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Hardware and adapters
Cables, interfaces and link types, and what you supply.
For the usual Hanterill checks, you need an ENET cable and a wired Ethernet port on your computer. The cable joins the car's diagnostic socket to your computer. You do not need a wireless scan dongle or an account.
Choose an ENET cable#
Look for a cable described as OBD-II to Ethernet (ENET). It has a wide plug for the car at one end and a network plug for the computer at the other. It is a passive cable with no electronics inside, so there is no software to install for the cable itself.
Listings use many names for the same part: "ENET cable", "OBD-II to Ethernet", "OBD to RJ45", and often "BMW ENET cable" (sold for the ISTA and E-Sys workshop tools). They are all wired the same. Buy whichever passive OBD-II-to-RJ45 cable you find (on eBay, Amazon, or at a car-parts shop) and it will work.
The same ENET cable is used for all models Hanterill supports, including Volvo EX30, Polestar 4 and Zeekr. Models differ in what has been verified in software, not in hardware; Supported vehicles tracks that per model.
If the car is awake but your computer never shows an Ethernet connection, check both plugs and the computer's Ethernet adapter before changing software settings. Troubleshooting walks through the checks in order.
Connect the cable to your computer#
Any wired Ethernet port works: the built-in socket on your computer, a USB-C hub or dock with an RJ45 port, or a dedicated USB Ethernet adapter. The adapter list below names chipsets and makes that are known to work.
Leave the adapter's network settings on automatic. The car and computer establish a direct local connection. Your computer may report that this network has no internet; that is expected and does not mean the cable has failed. You can keep Wi-Fi on for other tasks. On Linux, set the connection to Link-Local instead of DHCP once, because NetworkManager does not fall back to a link-local address by itself.
The Connection screen in the app lists the adapters it sees, ranks the wired ones first, and shows a plain-language verdict for each, so an adapter problem usually announces itself there.
Adapters that work, and ones that do not#
The short version: the adapter must hand your computer a real network interface. Wireless OBD dongles and anything that speaks a serial protocol cannot carry the diagnostic traffic, no matter what the listing promises.
Works
- A passive ENET cable: OBD-II on one end, RJ45 on the other. No chip, no firmware, no driver.
- The built-in Ethernet port on a laptop, when it has one.
- A USB-C or Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter from Apple, Belkin, Anker, UGREEN, Dell or Lenovo.
- A USB-A Ethernet adapter with an ASIX AX88179 or Realtek RTL8153 chipset.
Does not work
- ELM327 and other generic OBD-II dongles. They speak a serial protocol, not DoIP.
- J2534 pass-through interfaces. They are for manufacturer flash tools, not for standard DoIP.
- Any adapter that presents itself as a serial port rather than a network interface.
- A router or switch between the laptop and the car.
The test is whether the adapter gives the operating system a real network interface. If it appears as a serial port, or if it terminates the link itself, Hanterill cannot reach the car through it.
What a CAN adapter will not do#
Hanterill's screens all run over the Ethernet link, and the desktop app does not use a CAN adapter; adding one does not unlock anything. The car's internal CAN buses are explained in the communication guide.
Next steps#
- Getting started: connect for the first time.
- Connection: the link-local network setup behind that "no internet" warning, in detail.
- Supported vehicles: check what has been verified for your model.
- Troubleshooting: work through connection problems.