Autel AP200 vs HT200(Preferred)

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Contacted US Autel, the HT200 is the Walmart version and authorized for US sale. The AP200 is a grey authorized unit that I bought on Amazon US. I have a Autel TS508 TPMS tool and the device is web site registered but not my new AP200. The AP200 is fully installed, updated and fully functional on my iPad iOS 13.3.1 The Autel customer service wanted my serial # and said it was ok but registered in another Autel database.

Both devices are the same and you can only bind one Autel device to one tablet/phone.

The best purchase solution is the HT200 for $50 @ Walmart.
 
I picked one up last night, pretty powerful little tool. However, I cannot for the life of me get it to read our van, but it picks up the 300 just fine....
 
Autel charges a $22 annual subscription fee for each additional auto manufacturer. Insanity. It is cheaper to buy the HT200 for a $50 for the one lifetime auto manufacture and purchase an used android 7" tablet with an OS starting from 4.4 KitKat (2013) and later. The latest google play store just updated the Dec 2019 HT200 app for Android 10.0 compatibility. Once Autel registered, the Autel customer service said transfer to another tablet is possible once you uninstall the app prior to reinstalling on the newer Android device.

Just bought an Android Pie(9.0) 10" refurbished grade B tablet from vipoutlet.com for $25.32 included shipping/tax It has 30 day free returns and a 90 warranty. The plan is to dedicate the tablet with the Walmart HT200 OBD to the wife's Lexus E350. Vipoutlet has a super cheap $20 grade B Onn 7" before discount/taxes.

Walmart refurb grade B 7" tablet Android 9.0 2Gb ram


Will post a follow-up update the week of Feb 24.
 
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A little update on my end... updated my iPhone and it synced no problem in the van. Even though I used my free license for the Chrysler I can still read codes and live data on the van, I haven't gone much further than that though.
 
Originally Posted by Skippy722
A little update on my end... updated my iPhone and it synced no problem in the van. Even though I used my free license for the Chrysler I can still read codes and live data on the van, I haven't gone much further than that though.



What is the automotive manufacturer of the van? Did the Autel tool auto-vin the van?
 
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Originally Posted by Patrick0525
Originally Posted by Skippy722
A little update on my end... updated my iPhone and it synced no problem in the van. Even though I used my free license for the Chrysler I can still read codes and live data on the van, I haven't gone much further than that though.



What is the automotive manufacturer of the van? Did the Autel tool auto-vin the van?


The van is a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. I don't think it auto vinned, all I did was click the EOBD button and it started its scan. I'm not sure if it has FCA's "security gateway" or not though.... if it does I'm limited to a "read only" mode.
 
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Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by Patrick0525
Originally Posted by Skippy722
A little update on my end... updated my iPhone and it synced no problem in the van. Even though I used my free license for the Chrysler I can still read codes and live data on the van, I haven't gone much further than that though.



What is the automotive manufacturer of the van? Did the Autel tool auto-vin the van?


The van is a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. I don't think it auto vinned, all I did was click the EOBD button and it started its scan. I'm not sure if it has FCA's "security gateway" or not though.... if it does I'm limited to a "read only" mode.




Thanks, probably the Autel does EOBD for all vehicles but only auto vins vehicles that you have have matching corresponding subscriptions.

Interesting.
 
The Autel HT200 has a 2 yr warranty and is made in Vietnam 🇻🇳 vs the Autel AP200 which has a 1 yr warranty and manufactured in China 🇨🇳. I didn't have quarantine the HT200 before opening the package.
 
So it will be "bound" to one vehicle "forever" for all services, but can be used for code reading on others?
Still may be cheaper to buy one of these for $50 and buy 2 more vehicles for <$100 vs the scan tool I am looking at right now (Foxwel NT630 or maybe NT614).
 
I just bought one of these. Ordinarily I would not have purchased a unit with such utterly crappy reviews, but most of the single star reviews were because of something silly, like people who had issues with not being able to use it after updating to Android 10. Autel had no way of knowing that Android 10.0 was going to kill their software. Autel has since fixed this issue, however, I would use a dedicated tablet to use with this product and NOT update the Android OS. Other people complained about not being able to use the HT200 with other software. To me, Autel is the designer, so Autel's software should provide maximum functionality. And you can use the AP200 OR the HT200 software. Other people had issues with the software freezing or crashing, but I think their problem is because they are using it on a phone with system resources already tapped out from other running apps or malware. I'm going to use a dedicated tablet. The product works. Other people didn't like the fact that the device can only be matched with one phone or tablet. If this happens all you need to do is contact tech support and they will "detatch" your phone or tablet from the HT200 and then you just start using another device. Other people complained about having to purchase additional vehicles. This tool is marketed for DIYers, NOT shops(even though my buddy bought one for his shop and he loves it because he can email a very thorough report to his customers from his phone). I myself need it for my Mercedes. Just one use justifies the purchase. And good luck finding another diagnostic tool for under $50...any scanner capable of doing what THIS bad boy does for ALL vehicles would be very expensive as it is much MUCH more than a code reader. Honestly, spending $15 to add another vehicle make does not seem outrageous to me. Last complaint was lack of tech support. I did a crazy amount of market research before investing in a scanner. Zero tech support from Autel's competition such as iCarSoft. Autel was the only one that provided consistent tech support...I called roughly four times, and the longest I waited on hold was 5 minutes. If you dont believe me give them a call: 1 855-288-3587. One thing bothered me though, if you choose the option, "or for any other reason, stay on the line" you get prompted to leave a message. When this happened to me I just hung up, called tech support and got a human. Ultimately I think this is a fantastic product. I have three friends that purchased one too and they are all very happy with it. I wish people would read into what they are buying BEFORE they make a purchase and stop complaining when they make a mistake and buy the wrong thing. I hope you found this post helpful.
 
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Originally Posted by TorchHypnosis
I just bought one of these. Ordinarily I would not have purchased a unit with such utterly crappy reviews, but most of the single star reviews were because of something silly, like people who had issues with not being able to use it after updating to Android 10. Autel had no way of knowing that Android 10.0 was going to kill their software. Autel has since fixed this issue, however, I would use a dedicated tablet to use with this product and NOT update the Android OS. Other people complained about not being able to use the HT200 with other software. To me, Autel is the designer, so Autel's software should provide maximum functionality. And you can use the AP200 OR the HT200 software. Other people had issues with the software freezing or crashing, but I think their problem is because they are using it on a phone with system resources already tapped out from other running apps or malware. I'm going to use a dedicated tablet. The product works. Other people didn't like the fact that the device can only be matched with one phone or tablet. If this happens all you need to do is contact tech support and they will "detatch" your phone or tablet from the HT200 and then you just start using another device. Other people complained about having to purchase additional vehicles. This tool is marketed for DIYers, NOT shops(even though my buddy bought one for his shop and he loves it because he can email a very thorough report to his customers from his phone). I myself need it for my Mercedes. Just one use justifies the purchase. And good luck finding another diagnostic tool for under $50...any scanner capable of doing what THIS bad boy does for ALL vehicles would be very expensive as it is much MUCH more than a code reader. Honestly, spending $15 to add another vehicle make does not seem outrageous to me. Last complaint was lack of tech support. I did a crazy amount of market research before investing in a scanner. Zero tech support from Autel's competition such as iCarSoft. Autel was the only one that provided consistent tech support...I called roughly four times, and the longest I waited on hold was 5 minutes. If you dont believe me give them a call: 1 855-288-3587. One thing bothered me though, if you choose the option, "or for any other reason, stay on the line" you get prompted to leave a message. When this happened to me I just hung up, called tech support and got a human. Ultimately I think this is a fantastic product. I have three friends that purchased one too and they are all very happy with it. I wish people would read into what they are buying BEFORE they make a purchase and stop complaining when they make a mistake and buy the wrong thing. I hope you found this post helpful.


UPDATE: Sorry guys, couldn't figure out how to edit, and I have a couple other things I think are helpful to share. So it appears the HT200 will not run on a Pixel. I do not own a pixel so I cannot test, but from the research I have done it appears not. Also, one of my friends who bought one could not get his iPhone to pair with it no matter what he did. Finally he figured it out. You need to press the pair button in the app with the dongle NOT inserted, press pair, then insert the dongle. Now it's working for him and he can repeat the procedure. Bluetooth has always been kind of flaky, but I hope Autel addresses this issue.
 
Update: If you decide to buy two AP200s, make sure you have two devices ie tablets, cell phones 📱 and two email addresses. Autel assumes you would never register two of the same Autel products on the same email. I have an AP200 on the iPad- for the Toyota and a HT200 on the $26 refurbished Walmart Android Onn tablet - for the Lexus. The Onn refurb Android Pie 9.0 looks great for a grade B with minor screen scratches. Why not have a dedicated tablet for your car? I would highly recommend vipoutlet.com and was not disappointed. Don't app clutter the wife's or kid's tablet. A refurb dedicated tablet is the best economic option. The product arrived in three days via FedEx.

Android tablet pairing was done via the app's VCI connection menu. iOS pairing was done via settings->Bluetooth menu. I always plug-in the dongle, turn on the ignition and then do Bluetooth pairing.


[Linked Image]
 
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Another update: it let me use the Chrysler software on the van. It detected the VIN, but I had to then select year and model... 2018 wasn't listed but it let me put it in as a 2017 Grand Caravan/Town and Country and access all the various modules, read and clear codes etc.

Kind of cool to play around with while watching the live data, which there is TONS of. The van even reports brake fluid pressure!
 
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