ELM Chip: How Close to CAN Bus Hacking Simulation?

Hello,

I tried sending the ELM 327 AT commands to the CAN hacker (using the appropriate firmware), but it doesn't seem to be working correctly. First, I only get a response when using 9600 baud, and second, the only AT command that returns anything is the 'ATI' command. Unfortunately, even this command doesn't always work.
The CAN hacker is NOT connected to the CAN bus in this test, but I would still expect it to work...?

Does the simulation only work when a device is connected?

Thank you!