Adapter & Setup
OBDVeloce is coming soon for Windows, built first for Giulia and Stelvio 2.2 JTD / Multijet. The documented reference is a 2020 Stelvio with Bosch EDC17C69. This guide explains the current COM-port connection workflow; it does not approve your vehicle or adapter.
- Windows COM-port workflow
- Setup happens on your own Windows computer
- Compatibility is confirmed per configuration
The whole journey, before any of the detail.
The desktop workflow at a glance
Six stepsThis is the shape of the whole thing. Every step is expanded further down the page, and the connection steps have their own detailed sequence.
- Once access is issued, install OBDVeloce on Windows
- Connect a supported diagnostic adapter to the vehicle and the computer
- Check device setup and any driver required by the adapter manufacturer
- Select the COM port Windows assigned
- Start Guided Capture for the group you chose
- Review accepted evidence from a completed Guided Diagnostic run in SmartReport / PDF
This setup guide describes the desktop workflow. Interest registration does not provide a build, licence or download. Windows drivers and adapter firmware are not supplied here.
Check the exact adapter, not just its connector.
The current workflow needs a stable serial COM-port connection on Windows. An approved list of adapter models and firmware is not yet available. These connection conditions are not a buying recommendation or proof that a particular adapter works.
Connection requirements
- What it is
- A diagnostic adapter supported by the current OBDVeloce workflow
- How it connects
- Presented to Windows as a serial COM port, with exclusive access during a capture
- Compatibility status
- Exact model and firmware need review
- Recommended usage
- Guided Capture on a vehicle configuration that has already been reviewed
- Published identity
- None. No adapter brand, model or chipset is published.
What a supported adapter has to do
- Be detected reliably by Windows
- Appear as an available Windows COM port
- Hold that port exclusively for the length of a capture
- Maintain stable serial communication throughout
- Answer OBDVeloce before any request is sent to the vehicle
- Complete supported standard OBD communication
- Carry supported Alfa-specific communication where the capture requires it
Before choosing hardware
- It does not mean every OBD adapter works. Most of the conditions above are only observable once a connection is attempted.
- It does not mean one connection category is approved and another rejected. No such judgement has been published, in either direction.
- It does not mean an adapter’s own compatibility claims can stand in for a review. Packaging is not evidence.
- It does not mean adapter firmware is irrelevant. Firmware and behaviour are part of what a compatibility review weighs.
- It does not mean a purchase is being recommended. Nothing here directs you to buy any specific hardware.
Keep the exact adapter model, firmware and Windows version available for a future review. Confirmation still requires evidence for the vehicle, ECU and connection together.
What has to be true before setup begins.
Prepare the Windows computer, adapter connection and vehicle conditions below before an authorised diagnostic session.
Adapter and port
- An available COM port
- Windows must list the adapter as a serial port and assign it a COM number that OBDVeloce can open.
- Exclusive access to that port
- Normally only one application can control the serial diagnostic adapter at a time. Another program holding the port will prevent a capture from starting.
- A stable serial connection
- The connection has to hold for the whole capture. An interruption partway through changes what the session can contain.
- A supported diagnostic adapter
- An adapter meeting the profile described above, connected to the vehicle’s diagnostic port and to the computer.
Windows environment
- A Windows desktop computer
- OBDVeloce is Windows desktop software. There is no mobile application and no browser-based capture.
- Local storage for sessions and reports
- Sessions and reports are written to the local machine. No specific disk-space figure is published, because none has been established.
Vehicle and scope
- Access to the vehicle in the right state
- Each capture group has a recommended condition and duration. The vehicle needs to be in that state for the capture to mean anything.
- A reviewed vehicle configuration
- A working connection is not a compatibility result. Whether the exact vehicle, ECU and protocol fall inside the current scope is settled by review.
Before software access
Confirmed adapter models, firmware and system requirements will be published before software access becomes available.
From a disconnected adapter to a reviewed report.
Each step assumes the one before it has succeeded. Working through them in order is what makes a failure easy to locate: the first step that does not complete is the one to investigate, and the steps after it cannot be judged until it does.
Install the adapter
Connect the adapter to the vehicle’s diagnostic port according to its manufacturer’s instructions. Check that it is seated securely.
Connect the adapter
Connect the adapter to the Windows computer, and put the vehicle into the state the capture you intend to run expects.
Windows detects the hardware
Check that Windows recognises the adapter and lists its COM number. Device setup may require the manufacturer’s driver; automatic installation is not guaranteed. OBDVeloce does not supply or update drivers or adapter firmware.
Choose the COM port
Select the COM port assigned to your adapter in OBDVeloce. Check the adapter response and supported standard OBD communication before expecting Alfa-specific data. A port that opens is not yet proof of vehicle compatibility.
Start Guided Capture
Run Core / Standard with one focused Alfa group for the recommended condition and duration. Captured and missing signals stay visible as the capture proceeds.
Capture complete
Stop and finalise the session. It is written to the local machine and classified by the evidence it actually contains: complete, partial but usable, or insufficient data.
Review the report
After completing a Guided Diagnostic run, review its accepted evidence in SmartReport and export a local PDF if needed. A saved capture alone is not the same as a completed run. Engine Fault Scan is a separate capability.
After an interruption, check whether the capture was saved and review its quality before using it. Missing or incomplete evidence must not be treated as a complete diagnostic run.
Where setup usually stops, and what to check.
These are described by what you see rather than by an internal error code. Each one lists the checks worth making and the conclusion it does not support, because a connection symptom and a compatibility answer are different things.
Adapter not detected
Windows does not list the adapterStart in Windows Device Manager: check whether the adapter appears and whether Windows reports a device or driver error. Vehicle communication can be checked once the adapter is available.
Worth checking- Whether the adapter appears in the Windows device list at all
- Whether Windows has finished its own device setup for it
- Whether the same adapter is detected on a different port on the computer
- Whether the adapter is powered by the vehicle’s diagnostic port
A device Windows cannot see says nothing about vehicle compatibility. It is a connection problem, not a compatibility result.
Wrong COM port selected
The port opens but nothing answersWindows can assign several COM numbers on one machine, and a previously used number may still be listed after the adapter has moved. Selecting the wrong one produces a silent port rather than an obvious error.
Worth checking- Which COM number Windows currently assigns to this adapter
- Whether the number changed after reconnecting or using a different port
- Whether a stale port from an earlier session is still selected
An open port is not a working connection. It confirms only that the port could be opened.
Driver not installed
The device is listed but not readyThe adapter can appear in Windows while its driver installation has not finished, in which case no COM number is usable yet. This resolves in Windows rather than in OBDVeloce.
Worth checking- Whether Windows reports the device as ready
- Whether a restart or reconnection lets Windows complete the installation
- Whether the device is listed under serial ports rather than as an unrecognised device
OBDVeloce does not supply, download or update drivers. Device setup belongs to Windows and the adapter’s own manufacturer.
Port access refused
The port is present but cannot be openedA visible COM port may already be held by another diagnostic or serial application. Check the exact error and close other tools using the adapter before retrying.
Worth checking- Whether another diagnostic or serial application is running
- Whether an earlier session was closed properly
- Whether the port becomes available once those are closed
Failure to open a port does not establish its cause or the vehicle’s compatibility.
Loose or unstable connection
The connection drops partway through a captureMovement or vibration can interrupt a connection that seemed stable at rest. Check any saved capture for missing evidence; a dropped connection alone does not identify a vehicle fault.
Worth checking- Whether the adapter is fully seated in the diagnostic port
- Whether the cable is under strain, or routed where it can be disturbed
- Whether the drop repeats at the same point in a capture
Check whether a session was saved and what evidence it contains before drawing conclusions.
Ignition state not as expected
The adapter answers but the vehicle does notThe adapter can be working while the vehicle is not in a state where it will respond, or not in the state the selected capture group expects. The two look similar from the application.
Worth checking- Whether the vehicle is in the state the selected capture requires
- Whether the recommended condition for that group is being followed
- Whether supported standard OBD communication succeeds before Alfa-specific values are expected
Requests that go unanswered in one ignition state are not proof that a signal is unavailable on that configuration.
Adapter not suited to the workflow
Everything connects but communication never establishesAn adapter can be detected, hold a port exclusively and still not carry the communication the workflow needs. This is the hardest case to read, precisely because every earlier step succeeded.
Worth checking- Whether supported standard OBD communication succeeds at all
- Whether the same behaviour repeats across attempts rather than being intermittent
- Whether the adapter’s exact model and firmware can be identified for review
This is not a verdict on the adapter. Whether a specific device suits a specific configuration is settled by a compatibility review, not by one failed attempt.
If the connection succeeds and signals are still missing, the question has moved on from setup: it is now about which signals that exact configuration returns, which is a compatibility and capture-quality question rather than a connection one.
Checks before you connect.
Each of these follows from a requirement above rather than from general advice, and each one makes a later problem easier to identify.
Use an adapter that has been reviewed
Know the exact model and firmware of the adapter you are using, and raise it in a compatibility review. Firmware and behaviour are part of what a review weighs, and an unidentifiable device makes that review much harder to complete.
Keep the connection stable
Check the adapter connection and any cable or intermediate connection for movement or strain. Follow the adapter manufacturer’s setup instructions; no particular USB specification is established here.
Close other diagnostic software first
Normally only one application can control the serial adapter at a time. Closing other diagnostic or serial tools before starting removes the most common reason a visible port will not open.
Keep the vehicle’s voltage stable
Control-module voltage is part of the Core / Standard context every capture records. A supply that sags during a long capture affects the connection and the evidence together, so a vehicle whose battery is already marginal is a poor starting point.
Keep the ignition state appropriate
Each group has a recommended condition and duration. Idle-only data cannot demonstrate behaviour that appears only under load, whatever the connection quality.
Finish one capture before changing group
Core / Standard with one focused Alfa group is the recommended workflow. Completing a capture before changing the selection keeps each session interpretable on its own.
Record the exact wording on screen
If you do need help, the exact text the application showed, and the step it appeared at, narrows the problem far faster than a description of the symptom alone.
Adapter and setup questions.
Which adapters are officially supported?
An approved adapter model and firmware list is not yet available. The current workflow uses an exclusive Windows COM-port connection with stable serial communication. Meeting those conditions alone does not confirm support: the exact adapter and vehicle configuration need review.
Can Bluetooth adapters be used?
Bluetooth support is not established by this guide. A connection type or visible COM port alone does not confirm an adapter. Its exact model, firmware and behaviour with the vehicle need review.
Does OBDVeloce require the Internet?
The diagnostic workflow runs on your own Windows computer. Guided Capture, the local session and the deterministic report are produced locally, and sessions and reports are written to the local machine. Nothing in the capture workflow uploads a session or a report automatically.
Why can’t I see my COM port?
Check Device Manager for adapter detection, driver status and the COM number currently assigned. If the port is listed but will not open, check whether another application is using it. Those are different problems.
Why is connection taking longer than expected?
Connection is established in stages rather than at once: the adapter answers, supported standard OBD communication is verified, and only then is supported Alfa-specific communication established. A configuration that differs from the reference configuration, or a serial link that is not holding cleanly, will show up as time spent in one of those stages. The application reports the state it has actually reached rather than presenting a connection as complete before it is.
Can I disconnect after the capture?
Finish the capture and confirm it is saved before disconnecting. Saved evidence can be reviewed locally; SmartReport and PDF use accepted evidence from completed Guided Diagnostic runs. After an unexpected disconnection, check what was actually retained before relying on it.
Where do I download the adapter driver?
Not from here. OBDVeloce does not supply, host or update drivers or adapter firmware, and this site offers no download. Device setup is handled by Windows and by the adapter’s own manufacturer.
If none of these matches what you are seeing, the support guidance covers the same workflow in more detail and explains what to record before asking for help.
Prepare for a future release.
Setup guidance describes the conditions. Whether your exact vehicle, ECU, protocol and adapter fall inside the current scope is settled by a compatibility review.