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Supported Diagnostic Hardware

Last updated: 28 May 2026. We list what we have tested. Cheaper clones may work but we cannot guarantee it; the matrix below is your refund-policy reference if the adapter on your shelf isn't on it.

Recommended (verified)

Adapter	Best for	Diagnostics	Tuning	Notes
Tactrix OpenPort 2.0 ~ €280	Pro tuner, multi-brand	Full	Full	SAE-J2534 PassThru. Works on Win/Linux/macOS. Best for ECU read/write across brands.
Ross-Tech HEX-V2 (genuine) ~ €380	Genuine VAG workshop	Full	Full	Most reliable on VAG. Uses VCP USB protocol on Windows; we use the J2534 PassThru DLL bundled by Ross-Tech.
HEX-NET (genuine) ~ €580	Wireless workshop	Full	Full	DoIP over Wi-Fi. Required for some 2020+ vehicles (e.g. ID.3/ID.4 cluster).
Scanmatik 2 Pro ~ €350	Bench / boot flash work	Full	Full + bench	BDM, JTAG, boot-mode flashing. Best companion for EDC17 / Simos 18 bench jobs.

Affordable (community-tested)

Adapter	Diagnostics	Tuning	Notes
VCDS HEX-V2 clones (CN/EU)	Mostly works	Reads OK; writes risky	Recognised in VCP mode. We don't recommend writes via clones — counterfeit ICs can NACK at random offsets.
OBDLink EX ~ €110	Good	No flash	Excellent for diagnostics and adaptations. Cannot do firmware writes.
OBDLink MX+ / SX ~ €70-95	Good	No flash	Bluetooth (MX+) or USB (SX). Solid for OBD-II and most UDS adaptations.
ELM327 USB / Wi-Fi (generic) €8-25	OBD-II only	No	Cheap clones vary wildly. We support v1.5 firmware and above. Fakes labelled "v2.1" with v1.0 silicon do NOT work.
Kess V2 / KTAG / MPPS (clones)	No	Bench only	Bench-only adapters. We expose them through our Bench/Boot Adapters page; for OBD-II work pair them with one of the above.

What we do NOT support

• Bluetooth-only ELM327 v1.5 fakes. They drop the connection during long sessions. Use USB or Wi-Fi instead.
• "Mini OBD2" Bluetooth dongles < €10. Anything that connects via Bluetooth 2.0 SPP to Windows is unreliable for adaptations.
• Vehicle-side wireless gateways bypassing OBD-II.

Connection types we speak

Transport	Driver	Notes
SAE J2534 PassThru	Vendor DLL on Windows / Linux shim	Industry standard. Works with any compliant adapter.
CAN (SocketCAN)	Linux kernel	For developers + custom hardware (e.g. PEAK PCAN-USB).
ISO-TP over CAN	python-isotp	Used for all UDS work.
K-Line / KKL	Serial (FTDI / CH340)	Pre-2008 VAG legacy diagnostics.
ELM327	USB / Wi-Fi / Bluetooth-Classic	Limited to OBD-II + simple UDS.
DoIP	TCP/IP	For 2020+ VAG (HEX-NET, MQB-Evo, MEB).
BDM / boot	via Scanmatik / KTAG	Bench mode for bricked or SFD-locked ECUs.

Driver setup

Detailed per-OS driver installation steps are in the user manual. The Windows installer ships an unsigned reference driver for FTDI / CH340 / WinUSB; pre-installation is recommended.