Tested Adapters

BLE OBD-II adapters confirmed to work (or not) with CellPulse on MEB vehicles.

Confirmed Working

Adapter	Chip	Status	Notes
vLinker MC+	STN2120	Works	Recommended. Fast, reliable. ~$60.
OBDLink CX	STN2120	Works	Field-confirmed by tester. ~$80.
VEEPEAK BLE+	ELM327 clone	Works	Works. Non-standard BLE setup handled automatically. ~$40.

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Don't have one of these exact models? You don't need them — these are just the adapters we've personally tested and trust. Any BLE adapter with an ELM327 or STN chip should work. The three above are the reliable, no-surprises picks if you're buying fresh. Already own a generic BLE OBD2 dongle? Try it first — there's a good chance it works.

Requirements

CellPulse requires a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) OBD-II adapter. Classic Bluetooth adapters (the ones that pair in iOS Settings) will not work — iOS does not allow apps to use Classic Bluetooth.

How to tell: If the adapter pairs in your phone's Bluetooth settings, it's Classic Bluetooth and won't work. BLE adapters connect directly from within the app without pairing.

The adapter must support:

CAN protocol (all MEB vehicles use CAN)
Extended addressing / flow control commands (ATFCSH, ATFCSD, ATFCSM)
UDS / Mode 22 diagnostic reads

Most ELM327 v1.5+ and STN-based adapters support these. Cheap v1.3 clones may not.

What Won't Work

Classic Bluetooth adapters — if it pairs in your phone's Bluetooth settings, it's Classic Bluetooth, and iOS doesn't let apps use it. BLE adapters connect from inside the app, no pairing.
Wi-Fi adapters — CellPulse connects over Bluetooth Low Energy, not Wi-Fi.
App-locked adapters like OBDeleven — these only pair with their own app and don't expose a standard ELM327 interface, so no third-party app (CellPulse included) can read them. Rule of thumb: if your adapter only works with one specific brand's app, it won't work here.

Car Alarm Note

Some users report intermittent car alarms when leaving an OBD adapter plugged in with the car locked. This appears to be adapter-dependent — some adapters send periodic CAN bus wake-ups that the car's security system may interpret as tampering.

We recommend unplugging the adapter after scanning. A scan takes under a minute — there's no need to leave it plugged in.

Not Yet Tested

If you try CellPulse with an adapter not listed here, let us know at hello@cellpulse.app — we'll add it to the list.

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