[Android Head-Units] fumbreisa:
Hello everyone.

I open this thread to see if I can put together my experience and you can light me with my newbie thoughts about canbus decoders...

After installing two decoders with same car and HU, I saw that one decoder behaved "better" than the other. With both SWC worked, but I saw one offered many more options than the other did...

I read users who are delighted with the same kit, others who complain that the SWC does not work, and those who "complain" the same as me... that there are missing functions... mainly after check that door status didn't shown.

All these comments are also generally for most of kits sold, for all brands and models of decoders, HUs and cars...

I understand those who complain that the SWC does not work for them. Not complaining people, I supposed their SWC works, so it will be enough for them, or maybe they unknow that are missing functions... I wouldn't have known without compare.

Seems the seller sells the decoder in the kit only for SWC to work, I asked the seller for those missing functions, but I honestly told that the SWC works, so the seller is happy.

But as I say, the decoder is not only for the SWC to work... it must also give us information about the car, like the opened doors, the air, the radio dial, etc...

The seller hides behind the fact that those missing functions must be supported by the car and that they will not be... I have been able to verify that the car DOES support perfectly, because with the other "good" decoder they do appear....

In my desire to understand I firstly went to what I thought was simplest... a decoder software issue...

After seeing doubts about decoders is something highly commented in many topics on XDA, now I already doubt even the most basic...

I have received and applied supposed updates that have not been of any use to me. With these updates I have seen so many different ways in which they can be provided... so sure that it would be good for me to understand what is really useful to "fix" that decoder... if it is there something that can really fix it through SOFTWARE...

If I don't go wrong, some manufacturers put that database in the firmware itself, others in the MCU... some update everything only with the firmware, others separate firmware and MCU... some put the database in a dedicated app for the car info, others inside an apk inside another mainapp apk... provide flashable bin files with only the decoder database... and sure I forgot something...

On my hand, I have tried to extract and transfer databases of decoders from supposedly more updated firmwares, without much success with my knowledge...

I didn't want to give brands to be sure not to make it seem like I prefer some brands over others, because I'm simply afraid that there aren't some better brands than others...

I'm seeing that, for whatever reason, some brands fit better with some specific car models, and that even the brand that works worse with one car model may work better on another car model. And I say just model, because from what I have seen I can't even extend it to only the entire brand of a car.

I see that on the decoders that continue being sold from the same manufacturer (and from all manufacturers), they update the decoder sticker with dates of updates and numbers to a newer firmware. So I understand that some of the improvements are not related with the HU.

At this point... my most existential and craziest question about software appears again... if the decoder manufacturer updates the database... what is the purpose to update the database for? 😅

Is that firmware inside the box updated for each specific car model, or is it generic to all decoders of the same brand regardless of the car model... maybe simply to support new car models... or something like that?

I mean... the car for my example... an old Renault Megane 2 (2006)...

Is it sure that it is going to update or improve something about that car model after 18 years?

And with all my doubts, then I read @chadoe and how simply he explains his experience with the canbus decoder.

As I honestly say, I didn't look much into the canbus port webs info, but confess I never thought about the fact that the pins of those decoder boxes are not standardized and could be different...

Yeah... until then, I saw the $3000 canbus testers... :)

Sadly I don't have the diagram for which I continue waiting for more than 10 days for the seller... if the day that I can swap the wires comes, sure I will comment something, but in the meantime, I'll return to the software...

I doubt that if many cases it is possible to "fix" anything by software, without touching the wire installation as have been rightly commented. I have to assume not if wires don't match.

In the interesting discussion from this post, several users have decided to purchase other brands of decoders to replace the decoder that does not offer all the options in their vehicles, and some explain that, as in my case, they have had success with another decoder brand.

With the information they have given about their vehicles, I have done a brief review of the brands that work best with their car models.

For example, Ford F150, Focus MK2 2005, Focus 2008, BMW X1, Series 3, Audi A3/A4, VW Passat B7, Honda CRV EX-L, and in my case, Renault Megane 2 2006...

I remembered a Teyes website where they explain how to set the decoder in its firmware. Maybe silly, yes, but what seemed interesting to me was verifying that in their list of vehicle models, the decoders match the brands that users have reported that recover those lost options...

Sure you can review the list and correct me with your cases, but I return to mine...

Junsun (forfan firmware) or the reseller, includes a Simple Soft XP decoder in the kit. Lost functions...

Another seller puts a HiWorld decoder in a TS10 kit (dofun firmware). Extra functions.

And installing the HiWorld decoder on the Junsun, extra functions.

In the Teyes list for the Megane 2, the HiWorld appears... coincidence?

Everything makes me think that the sellers know all this perfectly...

I met another dizzying discovery after answering here so sure that this canbus is an XP and seeing that @ScorpionSX was talking about an LZ...

The decoder at the picture is an XP because it is the one I have the conflict with, the seller confirmed it to me, and although both decoders seem similar, supposedly the XP has a transparent case and the LZ does not...

I had only seen sellers selling the XP and the HiWorld for the Megane 2... until I found another seller, who sells a third one... the LZ precisely.

But well, watching the advertisement, the picture of both decoders was the SAME... and when I asked the seller about that, the first thing he answered avoiding my question was curiously that I better choose directly the HiWorld decoder, althought I was talking about the others... 😋

Coincidence again? In any case, I think it's a good idea to check that Teyes list if you don't have a decoder yet and think on buying it...

However, the seller made me later the clarification... LZ and XP brands are obviously different brands... But both brands share the SAME database for the Renault Megane 2!!! 😨

Something that in the case of the Junsun firmware I have been able to quickly verify since the car models are coded by numbers. Whether I start by choosing XP or LZ, the Megane 2 is coded with the same number 117.

Then I checked that this does not just happen with XP and LZ, but between other brands, other car models, and other codes as well.

Of course, have tried all the codes related to Renault, XP and LZ, and the SWC also works with many of them unrelated with Megane 2, but logically without that missing extra functions again...

Although in its database some XP codes give the option of specifying the Renault vehicle model, the code 117 seems to be a generic code shared by several Renault models, and the needed Megane 2 as such model does not appear anywhere...

The main difference that I have seen with the corresponding HiWorld code 216 is that in its database, the Megane 2 appearsr as a selectable model...

So you may also find it interesting to look at the HU firmware before choosing the decoder brand, if with any brand you have the option to specify the car model...

But now in case they have already included a decoder in the kit... as in my case and the case of many... LOL! I better laugh to not cry... 😅 Lottery! 😂

Well, I wish you clarify something else by sharing your experience.

All the best. 🤘