Q & A

Here is a selection of the questions we often see.

Q: Will there be an R-Link version of CanZE?
A: It would be nice, but unfortunately, the hurdles are too steep. There is a closed issue in the github issue tracker about it for details.

Q: But hacking R-Link would be easy? It is Android 2.3 after all? Will you?
A: Yes, yes, no.

Q: What about Android Auto then?
A: Most probably not, see this closed issue.

Q: Does CanZE support Fluence ZE, Kangoo ZE, Twizy?
A: We honestly tried, but the developers own none of these cars and keeping at least a basic level of quality proved impossible. However, this is an Open Source project and we welcome anyone with good access to these cars and willing to do the necessary development work.

Q: Is it correct that Bluetooth does not automatically shut down when you close the app?
A: If meant as, will it switch off the phone’s BT adapter? No it won’t and it shouldn’t, maybe it is used for hands-free calling or something else? If meant as: will CanZE continue talking to the ELM while it is closed, the answer is:
– If CanZE is truly closed (using the return button in Android), the connection is torn down and will be reopened when the App is started again, including initialization of the ELM.
– If the App is not closed but moved to the background, the Bluetooth connection is also shut down and will be resumed when CanZE is on top again. Having said that, things do occasionally go haywire and you have to either kill CanZE (press and hold the home button and swipe away CanZE) or power cycle the dongle. Even better, cycle Bluetooth on Android (See next item).
– CanZE can be instructed to continue to run in the background through a setting. If this is enabled, the Bluetooth connection is never torn down. This setting will use substantially more power on the device.

Q: Does CanZE restore a broken Bluetooth link?
A: Yes. It may take a while, and the dongle might be in a state so confused we cannot get to it anymore (requiring a power cycle), but CanZE does try and usually succeeds after several seconds. We have seen a few times that if the connection breaks, the fastest and most reliable way to restore it is to disable and re-enable Bluetooth in Android, while leaving CanZE and the dongle alone. Feedback is appreciated; it can help us improve stability.

Q: How does the braking system really work and can I avoid friction braking?
A: See this blog post. And a bit more on how to avoid friction braking.

Q: Charger xxx doesn’t seem to go full power. How can I check?
A: You can easily see if the charger is holding back or the car is in the Charging screen.
– “Available charging power” is what the charger is stating as maximum.
– “Max battery charge/regen” is what the car can absorb given the SOC, temperature and maybe some other black magic.

Q: I bought a KW902 as you advised. The power light comes on and that’s it?
A: You probably did not pair your device. Here is what you do:
– plug in the KW902 and make sure it is switched on;
– on the Android device open the Settings app and choose Bluetooth;
– you see the Bluetooth screen. Make sure Bluetooth is on;
– the screen shows any devices already paired with the tablet. Also shown are other Bluetooth devices available for pairing;
– the KONNWEI OBDII should appear. If it doesn’t, touch the Search for Devices button;
– choose the KONNWEI OBDII device from the list;
– If necessary, type the device’s passcode (1234) or otherwise acknowledge the connection.
Now you can start CanZE and don’t forget to choose the proper device in the settings screen.

Q: This thing is slow. Can that be improved?
A: It’s not the app that is slow, but the dongle is, as it is basically a diagnostic device. But we have designed an open sourced hardware dongle that is blazing fast.

Q: Is there a list of the computer systems in the car?
A: Yes, see this page.

Q: You should be able to display range better than the dash. In fact, even when the dash gives up. And make the car charge better, faster, discharge deeper.
A: Unbelievable I know but yes we really do get these questions – requests – demands. The answers are No, no, no, no and no.

Q: Will you make an internet connected version?
A: No. There is Z.E. services from Renault for that. At this moment CanZE uses the internet only to fetch news and to access a http based dongle we use for development.

Q: It seems my 902 dongle died. HELP!
A: There is a problem we’ve seen more than once. Maybe this instruction helps.

Q: My tablet does not have ambient light sensors. It’s blinding at night?
A: Most phones and tablets adjust the brightness of the display automatically. If it doesn’t or you are not happy with it, our stance is that it affects all apps, and not just CanZE. We will not make a night mode specifically for CanZE. We would advice you to use a night mode app. Some are reporting good results with this one. But, starting release 1.44 we do support dark mode for Android 9 and higher devices.

Q: I don’t see TPMS pressures
A: Not all cars have TPMS. Basically they need to be build after late 2014. And you need to drive a few minutes for the sensors to activate and send their data to the car. Drive and then check the TPMS screen.

Q: How do I pair the TPMS sensors?
A: You can’t pair new sensors if you don’t know the IDs, but you can query IDs of already paired TPMS valves. This allows you to switch between i.e. summer and winter tyres.

Q: Can CanZE reset the charger?
A: No, but it can fetch Diagnostics. There is also a blog post about a non-CanZE procedure.

Q: Is CanZE a clone of LeafSpy?
A: CanZE is not and has never been a clone of LeafSpy. In the past there was an experimental screen with this name as it displayed more or less the same information as LeafSpy. We admire the creator of LeafSpy and acknowledge that some of the early research was based on information people deduced from the Leaf (Renault and Nissan have a few deign elements in common). Other than that, there is no connection. Also note that CanZE is entirely Open Sourced and LeafSpy is not.

Q: Can I copy a post from your website?
A: Sure you can, though we would very much appreciate if you would include in your post a link to the original here, as well as mention here a link to whatever you created.