Wireless CarPlay - and some other features.

[N2STY]

Just curious for those who have got this connected, does your phone still work through speakers via Bluetooth or via the box? Im confused as how it all works togther

CarSmart box for the screen display and phone separate or also through the display?

Puts everything through the car display/ speakers

 

[sgt4hed]

Cheaper than the Trophy Connect though.

judging by the fact the chap said he could connect it to his in car hotspot and that he has used the same hotspot for his laptop, I would say he already has the connect model

 

[N2STY]

judging by the fact the chap said he could connect it to his in car hotspot and that he has used the same hotspot for his laptop, I would say he already has the connect model

All MK2 have Hotspot well I think

 

[sgt4hed]

All MK2 have Hotspot well I think

I thought the hotspot was one of the selling points of the Connect

 

[N2STY]

I thought the hotspot was one of the selling points of the Connect

 

[BarryH]

I went down the "AAWireless" adapter route which arrived about a week ago. using the short USB 'C' cable supplied it plugs into the AndroidAuto/Carplay port on the Gen1 and after first-time bootup of 20 to 30 seconds I linked the Dongle to the car and the phone wirelessly to the dongle which took another 30 seconds and I was up and running with Wireless Android Auto! As I say I've only had it about a week or so and it has worked flawlessly opening up AA within a few seconds of turning the car on. I ordered mine in about November on Indigogo for March shipment and as we know there have been chip shortages and shutdowns in China so it arrived mid-April. Now although I bought mine on Indigogo where they have been sold for a while now, they are about to go Retail about now. Their nearest rival I guess in the Motorola device but I've not seen that widely reviewed in fact I've only seen press releases. So I'm very happy with this which worked right out of the box with my Samsung A52 and launches Google Maps even before I'm off the drive for my dash to the gym in the morning because as described in this review the ZS detects you approaching with your key fob and powers up the Android Auto USB and therefore AAWireless dongle before you even get in the car! How's that for service?

Importantly this works with MG ZS! see this review

 

[EV AL]

I have fitted an Android unit to my ZS EV to give Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto.

It is a very small module that simply plugs into the USB port where you would normally connect your phone for CarPlay.

It needs access to the internet to work fully. This can be achieved by tethering to your phone, the in-car WiFi or by putting a SIM Card into the module.

I went the SIM-Card route.

Wireless CarPlay works flawlessly. I get into the car and just lay my phone down on the charging mat in the car and it auto-connects.

It actually runs Android 9 and with a SIM Card removes the need for a phone completely.

I’ve downloaded a few apps that will keep me occupied when charging the car

View attachment 7449View attachment 7450View attachment 7451View attachment 7452View attachment 7453View attachment 7454View attachment 7455

It also runs the full version of ABRP, so you can do all your configuration and route planning using the in-car screen without needing a subscription.

Almost any Application available on the Google App Store can be downloaded and used.

A good video showing features is here..

I think you will find anything visible to the driver except for sat nav is illegal. You not telling me that when you are driving, even with a passenger watching tv or playing a game you are not tempted to look…. a 2 second glance and that’s another accident I will be attending as a roads policing officer

 

[sgt4hed]

View attachment 8123

Ok I stand corrected

 

[enjoylife]

Based on @Dave 's inputs, some of the recommendations and the usefulness, I bought this - 75.16￡ 50% OFF|Carplay Ai Box Wireless Carplay Android Box Car Multimedia Player 4+64G Plug Play for Apple Carplay Audio Volkswagen Kia Toyota|Car Multimedia Player| - AliExpress and I am very pleased with it. It is a 4G Android box which gives me various options:
1. Can insert a 4G sim for internet.
2. Since its an android box with Playstore, it allows us to install any apps like Netflix, YouTube etc. Very useful when waiting at chargepoint or when you are stationary waiting and doing nothing. This is proving to be very useful when my son is in a swimming lesson etc and I have to wait in the car and do nothing but just be fiddling with the phone)
3. Allows split screen where half the screen can one app and other half be another app(Youtube-Navigation as example. Surely not recommending this when driving!).
4. Wireless Android Auto works perfectly fine with an inbuilt app called Zlink5.
5. Can use mobile internet via tethering if a 4G sim is not inserted.
6. Can easily return to the car infotainment screen with one click.
7. Takes about 7-8 secs to start up once its plugged in.
8. Updates are provided by the seller with clear instructions on how to install the updates. Seller is highly recommended.
9. Comes with 64G internal memory but can add extra TF card for additonal storage as well.

It is a very useful device. In short the infotainment screen becomes a 10.1 inch Android Tablet! And since I am an Android Auto user, it really helps.

Here are some screenshots:
View attachment 7879
View attachment 7880

View attachment 7881

Looks like the price has gone up quite a bit now on these. Any idea where can I get this or a similar one at a good price?

Anyone else bought one of these 4G Android boxes recently at a decent price?

 

[barmy292]

it Works
￡29.43 30％ Off | Mini Car Play Wireless Car Play Box For Factory Wired Car Play Car Multimedia Player Support Blue Tooth Wireless Auto Connection

29.43￡ 30% OFF|Mini Car Play Wireless Car Play Box For Factory Wired Car Play Car Multimedia Player Support Blue Tooth Wireless Auto Connection| | - AliExpress​

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

A few weeks down the line and still working, well worth the money, also happy with not spending over the odds for something that the car should have had in the first place

 

[Mike Cornwall]

Looks like the price has gone up quite a bit now on these. Any idea where can I get this or a similar one at a good price?

Anyone else bought one of these 4G Android boxes recently at a decent price?

I paid £65 for my mine, I bought it a few months ago, but only got the car this week and the wireless charging cooks my phone. So I'm going to put it on ebay and sell it for £65 if anyone is interested.

Looks like the price has gone up quite a bit now on these. Any idea where can I get this or a similar one at a good price?

Anyone else bought one of these 4G Android boxes recently at a decent price?

 

[BarryH]

it Works
￡29.43 30％ Off | Mini Car Play Wireless Car Play Box For Factory Wired Car Play Car Multimedia Player Support Blue Tooth Wireless Auto Connection

29.43￡ 30% OFF|Mini Car Play Wireless Car Play Box For Factory Wired Car Play Car Multimedia Player Support Blue Tooth Wireless Auto Connection| | - AliExpress​

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

A few weeks down the line and still working, well worth the money, also happy with not spending over the odds for something that the car should have had in the first place

Yes there are lots of options for wireless CarPlay if you have got an iPhone, but your options are really much more limited for Android users who want Android Auto. Motorola has launched a dongle and then there is the AAWireless dongle that I have.

 

[Gadget Geek]

I paid £65 for my mine, I bought it a few months ago, but only got the car this week and the wireless charging cooks my phone. So I'm going to put it on ebay and sell it for £65 if anyone is interested. View attachment 9281

You can put a "spacer" between the charge plate and the phone to stop it charging. Even a few pieces of corrugated cardboard will do it.

 

[N2STY]

You can put a "spacer" between the charge plate and the phone to stop it charging. Even a few pieces of corrugated cardboard will do it.

Or remove fuse 17

 

[Mike Cornwall]

You can put a "spacer" between the charge plate and the phone to stop it charging. Even a few pieces of corrugated cardboard will do it.

Or I could not put my phone on the wireless charger

 

[sgt4hed]

I paid £65 for my mine, I bought it a few months ago, but only got the car this week and the wireless charging cooks my phone. So I'm going to put it on ebay and sell it for £65 if anyone is interested. View attachment 9281

yeah my phone gets a little toasty after sitting on the charge plate for half hour

 

[Whiskery]

yeah my phone gets a little toasty after sitting on the charge plate for half hour

Agreed. I've got a Samsung charging pad in the house. Yes, it is convenient to just place the phone on top of it but is much slower charging than a fast cable and the phone gets quite warm doing nothing.

 

[Grandadgeorgec]

As my MG5 LR has neither wireless charging or wireless Android Auto (but my phone does) and the inbuilt system for Nav etc is a bit clunky, I decided to see what alternative tech was available.

I am now a happy convert to Android Auto and the added benefit of it being wireless and wireless charging.

Wireless Android is provided using a product from Wireless AA, a start up on Indiegogo that has now gone mainstream with its own website. Works faultlessly so far. Two week delivery from China. AAWireless | Wireless Android Auto™ for everyone

Flexible Wireless charge pad from Amazon. Grips phone nicely on rubber surface.

Dasing 5/7.5/10W C1 Car Qi Charger Pad Fast Charging Dock Station Non-Slip Mat : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Dasing 5/7.5/10W C1 Car Qi Charger Pad Fast Charging Dock Station Non-Slip Mat : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

www.amazon.co.uk

I purchased a short angled USB cable to fit.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B075WNLS1N?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[IanMG]

I think you will find anything visible to the driver except for sat nav is illegal. You not telling me that when you are driving, even with a passenger watching tv or playing a game you are not tempted to look…. a 2 second glance and that’s another accident I will be attending as a roads policing officer

As a roads policing officer I do think you should be knowledgeable of the laws governing cars.
Strange that you say that anything visible to the driver is illegal, when a built in radio has a screen often showing the station name as well as the album cover that is currently playing!
Jaguar Land Rover sell cars that have 'twin screens', I have one. I can see the sat nav screen (Aweful!) and the passenger can see the TV or DVD that is playing. It doesn't take much for me, the driver, to see the screen viewed by the passenger.
Have JLR been taken to court regarding this? Not to my knowledge.
Tesla have an enormous screen which you have to turn your head to look at as it has the speedometer on it! I personally think don't think this is ideal, preferring the 'Heads Up Display' as the optimum way of keeping my eyes on the road and not on my speedometer wherever it might be!

 

[sgt4hed]

I think you will find anything visible to the driver except for sat nav is illegal. You not telling me that when you are driving, even with a passenger watching tv or playing a game you are not tempted to look…. a 2 second glance and that’s another accident I will be attending as a roads policing officer

If you are talking a 2 second glance then we also need to make carrying children in the car illegal, as well as having your wife or friends in the car with you, the screen showing the song currently playing on the radio must also be gone, along with the rear view mirror as you need to take your eyes off the road ahead to focus on that, same goes with side mirrors, heater controls... Do you want me to go on? What I am saying is that there are multitudes of distractions that are ever present when driving and people will and do take their eyes off the roads for seconds at a time. It is down to the driver to be disciplined enough not to look at a video being played... it's no different to my wife sitting in the passenger seat watching netflix on the iPad... going to want to make that illegal next as that can distract the driver

Can you now see how ridiculous your post sounded? And flexing that you are a road policing officer just makes you seem like you don't know your job well enough as you are quite clearly misinformed about the law currently as there is currently no law forbidding video being played on a static device in a car, the law is around using, or more importantly holding a mobile device and the only legislation they could prosecute under would be driving without due care and attention and/or reckless/dangerous driving, you would not be prosecuted simply for "watching a movie" as no such legislation currently exists.