CarPlay CarPlay adapter to convert to wireless CarPlay?

[AZhappyjack]

How badly does wireless CarPlay impact battery life? I just got an adapter with fairly good ratings on Amazon. Seems to do the conversion via Bluetooth and then a hidden Wi-Fi network. I know from past experience using Bluetooth can kill battery life, although I last used Bluetooth before getting a CarPlay device.

If the battery usage isn't too bad, I guess it's fine. If it's drastic, I might still need to keep a power cable in the car.

It's not a major thing, as far as I can tell... I don't do a lot of driving - maybe 25 miles across town and back twice a week, plus local stuff like to the grocery or to restaurants in the evenings... and it's not been an impact for me... I have taken a few "day trips", in which case I do plug in, as BT streaming music, Waze, phone calls and text can be a bit much for an all-day trip.

YMMV

 

[Steve Ballmer]

It's not a major thing, as far as I can tell... I don't do a lot of driving - maybe 25 miles across town and back twice a week, plus local stuff like to the grocery or to restaurants in the evenings... and it's not been an impact for me... I have taken a few "day trips", in which case I do plug in, as BT streaming music, Waze, phone calls and text can be a bit much for an all-day trip.

YMMV

Latter is my main concern, I do take long driving trips a couple times a year. I've got a spare wireless charging mat, I might just keep that in the car.

 

[thekayman]

For short trips around town it's not a problem. I never charge my phone during the day and always end up with some battery left. Something I've noticed with the latest f/w and ios is that my phone tends to run hotter than before.
Longer drives are a different story - you definitely need to have a cable at hand or some sort of charging solution in the car.

 

[mquinn]

amazon.com/dp/B0CFTMX7KS

fakespot.com

I notice a link to Apple in the Amazon description. My car (2019 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport) has wired CarPlay but the Apple link doesn’t say Outlander Sport just outlander. Think this will work?

 

[AZhappyjack]

I notice a link to Apple in the Amazon description. My car (2019 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport) has wired CarPlay but the Apple link doesn’t say Outlander Sport just outlander. Think this will work?

I would think so... the adapter that I have says it works with Ford (and lists a bunch, but not my Ranger)... but it works perfectly... the good thing about Amazon is the easy-peasy return process, should it not work.

 

[GizmoDVD]

My 2 year old one is finally crapping out. What's the best one for a Toyota that I can buy on Amazon?

 

[TehFalcon]

Anyone with a VW or Audi that has found a unit that doesn't have huge lag on phone calls and reliably connects?

 

[Kurt871]

Anyone with a VW or Audi that has found a unit that doesn't have huge lag on phone calls and reliably connects?

Carlinkit 5.0 works fine in my VW GTI. Haven’t noticed significant lag on calls; there’s about 300ms lag when changing music tracks but that’s about the only difference I’ve seen compared to wired.

 

[mquinn]

I would think so... the adapter that I have says it works with Ford (and lists a bunch, but not my Ranger)... but it works perfectly... the good thing about Amazon is the easy-peasy return process, should it not work.

So it's not working. It booted up, and I was finally able to connect it after many tries, but it won't stay connected. Keeps rebooting.

I tried to update the firmware since I was having issues and it started doing that, got to about 75%. Now it just keeps rebooting with a message on the in dash screen that says PLEASE UPDATE FIRMWARE, then reboots and says it again. Grrr.

 

[AZhappyjack]

So it's not working. It booted up, and I was finally able to connect it after many tries, but it won't stay connected. Keeps rebooting.

I tried to update the firmware since I was having issues and it started doing that, got to about 75%. Now it just keeps rebooting with a message on the in dash screen that says PLEASE UPDATE FIRMWARE, then reboots and says it again. Grrr.

Which adapter are you using? As I’ve stated repeatedly throughout these threads, I have had issues with all of the CarLinkIt adapters that I’ve tried - v3,v4 and v5. Sent them all back.

 

[mquinn]

Which adapter are you using? As I’ve stated repeatedly throughout these threads, I have had issues with all of the CarLinkIt adapters that I’ve tried - v3,v4 and v5. Sent them all back.

v5. I thought you said you liked them. My bad then. Yeah sending this one back. Thanks.

 

[AZhappyjack]

So it's not working. It booted up, and I was finally able to connect it after many tries, but it won't stay connected. Keeps rebooting.

I tried to update the firmware since I was having issues and it started doing that, got to about 75%. Now it just keeps rebooting with a message on the in dash screen that says PLEASE UPDATE FIRMWARE, then reboots and says it again. Grrr.

Which adapter are you using? As I’ve stated repeatedly throughout these threads, I have had issues with all of the CarLinkIt adapters that I’ve tried - v3,v4 and v5. Sent them all back.

After all of the issues with the CarLinkIt adapters, I went with this one... not a moment's trouble with it going on 5 months now.

B0BV99DRPB

 

[thekayman]

New f/w (10.2023) for Carlinkit v.3. Solves a few bugs and seems the best I've seen so far.

 

[Aliman12]

New f/w (10.2023) for Carlinkit v.3. Solves a few bugs and seems the best I've seen so far.

I concur excellent Update for V2/V3 Adapters. Working well on Mitsubishi.

 

[vccowan]

After all of the issues with the CarLinkIt adapters, I went with this one... not a moment's trouble with it going on 5 months now.

B0BV99DRPB

Does this have multiple phone support?

 

[fragilityv2]

I’ve been on the original carplay2air device since end of 2019 with my 2020 Prius. Looks like the firmware is about as far as it can go (2022.12.14.1100). Looking at taking advantage of Black Friday deals on Amazon for CarLinkit 5, any reason to avoid?

Also, is there any difference between the one with the blue logo vs the green logo?

 

[AZhappyjack]

Does this have multiple phone support?

I can't say for sure, but it's a BT connection to the phone, so I'd say yes... probably only one at a time though.

 

[jurrus]

Hello. I have a problem upgrading a v3 Carlinkit. This device was installed in my sister's 2016 Seat Ibiza and it disconnects from time to time. Now my sister is using my “old” v3 (the fiber carbon one) with no problems and I’m using a v5 in my Golf.

Before changing my sister' Carlinkit I tried upgrading via OTA but it says there is a wifi connection problem and a lot of chinese symbols. I tried with my iPhone 14 Pro and my sister's 12 Pro.

So now I have it at home so I’m trying to upgrade it via USB but with no luck. I have followed the procedure on the first page of this thread, checked the format of the USB, using a power outlet, and connecting the USB when the led gets red, but I can’t get it to start the upgrade, the led light don’t change from solid red.

I have some questions:
-I have no way of knowing what is the actual version. 192.168.50.2 has the old UI so I only get the upgrade option (not showing the actual version but the chinese error) and the classic menu options
-Can I upgrade to any version? I remember that upgrading via OTA the device upgrades sequentially through various versions
-What is the correct name of the img file? U2W_Update.img or U2W_AUTOKIT_Update.img ? I tried both with no result…

All help will be welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[Lee_Bo]

I’ve been on the original carplay2air device since end of 2019 with my 2020 Prius. Looks like the firmware is about as far as it can go (2022.12.14.1100). Looking at taking advantage of Black Friday deals on Amazon for CarLinkit 5, any reason to avoid?

Also, is there any difference between the one with the blue logo vs the green logo?

Yup, looks like that’s the latest. Been in they for a while:

Version
2022.12.14.1100

I haven’t been having any problems with mine so I’ll hang onto it for a bit longer.

 

[MrMister111]

Yeh I think it’s only 1 BT at a time as my car has an app that uses BT for driving logs and the CarLinkIt “pinches” this, I have to unplug it periodically, it then syncs for like a month.

Wish it would do both.

Anyone got one of those AI boxes that has apps, video players etc on, and also has Autolink app which is one for the wireless CarPlay? Any good?

 

[murray1152]

Yeh I think it’s only 1 BT at a time as my car has an app that uses BT for driving logs and the CarLinkIt “pinches” this, I have to unplug it periodically, it then syncs for like a month.

Wish it would do both.

Anyone got one of those AI boxes that has apps, video players etc on, and also has Autolink app which is one for the wireless CarPlay? Any good?

I got a "CarlinKit CarPlay Ai Box Android 13.0 with LED Light for Car with Wired CarPlay and Touchscreen..." from amazon. I can only say I’m deeply disappointed. Every 10 minutes or so, the connection between the car (Mercedes) and the LED box breaks. Honestly, I am an previous customer of Carlinkit, I purchased their carlinkit 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and ai box basic. They all work great. Except this LED AI BOX. Finally, I returned this LED AI BOX and got their " Ai Box Android 13 Plus QCM6125" from their official store: https://carlinkitbox.com/products/c...-carplay-netflix-tv-box-for-oem-wired-carplay
It works brilliantly!! Now, let's talk about the incredible video streaming feature. The Carlinkit CarPlay AI Box lets you enjoy your favorite video streaming content from NetFlix, YouTube, or other streams on your car's display. Whether you're on a long road trip or waiting for someone in your vehicle, you can stream videos easily. It's like having a mini-theater right in your vehicle, adding a new dimension to your driving experience. Side note: the video streaming isn't from your iPhone but rather from the Carlinkit using your phone's hotspot. So, make sure you have enough data for your hotspot.

 

[Mahili]

I got a "CarlinKit CarPlay Ai Box Android 13.0 with LED Light for Car with Wired CarPlay and Touchscreen..." from amazon. I can only say I’m deeply disappointed. Every 10 minutes or so, the connection between the car (Mercedes) and the LED box breaks. Honestly, I am an previous customer of Carlinkit, I purchased their carlinkit 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and ai box basic. They all work great. Except this LED AI BOX. Finally, I returned this LED AI BOX and got their " Ai Box Android 13 Plus QCM6125" from their official store: https://carlinkitbox.com/products/c...-carplay-netflix-tv-box-for-oem-wired-carplay
It works brilliantly!! Now, let's talk about the incredible video streaming feature. The Carlinkit CarPlay AI Box lets you enjoy your favorite video streaming content from NetFlix, YouTube, or other streams on your car's display. Whether you're on a long road trip or waiting for someone in your vehicle, you can stream videos easily. It's like having a mini-theater right in your vehicle, adding a new dimension to your driving experience. Side note: the video streaming isn't from your iPhone but rather from the Carlinkit using your phone's hotspot. So, make sure you have enough data for your hotspot.

The 5.0 is great. It performs better than 3.0 and 4.0, also at a better price. I have one in my Audi A4.

 

[thekayman]

The 5.0 is great. It performs better than 3.0 and 4.0, also at a better price. I have one in my Audi A4.

Out of curiosity, how is v5 better than v3 in your experience? I have the v3 and with the latest f/w (and ios 17) it connects in ~10sec., no drops, lag, freezes, anything...

 

[c47v3770]

^^ I'm wondering the same. v3 performs fine in my 2017 Mazda 3. I do experience the occasional crash but it doesn't happen often enough to be a deal breaker. Most likely caused by the weak USB port.

I've been wondering if there's an adapter that would give me better call quality but I feel like they are all the same.

 

[Mahili]

Out of curiosity, how is v5 better than v3 in your experience? I have the v3 and with the latest f/w (and ios 17) it connects in ~10sec., no drops, lag, freezes, anything...

My 5.0 connects in 5sec. The 5.0 get new chip, it is faster than 3.0.