The GS-911 BMW Diagnostic Tool WiFi is available in two models, the enthusiast version allowing use of maintenance functions on 10 VIN’s and the unlimited VIN professional version. CnAutotool also have an extension cable available to enable placing the WiFi into a tank or tail bag.
The user interface uses the menu items plus back and home keys. If there could be any criticism of the web interface it would be that the lack of an extra button going direct to the relevant model series menu after an autoscan increases the number of key strokes and perhaps the use of a 2 column layout for some menu’s like the series menu to minimise scrolling.
In the time the unit has been under test it has been used to confirm the firmware revisions of ECUs, whether dealers have actually done updates to ECUs, quickly identify faulty sensors and then with the real time data confirm the replacement sensors are operating correctly plus reset adaptions to integrate the sensors as well. On one of the newer models, determining whether the engine ECU was operating in closed or open loop when a particular fault was occurring was made easy with the real time logging.
To prove the reliability of the real time logging the unit was set up to record all engine sensors and parameters for a 475km trip, just to make it harder the unit was set to record a firmware debug logging file as well, the full set of data was there at the end of the trip. Recovering the data was simple to download from the web interface and automatically open in a spreadsheet to analyse. It could just as easily have been opened into a graphing program.
GS-911 taps into the diagnostic port on most BMWs with electronic fuel injection, exchanging commands and data with software you’ve loaded into your mobile phone or computer. The software is Windows-only, but there are workarounds for Macs. Depending on the model and year of your BMW, the palm-sized unit will read out Engine Control Unit (ECU) data and real-time information, run function tests, read and clear fault codes, and let you reset service reminders. Hex Code offers two grades of gs-911 diagnostic tool. Enthusiast models are limited to 10 vehicle IDs, while Professional models can be used on an unlimited number of bikes. Both are available as USB only (they cable up to a PC), or as USB and Bluetooth, adding a wireless cell phone interface. Prices start at $299 for the Enthusiast USB unit (perfect for a small group of riders to share), and climb to $549 for the Professional USB/Bluetooth model reviewed here. Through the kindness of Hex Code, Enthusiast models perform all emergency duties (ECU, fault codes, real-time values) for any supported BMW.
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