Car Sensors - MEATPI WICAN PRO?

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I have an older car which does actually have the OBD-II diagnostic port (all cars have had them since 1996). I have purchased the MeatPI Wican Pro (backordered) and will be integrating that information into HA. I do see this integration (although there may be others). Currently I primarily use WiFi for all of my sensors in the home and am looking forward to recveiving this to set it up. (Related video)

Update: This is an enhanced version of the integration, looking forward to trying it out!

Anyone else have experience with this?

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Yes, I'm using the Wican Pro for 3 vehicles.

Since the WiCAN Pro is open source, I noticed a number of short comings with the SW and Docs. So I made extensive changes to it, See poste: Super Charged WiCAN Pro and the Docs at: Home · WiCAN Docs

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So how does it work? If I only have it connect to wifi when at home, it only gets snapshots then? Or data is accumulated in a buffer that is transferred when it gets within range of the wifi?

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Oh nice topic. I'm experimenting vlinker but very much inclined to switch to wican.
Main issue is vlinker triggers alarm when car is locked. Does wican do smarter on that ?

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I think you can have it send the data is accumulated in a buffer (sdcard) that is transferred when it gets within range of the wifi. I have not done this myself.

Depending on your vehicle, I have my WiCAN Pro wake up on a time schedule, to check tire pressure, doors open, etc. Some items can be checked when car is not running (at home, module BCM (Body - trire pressure, etc)) others require engine to be running. See below.

Got the custom notification engine dialed in for the 2015 Fusion Hybrid. Here is the short version of what it is actively monitoring and pushing to my alerts:

:police_car_light: Critical Mechanical Safety: Monitors for overheating (Engine >225°F, Trans >220°F, Catalyst >1600°F), drive-by-wire throttle sensor mismatch, and gives a warning if pushing >3500 RPM on a cold engine.

:battery: Dual-Battery Watchdogs: Tracks 12V low voltage, charging system failure (alternator/DC-DC swap), high parasitic sleep drain (>10 Ah), hybrid pack critical low SOC (<10%), and hybrid cell module variance.

:stop_sign: Security & Moving Hazards: Instant alerts for alarm triggers, remote start failure decoding, and a critical alert if a door is open while moving (>5 MPH).

:wrench: Routine Maintenance & Flubs: Active DTC fault code tracker, Check Engine Light dash trigger, low oil life (<10%), low fuel (<15% + range calculation), low tire pressure (<30 PSI), extreme cabin heat (>130°F), and reminders for lights or doors left open while parked.

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Your probably going to have the same issue with the WiCAN Pro. This is a vehicle issue, not the OBD2 device (WiCAN Pro/vlinker) issue. Unless you can configure the vehicle to stop the alarm, maybe dealer or professional help. Many of a vehicles parameters can be modified, but often requires profession devices/help.

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On Reddit (here) i've been chatting with the dev. The buffered data can be sent but I do not have the device yet so I do not have the details.

Before I go down this rabit hole however, I looked on Amazon and saw numerous such dongles - look here... Which one is the best for integration with Home assistant where there is:

Older car with ODB-II connection only:

  1. HAOS instance with a strong WiFi connection (and nearby BLE gateways) to local HA network in the driveway.
  2. 1 driver with an android phone tightly integrated with HAOS instance running the HA Companion app and alwyas has bluetoooth and wifi turned on.
  3. 1 driver with an iphone tightly integrated with HAOS instance running the HA Companion app and alwyas has bluetoooth and wifi turned on.

Ideally rather than (or in addition to) batch buffered data retrieval be able to also feed data into HA through the iphone/android while driving.

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As far as I know the WiCAN Pro is the only OBD2 device that integrates with home assistant.

WiCAN Pro communicates with the HA server, not with the android companion app. Using either MQTT or webhooks. Until the ESPNetLink is released, if you want to use the WiCAN away from your home Wifi you'll have to use your cell hotspot, or other wifi device.

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You might have seen it already, but The Stock Pot over on Youtube had a video about the Wican Pro. Have a look in case you find something interesting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JW3J4_Ukrs

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Yes thank you

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If wican can sleep when cambus is offlineish and wakeup when charging or driving start, that would be sufficient..
for the vlinker i have to kill the bt connection, which is also possible with some tricks. Would prefer the wican to ha connetion if it can handle above logic

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Yes, the WiCAN Pro can sleep when the voltage drops below a certain level.

I'm making updates to the forked version to sleep only when a particular PID value is >,=,< a certain value. Some EVs, might now charge the battery fully when driving. Some another method must be used to determine if the WiCAN Pro should sleep

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Just ordered one via mouser.com
Takes a long wait of 11 weeks :face_with_peeking_eye:
(has to go to europe/the netherlands)

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I just orderd one on mouser.com as well.... on the order is says August 18th? YIKES!? How do I get one faster?

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Just got confirmation, also august the 18th. In my case thats beter as 11 weeks. I guess the only gast way is ordering in Australië and arrange shipping yourself.