I've searched for and watched many TH-cam videos. Your AI box introduction is the most comprehensive and detailed on TH-cam. I also watched your individual video introducing the CarlinKit T-Box Max & Plus. Thank you so much!
All of them seem to shine in one area or another, but I'm still waiting for one of these that can handle all of the following: 1. 60 fps 2. dual bluetooth for phone+OBD scanner or phone+controller 3. HDMI output 4. Solid wifi for Android Auto If only Ottocast would fix their damn bluetooth issues...
Hello.. Your video was just super awesome. Here's what I'm looking for: 1. I have Bluetooth and Wifi inside my Ford Edge 2021 SUVannnnnnnn 2. I have both USB-A & C 3. I have an Samsung Galaxy S21 4. At one point I was able use Fermata Auto, that worked so well with Android Auto.. Until it didn't anylonger :( 5. I purchased a MMB box back in 2021 that cost me $289, but now it's old and I can no longer update the firmware (checked with the manufacture) 6. SOooooo I'm in the market for another NEW AI box. One that is UPGRADABLE.. I don't want to spend a great deal of money each 3 to 4 years. 7. I just want basic apps like Waze, TH-cam, Netflix and CinemaHD. 8. I don't really have a need for any HDMI ports, but i must work with Android Auto tho. Any suggestions?
You dropped the ball with upgradable. None get upgraded in OS. Update support usually stop as soon as newer models are released. So at the rate of these releasing they’ll drop support in heart beat. Many do AA poorly. I remember MMB boxes not doing it all too well apart from 5.0 because they basically used the same platform as others use.
I’m using OTTOBOX PICASOU 2 over CarPlay in a Honda. I have terrible audio delay. what’s the best way to improve latency? I tried over USB and Bluetooth (phone, Honda wasn’t showing up)
Audio delay is caused by Wi-Fi signal and how Wi-Fi works. It’s not as fast at BT. Only way to ‘slightly’ improve it is changing the media delay in the IP config menu. Sadly AI Boxes do not carry this functionality.
Hi thanks for the video, I just got the latest 13 android AI box from Carlinkit for my MDX 24” that comes with AppleCarplay my main problem was to cast screen mirror to watch Netflix or TH-cam on my car screen but it seems that doesn’t work I want to be able to screen mirror with my iPhone to my car screen, thanks any recommendations?
Due to copyright limitations I don’t think you can cast from a mobile to the adapter but TH-cam should work. You might need to use an app to connect instead of using the screencast option in the Android OS. Auto link I think it’s called.
@CarPlayLife it would be awesome if my MDX 24' has a Touch screen system, feels very slow using the carlinkit Tbox with the knock of the car , I'll contact them to see if I can return it
Hello, I have purchased an AI BOX. There is a wired carplay between the AI BOX and the car. The AI BOX accesses the mobile phone hotspot and runs Apple music through its own Android system. I am interested in the audio quality. Wired carplay supports up to 48kHz/16 bit in audio. Apple music supports 48khz/24 bit and even 192khz/24 bit. So how do these AI BOXes process audio data? What specifications of digital audio signals will it transmit to the car? The Android system has sampling rate conversion for audio. It will process sounds from different programs, downgrade high-specification audio, upgrade low-specification audio, and unify different audios to the same specification. So, when we use the Android system of AI BOX to play high-specification audio, does the specification of the audio signal it transmits reach the upper limit of carplay (48khz/24 bit), or is it lower?
My guess is it’s lower because there is still a compression going on under wireless CarPlay. This is all outside my knowledge though, it’s just a guess. Sorry.
Is there any solution for carlinkit plus. When have splitscreen youtube and google maps open at the same time. The sound of the video is very bad because maps switch the audio to voice. I can’t find any solution for this.
To fix the audio quality issue you just need to tap on the Google Map profile icon, scroll down to Settings - Navigation settings - OK Google detection - While driving option, and turn it off. Now go back to navigation whilst music is playing and you should not get the quality issue anymore when navigation occurs over music playback.
1) I feel there should by now be a way to get better result with something like a Rasberry Pi 4. 2) Seem like beside having IO and ability to host wireless AA & CP it would be best to get a rooted android device.
You would think not no one has done it. I have 3 year old Huawei phone that is worth $10 if I were to sell it, easily rootable, and it's 10x faster than these $200 devices..
@@CarPlayLife I drive an Hyundai Ioniq 5. And its a dream car. only the android car play isn't that great as its wired. This is why I watched your video. i wanted to know what works better for me
What do you think is best for my car? Its an 2010/11 audi, got aux, but not bluetooth...and what items in total do I need and what does it gonna cost me?
A CarPlay display is your best bet for CP/AA in your Audi. None of these adapters will work without wired CarPlay already present in your Audi. You could try looking for a stealth box but that requires access to behind your Audi system.
Are any of these Capable of utilizing an iPad as the primary or secondary display in the car? Also are there enough games where not having Bluetooth controller connectivity will be a big loss?
I wish I still had a console to try it. Using a pc I found the input to screen lag a bit too much for intensive gaming tbh. Resolution is fine but on a small car screen text can read a little small. I’ve yet to explore pushing the display out to an iPad. I don’t think it’s possible as iPad connection over hdmi is out and not in. So it won’t display an input feed from the adapter.
Hi Antony, I have a 2015 VW Touareg 7p can you please tell me if any of the car play gadgets will work with my car and which is the best for me to buy. Also do any allow you to access all your apps that are on your phone, apps like TH-cam and other 3rd party video streaming apps ??? Any advice would be much appreciated.
hello, I want to buy an Al Box, but I hesitate between QCM6125 Android 13 8g+128g carlinkit carplay ai box plus and PICASOU 2 Pro CarPlay AI Box at the moment they are about the same price???i have a Toyota Corolla 2019, i dont play games , i just want GPS wireless ,incoming and outgoing calls and to stream video like TH-cam, Netfix,TV life, dont need to use remote or console, maybe to to share the video with other monitors tablets wireless or wired, or you can recomannd me something better for my needs, i use more samsung phones than iPhone, but I don't want cables and no system that runs slowly and intermittently
If performance is a concern then I’d go with the CarlinKit plus with 8GB ram. No adapter out at the moment will tick all those boxes and you’ll have to compromise on something.
@@CarPlayLife Hello, I bought this model QCM6125 Android 13 8g+128g and many times it takes a long time to connect to AndroidAuto or many times I have to keep trying to reconnect it, if I try to run 2 apps the same it freezes or moves very difficult, maybe I have to make some settings or maybe you recommend some updates, I have a Toyota Corolla 2019
Do you mean to use an AI box just for wireless AAuto or an AI Box for use only on an AAuto only car system? If it’s the first, don’t bother get a 2in1 or CarlinKit 5.0 if you have CarPlay system. If it’s the second then none of these work on an AAuto only system. They need a wired CarPlay port.
@@CarPlayLife not interested in casting or mirroring as way as carplay (so not 2 in 1). But there are so many. I've seen all your videos, but I still don't know which. Something that you don't talk about much is dpi. I don't want option for high dpi.
Not many do support bmw. Makers had to create bmw specific adapters instead. I hope to be getting into a BMW in the next few months to do a BMW specific video on these adapters.
Thanks very much for the comprehensive review. Amazing content! I have a basic question. The Carlinkit TBox plus supports a 4G sim, correct? If one were to use a 4G sim.. I'm assuming the Maps on the menu would work instead of connecting your phone for Android auto? Or, does one still need to pair their phone for this? I'd like to use a 4G sim instead of connecting my phone, for using Google Maps. Please let me know if this is possible.
I think it’s supports 4G LTE. Soon as you give it internet, features like maps tile on the menu can come to life. I guess if you download maps it could still work without but you wouldn’t get any traffic data from the internet connection.
On the adapter itself? I don’t it without an FM input. The closest thing would be running a radio app like TuneIn or similar to get radio stations on the adapter. Or just switch your car’s own FM radio on instead. :)
Hello I want to buy the carlinkit tbox plus that you recommend,I see on Ali express so meny different so box with an 12 128 go it’s seems better version from what you segest,please advise send link what is best to buy?
I asked to review these spec bumped adapters but they didn’t want to supply any review and there’s very little difference in them other than their boost in RAM and ROM. So if you think you’ll utilise this for things like multitasking then it’s recommended you go with those higher spec’d versions.
As long as the maps app uses offline downloaded maps. Traffic will not work as that needs data. Voice nav may work if the data for it is downloaded. Spotify should work as long as the playlist tracks are downloaded. I’ll try and do a video on this sometime soon.
One suggestion. The main reason one would go for Ai boxes i believe is watching youtube videos. Can you review how's the youtube app UI, difficulty in navigation the interface, streaming speeds, 4k videos capable or not, any audio lag+ video lag when playing videos, any stuttering during streaming etc...
Hi. Thanks for video. Now i already using about 6months tv box mini(carlinkit) , can you help: is tv box plus (4gb, 64gb) going to be really faster? Should i upgrade or it is not nescessary? Thanks , apriciate if you will answer.
The plus has a much faster chipset. It’s Wi-Fi specs are pretty much the same but you will have faster launching of apps and the GPU will be better at displaying video and also games if you use it for that. You’ll go from android 9 to android 11 so it improves app compatibility a little too. If you’re just streaming video on it then you might not see a drastic difference other than browsing through menus and loading the app. If you can get a good deal on it, it’s worth the upgrade.
Thanks, sometimes having a problems with launch on t-box mini, doesnt lauch, had upgraded to latest firmware, bit changed bit still sometimes not lauching on car start, and after couple apps restarting, in case not stable , thats why want to upgrade to 4gb 64gb android 12 t-box plus;)
All will have Netflix, TH-cam and Spotify preinstalled. Some have Disney+ and Hulu the rest will have to be downloaded from the Google Play store on the adapter.
I was waiting to hear if any of these devices amplified your sound, because the old MMB that I had had a DSP AMP, I'm in the market for a new one. One with DSP AMP, AI, HDMI out, Android 12/13+, and works on a 15.5 inch screen (for Ford Mustang Mach E)
Hi Anthony. Thanks for the video. Will this give me TH-cam on the native Apple CarPlay app? Or can I only use TH-cam if using android auto? Are there like 3x different systems, one for my standard Apple CarPlay, one for the CPC200 android system, and another for android auto? Also, can I cast TH-cam videos from my Apple iPhone to the device to watch on screen? Looking forward to your response
These require wired CarPlay car system and displays an android os tablet experience on your CarPlay display. From here you can watch TH-cam etc. There is a hack to use TH-cam via android auto, but I have never tired it though. And I don’t think it uses an official app. Yes CarPlay, android Os and android auto systems that adapters and these AI boxes work with. You can’t cast video from TH-cam to CarPlay from a iPhone. Only audio will work. You’ll need an AI Box like the ones mentioned in this video.
@@CarPlayLife Many thanks Anthony. Do you know if the CPC200 Tbox Plus supports AirPlay? I would love to be able to search for TH-cam videos on my iPhone, then cast them to the CPC200/head unit, rather than having to use the TH-cam app on the CPC200/head unit. If you can please let me know that would be great
Hey, thanks for the detailed analysis.. do these top 5 work with steering mounted controls on a Skoda..?? Also do they all support screen locking via Google security settings..?? TIA..
Only android 9 AI boxes support screen locked. After that it was removed from them as people were forgetting passcodes and locking themselves out and flooding support with enquiries so they chose to remove it 🤷🏻♂️ Most do support wheel controls but it all varies between vehicles and their system setups. So you’ll have to try it and see.
exactly my thoughts now, I bought carlinkit android 12 8+128GB and GPS not working, device is slow and lagy, iw wouldn't even mind if it needed and external power supply and wired GPS antenna, I don't want to change my whole entertainment unit for this, but for now it seems like the only option to get a decent experience and everything working
@ I have wireless CarPlay but wanted one for video playback but I never ended up getting one since I can just use my phone to watch a video when waiting. Maybe one day in the future.
Great video @carplaylife thanks. I have a BMW X3 G01 from 2020 with wireless car play. no wired car play available! which Android Box should i purchase so i can watch netflix and all the other apps i have no clue!? thanks in advance harry
Few aI boxes out there that work with BMW wireless CarPlay only systems. MMB and Auroralink do them. Maybe some others. But I can’t test these without a BMW to try them on. Sometime I hope to look into hiring one soon for a video.
Hi, my car has rca input. I think hdmi to rca adapter would work. So... can i somehow plug any ai box to rca with adapter and make carplay work? Plus since i'm using my car screen for only screen not input, i'm gonna need joystick or knob like solution for input. Is this idea possible somehow? It's like plugging ai box to tv and use it as carplay.
If your car has RCA video inputs you could try installing a CarPlay interface kit. These connect to rca to offer CarPlay and you’ll use the existing dial or knob to control it or if your car doesn’t have one they supply. A dial and button that you can mount on the dash to control CarPlay. Using an ai box is tricky as it would need to be one that works over hdmi off the bat. Many still need to be plugged into CarPlay systems to installed devices like a BT controller and many suffer with the lack of keyboard support. So that makes it difficult to log into accounts or use certain apps for keyboard input if the software keyboard doesn’t show up.
Helpful video thanks! Can any of these AI boxes connect to a Wireless Carplay headunit? I do not have an available USB connection on the front of my Kenwood DDX9019DABS headunit which has wireless carplay already
They all need to connect via a cable to a CarPlay port. I think so BMW adapters might work with Wireless but I’m not sure about them working with other brands and receivers.
Hey mate, Is any of them 4g modem also can be used as hotspot disturbution inside car ? I am looking for an equipment which supports wireless android + youtobe cast + also hotspot with sim Any suggestions ?
Hi. Most latest boxes selling will do up to 4G LTE. Most AI boxes will allow hotspot from the inserted SIM card in the box. Just as long as they have a sim card slot.
I have a Banize adaptor that worked well with my trailblazer 2022 . I traded it and got a Volkswagen Taos 2023 . It has only type C output . When I put through type C on my car is doesn’t come on but the older A works just fine other cars it works . It supposed to work with type C . Ive used multiple cords but nothing Am I doing something wrong ? I’m afraid of buying another one of it doesn’t work with Volkswagen infotainment apple car play maybe . Any feedback be greatly appreciated
Hey CarPlaylife, I would love to get one of these for my car . I do not have a touch screen tho. Only a dial that I can and press on (2017 e300) . My main goal is just to be able to watch TH-cam and Netflix and use Waze with ease. Would the picssso still be viable for me ?
Hi, yes the Picasou 2 is still a good choice IMO. I believe it works with dials but I can’t be 100%. Check their sales images and materials to confirm. You’ll need wired CarPlay also for these to work. Hope this helps and enjoy!
@@CarPlayLife do any of these have audio bypass? As in I can have my CarPlay playing but my phone still not sending audio to CarPlay but to my audio DAC, this would be amazing for audio heads
That would depend on the situation, time, and why it does need rebooting. If ran all these 5 for over an hour without any issues but it really depends on what you’re doing with it that could cause such an issue. None of these AI Boxes are that well powered for heavy use that we come to expect on todays mobiles and tablets.
Thanks for this video, nice work. I recently got a magic box brand for my Ram truck with the uconnect 5 12” display. Lots of apps are not properly fit in the display as the 12” is kind of tall. I’ve been through support and updates to no avail. Do you have a recommendation of a unit that will work well with this display? Also magic box brand seems slow and clunky.
Sorry I don’t. It seems adapters do struggle with screens like this or very large ones. It’s just something the makers haven’t adopted yet as it’s still quite a rare size in vehicles so the support for them is slow. It will get there but I don’t know of any that supports them. Best hit the forums to see if anyone has tried one that works.
Im looking one that the HMI can support touch screen. My headrest screens are touch screen. I’ve seen some of them that have a HMI, but not touch supported.
Hey there! I have a question: I have a BMW f20 from 2018. It only features Apple CarPlay after activation, but no Android Auto whatsoever. Would one of those AI boxes give me the option to use Android Auto instead of Apple CarPlay?
Awesome video. I have a question if you might know. Is there a box I can wireless cast my phone to?? I like using Samsung Dex. I tried the picasou 2 and unfortunately it didn't work and wireless android auto was super buggy for me.
Casting is a hit and miss feature on most of these aI boxes. Any adapter that comes with zlink5.0 will allow casting. MMB adapters do casting also. At the end of the day it’s just software and Wi-Fi so maybe there’s plenty of apps out there that allow this. That’s for another video 🙃
im a delivery driver so i spend a lot of time waiting in my car, which is the best for just youtube/netflix? i can plug in for car play so no big deal for that
I have 19 lexus es with only wired carplay. I'm looking for te best box for running android auto. Whichever has the best version of that. I don't care about the video streaming but will spend extra if the aa works the best. What's your recommendation.
Hi, can you make an update of the review with 2024 boxes? I am quite unsure what to buy right now, need fast and reliable car play and a good switching betw 2 phones connected wirelessly as well as good android ui / playback
@@CarPlayLife I was looking at those but they don't appear to have Android 12 or updating to 13. Looks like you need one with the 6115 or 6125 like the Apple Pie Ultra. Which would be the best one that will continue to get new updates to the latest Android version?
It’s not much of an issue but it can be noticeable when Wi-Fi connection is poor. CarPlay only needs 150mbps or less to connect so you’d think anything offering more would be wasted but in my experience a higher bandwidth makes for a smoother touch and lag experience. It feels like going from 30fps to 60fps video.
They are meant to work more for OEM than aftermarket’s. Just make sure you check their compatibility lists before purchasing or buy from Amazon for easy returns.
I have an android phone and a car play that has apple car play only. Which of the three box adapters, CarLink, OttoCast Picasou 2, or MMb Max adapter do you recommend? Thanks
Answering my own question. I bought a cheaper no name version of one of these from Amazon (CarABC) and worked as described, I only provided internet to it with my phone and connected my phone via Bluetooth. I didn't connect my phone via Carplay or Android Auto as I don't trust the Chinese OS and didn't want all my notifications blasting on my car screen. So none of my private information shows up on the screen but calls still come through via Bluetooth, stops what's playing and I pickup in the car using the steering wheel buttons. I already sold the devices because of the following problems: QCM2290 is ridiculously slow. It's just annoyingly slow, to the point that it makes no sense. My android phone from 2008 HTC G1 was not this slow. User interface didnt have a back button so I would watch TH-cam but could not get back to my search list. WTH ? My device had android 10 though maybe it's fixed in new versions? I mean how do you have Android without a bank button?? I couldn't install Brave browser. Probably because of old Android. Brave is a must as it blocks TH-cam ads without any addons. Playing videos inside telegram , at full screen, caused the left side panel to flicker and got annoying so I couldn't use telegram for video. This is important to me because i use telegram like my personal Netflix. For those wondering like I did and no one answered me, these devices run a new and odd fork of android. They don't like phone android, not tablet Android, not android TV and not android auto either. They run some odd android that looks like tablet edition. This special android opens when you connect it via USB, and it can't do the same when collected to any other device at home like a TV or monitor, it can only project it's image out via USB3 in your car and to the cars screen. So I sold it with a $30 loss and now I'm looking for a faster box.
Hey What’s the best AI box for apps like Netflix, Amazon, TH-cam.. CarPlay, Mirroring iPhone and automatically swap between my phone hotspot for videos and CarPlay? Please help Thanks
I'm using the M.I.C Ai box, but not completely happy with it - it seems to loose the Carplay connection, when I leave the mobile phone coverage area (over wifi it seems to be more stable)... Does it maybe need more power? Can you recommend a way (good Y-Cable) to add more power to it? I'm thinking of trying out the new Carlinkit box - can you set the GPS to Car GPS like with the M.I.C box?
Appreciate all your review videos! Do you still stand by this list now that it's towards the end of the year? Or has there been some new releases that you'd recommend over these?
Pretty much still stands. The exception is the CarlinKit tbox plus can now be bought with 8GB ram and 128GB storage, which makes it even more good value and performance (expected). Next two CarPlay videos will be some hopefully new contenders for the crown from Ottocast and CarlinKit but don’t get too excited. Specs wise they aren’t that much difference. It’s just the software that will be different and my first chance to see if 8GB RAM does make a difference.
Are any of these optimized for cars with a carplay control dial and buttons? The carlinkit seems not to support nav or music buttons, and home button exits carplay instead of going to apple home. looking for seamless wireless with the same controls as wired
To test this I need to go back to an OEM system, which I am starting to look into implementing soon. Due to CarPlay and AA being handled via software on these adapters, they aren’t as simple to work with physical wheels and buttons than the common wireless adapters are
Can these just connect to my Iphone via Bluetooth that’s running on 5GLTE and run Hulu, Spotify and maps easily? Like I don’t need to have Wi-Fi or anything else crazy in my vehicle to use these?
Have you came across any that can actually go full screen? I bought one that was suggested on the list (Carlin Kit) but my Ford F150 has a silly side screen thing that this box doesn’t recognize so 1/3 of it is cutoff and the box is unusable. However regular CarPlay recognizes it and gives you an option to full screen and make that side screen disappear.
That’s interesting. Not having experienced this I assumed all these dongles mirror how they behave when being used wired. If they don’t, that’s news to me. They should max the display they usually have when wired. Have you tried the various display modes in the config menu of the CarlinKit?
@@CarPlayLife I saw display small, medium and large. I’ll try to look at other display options. I’m in contact with the manufacturer right now and they are looking into it. Thanks for the response! If you’re interested in seeing it for yourself, I’ll post a link to the video below.
I have the CPC200 and have problems with the Wi-Fi auto connecting to my iPhone’s hotspot. Then when I go to connect Wi-Fi it looks like it’s connecting and the Apple CarPlay loads and never connects to my hotspot. I’ve selected auto connect on every setting I can find and I still have problems. Any ideas? It connects to CarPlay just fine, but when launching TH-cam or Netflix, I’m never connected to internet… any help is appreciated!!!
Sounds like you need to turn wireless auto connect off on the Multiplay app settings. So your iPhone doesn’t auto connect and allow your phone to be used for hotspot instead. You can’t have both on as the other will not work. It’s never a seamless experience switching between them both.
Hi there, i have a xiami mix fold 3 chinese rom version mobile it supports all the google apps but will not load android auto as it wasnt designed for europe. My question, your top 5 boxes is android auto software built into these boxes so the mobile attached doesnt need the android auto app and the phone is just needed for the hotspot wifi?? Having difficulty understanding if the software is on the device. I drive a 2022 kona electric with wired careplay and android auto for information.
Both Android auto and CarPlay is on device, these boxes just allow the stream to display on the car system, the mobile is still doing all the heavy lifting.
a question my friend, my car (geely Azkarra) doesnt have apple car and/or android auto, what dongle do you recommend me to covert my radio car into android auto? and which one is the best?
All these need a CarPlay system to work. If you have neither you need to look for a new head unit or if it’s touch screen there might be a way by attaching a module behind the system. Otherwise standalone display is another option.
@@CarPlayLife i think my car has one, its call CarbitLink, there is a way, with a dongle from the brand Carlinkit, but its very basic and slow, that's why i looking for some with more technology
As an owner of Ford Fiesta 2023 ST-line, i have an issue. I can use CarPlay if I only use cable to connect my IPhone to the car. Please, explain to me this: The job of these devices is to overcome this restriction of having a cable plugged in, or to convert a single display to a carplay device? I only need to get rid of all these cables in my console.
These need be CarPlay to work. So these allow you to connect to CarPlay without using a cable. If you want just that functionality though, just get a wireless adapter, not an AI Box like these here.
@@CarPlayLife Thank you for your reply. Could you suggest a "wireless adapter"? Because, searching by this term i get results of network adapters to connect my pc to a wifi router.
It not really better than a wireless adapter, especially at speed of boot and stability and speed of the wireless CP/AA connection. The primary advantage is installing Android apps and running them on your CarPlay display to do things like watch films and tv shows whilst waiting for cars to charge or waiting for the kids to finish etc. Personally I’m not in the car long enough for an ai box so I always have a wireless adapter plugged in instead.
Recently brought Carlinkit 11 mini AI Box. Playing it in TATA HARRIER XZA PLUS, India. Quite often Wi-Fi connection to Apple car play is missed and the dongle keeps waiting for it. How to fix it up ?
The Wi-Fi spec of this adapter isn’t that great so disconnecting might be a thing due to range or interference in the car messing with the Wi-Fi signal on connection. Make sure other phones or BT devices that have previously connected with it have also been turned off or has their profiles removed. If you’re seeing the BT connect, Check Wi-Fi ID from the adapter on the phone and if you see tap it and try to manually connect to it or go into its info page and toggle auto login/connect on/off
Hi, I need some assistance with the carlink box please. I’ve got the carlink tbox plus, I’m using it on a Mercedes w213 2019 (large screen) and when I’m trying to connect to my phone hotspot from the carlink wifi search menu, it prompts me for a password, the keyboard comes up, but it doesn’t let move to the letters using my Mercedes controls or steering control, i think it assumes the car has touchscreen, but it isn’t touch screen, are you able to connect to wifi and type the password without touching the screen? Using controls only, doesn’t allow me to in Mercedes :( thinking of changing it for a picasso but not sure if that will have the same issue
Most will act the same. So what I suggest if you can’t connect it to a different car system with touch control is to buy a BT remote like this one amzn.to/3yGvi9k you can usually pair with the adapter without going through the BT pairing screen. Or you shouldn’t need a keyboard to get that far in order to connect to it.
Any chance you can add some information whether the device can connect to the car wireless? Most of the boxes are labeled „wireless carplay” but require a wired connection to the car and wireless with the phone. Its a bit confusing when having a car with wireless connection only. Thanks
Can you also test if some of these devices's built in youtube app plays videos in full screen? Tried off box amazon stuff and they play the video only in a tiny square. i gotta admit my car's screen is a wide one. 10" i believe.
All play full screen. The tiny box you are seeing is when you’re out of the app and it’s overlaying other apps whilst playing. Tap the window, then tap the middle option to go full screen.
I have a 2022 Ford Explorer. It has wired CarPlay. The Ford Sync system is mediocre at best. Terrible sound as well. I am a music guy. No interest in Netflix or TH-cam in my car. Do these AI boxes help improve OEM sound quality with equalizer and DSP? Do they have their own media players? Also can you run different car launchers like Carwebguru? Great in-depth and informative videos. Appreciate any advice.
Some of the newer boxes now come with an equaliser area that can improve audio if your car doesn’t have such a feature. But honestly you’re still at the whim of your actual stereo and it’s speaker setup, so I don’t know how much you’ll improve things going this route than what a hardware upgrade would offer instead. Usually playback comes through whatever source your play it through, be it CarPlay or android auto media players or the boxes own media player via BT or inserted/saved media on the box. You can run different launchers but I’ve yet to go deep on that topic and if over time they get overrun by the old launcher after some time like my own android system has started doing recently.
@@CarPlayLife Hey CarPlay Life. I would like to report back that I purchased the Carlinkit CPC200-Tbox and in fact it does fairly impressively improve the sound of my factory Ford system. Not audiophile stuff but a noticeable upgrade. Musicolet Media Player has a good equalizer with a ton of adjustment. My Stones mixes sound really good. Now I'm working through all the customizing you can do with these units. Definitely not used to Android so I find myself spending hours in my car tweaking the unit. My wife thinks I'm nuts. I don't know if this is a crazy thought, but has anyone connected their AI Box to a PC and done all the tweaking and downloading there? I'm worried that I will run out of gas, drain my battery or take in too much CO2 in my car port. 😂. Appreciate your hard work.
Hi great video thanks for taking the time to do it, very informative. Is your opinion still the same? What's the best ai box for Android auto right now ?
I hope to update this video soon with latest adapters available. Maybe next month. There are quicker AI boxes out now, with the fastest being the Rocket th-cam.com/video/I7X-qJr0Vuc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=tUytOg9vpFrl2FaT
@CarPlayLife thanks for getting back to me, I have seen your review video of the rocket, it's a nice bit of kit, the only thing that put me off was that my car is a 2019 q7 and has the type a usb's and I would like to hide it out of sight which would be a problem. Sorry for all of the questions. What would be the next best that would run off the type a?
I connected this piece to the Pioneer 3800 screen and it works well... but I have a problem. The piece works well with the mobile SIM card and works well with the hot spot from an Android phone, but when I try to connect it to the hot spot from an iPhone, this message appears (IP configuration failure). Are there any suggestions to connect it to the iPhone hot spot?
Hi, my car head unit is not supporting apple carplay. It has an carbitlink app which give some options of apple carplay. But im looking to use something like ai box in order to not keep my phone connected to the screen all the time. Is there any way for my case? Thanks
Many thanks for your review.Just come across your review while searching to upgrade my MMB plus.I have two previously only problem.and launch app bit sluggish and they freeze occasionally. Was thinking between MMB max or picasso 2with data sim .
It depends what you’re after from the adapter. If it’s just TH-cam or Netflix you can pickup a 3in1 closed OS adapter with just throws two app and wireless CP/AA for around £100-130
Not many new ones seem to do that these days. It’s mainly certain CarPlay apps that offer this than the adapter itself. Some builds of these apps also remove this feature for some reason.
I actually returned the carlinkit and went with the piccasu 2 pro it's miles better. I customized it with Nova Launcher and I have Wi-Fi in my car so it's pretty much become my default infotainment setup I don't even need the wireless Android auto
Hi. I have a Geely with no Carplay or Android Auto. It is Geely Azkarra. So, it can connect to android or iphone via app, similar to mirror link. My question to you is: I want to use any of that box as smartphone without screen. So it will be always connected to car, will automatically start app to run mirroring. So, it is possible to use any box as smartphone without screen?
I've searched for and watched many TH-cam videos.
Your AI box introduction is the most comprehensive and detailed on TH-cam.
I also watched your individual video introducing the CarlinKit T-Box Max & Plus.
Thank you so much!
Wow! Thank you so much and glad my videos were helpful.
Wow, what a review! Lot's of time invested. Thank you!
Thank you. I’m glad someone appreciates the time it took to do this one. 🙏🏻☺️
All of them seem to shine in one area or another, but I'm still waiting for one of these that can handle all of the following:
1. 60 fps
2. dual bluetooth for phone+OBD scanner or phone+controller
3. HDMI output
4. Solid wifi for Android Auto
If only Ottocast would fix their damn bluetooth issues...
magic box has hdmi hookup
Is there an AI box that does 60 fps?
Hello.. Your video was just super awesome. Here's what I'm looking for:
1. I have Bluetooth and Wifi inside my Ford Edge 2021 SUVannnnnnnn
2. I have both USB-A & C
3. I have an Samsung Galaxy S21
4. At one point I was able use Fermata Auto, that worked so well with Android Auto.. Until it didn't anylonger :(
5. I purchased a MMB box back in 2021 that cost me $289, but now it's old and I can no longer update the firmware (checked with the manufacture)
6. SOooooo I'm in the market for another NEW AI box. One that is UPGRADABLE.. I don't want to spend a great deal of money each 3 to 4 years.
7. I just want basic apps like Waze, TH-cam, Netflix and CinemaHD.
8. I don't really have a need for any HDMI ports, but i must work with Android Auto tho.
Any suggestions?
You dropped the ball with upgradable. None get upgraded in OS. Update support usually stop as soon as newer models are released. So at the rate of these releasing they’ll drop support in heart beat.
Many do AA poorly. I remember MMB boxes not doing it all too well apart from 5.0 because they basically used the same platform as others use.
Please help me, which one is better Playaibox UX999 Ultra or Carlinkit Tbox Plus ??
I’m using OTTOBOX PICASOU 2 over CarPlay in a Honda. I have terrible audio delay. what’s the best way to improve latency? I tried over USB and Bluetooth (phone, Honda wasn’t showing up)
Audio delay is caused by Wi-Fi signal and how Wi-Fi works. It’s not as fast at BT. Only way to ‘slightly’ improve it is changing the media delay in the IP config menu. Sadly AI Boxes do not carry this functionality.
Hi thanks for the video, I just got the latest 13 android AI box from Carlinkit for my MDX 24” that comes with AppleCarplay my main problem was to cast screen mirror to watch Netflix or TH-cam on my car screen but it seems that doesn’t work I want to be able to screen mirror with my iPhone to my car screen, thanks any recommendations?
Due to copyright limitations I don’t think you can cast from a mobile to the adapter but TH-cam should work. You might need to use an app to connect instead of using the screencast option in the Android OS. Auto link I think it’s called.
@CarPlayLife it would be awesome if my MDX 24' has a Touch screen system, feels very slow using the carlinkit Tbox with the knock of the car , I'll contact them to see if I can return it
Sorry to hear that, good luck with the return
Hello, I have purchased an AI BOX. There is a wired carplay between the AI BOX and the car. The AI BOX accesses the mobile phone hotspot and runs Apple music through its own Android system. I am interested in the audio quality. Wired carplay supports up to 48kHz/16 bit in audio. Apple music supports 48khz/24 bit and even 192khz/24 bit. So how do these AI BOXes process audio data? What specifications of digital audio signals will it transmit to the car? The Android system has sampling rate conversion for audio. It will process sounds from different programs, downgrade high-specification audio, upgrade low-specification audio, and unify different audios to the same specification. So, when we use the Android system of AI BOX to play high-specification audio, does the specification of the audio signal it transmits reach the upper limit of carplay (48khz/24 bit), or is it lower?
My guess is it’s lower because there is still a compression going on under wireless CarPlay. This is all outside my knowledge though, it’s just a guess. Sorry.
Is there any solution for carlinkit plus. When have splitscreen youtube and google maps open at the same time. The sound of the video is very bad because maps switch the audio to voice. I can’t find any solution for this.
To fix the audio quality issue you just need to tap on the Google Map profile icon, scroll down to Settings - Navigation settings - OK Google detection - While driving option, and turn it off. Now go back to navigation whilst music is playing and you should not get the quality issue anymore when navigation occurs over music playback.
1) I feel there should by now be a way to get better result with something like a Rasberry Pi 4.
2) Seem like beside having IO and ability to host wireless AA & CP it would be best to get a rooted android device.
You would think not no one has done it. I have 3 year old Huawei phone that is worth $10 if I were to sell it, easily rootable, and it's 10x faster than these $200 devices..
Great to see you are loving the fully charged show aswell
Fully charged show is great! I’ve been fully into EV research mode for my next car within the next couple of years.
@@CarPlayLife I drive an Hyundai Ioniq 5. And its a dream car. only the android car play isn't that great as its wired. This is why I watched your video. i wanted to know what works better for me
The I5 is a nice car. 👏🏻
yes. thank you!.. I've been waiting for this. bookmarked.
Thanks for watching
What do you think is best for my car? Its an 2010/11 audi, got aux, but not bluetooth...and what items in total do I need and what does it gonna cost me?
A CarPlay display is your best bet for CP/AA in your Audi. None of these adapters will work without wired CarPlay already present in your Audi. You could try looking for a stealth box but that requires access to behind your Audi system.
Are any of these Capable of utilizing an iPad as the primary or secondary display in the car? Also are there enough games where not having Bluetooth controller connectivity will be a big loss?
I like the idea of using my Xbox in my car with the Picasou Pro but what is the actual performance like with a console? Latency/resolution. Etc
I wish I still had a console to try it. Using a pc I found the input to screen lag a bit too much for intensive gaming tbh. Resolution is fine but on a small car screen text can read a little small.
I’ve yet to explore pushing the display out to an iPad. I don’t think it’s possible as iPad connection over hdmi is out and not in. So it won’t display an input feed from the adapter.
Do these work with any aftermarket head unit ? I would love to get one for my classics.
As long as it has a wired CarPlay port, it’s possible
Hi Antony, I have a 2015 VW Touareg 7p can you please tell me if any of the car play gadgets will work with my car and which is the best for me to buy. Also do any allow you to access all your apps that are on your phone, apps like TH-cam and other 3rd party video streaming apps ???
Any advice would be much appreciated.
I assume your VW doesn’t have wired CarPlay? If it doesn’t, none of these adapters will work with it.
hello, I want to buy an Al Box, but I hesitate between QCM6125 Android 13 8g+128g carlinkit carplay ai box plus and PICASOU 2 Pro CarPlay AI Box at the moment they are about the same price???i have a Toyota Corolla 2019, i dont play games , i just want GPS wireless ,incoming and outgoing calls and to stream video like TH-cam, Netfix,TV life, dont need to use remote or console, maybe to to share the video with other monitors tablets wireless or wired, or you can recomannd me something better for my needs, i use more samsung phones than iPhone, but I don't want cables and no system that runs slowly and intermittently
If performance is a concern then I’d go with the CarlinKit plus with 8GB ram. No adapter out at the moment will tick all those boxes and you’ll have to compromise on something.
@@CarPlayLife Hello, I bought this model QCM6125 Android 13 8g+128g and many times it takes a long time to connect to AndroidAuto or many times I have to keep trying to reconnect it, if I try to run 2 apps the same it freezes or moves very difficult, maybe I have to make some settings or maybe you recommend some updates, I have a Toyota Corolla 2019
Great review!! Which of these would you recommend for a Samsung with Android 13?
It’s more the CarPlay system it’s being plugged into, not the android device you want to connect for wireless AAuto
So in your opinion, which one is the best of all available for strictly only Android Auto (one phone)?
Do you mean to use an AI box just for wireless AAuto or an AI Box for use only on an AAuto only car system?
If it’s the first, don’t bother get a 2in1 or CarlinKit 5.0 if you have CarPlay system.
If it’s the second then none of these work on an AAuto only system. They need a wired CarPlay port.
@@CarPlayLife not interested in casting or mirroring as way as carplay (so not 2 in 1). But there are so many. I've seen all your videos, but I still don't know which. Something that you don't talk about much is dpi. I don't want option for high dpi.
Which carplay box is best for BMW Software? I often see that some carplay boxes do not work well with BMW?
Not many do support bmw. Makers had to create bmw specific adapters instead. I hope to be getting into a BMW in the next few months to do a BMW specific video on these adapters.
Thanks very much for the comprehensive review. Amazing content! I have a basic question. The Carlinkit TBox plus supports a 4G sim, correct? If one were to use a 4G sim.. I'm assuming the Maps on the menu would work instead of connecting your phone for Android auto? Or, does one still need to pair their phone for this?
I'd like to use a 4G sim instead of connecting my phone, for using Google Maps. Please let me know if this is possible.
I think it’s supports 4G LTE. Soon as you give it internet, features like maps tile on the menu can come to life. I guess if you download maps it could still work without but you wouldn’t get any traffic data from the internet connection.
Kindly, is this making the headunit to fully operate on android os (not just Android auto)?
@CarPlay Life Hello, can you suggest me the best AI box for BMW G30? BMW don't have wired carplay at all, just wireless.
I hope to cover bmw in a few months time. Atm I can’t say until I get myself in a BMW
Which one to get for my golf mk7? Just want fast response times to watch YT or Netflix really. Also access to play store to download whatever.
Will this work on my tlx which does not have carplay or android auto?
No you need CarPlay on the system for these to work
Hay, I have a qustion, do they support fm radio? Thank you for your answer
On the adapter itself? I don’t it without an FM input. The closest thing would be running a radio app like TuneIn or similar to get radio stations on the adapter.
Or just switch your car’s own FM radio on instead. :)
Hello sir Which one supports aftermarket stereos with wired apple play? I have a KENWOOD Dax 7709s
Most of them do support aftermarkets, just as long as you have wired CarPlay.
Hello I want to buy the carlinkit tbox plus that you recommend,I see on Ali express so meny different so box with an 12 128 go it’s seems better version from what you segest,please advise send link what is best to buy?
I asked to review these spec bumped adapters but they didn’t want to supply any review and there’s very little difference in them other than their boost in RAM and ROM. So if you think you’ll utilise this for things like multitasking then it’s recommended you go with those higher spec’d versions.
Hi, can al of them be 7sed offline with maps (voice nav), Spotify. And can one load Spotify music on it to later play offline + maps ?
As long as the maps app uses offline downloaded maps. Traffic will not work as that needs data. Voice nav may work if the data for it is downloaded. Spotify should work as long as the playlist tracks are downloaded.
I’ll try and do a video on this sometime soon.
One suggestion. The main reason one would go for Ai boxes i believe is watching youtube videos. Can you review how's the youtube app UI, difficulty in navigation the interface, streaming speeds, 4k videos capable or not, any audio lag+ video lag when playing videos, any stuttering during streaming etc...
I hope to do a video lag comparison video in the future. Have a few products to review first though.
@@CarPlayLife Looking forward. Any ETA probably?
I hope to learn more about the stuttering issue though. It's my only concern so far before getting one
Hi. Thanks for video. Now i already using about 6months tv box mini(carlinkit) , can you help: is tv box plus (4gb, 64gb) going to be really faster? Should i upgrade or it is not nescessary? Thanks , apriciate if you will answer.
The plus has a much faster chipset. It’s Wi-Fi specs are pretty much the same but you will have faster launching of apps and the GPU will be better at displaying video and also games if you use it for that. You’ll go from android 9 to android 11 so it improves app compatibility a little too.
If you’re just streaming video on it then you might not see a drastic difference other than browsing through menus and loading the app. If you can get a good deal on it, it’s worth the upgrade.
Thanks, sometimes having a problems with launch on t-box mini, doesnt lauch, had upgraded to latest firmware, bit changed bit still sometimes not lauching on car start, and after couple apps restarting, in case not stable , thats why want to upgrade to 4gb 64gb android 12 t-box plus;)
Thanks for the review.
Do all above CarPlay have Netflix and other streaming apps preloaded?
All will have Netflix, TH-cam and Spotify preinstalled. Some have Disney+ and Hulu the rest will have to be downloaded from the Google Play store on the adapter.
Thanks, carLinkit 3.0 mini did not make this cut?
The 3.0 mini isn’t an AI Box adapter. It’s just a wireless CarPlay adapter.
I was waiting to hear if any of these devices amplified your sound, because the old MMB that I had had a DSP AMP, I'm in the market for a new one. One with DSP AMP, AI, HDMI out, Android 12/13+, and works on a 15.5 inch screen (for Ford Mustang Mach E)
I remember most displays did this but not many did have DSP or some form of equaliser to boost the audio.
Hi Anthony. Thanks for the video. Will this give me TH-cam on the native Apple CarPlay app? Or can I only use TH-cam if using android auto? Are there like 3x different systems, one for my standard Apple CarPlay, one for the CPC200 android system, and another for android auto? Also, can I cast TH-cam videos from my Apple iPhone to the device to watch on screen? Looking forward to your response
These require wired CarPlay car system and displays an android os tablet experience on your CarPlay display. From here you can watch TH-cam etc.
There is a hack to use TH-cam via android auto, but I have never tired it though. And I don’t think it uses an official app.
Yes CarPlay, android Os and android auto systems that adapters and these AI boxes work with.
You can’t cast video from TH-cam to CarPlay from a iPhone. Only audio will work. You’ll need an AI Box like the ones mentioned in this video.
@@CarPlayLife Many thanks Anthony. Do you know if the CPC200 Tbox Plus supports AirPlay? I would love to be able to search for TH-cam videos on my iPhone, then cast them to the CPC200/head unit, rather than having to use the TH-cam app on the CPC200/head unit. If you can please let me know that would be great
Unless they changed it via updates. There’s no casting option on CarlinKit AI boxes
Sorry but i didn't get which one support phone screen mirroring from ur top 5 can you please let me know and thank you for the awesome review ❤
Thank you. The only adapter out of the ones mentioned in video is the Exploter ApplePie Ultra
Hey, thanks for the detailed analysis.. do these top 5 work with steering mounted controls on a Skoda..?? Also do they all support screen locking via Google security settings..?? TIA..
Only android 9 AI boxes support screen locked. After that it was removed from them as people were forgetting passcodes and locking themselves out and flooding support with enquiries so they chose to remove it 🤷🏻♂️
Most do support wheel controls but it all varies between vehicles and their system setups. So you’ll have to try it and see.
I would gladly pay 2x the cost if someone bothered to make a decent one of these boxes. All the same repackaged Chinese garbage.
Yup it’s pretty sad that it’s like this.
Imagine i have a cusp right now. 10x better than the magic box was but come on. Give me some processing power
exactly my thoughts now, I bought carlinkit android 12 8+128GB and GPS not working, device is slow and lagy, iw wouldn't even mind if it needed and external power supply and wired GPS antenna, I don't want to change my whole entertainment unit for this, but for now it seems like the only option to get a decent experience and everything working
Same
Always complaining about chinese garbage but most of products are coming from china, even your us products from amazon 😅🤷🏽♂️
Which would you recommend to use just streaming services? All i plan to use it for is streaming videos?
You end up deciding on one?
@ I have wireless CarPlay but wanted one for video playback but I never ended up getting one since I can just use my phone to watch a video when waiting. Maybe one day in the future.
Does any of these support resizing the split screen when in multi app mode? The ones I've seen support only 50-50 split
All I’ve seen is 50/50. It’s much easier for them to code it that way then deal with manual adjustment
Do these ai boxes support maps and TH-cam/Netflix side by side splitscreen?
Most of the do these days now
Great video @carplaylife thanks. I have a BMW X3 G01 from 2020 with wireless car play. no wired car play available! which Android Box should i purchase so i can watch netflix and all the other apps i have no clue!? thanks in advance harry
Few aI boxes out there that work with BMW wireless CarPlay only systems. MMB and Auroralink do them. Maybe some others. But I can’t test these without a BMW to try them on. Sometime I hope to look into hiring one soon for a video.
Did you resolved this? I am looking also for my 2020 BMW. Please advise.
Have you ever reviewed 'The Magic Box' or the 'StreamToYourCar 11Pro'? Or are both of these rebranded CarlinKit 4.0's or similar?
Yes they are rebrands
Hi, my car has rca input. I think hdmi to rca adapter would work. So... can i somehow plug any ai box to rca with adapter and make carplay work? Plus since i'm using my car screen for only screen not input, i'm gonna need joystick or knob like solution for input. Is this idea possible somehow? It's like plugging ai box to tv and use it as carplay.
If your car has RCA video inputs you could try installing a CarPlay interface kit. These connect to rca to offer CarPlay and you’ll use the existing dial or knob to control it or if your car doesn’t have one they supply. A dial and button that you can mount on the dash to control CarPlay. Using an ai box is tricky as it would need to be one that works over hdmi off the bat. Many still need to be plugged into CarPlay systems to installed devices like a BT controller and many suffer with the lack of keyboard support. So that makes it difficult to log into accounts or use certain apps for keyboard input if the software keyboard doesn’t show up.
Helpful video thanks! Can any of these AI boxes connect to a Wireless Carplay headunit? I do not have an available USB connection on the front of my Kenwood DDX9019DABS headunit which has wireless carplay already
They all need to connect via a cable to a CarPlay port. I think so BMW adapters might work with Wireless but I’m not sure about them working with other brands and receivers.
Hey mate, Is any of them 4g modem also can be used as hotspot disturbution inside car ?
I am looking for an equipment which supports wireless android + youtobe cast + also hotspot with sim
Any suggestions ?
Hi. Most latest boxes selling will do up to 4G LTE. Most AI boxes will allow hotspot from the inserted SIM card in the box. Just as long as they have a sim card slot.
I have a Banize adaptor that worked well with my trailblazer 2022 . I traded it and got a Volkswagen Taos 2023 . It has only type C output . When I put through type C on my car is doesn’t come on but the older A works just fine other cars it works . It supposed to work with type C . Ive used multiple cords but nothing Am I doing something wrong ? I’m afraid of buying another one of it doesn’t work with Volkswagen infotainment apple car play maybe . Any feedback be greatly appreciated
Does it at least power up? Some usb cables only allow power and not data
@@CarPlayLife your right . Got new cable and did the trick
Hey CarPlaylife, I would love to get one of these for my car . I do not have a touch screen tho. Only a dial that I can and press on (2017 e300) . My main goal is just to be able to watch TH-cam and Netflix and use Waze with ease. Would the picssso still be viable for me ?
Hi, yes the Picasou 2 is still a good choice IMO. I believe it works with dials but I can’t be 100%. Check their sales images and materials to confirm. You’ll need wired CarPlay also for these to work. Hope this helps and enjoy!
Is nice when you’re just getting into researching something no the video just comes out 1 hour earlier
That’s some great timing ! 😂
@@CarPlayLife do any of these have audio bypass? As in I can have my CarPlay playing but my phone still not sending audio to CarPlay but to my audio DAC, this would be amazing for audio heads
Q+²==❤❤❤❤❤❤
Probably didn’t reply because your sentencing is hard to make sense out of.
@CarPlay Life Hello, can you suggest me the best AI box for BMW G30? BMW don't have wired carplay at all, just wireless.
Hi.which one from this 5 doesn’t require rebooting each time?
That would depend on the situation, time, and why it does need rebooting. If ran all these 5 for over an hour without any issues but it really depends on what you’re doing with it that could cause such an issue. None of these AI Boxes are that well powered for heavy use that we come to expect on todays mobiles and tablets.
Thanks for this video, nice work. I recently got a magic box brand for my Ram truck with the uconnect 5 12” display. Lots of apps are not properly fit in the display as the 12” is kind of tall. I’ve been through support and updates to no avail. Do you have a recommendation of a unit that will work well with this display? Also magic box brand seems slow and clunky.
Sorry I don’t. It seems adapters do struggle with screens like this or very large ones. It’s just something the makers haven’t adopted yet as it’s still quite a rare size in vehicles so the support for them is slow. It will get there but I don’t know of any that supports them. Best hit the forums to see if anyone has tried one that works.
Im looking one that the HMI can support touch screen. My headrest screens are touch screen. I’ve seen some of them that have a HMI, but not touch supported.
I doubt they will support touch via hdmi
Hey there! I have a question: I have a BMW f20 from 2018. It only features Apple CarPlay after activation, but no Android Auto whatsoever. Would one of those AI boxes give me the option to use Android Auto instead of Apple CarPlay?
Yes they will
Awesome video. I have a question if you might know. Is there a box I can wireless cast my phone to?? I like using Samsung Dex. I tried the picasou 2 and unfortunately it didn't work and wireless android auto was super buggy for me.
Casting is a hit and miss feature on most of these aI boxes. Any adapter that comes with zlink5.0 will allow casting. MMB adapters do casting also. At the end of the day it’s just software and Wi-Fi so maybe there’s plenty of apps out there that allow this. That’s for another video 🙃
im a delivery driver so i spend a lot of time waiting in my car, which is the best for just youtube/netflix? i can plug in for car play so no big deal for that
Most are good enough for video watching from the box itself.
@@CarPlayLife thanks bro
I have 19 lexus es with only wired carplay. I'm looking for te best box for running android auto. Whichever has the best version of that. I don't care about the video streaming but will spend extra if the aa works the best. What's your recommendation.
Hi, can you make an update of the review with 2024 boxes? I am quite unsure what to buy right now, need fast and reliable car play and a good switching betw 2 phones connected wirelessly as well as good android ui / playback
That’s the plan. Hopefully I can get to making it soon.
Which one should i go for
MMB or iHeylinkit?
If it’s the MK665 I would go with that.
Any link for that?
Thank you bro
Please help
??!!
What would you recommend for strictly Android Auto use? I just ordered a Samsung S23 ultra and it will be used in a Toyota that has only Carplay.
If you just want wireless android auto, just get a 2in1 adapter like the CarlinKit 4.0
@@CarPlayLife I was looking at those but they don't appear to have Android 12 or updating to 13. Looks like you need one with the 6115 or 6125 like the Apple Pie Ultra.
Which would be the best one that will continue to get new updates to the latest Android version?
@@CarPlayLife Ended up ordering the carlinkit 4.0. Apparently it does get the android 13 update. The applepie ultra devices just don't seem there yet.
When you say bad wireless performance on the car link does that translate it to being laggy on the screen or when making calls?
It’s not much of an issue but it can be noticeable when Wi-Fi connection is poor. CarPlay only needs 150mbps or less to connect so you’d think anything offering more would be wasted but in my experience a higher bandwidth makes for a smoother touch and lag experience. It feels like going from 30fps to 60fps video.
Im exhausted looking for one of these that have no problems mirroring my iPhone 12.
MMB Max is a good mirroring ai box as are a few closed 3 in 1 ai boxes
Would these hypothetically work on say a 2023 Kia with plug in USB port for car play? I noticed you reviewed aftermarket HU's nothing OEM.
They are meant to work more for OEM than aftermarket’s. Just make sure you check their compatibility lists before purchasing or buy from Amazon for easy returns.
I have an android phone and a car play that has apple car play only. Which of the three box adapters, CarLink, OttoCast Picasou 2, or MMb Max adapter do you recommend? Thanks
Either CarlinKit plus or Picasou 2 out of those.
@@CarPlayLife it seems Picasou 2 is the most popular, but expensive.
In a way, you get what you pay for :)
Do all these work as standalone device without the phone connected? (phone only connected to provide WIFI access but nothing else).
Some do with hdmi output. You can plug them into a tv or monitor and use them to stream media. Like a Roku, Apple TV etc.
Answering my own question.
I bought a cheaper no name version of one of these from Amazon (CarABC) and worked as described, I only provided internet to it with my phone and connected my phone via Bluetooth.
I didn't connect my phone via Carplay or Android Auto as I don't trust the Chinese OS and didn't want all my notifications blasting on my car screen. So none of my private information shows up on the screen but calls still come through via Bluetooth, stops what's playing and I pickup in the car using the steering wheel buttons.
I already sold the devices because of the following problems:
QCM2290 is ridiculously slow. It's just annoyingly slow, to the point that it makes no sense. My android phone from 2008 HTC G1 was not this slow.
User interface didnt have a back button so I would watch TH-cam but could not get back to my search list. WTH ? My device had android 10 though maybe it's fixed in new versions? I mean how do you have Android without a bank button??
I couldn't install Brave browser. Probably because of old Android. Brave is a must as it blocks TH-cam ads without any addons.
Playing videos inside telegram , at full screen, caused the left side panel to flicker and got annoying so I couldn't use telegram for video. This is important to me because i use telegram like my personal Netflix.
For those wondering like I did and no one answered me, these devices run a new and odd fork of android. They don't like phone android, not tablet Android, not android TV and not android auto either. They run some odd android that looks like tablet edition. This special android opens when you connect it via USB, and it can't do the same when collected to any other device at home like a TV or monitor, it can only project it's image out via USB3 in your car and to the cars screen.
So I sold it with a $30 loss and now I'm looking for a faster box.
Hey
What’s the best AI box for apps like Netflix, Amazon, TH-cam.. CarPlay, Mirroring iPhone and automatically swap between my phone hotspot for videos and CarPlay?
Please help
Thanks
I’ve not seen an aI box that does all that you want yet.
I'm using the M.I.C Ai box, but not completely happy with it - it seems to loose the Carplay connection, when I leave the mobile phone coverage area (over wifi it seems to be more stable)... Does it maybe need more power? Can you recommend a way (good Y-Cable) to add more power to it? I'm thinking of trying out the new Carlinkit box - can you set the GPS to Car GPS like with the M.I.C box?
Appreciate all your review videos! Do you still stand by this list now that it's towards the end of the year? Or has there been some new releases that you'd recommend over these?
Pretty much still stands. The exception is the CarlinKit tbox plus can now be bought with 8GB ram and 128GB storage, which makes it even more good value and performance (expected).
Next two CarPlay videos will be some hopefully new contenders for the crown from Ottocast and CarlinKit but don’t get too excited. Specs wise they aren’t that much difference. It’s just the software that will be different and my first chance to see if 8GB RAM does make a difference.
@CarPlayLife hi I bought the carlinkit and it doesn't start in my car do you maybe have an explanation and or a solution much thanks
Are any of these optimized for cars with a carplay control dial and buttons? The carlinkit seems not to support nav or music buttons, and home button exits carplay instead of going to apple home. looking for seamless wireless with the same controls as wired
To test this I need to go back to an OEM system, which I am starting to look into implementing soon.
Due to CarPlay and AA being handled via software on these adapters, they aren’t as simple to work with physical wheels and buttons than the common wireless adapters are
Can these just connect to my Iphone via Bluetooth that’s running on 5GLTE and run Hulu, Spotify and maps easily?
Like I don’t need to have Wi-Fi or anything else crazy in my vehicle to use these?
Internet is only shared over Wi-Fi hotspots to and from your connected phone.
Have you came across any that can actually go full screen?
I bought one that was suggested on the list (Carlin Kit) but my Ford F150 has a silly side screen thing that this box doesn’t recognize so 1/3 of it is cutoff and the box is unusable.
However regular CarPlay recognizes it and gives you an option to full screen and make that side screen disappear.
That’s interesting. Not having experienced this I assumed all these dongles mirror how they behave when being used wired. If they don’t, that’s news to me. They should max the display they usually have when wired.
Have you tried the various display modes in the config menu of the CarlinKit?
@@CarPlayLife I saw display small, medium and large. I’ll try to look at other display options. I’m in contact with the manufacturer right now and they are looking into it. Thanks for the response! If you’re interested in seeing it for yourself, I’ll post a link to the video below.
I have the CPC200 and have problems with the Wi-Fi auto connecting to my iPhone’s hotspot. Then when I go to connect Wi-Fi it looks like it’s connecting and the Apple CarPlay loads and never connects to my hotspot. I’ve selected auto connect on every setting I can find and I still have problems. Any ideas? It connects to CarPlay just fine, but when launching TH-cam or Netflix, I’m never connected to internet… any help is appreciated!!!
Sounds like you need to turn wireless auto connect off on the Multiplay app settings. So your iPhone doesn’t auto connect and allow your phone to be used for hotspot instead. You can’t have both on as the other will not work. It’s never a seamless experience switching between them both.
so mmb 11 plus you don't recommend it? better picasso?
Yes. The MMB 11 plus has all sorts of problems during my test.
Hi there, i have a xiami mix fold 3 chinese rom version mobile it supports all the google apps but will not load android auto as it wasnt designed for europe. My question, your top 5 boxes is android auto software built into these boxes so the mobile attached doesnt need the android auto app and the phone is just needed for the hotspot wifi?? Having difficulty understanding if the software is on the device. I drive a 2022 kona electric with wired careplay and android auto for information.
Both Android auto and CarPlay is on device, these boxes just allow the stream to display on the car system, the mobile is still doing all the heavy lifting.
Anthony, is there a box that can connect to my phone through Bluetooth, for calls?
Most of them do this. It’s when people want to call from an inserted SIM, that is more rare to find in ai boxes.
a question my friend, my car (geely Azkarra) doesnt have apple car and/or android auto, what dongle do you recommend me to covert my radio car into android auto? and which one is the best?
All these need a CarPlay system to work. If you have neither you need to look for a new head unit or if it’s touch screen there might be a way by attaching a module behind the system. Otherwise standalone display is another option.
@@CarPlayLife i think my car has one, its call CarbitLink, there is a way, with a dongle from the brand Carlinkit, but its very basic and slow, that's why i looking for some with more technology
As an owner of Ford Fiesta 2023 ST-line, i have an issue. I can use CarPlay if I only use cable to connect my IPhone to the car. Please, explain to me this: The job of these devices is to overcome this restriction of having a cable plugged in, or to convert a single display to a carplay device? I only need to get rid of all these cables in my console.
These need be CarPlay to work. So these allow you to connect to CarPlay without using a cable. If you want just that functionality though, just get a wireless adapter, not an AI Box like these here.
@@CarPlayLife Thank you for your reply. Could you suggest a "wireless adapter"? Because, searching by this term i get results of network adapters to connect my pc to a wifi router.
What makes the AI box better than a standard CarPlay box?
It not really better than a wireless adapter, especially at speed of boot and stability and speed of the wireless CP/AA connection. The primary advantage is installing Android apps and running them on your CarPlay display to do things like watch films and tv shows whilst waiting for cars to charge or waiting for the kids to finish etc.
Personally I’m not in the car long enough for an ai box so I always have a wireless adapter plugged in instead.
Recently brought Carlinkit 11 mini AI Box. Playing it in TATA HARRIER XZA PLUS, India. Quite often Wi-Fi connection to Apple car play is missed and the dongle keeps waiting for it. How to fix it up ?
The Wi-Fi spec of this adapter isn’t that great so disconnecting might be a thing due to range or interference in the car messing with the Wi-Fi signal on connection. Make sure other phones or BT devices that have previously connected with it have also been turned off or has their profiles removed.
If you’re seeing the BT connect, Check Wi-Fi ID from the adapter on the phone and if you see tap it and try to manually connect to it or go into its info page and toggle auto login/connect on/off
Sorry about the stupid question! I do have a factory screen on my car but not CarPlay, would this boxes give me CarPlay or what?
Nope they need wired CarPlay to work.
Hi, I need some assistance with the carlink box please. I’ve got the carlink tbox plus, I’m using it on a Mercedes w213 2019 (large screen) and when I’m trying to connect to my phone hotspot from the carlink wifi search menu, it prompts me for a password, the keyboard comes up, but it doesn’t let move to the letters using my Mercedes controls or steering control, i think it assumes the car has touchscreen, but it isn’t touch screen, are you able to connect to wifi and type the password without touching the screen? Using controls only, doesn’t allow me to in Mercedes :( thinking of changing it for a picasso but not sure if that will have the same issue
Most will act the same. So what I suggest if you can’t connect it to a different car system with touch control is to buy a BT remote like this one amzn.to/3yGvi9k you can usually pair with the adapter without going through the BT pairing screen. Or you shouldn’t need a keyboard to get that far in order to connect to it.
Do they support split screen for example maps and youtube?
Some do yes
@@CarPlayLife which ones do? Im looking for one so i can put on youtube for the kids while using maps
thanks for the vid!
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching.
Thanks 🙏 for this video
You’re welcome thanks for watching. 🙏🏻☺️
Any chance you can add some information whether the device can connect to the car wireless? Most of the boxes are labeled „wireless carplay” but require a wired connection to the car and wireless with the phone. Its a bit confusing when having a car with wireless connection only. Thanks
If only I had a wireless CarPlay only car to test it with 🤔🙃
I am wondering this too. Are there any CarPlay boxes that work with a wireless only connection? Thx
Can you also test if some of these devices's built in youtube app plays videos in full screen? Tried off box amazon stuff and they play the video only in a tiny square. i gotta admit my car's screen is a wide one. 10" i believe.
All play full screen. The tiny box you are seeing is when you’re out of the app and it’s overlaying other apps whilst playing. Tap the window, then tap the middle option to go full screen.
Can any of the top 5 be upgraded to Android 13? I ask because I am concerned about compatibility with anything I’d sideload.
I’ve not looked or seen one have any OS update. It feels like marketing spiel to me
Any hands on with the binize? Best amazon reviews by far. Does it compare?
Binize looks like a CarlinKit OEM (rebranded) so expect the same software and hardware as theirs.
I have a 2022 Ford Explorer. It has wired CarPlay. The Ford Sync system is mediocre at best. Terrible sound as well. I am a music guy. No interest in Netflix or TH-cam in my car.
Do these AI boxes help improve OEM sound quality with equalizer and DSP? Do they have their own media players? Also can you run different car launchers like Carwebguru?
Great in-depth and informative videos. Appreciate any advice.
Some of the newer boxes now come with an equaliser area that can improve audio if your car doesn’t have such a feature. But honestly you’re still at the whim of your actual stereo and it’s speaker setup, so I don’t know how much you’ll improve things going this route than what a hardware upgrade would offer instead. Usually playback comes through whatever source your play it through, be it CarPlay or android auto media players or the boxes own media player via BT or inserted/saved media on the box.
You can run different launchers but I’ve yet to go deep on that topic and if over time they get overrun by the old launcher after some time like my own android system has started doing recently.
@@CarPlayLife Hey CarPlay Life. I would like to report back that I purchased the Carlinkit CPC200-Tbox and in fact it does fairly impressively improve the sound of my factory Ford system. Not audiophile stuff but a noticeable upgrade. Musicolet Media Player has a good equalizer with a ton of adjustment. My Stones mixes sound really good. Now I'm working through all the customizing you can do with these units. Definitely not used to Android so I find myself spending hours in my car tweaking the unit. My wife thinks I'm nuts. I don't know if this is a crazy thought, but has anyone connected their AI Box to a PC and done all the tweaking and downloading there? I'm worried that I will run out of gas, drain my battery or take in too much CO2 in my car port. 😂. Appreciate your hard work.
Great review really helpful thanks
You’re welcome. Glad it was helpful for you. Thanks for watching. ☺️
Can you make a review of the Herilary C7 CarPlay Ai Box ? Thanks
Might have the c6 and c8 coming my way soon
Can you use these on an external CarPlay, I use a carpuride 9”system in a 24 year old car
All of these top 5 worked with my carpuride display.
@@CarPlayLife thank you
Hi great video thanks for taking the time to do it, very informative. Is your opinion still the same? What's the best ai box for Android auto right now ?
I hope to update this video soon with latest adapters available. Maybe next month. There are quicker AI boxes out now, with the fastest being the Rocket th-cam.com/video/I7X-qJr0Vuc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=tUytOg9vpFrl2FaT
@CarPlayLife thanks for getting back to me, I have seen your review video of the rocket, it's a nice bit of kit, the only thing that put me off was that my car is a 2019 q7 and has the type a usb's and I would like to hide it out of sight which would be a problem. Sorry for all of the questions. What would be the next best that would run off the type a?
It can use a type A as well as type C it comes with both cable types.
I connected this piece to the Pioneer 3800 screen and it works well... but I have a problem. The piece works well with the mobile SIM card and works well with the hot spot from an Android phone, but when I try to connect it to the hot spot from an iPhone, this message appears (IP configuration failure). Are there any suggestions to connect it to the iPhone hot spot?
Could you do a review of the carleux pro?
I was going to but they are now going to send something newer instead.
Hi, my car head unit is not supporting apple carplay. It has an carbitlink app which give some options of apple carplay. But im looking to use something like ai box in order to not keep my phone connected to the screen all the time. Is there any way for my case?
Thanks
I am not sure. It might not be compatible with the type of system you’re describing. They need wired CarPlay to function.
Many thanks for your review.Just come across your review while searching to upgrade my MMB plus.I have two previously only problem.and launch app bit sluggish and they freeze occasionally.
Was thinking between MMB max or picasso 2with data sim .
Picasso 2 would be my choice out of those two, unless you needed casting
is there anything thats a bit more affordable? i know they it will cost me performance but it will be significantly less in price
It depends what you’re after from the adapter. If it’s just TH-cam or Netflix you can pickup a 3in1 closed OS adapter with just throws two app and wireless CP/AA for around £100-130
@@CarPlayLife Can you give an example of such? Thanks!
what one can you change the carplay home icon in ?
Not many new ones seem to do that these days. It’s mainly certain CarPlay apps that offer this than the adapter itself. Some builds of these apps also remove this feature for some reason.
Local media files?? Meaning you have to download the movies? Not stream them through the phone?
Yup local is media files on a usb or Sd card. Like the good old days 😂
I actually returned the carlinkit and went with the piccasu 2 pro it's miles better. I customized it with Nova Launcher and I have Wi-Fi in my car so it's pretty much become my default infotainment setup I don't even need the wireless Android auto
Cool! Glad it worked out for you
Hi.
I have a Geely with no Carplay or Android Auto. It is Geely Azkarra.
So, it can connect to android or iphone via app, similar to mirror link.
My question to you is:
I want to use any of that box as smartphone without screen. So it will be always connected to car, will automatically start app to run mirroring. So, it is possible to use any box as smartphone without screen?
All of these only work with CarPlay systems. So you’ll need that regardless of using the display or not.