Articles

Security Focused:

Resources

Sensor Types

The average American automobile include around 60 sensors (most of which are accessible from its on-board OBD II port.)

  • Road Condition Sensor
  • Magnetic Sensor
  • Vehicle Distance Sensor
  • Forward Obstacle Sensor
  • Blind Spot Monitoring Camera
  • Drive Recorder
  • Air Pressure Sensor
  • Steering Angle Sensor
  • Electronic Control Throttle
  • Vehicle Speed, Acceleration Sensor
  • Collision Detection Sensor
  • GPS Sensor

Additional Products

Now that we have covered the OBD2 device category. What about other Bluetooth car products?

Wi-Fi Exhaust System

Roush Active Exhaust: Wi-Fi Exhaust System

Part of the vision of the Internet of Things is that it will usher in a world where every object around us is, to some extent, programmable. So far lightbulbs are the poster child for this concept, with brightness settings, strobing patterns, and millions of colors selectable through smartphone apps. A similar power of control over our surroundings is developing in other products, including some where you might not expect it — like car engines.

Roush, a company known for its high-performance vehicles and after-market parts, is now selling a $1700 Active Exhaust system that gives drivers control over the sound of a Mustang’s engine. By opening or closing exhaust vents, the system can “tune” the engine from a quiet purr to a throaty roar. Car owners can choose from several preset modes, or create their own custom tunings, by attaching a Wi-Fi dongle to the vehicle’s diagnostic port and connecting to the Active Exhaust system with a smartphone app.

The noise of a muscle car may be thrilling to the driver, but can also be a source of annoyance to pedestrians and nearby homeowners. Part of the appeal of Active Exhaust is that it gives drivers the option to respectfully shush their engine on residential streets, and still enjoy making noise on the highway or at the track. But it may also point to a future in which noise regulations could be wirelessly enforced on a per-neighborhood basis, with beacons broadcasting a maximum decibel level and vehicles automatically adjusting their exhaust tuning to stay in compliance.
Wi-Fi Exhaust System: Roush Active Exhaust

Ultimately, this is just one of many ways that the IoT is allowing individuals to personalize their immediate environment. How these technologies will interact with community standards remains to be seen (or, as the case may be, heard).

Check out the video below to hear for yourself how Roush’s Active Exhaust changes the sound of a car engine in real time.

Guide

Trevor Harwood


Trevor has been following the IoT and its implications since 2009. He is most interested in how we can utilize technology and connectivity to reduce resource usage.


Contact

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