Wireless Apple Car Play

Okay,

Some quick analysis...

With the dongle connected prior to ignition start, it took less than a minute and Google Maps displayed and took the Music screen away.

I switched back and forth from the SiriusXM to Map using the buttons on the side. (Audio/Map)

After entering the address to the Vet Clinic, there was no lag in map display. I did not sway from the recommended directions given.

Coming home was a different story. I punched in my home address & took detours--the system lagged in fixing itself back to the street I was driving on.

I'll give it some more time for eval...

My wife told me she had an issue with her CarlinKit--She has the aftermarket Viper Remote Start on her car.

She started it from a distance but when she sat in her car, she noticed her display was completely blank. She pressed all the buttons but nothing made the screen turn on.

She had to turn off her ignition and start it with the push button and the screen displayed as usual.

I suggested she unplug her USB until she needed it but then said, if I have to unplug it, I might as well use the cord. (I think she doesn't like it and wants her cord back)

I just looked at her and said, "that's what happens when you have an aftermarket remote start that interferes with the bluetooth dongle."

We'll see how things go moving forward with this for the next month.

 

Thanks for posting. Looking forward to hearing how the ottocast works out for ntx_duck.

 

I ordered the Ottocast direct from their website as they had an extra coupon that saved me $. However, it looks to be shipped from China so it may be a few weeks before it arrives.

 

I ordered my "Foxwell" NT301Scanner from their website not researching that it was coming from China (I'm annoyed with myself).

That was Dec 16...it arrived yesterday the 28th.

Hopefully, your Ottocast arrives within two weeks.

 

The Ottocast finally arrived this week. It took just about 4 weeks to arrive, but at least I saved about $30 by buying direct from their website.

Here are my first impressions: 1) initial setup is very easy. Took about 30 seconds and it was ready to go. 2) it’s small and I was able to use double sided tape to mount in the cubby, just above the charging pad. 3) the sound is good. Not as good as being wired but far better than the sound when using bluetooth. 4) connectivity on startup is quick enough.

I set this up earlier today so I still need more seat time to get a really good feel for it. However, I’m digging the Ottocast so far. I’ll give another update after a week of use.

 

It took about ten days to get delivered from China.

A lesson learned: when I got the device I sat in my driveway, with ACC only on, and downloaded/installed two updates. When the last update was almost complete the ACC power turned off. Who knew Toyota has it programmed to timeout. The carplay still connected/played and all was well.

The next day it would not connect at all despite everything I tried. I contacted the vendor and they were great. In the end, with their help, I got the carplay reprogrammed and it works again.

It works well but I still have the occasional initial connection issue and have to reboot to get it to talk with the truck. Since this is the third device having this same issue I'm wondering if my iPhone XR is causing this issue. idk.

 

Thought I would follow up on this post. I tried this and it was crap. I tried every option to get this to work to my specifications and it was no good. (Updated firmware, iPhone up to date, different cables etc etc) and ended up returning it. Between the music cutting out constantly and the excessive delay on phone calls I had enough. Not sure I will give this another try or just keep going with cable driven carplay which has worked flawlessly.

 

I ended up with the Ottocast. Connected right away, connects every single time without issue and boots up before I even put the truck in gear. Calls are fine and clear. Little bit of lag when skipping songs.

I have the jbl option in my 2023 and while it’s not a huge difference, I can notice the quality of music isn’t as good as wired. I usually listen off Spotify with all settings on highest quality. Anyone else having this issue?

If you do go with the Ottocast, these 3M sticker fit the bottom perfectly. I did have to double them up to get enough thickness for it stick.

Double Sided Tape 2in x 2in...

$6 Double Sided Tape 2in x 2in 15pcs, 3M VHB Heavy Duty Mounting Tape Pad Sticker Strong Adhesive Tape Waterproof Foam Tape for Indoor and Out Door, Home Decoration, Car

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PD969P9?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Also went with this cord:

ADT-LINK USB 3.0 Type-A to USB3.1 Type-C Male Up/Down Angle USB Data Sync & Charge Cable USB-C Cord Connector Adapter FPC FPV Flat (0.05m,S3-T1) https://a.co/d/9Utlucs

 

@MGMoverland

So, this did not work for you?

$50 Carlinkit 3.0 Wireless CarPlay Adapter USB for Factory Wired CarPlay Cars (Model Year: 2015 to 2025), Wireless CarPlay Dongle Convert Wired to Wireless CarPlay

https://www.amazon.com/Carlinkit-Wireless-CarPlay-Adapter-Factory/dp/B08P1GWQDB?th=1

Just saw your follow-up review.

I have it in my wife's 2017 Elantra and I put one in my 2021 Sport.

Other than the waiting for connectivity (sometimes it did not auto-start when plugged in before ignition start/ I had to unplug and re-plug sometimes) it worked fine.

I was able to accept blue tooth phone calls, reply with verbal text messaging and the Google Maps works fine.

When I don't need Google Map, I keep it disconnected.

My wife noticed that when she leaves it connected, she can't remote start her car...so I tell her to just disconnect it when she parks at work.

I guess that can be a little tedious but she likes her iHeart & Spotify Music so she likes to keep it connected.

 

All those little reasons are why it does not meet my spec. I expect it to work as flawlessly as when its hardwire plugged in. I should not have to keep unplugging and plugging in or listen to music like its a skipping CD. For now hardwired works just fine.

 

The reason why I don't hard-wire plug into my Sport's USB is because the outlet on my phone doesn't connect properly...I dropped it in the sand at the beach one time and I think that messed up my connection ability...I've not taken it to a shop to get fixed so that's my fault.

In the meantime, I've been using the iPhone wireless charger to keep it powered.

To be honest, even when I had to hard-wire connect, it still took about the same amount of time for AppleCarPlay to launch on my dashboard.

I guess I tolerate it because I've just not done anything to fix the charging connection point on my phone. (That's on me)

There are so many toggles out there, this one was reasonably priced and will work for the time being for me.

 

One week update…. I’m still very happy with the Ottocast. Startup is still quick (always less than 10 seconds). Connectivity has been excellent. The only connectivity issue that I’ve had is when I hit a cellular dead zone. There is this one stretch of highway where I always loose cell reception. Like clockwork the Ottocast looses connectivity and the screen goes black. I simply hit the home button and wait to get reception again. I think that I read somewhere that the Ottocast uses WiFi to connect via CarPlay. If so, this would explain the connection issue.

Overall impression - 100% worth the $70 that I paid for it!

 

I have a carlinkit 4.0 and it’s great. Zero issues.

 

Can you play Netflix on it?

 

That's what I got.

AppleCarPlay will be utilized for our trip to West Marlborough Township, PA with my wife today.

 

Just ordered an Ottocast. Hopefully it works well.

 

Had a great experience with my CarlinKit 3.0 today.

64 miles north (one way) to West Marlborough Township, PA.

 

Perhaps I'm missing something, but what's the advantage of a wireless Carplay adapter? You're still using the Entune head unit and controls interface. Isn't the biggest appeal of CarPlay the screen duplication of your phone?

 

One of the advantages is that I can keep my phone in my pocket and not having to plug it in. I have left my phone in the truck many times on accident because I forget to unplug it. What a pain!

 

Not having to plug the phone in for carplay/android auto.