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Elektrofone

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 5, 2010
1,033
482
I tried Wireless CarPlay adapter a couple years back but was disappointed due to the lag I experienced with the Carlinkit adapter. I have a 2023 CX-5 and iPhone 15 pro. What adapters are the best and does it work reliably?
 

Itinj24

Contributor
Nov 8, 2017
4,466
2,558
New York
I’ve no experience with these adapters personally but you may find some useful info in this thread. It’s been going strong for over four years.

 
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haralds

macrumors 68030
Jan 3, 2014
2,887
1,198
Silicon Valley, CA
I have one, and it works. But I found that especially Maps is a power hog. So I have to have my iPhone plugged in anyway. My iPhone Mini 13 slides around on the Qi connector, it does not work reliably.
Renting cars, I found the wireless built into current models works better than aftermarket (faster initial connection.) But the power issues remains.
 

AZhappyjack

macrumors G3
Jul 3, 2011
9,628
22,759
Happy Jack, AZ
I've run the gamut of CarLinkIt adapters (v3, v4 and v5) and none of them worked beyond the first 5 or 6 days... they ran hot and were constantly disconnecting... had to constantly unplug them, plug them back in and wait for them to connect... use them for a minute or two, then rinse and repeat.

I found an off-brand (YEHUA) on Amazon that works pretty much flawlessly FOR ME. I've had it for about 5-6 months now, and no issues with heat or connectivity... connectivity is fast - it's fully operational by the time I back out of my garage... voice and texting work exactly as expected... the only flaw that tI have experienced is a slight lag on the reported car speed displayed via the Waze app, but IMO, that's an issue with Waze, as there was some of that with wired CarPlay.

I have no idea what the determining factor is for whether or not the adapters will work with your phone in your vehicle. Like I said, and despite the number of users who are satisfied with the CarLinkIt adapters, they just refuse to work with my '21 Ford Ranger/SYNC 3 and iPhone 14 Pro Max. I have also tried a couple of other off-brands before settling on the YEHUA adapter.

To the OP, my advice would be to try it and see. At least Amazon has a pretty painless return policy and process. If it works, good on ya. If not, return it and try again. As always, YMMV.
 
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loopy123

macrumors member
Aug 9, 2018
50
74
I bought the one on Amazon from "Schmidt Spiele" ( it's just another Chinese brand ...) to replace some other brand I bought a few years before that seemed to stop working. Whatever chipset they are using now is MUCH more reliable and works great in my VW Golf. CarPlay is up and running before I can back out of the driveway.
 

thekayman

macrumors 6502
Oct 23, 2014
303
53
I’ve had the carlinkit v3 for 2 years, been using it in a CX-30. I’ve never had major problems with it and the latest fw in particular is the best so far. It connects fast (12-15 sec), there is no lag, never disconnects, occasionally there is some wifi interference in dense areas. My iphone 13 tends to run hot sometimes but I never run out of battery. I only drive around town though.
Your CX5 has the same or very similar CMU so performance should be similar.
 
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