Quick Forscan Question

[YamahaRick]

In prepping to buy my SHO, I purchased a new OBDII scanner. I installed the included scanner software on my tablet, and made sure mt Torque Pro paid app was up to date. I also installed Forscan on my laptop - the two month trial of the full version.

Tablet-wise, everything was cool. Confirmed no active trouble codes.

For the laptop and Forscan, it was suggested to use a USB cable over Bluetooth. So I ordered one.

The cable worked fine, but Forscan said it did not support the faster connection protocol. My not-so-old laptop has BT, so I tried Forscan with it - Success!

That being said, as a former IT nerd, I understand that the USB connection will be more reliable than BT - for the most part. I can't see a BT connection having much of an issue when the two new-ish devices are less than one meter apart.

That being said, I have already made plans to make some changes via Forscan. When I do this, should I still to USB or go with the faster BT?

TIA.

 

[Majestic]

I always use the BT connection and have never had any issues.

 

[Texas Marauder]

You don't say which USB adapter you have. The FORScan recommended adapters will read all modules. Personally, I like and use the vLinker FS with my laptop and the vLinker FD with Android. BT is fine for reading and clearing DTCs. You won't have trouble programming with BT until you do and then you have to figure out what you screwed up. FORScan recommends a wired USB connection for programming.

 

[YamahaRick]

 

[Texas Marauder]

Download FORScan

Notice only USB adapters are listed under Windows.

What USB adapter are you trying to use?

 

[YamahaRick]

Download FORScan

Notice only USB adapters are listed under Windows.

What USB adapter are you trying to use?

I noticed all that. The application said it only works via USB, and had a suggestion for purchase.

The suggested USB cable is the one that only connected at the lower speed. On a lark, I tried using my laptop's BT. That is when I learned Forscan actually works via BT.

 

[Texas Marauder]

Not sure if you can access this link as the Forum is only for paid license holders. If you can, read thru it.

USB adapters performance optimization - FORScan forum

 

[YamahaRick]

Not sure if you can access this link as the Forum is only for paid license holders. If you can, read thru it.

USB adapters performance optimization - FORScan forum

Thanks for this. I'll play around with the config tomorrow.

I could see the forum even though I'm still in the trial period. Regardless, I plan on paying the low annual fee as I have already found value in its use.

 

[ShatteredMJ]

The MX+ is a great gadget to have and works with Forscan flawlessly. As long as you don’t lose connection while writting blocks in Forscan you will not have any issues. I have both the MX+ and the wired harness and I find myself using the MX+ most of the time.

 

[YamahaRick]

To update my situation:

I have access to three vehicles where I can use the OBDII scanner. I found that, with both PC and tablet, it is best to "forget" the scanner's BT profile and reconnect when going to a different vehicle.

This is the first USB cable used:



I now notice there is a different "suggested" USB cable to use:



Of course, it is a bit more expensive.

Keep the one I have, or buy the second one to see if it connects at a faster bit rate?

 

[Texas Marauder]

The first adapter you have is a knock off using FORScan's name as a marketing ploy. There are only two recommended USB adapters and they are listed on FORScan's website. The vLinker FS is my choice and sells for $30-35 on Amazon.

 

[SnuffyTheSeal]

I used an OBDLink Bluetooth adapter and it worked like a charm. I'm sure there's some rare cases where it could drop a connection and mess something up but it's what I had available.