OBD-II data for a tracker over Bluetooth

In its example Teltonika uses the FMT100 from the FAST & EASY range, designed originally for insurance telematics. The FMT100 itself is not an OBD tracker; it wires into the vehicle's power. The on-board diagnostics dongle plugs into the OBD-II socket and links to the tracker over Bluetooth. The result is a pair in which each device does its own job: the tracker handles coordinates, trips and events, the dongle handles data from the vehicle's electronics.

How it works. The dongle reads the parameters that are wanted along with fault codes and passes them to the FMT100 over Bluetooth. The tracker adds GNSS coordinates and insurance telematics data and sends the lot over the mobile network to the server for analysis and reports. The fleet manager sees two streams of data in one place: everything the tracker knows and everything the vehicle gives out.

One important condition: FMB series trackers work only with dongles built on ELM327 or STN1110 microcontrollers. Such adapters are widely sold and cost little, but before ordering a batch it is worth checking which chip a particular dongle is built on.

What can be tracked. The usual choices are speed, engine revs, oil and coolant temperature, fuel level and consumption, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) faults and diagnostic trouble codes (DTC). The set depends on what a particular fleet needs and can be changed at any time. The exact list of available parameters is determined by the make, model and year of the vehicle.

How it is set up. First the dongle goes into the OBD-II socket — a minute's work with no tools. Then the Bluetooth section of the FMT100 is opened in Teltonika Configurator and the functions that are needed are switched on. In the OBD II section the parameters are picked from a list, each is given a priority, and the configuration is saved to the device. After that the data starts arriving at the server. If the result is not satisfactory, the list of parameters can be shortened or extended at any time.

Firmware updates and configuration changes on trackers that are already fitted can be made remotely through FOTA WEB, so the set of parameters can be extended across a whole fleet without going out to the vehicles.

An example. A company runs a fleet of company cars with FMT100 trackers that were fitted purely for trip records. A few months later the manager wants to see which vehicles have the Check Engine light on and who is driving with an overheated engine. Instead of replacing the trackers, a dongle is put into each car, fault codes and coolant temperature are added to the configuration — and the next day that data is in the reports.

Limitations. A Bluetooth dongle sticks out of the socket, so it is easy to pull out or to catch with a foot, and for vehicles with careless drivers it is better hidden on an extension lead. OBD-II parameters on cars are standardised, but manufacturers give them out differently and some may not be readable. On lorries with J1939 such a dongle will not do — those need other solutions.

What you end up with. New columns appear in the vehicle report: coolant temperature, engine revs, fuel level and a list of fault codes with the date, time and place where each appeared. Notifications are then built on them, for a new DTC or for overheating, for instance.

The limits of the rollout. The dongle reads only what the vehicle gives out over the standard OBD-II protocols. A fault code is a hint for the mechanic, not a diagnosis: interpreting it and carrying out the repair is the workshop's job. If parameters cannot be read on some of the vehicles, that shows up in the pilot, and for those vehicles either coordinates alone are kept or a different tracker is chosen.