Your device

Your EngineMon device is the small unit plugged into your car's OBD-II port. This page covers checking that it's working, giving it Wi-Fi, updating its firmware, resetting it, and what its button and lights mean.

Only a device's owner can open its page and change its settings. A device can't be shared: to let someone see your drives, share the car instead. To sell the device or give it away, see I'm selling or giving away my device. Live data has its own page, Live data.

Is my device working?

Open Devices on the web (in the phone app, your devices are in the Garage). Each row shows the device's car and when it Last synced, with live devices at the top. Click a row to open the device. While the device is live or catching up in a car, the row opens that car's live data instead.

On the device page, the Status card shows Last sync: when the device last sent data. Just now means it's sending live data right now, and Never means it hasn't synced yet. Next to it, a row tells you where the device is:

Car and the car's name: it's plugged in and the car is on. Identifying car means it's still reading the VIN.
Last seen in and a car: the car it was last in. "car is off" or "not plugged in" after the name says why it's quiet.
Car is off or Not plugged into a car: the same, when it can't name the car.
A car you don't have access to: it's in a car you aren't a member of. See When your device is in someone else's car.

A badge next to the device's name shows what it's doing right now:

Live: live data is reaching EngineMon. Click it to open live data.
Catching up: the device is sending what it recorded earlier. Live values show once it's done.

The phone app adds badges for its own Bluetooth link: Streaming (live data is flowing to this phone), Connecting and Connected (the link is being made, or is up with nothing streaming), Nearby (the phone found it in a Bluetooth search), Link lost (the phone is reconnecting) and Error (a problem with the link or the device).

Last sync is the quickest check. If it's recent, the device is fine. If it's been a while, the device is usually asleep with the car off, parked out of range of its Wi-Fi with no phone nearby, or low on car battery. Start the car, open the app near it, or add Wi-Fi for the place it parks. Why hasn't my drive appeared? has more to check.

Did my settings reach the device?

On the web, three steps under the status follow your latest settings change: Config saved on server, Config sent to device and Config applied on device. The line below them says where things stand:

"On its way to the device" or "Applies when the device comes online": it's waiting for the device to connect. Nothing to do.
"Waiting for the device to apply it": the device has it and is applying it.
"Settings are active on the device": done.
"Cancelled. Save again or contact support." or "Failed to apply. Contact support.": the change didn't take. Do what it says.

Refresh config sends the whole configuration to the device again. These steps are on the web only.

Add your home Wi-Fi

With Wi-Fi, the device uploads your drives by itself whenever it's parked in range, so your phone doesn't need to be there. Add the networks where the car spends time, like home and work.

Web: open the device and click Add Wi-Fi network in the Wi-Fi networks card.
Phone: open the car the device is plugged into and tap Add Wi-Fi network in its Device settings card. Under Nearby, the app suggests your phone's current Wi-Fi (and fills in its name), plus networks the device can see while your phone is connected to it. On Android, the app asks for precise location so it can read your Wi-Fi's name.

Enter the network name and password, then save. Good to know:

You can save up to nine networks, or four on firmware older than 1.5.0.
Passwords are 8 to 63 characters, so networks without a password can't be added.
Type the name exactly as your router shows it, capitals included (up to 32 characters).
The device uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only. If your router gives its 5 GHz network a separate name (often ending in 5G), add the other one: a 5 GHz-only network stays Not seen yet.
Editing a network always means typing its password again.
On the web, Advanced Settings in the form handles a hidden network or a specific access point (BSSID).
Passwords are encrypted for your device before they leave your browser or phone, so we can't read them.

Tip: Anyone with the device in hand may be able to read the Wi-Fi passwords stored on it, so use your router's guest network if it has one.

Deleting your last network asks you to confirm. With no network, the device can't get online by itself, and you may have to register it again with the phone app.

What each Wi-Fi status means

Under each network is what the device saw of it as of its last report. It's not a live scan, so a network that's out of range most of the day is normal. Below the list, the web says when the device reported; the phone says Live from the device while it's connected over Bluetooth.

Connected · Strong signal (or Good, Fair, Weak): it's on this network now.
Last connected and a date: it was on this network at its last report and isn't sending data now.
Connected before: it joined this network the last time it tried, and isn't on it now.
Wrong password: click Update password and enter it again.
Not seen yet: the device hasn't seen this network since it started or since you edited it. If the car is in range and it still says this, check the name's spelling and capitals, that the network is 2.4 GHz, and that it isn't hidden.
Not seen lately: the device saw it earlier but not in its latest searches. The car has left its range.
Couldn't connect: the device saw the network but couldn't join. The router may be blocking new devices or out of addresses.
Not tried yet: the device hasn't needed it so far.
Waiting for the device: your change hasn't reached the device. It applies when the device next comes online.
Not on the device: the device holds fewer networks than your list. Remove one, or update to firmware 1.5.0 or later, which holds nine.
Re-enter password to reconnect after device re-registration (phone: Re-enter password to reconnect): after you register the device again, it can't use the old password. Edit the network and type the password; until then, the device doesn't get this network.

Firmware that doesn't report Wi-Fi status shows no status at all. Update the firmware to see it.

Using your phone's hotspot

The device can join your phone's hotspot like any other saved network. Add it with Add Wi-Fi network, using the name and password shown in your phone's hotspot settings.

Since the device only sees 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, set your hotspot to use it. Many phones run their hotspot on 5 GHz by default.

iPhone: in Settings, tap Personal Hotspot and turn on Allow Others to Join. On iPhone 12 and later, also turn on Maximize Compatibility. Apple suggests staying on that screen until the other device joins.
Android: in your hotspot settings, pick a band that includes 2.4 GHz. Samsung Galaxy phones call it Band, Pixel phones Speed & compatibility, and other phones word it their own way.

The name has to match exactly. An iPhone's hotspot is named after the phone, and names like "Sam’s iPhone" use a curly apostrophe (’), while typing may give a straight one ('). To get it right, turn the hotspot on, then in the phone app, with your phone connected to the device, tap Add Wi-Fi network. If the device can see the hotspot, it's listed under Nearby, and tapping it fills in the exact name. Do this within a minute of leaving Personal Hotspot: an iPhone with nothing joined stops showing its hotspot soon after. Not there? Go back to Personal Hotspot, then try again. Or rename the iPhone without the apostrophe in Settings, under General > About > Name.

The device can only join a hotspot it can see, and phones hide a hotspot nobody's using. An iPhone stops showing it shortly after you leave Personal Hotspot, and many Android phones turn the hotspot off when nothing's connected. So each time you want the device on it, turn the hotspot on (on an iPhone, open Personal Hotspot and stay there) until the device joins. With the car on, the device keeps looking for it. Parked, it only checks now and then (see What the device does while parked), so a hotspot suits syncing while you're in the car. For overnight uploads, save the Wi-Fi where the car parks.

To check it worked, look at the status under the hotspot in the Wi-Fi networks card. Connected with a signal means the device is on it now, and Last connected means it was at its last report. Not seen yet usually means the hotspot is off or hidden, on 5 GHz, or named differently. Each status is explained in What each Wi-Fi status means.

Update the firmware

Nothing installs by itself. When a new version is out, a banner on the Devices page, the Cars page and the page of the car the device is in says so, and you get a notification. Update takes you to the device. Later hides the reminder for 3 days. Only the device's owner can update it or put it off.

A red Firmware update required notice has no Later: update that device as soon as you can. If it's enabled on your account, you're offered new firmware before everyone else.

On the web, the update goes over the device's own Wi-Fi. The Firmware card appears on the device page when there's an update. Click Update and follow it through Queued, Downloading, Installing, Restarting and Updated. The device restarts to install, which takes a few minutes. Cancel update works while it's still queued.

Update is greyed out? The web can only start an update when the device was on Wi-Fi in the last minute. Park in range of a saved network with the car on, give it a moment to connect, and try again. Or use the phone app.

In the phone app, open the car the device is in. Device settings always shows the Firmware version. When your phone is connected over Bluetooth, the update goes straight from the phone; otherwise it uses the device's Wi-Fi if the device was on it in the last minute. Keep the app open and stay near the car until it finishes. Some older firmware can't update over Bluetooth: the app says so, and you update over Wi-Fi once. If a release needs a newer app, tap Update the app first.

While an update runs, keep the device plugged in. The phone shows a Don't unplug banner, and the device's car light blinks fast.

If an update fails

The card says what went wrong, and Retry appears when trying again can help. The usual fixes:

"The car battery is too low to update safely": start the engine or charge the battery, then retry.
"The Bluetooth connection dropped" or "The transfer stopped": stay near the car and retry.
"The device couldn't download the update": check its Wi-Fi and retry.
"We lost track of the update": if the device finishes it, the card updates by itself.
"The new firmware didn't start correctly, so the device went back to its previous version": the device rolled itself back and keeps working. Retry when you're ready.
A message that says to contact support: open a ticket and include the message.

Factory reset

Web: click the card with the device's name, choose Factory reset, then Confirm.
Phone: in Device settings, tap the ⋯ menu, then Factory reset and Reset.

A reset erases the device's Wi-Fi networks and settings. It happens on the device's next sync, not right away, and you can't start one while a firmware update runs. It doesn't change the owner. Afterwards, hold the device's button for 5 seconds and register it again in the app. If a saved network then asks for its password, enter it again.

Only EngineMon support can delete a device.

Device settings in the phone app

The Device settings card is on the screen of the car the device is plugged into. If the device isn't in any car, open it from the Garage: its own screen shows the settings plus steps to plug it in. The card has the device's name (tap the pencil to rename it), Syncing now or the last sync time, firmware, Wi-Fi networks, and a ⋯ menu with Troubleshooting, Transfer and Factory reset. Only the owner sees it.

On the web, rename a device with the pencil next to its name, on the device page or in the Devices list.

The Troubleshooting screen

In Device settings, tap ⋯ and then Troubleshooting (phone only). While your phone is connected to the device over Bluetooth, it shows the firmware version, Wi-Fi signal, memory, uptime, errors since the device last started, a Car link card (whether each connection to the car is answering or recording) and a live log. When it isn't connected, it says to connect to the device first. The app keeps the device awake while this screen is open.

The button and lights

The device has one button:

Short press (under 2 seconds): marks that moment in the drive you're recording. It shows up as a tag on that drive's log, and the phone app says Marker added if it's streaming.
Hold for 5 seconds: puts the device in setup mode for 5 minutes, so you can register it again or claim a used one. A new device that's never been registered is already in setup mode.

It has two lights. The power light stays on while the device is running and blinks while it's in setup mode. The car light shows its link to the car:

Off: nothing in the car is answering. The car is off, or the device isn't plugged in.
Slow blink (about once a second): it found the car and is setting up.
Solid: it's recording.
Fast blink: it's busy with a firmware update or another job that mustn't be interrupted. Don't unplug it.
A quick flicker (off, on, off, on): a short button press was saved as a marker.

Sleep and the car battery

With the car off and nothing left to do, the device goes to sleep to save the car's battery. It wakes when the car is turned on or used: you turn the key, start the engine, or the car moves. While parked, it also wakes now and then to check its Wi-Fi and give a nearby phone a short chance to connect. What the device does while parked explains what that means for syncing.

If the car's battery runs low, the device sleeps to protect it and won't install firmware (Low car battery). After about a week without the car being used, it stops listening for your phone between drives, so start the car or turn the key to ON before the app can reach it. On Android, the app shows a silent notification when the device falls asleep, with the reason. Car battery alerts can warn you about a weak battery.