Troubleshooting (Bluetooth)

Only the latest generation (G2v2) tachographs are capable of downloading the driver card data and tachograph data via Bluetooth. They are easy to identify because a Bluetooth symbol is visible on their front panel. Currently only VDO and Stoneridge manufacture this type of device.

Unfortunately, this alone is not sufficient: early software versions are practically unsuitable for Bluetooth communication. Some of them do not even allow pairing; with others, the Bluetooth communication freezes after downloading one card — in the latter case, disconnecting the vehicle's power supply is often the only remedy.

VDO DTCO 4.1 — Minimum software version required for stable operation: v4141 (4.1b 04.01.41)

Stoneridge SE5000-8.1 — Minimum software version required for stable operation: v1619 (version v2525 is also available)

We strongly recommend not attempting Bluetooth communication if your tachograph's software version does not meet the minimum requirement. You will save yourself a great deal of frustration. Take the tachograph in for a software update.

Quick checklist

If a download fails, go through these first, in this order:

  1. Try again. The first connection does not always succeed — this alone is not a fault.
  2. Move closer to the tachograph and stay there for the entire download.
  3. Switch the ignition off and back on, then try again.
  4. Is the same card in the tachograph, in the same card slot, as at the time of pairing? If not, pair again.
  5. Was the pairing accepted under the menu branch of the slot holding the card? (Details below.) If not, delete the pairing on both sides and pair again.
  6. If nothing else helps: delete the pairing on both sides and pair again.

The phone cannot find a Bluetooth-enabled tachograph

  • Check that the tachograph is Bluetooth capable: you should see the Bluetooth symbol on its front panel.
  • Check that Bluetooth is enabled on the tachograph: you should be able to see the tachograph in your phone's Bluetooth settings (do not pair it here!).
  • The ignition must be in the ON position.
  • After inserting the driver card or company card, wait until the tachograph menu becomes accessible.
  • On phones running Android 10–11, the system Location function must be turned on for Bluetooth scanning — without it, the scan ends with an empty result list and no error message.

It may happen that after a previous download attempt the tachograph gets into a state where it can no longer be connected to. On Stoneridge, a typical sign of this is the download animation remaining stuck on the tachograph display. In this case, switch off the vehicle's main switch so that the tachograph's external power supply is temporarily interrupted.

Pairing fails

  • Some tachographs (e.g. VDO) store only a single paired device — while the old pairing is stored, a new one cannot be created. Delete the previously paired device from the tachograph menu.
  • The stored pairing can only be deleted with the card that was in the tachograph at the time of the original pairing. If the pairing was created by a previous driver, only they can delete it — with their card.
  • Pairing must be initiated in the app, not in the operating system's own Bluetooth settings. (With Stoneridge tachographs, pairing initiated in the operating system's own Bluetooth menu may also result in a state capable of communication.)
  • After inserting or changing a card, wait until the tachograph menu becomes accessible — while the display shows a "please wait" type message, both pairing and downloading will fail.

Pairing is in place, but the download fails right at the start

Typical symptoms: the download breaks off immediately, before any data transfer begins; you repeatedly get error code 0x22; or the card download works but the tachograph download does not (or the other way round). In our experience, the most common cause is that the pairing was not created with the right card or under the right menu branch:

VDO ties the Bluetooth pairing to the card slot that held the card at the time of pairing — and the pairing must be accepted on the tachograph under the menu branch of that slot. If the card is in slot 1, accept the pairing under the entry → 1st driver menu branch, not under the entry → vehicle branch. The driver menu branches have Bluetooth menu items too, even if this is not obvious at first.

The solution, in this order:

  1. Insert the card that was used for the original pairing, and delete the stored pairing from the tachograph menu. (With any other card, the tachograph will not allow the deletion.)
  2. Delete the pairing in the phone's Bluetooth settings as well.
  3. Insert the card you want to use for the download (the company card for a tachograph download), and wait until the tachograph menu becomes accessible.
  4. Start the pairing from the app, and accept it on the tachograph under the menu branch of the slot holding the card (e.g. "1st driver").
  5. Start the download.

Other possible causes of a failure at the start of the download:

  • remote access (ITS) is not enabled — this must be enabled separately for each driver card;
  • the ignition is not switched on;
  • the tachograph is busy with another operation (e.g. processing a freshly inserted card).

The download breaks off partway through

If the download starts but breaks off at different phases across multiple attempts, the Bluetooth signal is not strong enough or something is interfering:

  • stay close to the tachograph for the entire download — a tachograph download can take several minutes;
  • try to eliminate the source of interference (e.g. other active Bluetooth devices in the cab).

In other cases, the error code shown in the error message and the listed possible causes will indicate the nature of the problem.

If the problem persists, contact us and send us the app's log file. You can find this function in the main screen menu.