Troubleshooting Guide
OBDLink® MX Wi-Fi: Known Issues and Solutions
If you’re experiencing problems with your unit, try this first:
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- Follow the step-by-step instructions in the Quick Start Guide
- Unplug MX, and plug it back in (push it in, as far as it will go)
- Turn your phone’s Wi-Fi off, then on again
- Make sure the ‘Power’ LED is ON
- Reset MX to factory defaults
- Start the engine
- Make sure MX is within range (20-30 ft)
If you don’t find a solution below, check out the MX Wi-Fi Support Board
MX never turns off
By default, MX is configured to turn off automatically, after 2 hours of inactivity. In this Sleep mode, the ‘Power’ LED flashes briefly, once every 3 seconds.
Note that MX also wakes up automatically, when it senses an electrical disturbance: for example, when you press the “unlock” button on your car remote or open the door. When it wakes up, the ‘Power’ LED will turn on solid:
If you notice that MX does not go to sleep after 2 hours, there may be a problem.
Possible causes: observation bias, incorrect settings, phone/tablet attempting connection
Solutions:
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- To check the status without waking up, make sure the LEDs are visible from outside the vehicle (e.g., use a strategically placed mirror)
- Reset MX to factory defaults
- Verify that the phone/tablet is not attempting to re-establish connection with MX. Make sure the phone/tablet is connected to your home Wi-Fi network, or turn off Wi-Fi
All LEDs are off
Possible causes: loose connection, no power at the OBD port
Solutions:
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- Unplug MX, and plug it back in (push it in, as far as it will go)
- Turn the key to the Key ON, Engine OFF position (some cars do not supply power to the OBD port when ignition is in the “OFF” position)
- Check the OBD port fuse, and the cigarette lighter fuse
OBDLink® MX does not show up in available WiFi networks
Possible causes: accidental button press, unit configured for infrastructure mode
Solutions:
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- Power cycle MX
Unable to associate with OBDLink® MX
Possible causes: accidental button press, firmware glitch
Solutions:
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- Power cycle MX, or
- Hold the multi-function button, wait for the ‘Power’ LED to blink exactly 3 times, then release the button to return MX to normal mode
OBDLink® MX will not accept the WiFi key
Possible causes: key entered incorrectly, firmware glitch
Solutions:
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- Double-check and re-enter key
App does not connect to OBDLink® MX
Possible causes: not associated with MX, firmware glitch
Solutions:
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- Power cycle MX
- Force close/restart the app
- Reset the Wi-Fi adapter of the host device (turn off Wi-Fi, then turn it back on)
- Reset MX to factory defaults
- “Forget” and re-join the OBDLink MX network
- In the OBDLink® app settings, change Device to “Custom”. Verify IP address is 192.168.0.10, and Port is 35000
App connects to OBDLink® MX, but fails to connect to the vehicle
Possible causes: ignition is off, vehicle is not OBD-II compliant
Solutions:
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- Turn the ignition to Key ON, Engine OFF position
- Start the engine (may be necessary, on some cars)
- Verify that the vehicle is OBD-II compliant
Intermittent Connection
Possible causes: vibration, “dirty” vehicle power, out of Wi-Fi range, host device automatically connecting to different Wi-Fi network, firmware glitch
Solutions:
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- Plug/unplug OBDLink a few times, to remove oxidation from OBD port pins
- Make sure OBDLink is properly seated on the OBD connector (push it in, as far as it will go)
- Move the phone/tablet closer to MX, or use an OBD extension cable to place MX on the dashboard
ANDROID ONLY
Multiple MX units with same SSID
Cause: if you have two or more MXs in close proximity of each other, your phone/tablet does not have a way to determine which one it was originally associated with
Solution:
- Access Web Configuration Mode and change one (or both) of the SSIDs (network names)
Still experiencing issues?
Check out the MX Wi-Fi Support Board