I have the one you called fein something or other but it came in a different name. Installed a week ago and used all apps on car play extensively including Google maps. Absolutely brilliant. It sits in my glove box double sided taped to the inner wall so not in the way. Even with the box closed zero issues and only 60 quid
I moved over to Apple recently due to AirTag capability. I might be able to find an empty USB port in my 2019 F150 crew cab pickup. Let’s see: 2 on center console for rear pax, 2x in center console storage, 2x dash, 2x in semi hidden console in front of center console, 4x added on at rear of truck bed, and 2x 12v adapters. Topped off with 2x 110 AC outlets (stock). The 2x in the semi hidden actually connect to truck operating system including direct to media system! Most are used for powering GoPro and dash cams cameras and equipment as/when needed. Here’s a helpful hint for many passenger style vehicles equipped with center roof mount rear view mirrors that auto dim at night (result from vehicles approaching from behind). There is an adapter available (Amazon) that gives USB A support. Great for mounting that extra dash cam! Powered only when vehicle is on! No native dash cam in my truck! Yes, I do use many when driving to keep various items charged for use!
Over the past couple of years I’ve bought a couple of these - can’t remember the brand. However, both stated they were compatible with my car. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get them to work. So on both occasions I returned them. I subsequently visited my local Mercedes dealership. It’s a merc I have. I enquired with their parts manager who advised that - and he could only talk for Mercedes - that no “to wireless’ adapters work with any Mercedes car. I notice you were sitting in a merc. So clearly it worked for you. Any comments??
So Wireless CarPlay adapters are a very cool concept but they’re not made by car manufacturers, they’re made by 3rd party companies so dealers wouldn’t be able to offer guidance on them as they don’t make them or sell them. I tested the ones in this video in as many cars as I could through friends and family and the cars I had access to at the time. Sadly I cannot physically test them all but shared my findings in the video. I get emails from companies all the time asking me to check out their adapters but I only purchased the ones that I felt I would personally buy myself. I spent about £400 to £500 on this video to acquire the adapters to offer my own thoughts without any influence from anyone else. Yes they do work in most cars including Mercedes, I recorded this in the car I had access to at the time.
Was waiting for a comparison like this for a very long time. Immediately ordered the Air for my GLB. If it works fine, will get another one for my Volvo as well. Used your referral on their site
Ottocast should shop internationally, they have options for the USA on their website too: bit.ly/OttocastNickOLeary (link with discount code from description of my video)
Hi Nick, thanks as always! Quick question - most mercs as you know don’t have touch screen (though I do wonder why) and it makes navigating CarPlay a bit tricky. Do you know any workaround for this? Either to introudce touchscreen or to device an easier way to navigate CarPlay screen using buttons. It’s not so much an issue if all you need is the basic CarPlay apps, but as soon as you connect any play-to-video CarPlay device, you will easily see the need for a touch screen. Tips and ideas would be appreciated.
It just depends on the car’s multimedia system. Most new Mercedes now will have touchscreen, this is what I’ve seen but for any older models, I guess just mastering the wheel would do it. I have used one with the wheel before and you do get used to where the selector cursor goes etc. But yeah if a car doesn’t have touchscreen, there wouldn’t be a way to make a touchscreen. There is also the option of using Siri too!
I had CarlinKit 3.0, it worked very well, only after a year it broke 😡. Too bad Apple doesn't make these devices. Probably more expensive but more solid.
I’m actually curious, out of everything tested here, which one are you using in your personal vehicles? Also, you didn’t show how the phone connects to the adapter.
I’ve actually upgraded my car since then so it now has native wireless CarPlay. Although I still choose to use the wire as I use my phone a lot so need the extra battery. Ah it’s just as simple as connecting Bluetooth, it guides you on the screen what to do ☺️
Thanks for your efforts Nick. Just wanted to share to MB owners that my cplay2air was not fully compatible with my MB C63S AMG. Sometimes it would work- sometimes I would have a black screen and I would have to fiddle with it to get it up and running- thus unusable on the long term. The support proposed a FW update, which made things even worse. I tried to return it, but was told I have to send it to China and indicate a value of 5 usd (I paid 129 usd for it). As i was uncertain the unit would be reimbursed, I preferred not to incur an extra 30 usd shipping fee and now it’s sitting in a drawer taking dust. Not recommended for C-Class models and certainly others I don’t know about.
I agree cplay2air did work on my 2019 c-class but 8/10 it would give a black screen and then had to push home button and then top screen go to apple carplay. I got annoyed by this. So i bought the ottobox this works better, but still if you stop for gas and get back and start then it stops working. Also the ottobox bluetooth keeps working after the car is shutdown, but you phone still connects but the receiving end will hear a hard beeping noise. So its not perfect. Luckily i will upgrade to a c-class 23 soon :-)
Hello, would the dongle work if connected in the usb ports inside the arm rest? My 2021’ amg has a wired CarPlay port next to my cup holders and I’d prefer to have the dongle hidden inside the arm rest ports if possible. Thank you!
@roneljusto8602 just replied to your other comment as well: It has to be plugged into the same port of the car that accepts a wired connection. Some allow more than one port but you can try…if you plug your phone into the centre ports, if it works through CarPlay, then the adapter will work in there too. If it doesn’t then you’ll have to use the cup holder one.
New to your channel but find them hugely informative as i just picked up a 73 plate GLB Night Edition today and so far can’t see any wireless Apple CarPlay functionality. Smartphone integration is all activated through the Mercedes Me App and every other service also as the car is brand new. Am I missing something or is the GLB Premium Plus not enabled for it?
Messaged you on the other video 👍🏼 Thank you glad you enjoyed the videos! Wireless is only available on certain models (typically models without a touchpad in the middle). It depends on the specification of your car for CarPlay if it has it or not but if you chat with Mercedes, they can let you know for sure. Usually it’s a USB-C port next to the cup holders.
Very informative and professional Nick, I just ordered the U2-AIR Wireless CarPlay from their site and at the moment its on offer for £56, seems like a bargain.
@@amdaring all good, there have been a few times when I’ve not been able to connect but overall I’ve had a good experience. Installation was simple and there were no issues whatsoever with the set up.
@peterhollis8291 ah awesome thanks for sharing feedback with others! The connection thing can be sometimes because Wireless CarPlay is still connected to your home Wi-Fi. I’ve found this a few times with mine too but it’s quite normal for it to happen from time to time even with official equipment on a car that can do it natively.
Continue to love the video's - I have a 2022 AMG E53. Do you know if you have to plug into the USB-C adapter in the drink/wireless charging area of the console, or could you connect those adapters to the USB-C plugs in the centre armrest area too? The drink/wireless charging area is extremely tight fitting, not sure any of those adapters would fit well.
Thank you! It has to go in the port that works with Apple CarPlay (the one you’d normally use) So if you have one near the cup holders, I’d imagine it would be in there. Also has a symbol next to it too 👍🏼
Possibly it depends on the model of Mercedes It’s whatever port that you’d normally plug into for Apple CarPlay. As I mentioned in the video, this does not give your car CarPlay, you need it to begin with, this just makes it wireless. Usually in Mercedes there’s a small symbol, normally next to the cup holders at the front. If there isn’t one there, it’ll be in the armrest. Hope that helps guys! Any more questions, message me ⬇️
Nick, I'm missing something - why is charging pass though a concern on a device meant to support wireless connectivity..? Why not just use that USB port and get connected and power? Thanks for your videos, I've watched a few.
Hey I have replied to a few comments below on the same question so sorry I should have mentioned in the video to clarify what I meant. Wireless is super convenient but running a TH-cam Channel full time, I might need to travel somewhere hours away so I’ll usually do this for pass through charging: Short Trips: Wireless, super convenient, phone can stay in pocket. Long Trips: Wired, so have a charged battery when I get there Hope that helps clarify!
No not at all, call quality is the lowest of bit rates anyway. Wish it was higher so I could actually hear what people are saying! 😅 Even music played back still sounds good! 👍🏼 Of course if you have high sound systems then you may wish to use a cable for the most optimum sound quality.
Nick, did you notice a change in audio quality between each unit ? some say that using a cable provides the best music quality but I have not noticed a decrease in sound quality on my OTOCAST.
Day to day use, no not at all. I did test that too (didn’t mention in the video as for most people they wouldn’t notice). I tested several audio tracks, some with extreme bass and high frequencies, piano tracks etc. I did notice slight distortion but only on high end sound systems and at almost max volume. Most people wouldn’t notice so I felt it best not to mention as very few people have a high end system like that anyway. And most importantly if you’re that concerned with audio with that sort of sound system, you wouldn’t do wirelessly in the first place and would be using .wav files or FLAC files 🙃 I’m fussy when it comes to audio, gotta have good quality! 😅 it passed the test for me
Excellent Nick, I was waiting for you to make this video. I had the Carlinkit and is fine but slow, 22 to 25 sec to load. I'll try the Otto Car Air and here in the US the have a new model the Otto Car U2-Air and they advertise 13 sec, lets see. Thanks again.
Hi Nick....question. How does one go about having both wireless Apple CarPlay AND wireless charging in the vehicle? What product or products are needed? I can't help but think (correct me if I am wrong) that nobody has a single product that provides both wireless Apple CarPlay capabilities and wireless charging and that such a device would probably need 2 wires, one to charge the phone (higher wattage) and one to provide the bluetooth signal to a vehicle's USB port that normally provides a wired Apple CarPlay connection to provide for wireless Apple CarPlay. Thoughts? Thanks.
Well some cars have Wireless CarPlay and a wireless charger but I’ve not come across a 3rd party product that does both. You could always get a wireless charger and plug it into a 12v socket but I’d much rather just plug a phone in. They won’t get as hot and charge faster too
Sadly not tried phone holders but keep an eye out over the next couple of months. I have a plan for people who don’t have CarPlay natively on their car. Make sure you’re subscribed (it’s free) with notifications on so you don’t miss it 👍🏼
Thanks for the video. Ive purchased a cla 220d registered on dec 22, it has the premium+ pack. I dont think it has wireless carplay, is this correct ? (When you connect wired the screen is cropped)
Wireless CarPlay was introduced in that model’s facelift which was 2024 (this year). Any model made before this year would be wired only (unless one of those adapters or something similar was used)
Thank you for the video. Appreciate the effort you put in to create something valuable to viewers. However, I heard mbux OS version update is around the corner and with it comes wireless android auto. Have you heard of any such news?
Thank you! I’ll keep the videos coming! There is a new generation MBUX out in some Mercedes models, but it’s not a software update it’s a completely different system found only in new cars. Cars that use wired connection sadly don’t have a wireless receiver at all for CarPlay or Android
Hi Nick I bought the Feinodi for 2019 GLC220d 4 Matic , the dongle is paired but nothing comes up on screen Please advise where I am going wrong or if it’s compatible with MBuX On the MB App Store is asking me to do one off payment
Why is pass through charging even a consideration? If you are connecting it to power then you are not wireless and you may as well use the factory wired CarPlay solution.
Sorry should have made it clearer on the video Pass through charging is important to me, I’ll be using wireless CarPlay going forward but when producing the videos I sometimes use my phone to capture CarPlay footage on the screen. I’ll need it plugged in then or the battery will be flat at the end of filming. Having the option of both is just good for me personally
Yes 👍🏼 But I messaged them and they shipped a new one out to me over the next couple of days! Sadly I’d already started filming so couldn’t include that one. So after sales support, pretty good!
Thank you for information Nick , really appreciate ,My car Mercedes C 300 d, has not MBUX System /sofware install and is 2019 model ,so can't be upgrade to have apple car play , Mercedes deals only do Service ... Can you please inform if there is alternative way to install apple car play ?
Thank you! Really sorry I wouldn’t know as I’ve not worked on cars personally to that level. In Mercedes, MBUX was the first software in a car to allow upgrades after it’s been built. If it wasn’t selected to have CarPlay for example on a car with COMAND then with the on board equipment, then sadly it’ll never have CarPlay. The only thing you can possibly look at is 3rd party options. But that would involve taking out the existing system which I wouldn’t know how to do.
Hey Nick, is that a B Class your in. Hard to tell, I'm looking at a 2020 B Class 180. In Australia that's the only version available here. What are your thoughts please. Cheers Rob
Well if you’re using CarPlay Wirelessly yes it will drain the phone battery but for shorter journeys it’s pretty good. That depends on your car, most cars will cut the power to USB ports, for Mercedes looks like the power is turned off when the door is opened.
Sadly not all cars can do full screen CarPlay. There are other manufacturers who have come across the same before. For Mercedes it’s a common question which I’ve answered on my FAQ series here: th-cam.com/video/N9x56XWdjIo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=mlzuNGtciSlsdcdb&t=537 Basically it’s because MBUX (also known as NTG 6) on Mercedes is available in two screen sizes, 7” & 10.25”. When designing & coding I’m led to believe that you can only choose one (to maintain compatibility) for everything. So to make sure it works on all models, Mercedes of course had to go with the 7” version, which is perfect for 7” owners but of course leads to a cropped experience if you have a 10.25” screen. NTG 7 found in some new cars have higher faster processors and have one screen size leading to a full screen experience on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Hope that explains potentially why it’s like that on some cars!
All of the adapters kind of boot up into their own interface before launching CarPlay so you can select a different phone there I’ll be covering them all in more detail in the future 🤓
Sadly not all cars can do full screen CarPlay. There are other manufacturers who have come across the same before. The reason is because MBUX (also known as NTG 6) on Mercedes is available in two screen sizes, 7” & 10.25”. When designing and coding I’m led to believe that you can only choose one (to maintain compatibility) for everything. So to make sure it works on all models, Mercedes of course had to go with the 7” version, which is perfect for 7” owners but of course leads to a cropped experience if you have a 10.25” screen. NTG 7 found in some new cars have higher faster processors and have one screen size leading to a full screen experience on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Hope that explains potentially why it’s like that on some cars!
Sorry should have made it clearer in the video As I mentioned in the video for me pass through charging is important as I review cars often and often use my phone to capture clips. To record and grab footage on the screen and plug it in when doing that but every other time, day to day use would be wireless.
If my car only had one USB port the charging pass through would be helpful. Most of my drives are short trips across town so a wireless Apple CarPlay is beneficial but for the occasional drive that’s a couple of hours it would be better to only have to plug in the cord connected to the pass through instead of swapping the adapter with the cord.
Thanks for this interesting review. I will stick with the wired connection for my iPhone. I find it rather useful to charge my phone whilst driving. Having a wireless connection with charging capabilities seems a bit redundant no?
@@IslandDigitalif these adapters are using proper apple protocols, there is 0 difference in audio quality between wired and wireless (unless you’re using an external DAP inline with the iPhone). Both wired and wireless CarPlay support a maximum audio resolution of 16bit/48hz lossless uncompressed audio.
I don’t think it’s redundant. I have a charging pad built into my vehicle so don’t have to plug it in to charge. But have been thinking about getting a wireless CarPlay so I can just leave phone in purse. But for long trips can always just put phone on charging pad.
Carolay2air is absolute Rubish on my Jeep gladiator, replaced 3 under warranty, freezes every 30 seconds and when it doesn't it builds up a massive lag where the GPS is talking me to turn left 1km after the turn. Definitely do not recommend that.
If a Mercedes (MB) model has wireless Apple Carplay, does it disconnect when a passenger charges his phone with the USB-C wire? On that note, if the (MB) car has wireless Apple Carplay, can a phone connect to the car via a USB-C wire at all? Thank you in advance. Great videos.
No it shouldn’t do. The second “plug-in would just charge”. Same as if you plugged in your phone. Yes you can, if you’ve connected Wireless Apple CarPlay, then it will only connect via wireless. To connect wired only, unpair the phone via Bluetooth and delete the pairing in the car and then connect via cable.
So a waste of time and money, you aren’t getting rid of clutter, you still need a cable to charge your phone so you either tie up 2 ports or add more clutter with a dongle and pass through. What a dumb product lol. Concise and good review though, sorry you are out of pocket on it though.
I enjoyed making this video! Plus I wanted to keep it as non bias as possible. You will always need to add something to a car if it doesn’t have wireless CarPlay to achieve wireless so no matter what you do there will always be an added dongle. Some modern cars though do have wireless CarPlay now so you wouldn’t need these at all if you’re trying achieve wireless 🤓
U still have to charge ur phone anyway, wireless CarPlay drain your battery fast, and with cable you get better connection. In fact audio is way better when it’s connected by wire than wireless.
I’d used otticast/ cplay2air also, then i switch to the old school wired carplay, coz wireless carplay with/without wireless charge make the phone terribly hot.
Well, I drive an Opel too and found the CarPlay is unreliable to start up even wired. I sometimes need to unplug and replug once or twice to make Carplay show up, and it can be quite slow.
@@npoleary Yes please. The regulations is Middle East prevent manufacturers' dash cam to detect the signals and provide AR in SATNAV. I still can buy one separately and install given its location is ready in the car underneath the central rear mirror. Can you dig some info and resolution to that? You know multiple features are associated with it like Cruise Control capturing the road speed accordingly to speed mark.
Yes laws and regulation differ all the way round the world! Rather annoying! Really sorry I wouldn’t know what they are in other countries! It was extremely difficult to find out on board recording dashcam in the UK alone
i have in my MB SLC the Carlin Kit adapter, but now an important thing. As mentioned power from the battery of the iPhone is a limited thing for longer rides for sample to a holiday destination or on business trips. Need now a cable again is a contraproductiv request to the cablefree dongles. Then I can direkt plug my phone to the car USB. Solution I made. There are magnetic wireless charger by QI available in very compakt size like the Apple charger which you can fit on your dasboard. Power will you get by chargers which you connect to your 12 V cigarette lighter. with such a combination i have the option to let my phone in the pocket on a short trip or tab my phone on the magnetic charger and by my experience this works for a day trip without any problems.
on the argument of charging the phone, i think a nice magsafe mount would go nice with this, so you can have your phone nicely mounted and charging, but still dont have to fight with plugging it in everytime you jump in your car
I have a magsafe mount from Moment and have wired carplay. I enjoy that combo and since I generally use maps a lot on my daily commute to alert me to changes in traffic conditions, I don't mind not having wireless carplay yet.......buuuut, we rented a car once that had wireless carplay and it was very nice not being forced to plug my phone in each time just to be able to use it. For short trips, wireless would be my go to, for my work commutes that are almost an hour and a half each way, I'm staying plugged in anyway.
They’ve been rolling it out over the years. It takes quite a long time for a manufacturer to update 30 models! 🙃 There are quite a few that have it now and more coming out this year.
Hi Nick, Thanks for your excellent assessment. I watched your video this afternoon and ordered the U2 X Pro. I've watched a few clips about these gadgets, your honest approach meant I could go ahead and just do it. Thanks. BTW I (we) have recently bought a new GLA AMG 35. I traded in my C250 2015, and my wife her A250 2014. We are retired and decided that we don't need two cars. I wanted to keep mine and my wife wanted to keep hers. We paid a visit to our usual Merc dealer and saw the GLA in the showroom. We both liked what we saw and bought it. We are very happy with the car it suits us in different ways. Thank you for the thoroughness of your presentations.
Sorry it’s been a little while since I covered these but I don’t think it did. I’m sure it just converted it to wireless but…I did cover a device that does do that made by the same manufacturer: th-cam.com/video/BAMKMsxAzto/w-d-xo.htmlsi=DJRcBNQswkFxFkMg
Very informative video I’m glad I found this. Minutes ago I didn’t know that these products even existed. I’m looking to upgrade to a MagSafe (wireless charger) when i upgrade from iPhone 11 max to the new iPhone 15 max next week. I wasn’t going to bother if I still needed to plug in for CarPlay. Subscribed 🙏 thanks again
I still can’t understand how in 2023/24 we still have to use a fk cable to use AppleCar. I have same thing with Kia Ceed GT it’s so annoying. Best bit that most manufacturers don’t state that you have to connect applecar with cable. Your video is amazing mate. I am planning to buy one before I will change car. Definitely will do better research for applecar before any purchase.
I’m actually curious, out of everything tested here, which one are you using in your personal vehicles? Also, you didn’t show how the phone connects to the adapter. Also also, you didn’t time how long a wired connection takes to launch CarPlay.
You can buy them a lot cheaper on Aliexpress with free delivery from China which is where they come from anyway , your just cutting out the middle-man.
My GLB (2024 model) did not come with CarPlay installed. If I invest in one of these devices, will I be able to have CarPlay or do I need to activate/purchase it first (through Mercedes Me)?
Yes but it’s important to know what I’m testing for! And to showcase that I have not been gifted any adapters, I purchased them all myself for this video.
Hello (I'm from Canada) I watch your videos a lot, it's very interesting and very well explained........ I had a question for you with the Mercedes Me app, when I start the car remotely, is this normal? that the vehicle turns off when I unlock the door, the car stops turning and I have to restart the car with the button I have a new 2023 C 300.
Hey! Thank you! Glad you enjoy the videos! Sadly I wouldn’t know, that feature does not exist here in the UK. I think it is though, I seem to recall someone asking a long time ago on one of my videos and someone replied yes it was normal.
I bought one and returned it for the very point you raise about your battery depleting when your connected wirelessly and using multiple apps. What’s the point if you have to have to keep charging your phone.
Hi Nick - have you tested if maps would display on heads-up display. I have C2play and I have noticed maps do not show up on heads up display. I have 2022 GLS 450. Additionally I have noticed while connected to CarPlay through these adapters they do not apply any music equalizer changes in effect and sound quality isn’t great then. Please let me know if you are able to see maps on your onscreen display while using these adapters. Thanks
No sadly Apple CarPlay will only operate on the centre screen. Apple did announce last year they were working with manufacturers to enable Apple CarPlay in the instrument cluster but this is extremely early stages. It won’t have support in new cars for a while yet if manufacturers choose to use it. There is one manufacturer who has done it already, I might cover them soon 👀
What about Android? Remind me again, this is *Mercedes* and you have to use a cable!? This should just be a software update as my phone can connect to the car via Bluetooth. Great video Nick and thanks for making
Ah I’ll hopefully cover Android in the future! I do have one in a drawer at home so I’ll see what I can do Some Mercedes do have wireless, all new models released that are rolling out seem to have it now
I have Carlink 4.0 in my GLE, and it works perfect at 98-99%. Sometimes it disconnect, but you only have to plug and unplug again. I’m very happy with it. But my iPhone heats a lot when I use it. I don’t know if it happens with the rest of the devices.
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@wongteckfui5879 I produced the video with my thoughts, did you watch all the way to the end? It’s up to you 🤓 One works with CarPlay and Android Auto, one is faster than the others, one worked absolutely fine with pass through charging and the cheaper was good too!
Hi. I purchased the U2 X Pro and have been driving around with it for a full week. It works great, aside from minor interruptions (which are only a second long). I think it is definitely better than direct wired USB in the way it responds. Starts up quickly (faster than wired car play), and instantly plays music. Often with wired, it took almost 30 seconds or more to start up and then it didn't play music immediately. I also think all the apps run better and more smoothly with the wireless adapter than with Wired CarPlay. An example is that Waze does not have to be open on my device to run and music is a bit louder and clearer. All in all I am really happy. Wish I know about this sooner!! Thanks!! 🙏
Hi Nick thanks for your reply. I now have another question. Normally I listen to music from a memory stick via dongle, great it goes from tune to tune . Now I have apple car play with ottocast u2 device the music still plays but the same song over and over again. Any quick solutions please would be appreciated. Thanks Nick
That’ll be because you’ve got repeat enabled on your phone What app are you using? Apple Music, Spotify, TH-cam music etc Just change it on your phone or on the now playing screen 👍🏼
As i understand that you must buy smatphone integration package before you can use apple car play or android auto and it cost about 500 dollar in sweden . Mercedes 300 de 2021
For previous generation Mercedes cars it depends if smartphone integration was selected or not when it was built. Luckily it can be added though! Years ago, if a car didn’t have it, that was it. It would never have CarPlay unless it had some serious modification with internal components that etc
Anything that doesn't use WiFi? All I tried create their own WiFi network and the phone needs to be connected to that, as a result I can't use the At&t WiFi in my car at all while using wireless Apple Car Play through these devices.
No sadly that’s how CarPlay works. Apple CarPlay uses the WiFi standard to transmit data. If you already use Wi-Fi I would probably avoid buying one of these and just plug it in via the wire. Hope that makes sense sense! Any questions just message me back
Hi Nick, I just bought a ottocast u2 adapter for my glass, it works but should I see everything that is on my iPhone? Keep up the very useful videos. Alan 9:52
Oh nice! You won’t be able to view every app on an iPhone though. Apple CarPlay is the same if it’s wired or wireless. These adapters just make wired to wireless
Hi Nick, very informative Does any of these wireless compatible shown a full on the dashboard? My GLE shown nearly quarter of the screen with the wire connector
No sadly not it’s down the car manufacturer’s screen and multimedia system. So for Mercedes the reason is because MBUX (also known as NTG 6) on Mercedes is available in two screen sizes, 7” & 10.25”. When designing and coding I’m led to believe that you can only choose one (to maintain compatibility) for everything. So to make sure it works on all models, Mercedes of course had to go with the 7” version, which is perfect for 7” owners but of course leads to a cropped experience if you have a 10.25” screen. NTG 7 found in some new cars have higher faster processors and have one screen size leading to a full screen experience on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Hope that explains potentially why it’s like that on some cars!
You talk too much. GTTP! Get To The Point! You never explained how to set up the adapter for the phone. Is it Bluetooth? Is it WiFi? You never said anything about connecting to the phone.
Sorry but I like to be detailed! Although I am looking to do more short form content in the future that will deliver the video content faster. It uses the CarPlay protocol so it connects the same as if the car had wireless CarPlay. Wireless CarPlay uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that how CarPlay works in all cars. That’s not unique to these adapters.
Interesting review and really well presented. Interested to know if you had any problems with reconnection of any of the adapters you tested following initial pairing, especially when connecting within vicinity of home WiFi or with another device BT connected to your iPhone, e.g. Apple Watch? This is something I’ve personally had issues with causing a connection delay with my wireless CarPlay adapter I’ve recently purchased from Amazon. The times I’ve tested this with my iPhone still connected to my home WiFi, connection was delayed and was only established once the adapter forced a WiFi connection to Apple CarPlay.
Thank you! Didn’t have any problems at all, the only thing I will add is the Wi-Fi one. This is not an issue with these adapters, this can happen even with a manufacture fitted Wireless CarPlay, sometimes you can find it will want to stay connected to your home WiFi but as you drive away it’ll connect shortly afterward. Apple Watch no issues at all.
I have a 2019 mercedes b class. I can't access carplay because I have to buy this option from mercedes to be enable.. if I use this ottocast u2-air will carplay work?
Hi Nick I’m about to purchase a CLA premium plus, I too have an Astra K Elite nav as my current car, plugging my iPhone into the K centre console has always been no issue for me and I like that it charges and just hides out the way. But was surprised that the only connection to the MBUX system was in that sliding door area which is also where the wireless charger is. Do you think I’d be able to somewhat extend or move that box unit within that space so that it doesn’t hinder my use of the wireless charger? Maybe some sticky pads to hold it further into the drawer at the back or maybe even use an extension cable to wire it out of it completely and maybe hide it in the glove box or something obviously with all wires being hidden behind panels etc, I don’t want to ruin the beautiful interior with ugly cables and I don’t want to mount my phone on the dash. For my small journeys it’s fine to just keep my phone in my pocket but on my big commutes I’d like the hassle free life of just slapping it on the wireless charger and not worrying about it. I’m a big lover of ACP and I absolute hate people who use phones at all whilst driving so this is a perfect use for me. Love your videos, your videos have been a huge help in me deciding to get a CLA class so thank you, and keep up the good work.
Ah awesome thank you! Glad you’re enjoying the videos! Ah that’s a good idea but yes that port that’s labelled is the one for CarPlay so yeah putting it into the glovebox would be quite a neat solution although you’d still see the cable slightly with the wire going in.
@@npoleary no no, thank you. Very informative vids. And I think I’d somewhat disassemble the centre console and hide the wire within the trim itself. A little bit of cable tidying would make this setup very sleek and modern. I’m used to hiding wires and fitting dashcams etc for every friend, family and their dog so I’m hoping this would work for me. Would definitely need one of the units with removable connection though. Again thank you, and even more so for your reply.
Amazon has a really good deal right now on the Ottocast U2 X which is their redesigned 2023 model. It's reduced in price with an included $20 coupon. I paid $56 American. I'm gonna give it a shot and see how it runs for a couple of weeks. Amazon has a terrific return policy. Pretty much you can return anything. So I will return with my results.
Hi Nick, I have the FeinOdi. Included adapter for USB to USB C is very bad and caused losing connection at every bump in the road. I replaced it for a right angled adapter to be able to close the cover of the cup holders (pro tip 😂😂). Just drove from Holland to Spain without a problem or losing connection. Hope this helps!
it is really upseatting /disappointed that Mersendes Benz put cars in the market without the correct software 2019 model , of cource all has do with money.
Totally useless. Didn’t show them working. Didn’t show how you use them. You sat in your car and showed us boxes. Yes you told us which one works better but in what? What cars did you test it in? how did you hook them up? How did they hook up to the phone?
Oh sorry you feel that way, these devices are plug and play. They will work in almost any car as long as the car has Apple CarPlay but you will need to check. As I independently create these videos, there’s physically no way I can test in every car out there. They have cables in the boxes in the video that you plug in to the car’s USB ports or USB-C ports and it’s as simple as connecting via Bluetooth where it establishes as Wi-Fi connection. This is how wireless CarPlay works and is no different to if a car had it natively. I make a conscious effort to keep the videos as short as possible but while keeping detail. I used to make videos quite long but from feedback over the years from my viewers, I’ve been shortening them down where I can.
Wireless CarPlay is worse than wired CarPlay in my opinion. Constance wireless communications between receiver and iPhone get my phone heated up fast. naturally it drains battery faster as well especially when map navigation is on or just having map display on. I noticed regardless I have wireless CarPlay or not, my phone is always connected for charging. This makes my wireless CarPlay totally pointless for me. Another flaw about wireless CarPlay is when the initial connection fails, you will have to go through several steps to reconnect wirelessly unlike wired CarPlay where you just need to unplug and replug back on..
Mercedes should send the widerscreen update... im only using the port when watchinv movies in my car because it gives widescreen
What port do you use to get widescreen?
And again Sir , we can't thank you enough for your time and effort, making our rides more fun and safe.
No worries! Glad you’re enjoying the videos! 🙏🤓
I have the one you called fein something or other but it came in a different name. Installed a week ago and used all apps on car play extensively including Google maps. Absolutely brilliant. It sits in my glove box double sided taped to the inner wall so not in the way. Even with the box closed zero issues and only 60 quid
Yeah I was surprised at that one! It worked absolutely fine!
any updates on how it's working?
Only takes one second to plug your phone in with wired connection and your phone charges also. My cable is only 2 inches long . Stick to cable for me
Goes to show cheap doesn't always mean worse! Good video.
Thank you! Yeah it surprised me!
I moved over to Apple recently due to AirTag capability. I might be able to find an empty USB port in my 2019 F150 crew cab pickup. Let’s see: 2 on center console for rear pax, 2x in center console storage, 2x dash, 2x in semi hidden console in front of center console, 4x added on at rear of truck bed, and 2x 12v adapters. Topped off with 2x 110 AC outlets (stock). The 2x in the semi hidden actually connect to truck operating system including direct to media system! Most are used for powering GoPro and dash cams cameras and equipment as/when needed.
Here’s a helpful hint for many passenger style vehicles equipped with center roof mount rear view mirrors that auto dim at night (result from vehicles approaching from behind). There is an adapter available (Amazon) that gives USB A support. Great for mounting that extra dash cam! Powered only when vehicle is on! No native dash cam in my truck! Yes, I do use many when driving to keep various items charged for use!
I need this many USB ports in my car 👆
😅
Over the past couple of years I’ve bought a couple of these - can’t remember the brand. However, both stated they were compatible with my car. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get them to work. So on both occasions I returned them. I subsequently visited my local Mercedes dealership. It’s a merc I have. I enquired with their parts manager who advised that - and he could only talk for Mercedes - that no “to wireless’ adapters work with any Mercedes car. I notice you were sitting in a merc. So clearly it worked for you. Any comments??
So Wireless CarPlay adapters are a very cool concept but they’re not made by car manufacturers, they’re made by 3rd party companies so dealers wouldn’t be able to offer guidance on them as they don’t make them or sell them.
I tested the ones in this video in as many cars as I could through friends and family and the cars I had access to at the time. Sadly I cannot physically test them all but shared my findings in the video.
I get emails from companies all the time asking me to check out their adapters but I only purchased the ones that I felt I would personally buy myself. I spent about £400 to £500 on this video to acquire the adapters to offer my own thoughts without any influence from anyone else.
Yes they do work in most cars including Mercedes, I recorded this in the car I had access to at the time.
I should also add, just make sure that the place you buy them from has a return policy just in case you need to send it back
Was waiting for a comparison like this for a very long time. Immediately ordered the Air for my GLB. If it works fine, will get another one for my Volvo as well. Used your referral on their site
Thank you! Ah good at least you’ll get a bit off the price!
Are three sold in USA as well?
Thank you for taking the time to do this review.
Ottocast should shop internationally, they have options for the USA on their website too:
bit.ly/OttocastNickOLeary (link with discount code from description of my video)
Thanks, Nick - another great video and very helpful. I’ve bought the U2 pro via your link. Thanks again.
Ah awesome! At least you’ll get a little bit off the full price! 🤓🙏
Hey Nick . Looking forward to go though the video… my most wished video … thanks Nick.
No worries! 🤓🙏
Hi Nick, thanks as always! Quick question - most mercs as you know don’t have touch screen (though I do wonder why) and it makes navigating CarPlay a bit tricky. Do you know any workaround for this? Either to introudce touchscreen or to device an easier way to navigate CarPlay screen using buttons. It’s not so much an issue if all you need is the basic CarPlay apps, but as soon as you connect any play-to-video CarPlay device, you will easily see the need for a touch screen. Tips and ideas would be appreciated.
It just depends on the car’s multimedia system. Most new Mercedes now will have touchscreen, this is what I’ve seen but for any older models, I guess just mastering the wheel would do it. I have used one with the wheel before and you do get used to where the selector cursor goes etc.
But yeah if a car doesn’t have touchscreen, there wouldn’t be a way to make a touchscreen. There is also the option of using Siri too!
@@npoleary Thanks Nick. Like you said, I guess i just need to get used to it. Ta
I had CarlinKit 3.0, it worked very well, only after a year it broke 😡. Too bad Apple doesn't make these devices. Probably more expensive but more solid.
I’m actually curious, out of everything tested here, which one are you using in your personal vehicles? Also, you didn’t show how the phone connects to the adapter.
I’ve actually upgraded my car since then so it now has native wireless CarPlay. Although I still choose to use the wire as I use my phone a lot so need the extra battery.
Ah it’s just as simple as connecting Bluetooth, it guides you on the screen what to do ☺️
Wired does have the best sound
Thanks for your efforts Nick. Just wanted to share to MB owners that my cplay2air was not fully compatible with my MB C63S AMG. Sometimes it would work- sometimes I would have a black screen and I would have to fiddle with it to get it up and running- thus unusable on the long term. The support proposed a FW update, which made things even worse. I tried to return it, but was told I have to send it to China and indicate a value of 5 usd (I paid 129 usd for it). As i was uncertain the unit would be reimbursed, I preferred not to incur an extra 30 usd shipping fee and now it’s sitting in a drawer taking dust. Not recommended for C-Class models and certainly others I don’t know about.
Thanks for sharing!
I had tested in a C-Class and it worked okay, wonder if it was for a particular year or something
@@npoleary As mentioned it would work at times- but not consistently. My AMG is a 2021 model. Cheers!
I agree cplay2air did work on my 2019 c-class but 8/10 it would give a black screen and then had to push home button and then top screen go to apple carplay. I got annoyed by this. So i bought the ottobox this works better, but still if you stop for gas and get back and start then it stops working. Also the ottobox bluetooth keeps working after the car is shutdown, but you phone still connects but the receiving end will hear a hard beeping noise. So its not perfect. Luckily i will upgrade to a c-class 23 soon :-)
Hello, would the dongle work if connected in the usb ports inside the arm rest? My 2021’ amg has a wired CarPlay port next to my cup holders and I’d prefer to have the dongle hidden inside the arm rest ports if possible.
Thank you!
@roneljusto8602 just replied to your other comment as well:
It has to be plugged into the same port of the car that accepts a wired connection. Some allow more than one port but you can try…if you plug your phone into the centre ports, if it works through CarPlay, then the adapter will work in there too. If it doesn’t then you’ll have to use the cup holder one.
It already is in my new Dacia Sandero!
Cool! 😎
New to your channel but find them hugely informative as i just picked up a 73 plate GLB Night Edition today and so far can’t see any wireless Apple CarPlay functionality. Smartphone integration is all activated through the Mercedes Me App and every other service also as the car is brand new.
Am I missing something or is the GLB Premium Plus not enabled for it?
Messaged you on the other video 👍🏼
Thank you glad you enjoyed the videos! Wireless is only available on certain models (typically models without a touchpad in the middle).
It depends on the specification of your car for CarPlay if it has it or not but if you chat with Mercedes, they can let you know for sure. Usually it’s a USB-C port next to the cup holders.
Fantastic review! Thank you sir!
Thank you! 🙏
Very informative and professional Nick, I just ordered the U2-AIR Wireless CarPlay from their site and at the moment its on offer for £56, seems like a bargain.
how is it working for you?
@@amdaring all good, there have been a few times when I’ve not been able to connect but overall I’ve had a good experience. Installation was simple and there were no issues whatsoever with the set up.
@peterhollis8291 ah awesome thanks for sharing feedback with others! The connection thing can be sometimes because Wireless CarPlay is still connected to your home Wi-Fi. I’ve found this a few times with mine too but it’s quite normal for it to happen from time to time even with official equipment on a car that can do it natively.
@@npoleary thanks for the info Nick, sounds like that’s the issue 👍
No worries! Happy to help! And thanks for sharing your feedback too! 👍🏼
Continue to love the video's - I have a 2022 AMG E53. Do you know if you have to plug into the USB-C adapter in the drink/wireless charging area of the console, or could you connect those adapters to the USB-C plugs in the centre armrest area too? The drink/wireless charging area is extremely tight fitting, not sure any of those adapters would fit well.
Thank you!
It has to go in the port that works with Apple CarPlay (the one you’d normally use)
So if you have one near the cup holders, I’d imagine it would be in there. Also has a symbol next to it too 👍🏼
Could I plug one of these in the armrest outlet and still work? > GLB 2022 😊
See my comment above
Anyone has an answer for this please?
@@rogerallen665did you connect it to the usb ports in the armrest box?
Possibly it depends on the model of Mercedes
It’s whatever port that you’d normally plug into for Apple CarPlay.
As I mentioned in the video, this does not give your car CarPlay, you need it to begin with, this just makes it wireless.
Usually in Mercedes there’s a small symbol, normally next to the cup holders at the front. If there isn’t one there, it’ll be in the armrest.
Hope that helps guys! Any more questions, message me ⬇️
thanks Nick , great video ✌
Thank you! 🙏🙏
Nick, I'm missing something - why is charging pass though a concern on a device meant to support wireless connectivity..? Why not just use that USB port and get connected and power? Thanks for your videos, I've watched a few.
Hey I have replied to a few comments below on the same question so sorry I should have mentioned in the video to clarify what I meant.
Wireless is super convenient but running a TH-cam Channel full time, I might need to travel somewhere hours away so I’ll usually do this for pass through charging:
Short Trips: Wireless, super convenient, phone can stay in pocket.
Long Trips: Wired, so have a charged battery when I get there
Hope that helps clarify!
Did you notice any difference in call quality going from wired to wireless?
No not at all, call quality is the lowest of bit rates anyway. Wish it was higher so I could actually hear what people are saying! 😅
Even music played back still sounds good! 👍🏼
Of course if you have high sound systems then you may wish to use a cable for the most optimum sound quality.
Nick, did you notice a change in audio quality between each unit ? some say that using a cable provides the best music quality but I have not noticed a decrease in sound quality on my OTOCAST.
Day to day use, no not at all.
I did test that too (didn’t mention in the video as for most people they wouldn’t notice).
I tested several audio tracks, some with extreme bass and high frequencies, piano tracks etc. I did notice slight distortion but only on high end sound systems and at almost max volume. Most people wouldn’t notice so I felt it best not to mention as very few people have a high end system like that anyway. And most importantly if you’re that concerned with audio with that sort of sound system, you wouldn’t do wirelessly in the first place and would be using .wav files or FLAC files 🙃
I’m fussy when it comes to audio, gotta have good quality! 😅 it passed the test for me
Love your videos Nick. Learnt so much from them so thanks 👍
I can't see the point of these if you don't have wireless charging, (which I don't).
Am I missing something here?
Excellent Nick, I was waiting for you to make this video. I had the Carlinkit and is fine but slow, 22 to 25 sec to load. I'll try the Otto Car Air and here in the US the have a new model the Otto Car U2-Air and they advertise 13 sec, lets see. Thanks again.
Oh yeah awesome! 🤓🙏
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it! Yes it was quite a lot faster than the others
Thank you Nick
No problem! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙏
Hi Nick....question. How does one go about having both wireless Apple CarPlay AND wireless charging in the vehicle? What product or products are needed? I can't help but think (correct me if I am wrong) that nobody has a single product that provides both wireless Apple CarPlay capabilities and wireless charging and that such a device would probably need 2 wires, one to charge the phone (higher wattage) and one to provide the bluetooth signal to a vehicle's USB port that normally provides a wired Apple CarPlay connection to provide for wireless Apple CarPlay.
Thoughts? Thanks.
Well some cars have Wireless CarPlay and a wireless charger but I’ve not come across a 3rd party product that does both.
You could always get a wireless charger and plug it into a 12v socket but I’d much rather just plug a phone in. They won’t get as hot and charge faster too
Hey Nick
Don’t suppose you could recommend a good phone holder for those of us who don’t have car play as older model of mercedes please?
Sadly not tried phone holders but keep an eye out over the next couple of months. I have a plan for people who don’t have CarPlay natively on their car. Make sure you’re subscribed (it’s free) with notifications on so you don’t miss it 👍🏼
@@npoleary great look forward to it!
Thanks for the video. Ive purchased a cla 220d registered on dec 22, it has the premium+ pack. I dont think it has wireless carplay, is this correct ? (When you connect wired the screen is cropped)
Wireless CarPlay was introduced in that model’s facelift which was 2024 (this year). Any model made before this year would be wired only (unless one of those adapters or something similar was used)
Thank you for the video. Appreciate the effort you put in to create something valuable to viewers.
However, I heard mbux OS version update is around the corner and with it comes wireless android auto. Have you heard of any such news?
Thank you! I’ll keep the videos coming!
There is a new generation MBUX out in some Mercedes models, but it’s not a software update it’s a completely different system found only in new cars.
Cars that use wired connection sadly don’t have a wireless receiver at all for CarPlay or Android
The last thing you want is a Chinese dongle connected to your phone 😅
Hi Nick
I bought the Feinodi for 2019 GLC220d 4 Matic , the dongle is paired but nothing comes up on screen
Please advise where I am going wrong or if it’s compatible with MBuX
On the MB App Store is asking me to do one off payment
Why is pass through charging even a consideration? If you are connecting it to power then you are not wireless and you may as well use the factory wired CarPlay solution.
Sorry should have made it clearer on the video
Pass through charging is important to me, I’ll be using wireless CarPlay going forward but when producing the videos I sometimes use my phone to capture CarPlay footage on the screen. I’ll need it plugged in then or the battery will be flat at the end of filming.
Having the option of both is just good for me personally
Hi, but you need carplay service from mercedes already buyed? Or those solutions will work without the service of carplay?
You need Apple CarPlay on the car in the first place yes. These devices to not add Apple CarPlay to your car, they just convert wired to wireless.
Excllent video but I think its useless if it doesnt do both apple and android.
Good job one of them does! 🤓
Plus I aim to cover this sort of topic more in the future and inc Android Auto so keep an eye out!
@@npoleary I have a 2021 A45 S and am just so over the cable
Was the adaptor that did not work from Quad Lock? because I had issues with mine
Yes 👍🏼
But I messaged them and they shipped a new one out to me over the next couple of days! Sadly I’d already started filming so couldn’t include that one. So after sales support, pretty good!
Thank you for information Nick , really appreciate ,My car Mercedes C 300 d, has not MBUX System /sofware install and is 2019 model ,so can't be upgrade to have apple car play , Mercedes deals only do Service ...
Can you please inform if there is alternative way to install apple car play ?
Thank you! Really sorry I wouldn’t know as I’ve not worked on cars personally to that level. In Mercedes, MBUX was the first software in a car to allow upgrades after it’s been built.
If it wasn’t selected to have CarPlay for example on a car with COMAND then with the on board equipment, then sadly it’ll never have CarPlay.
The only thing you can possibly look at is 3rd party options. But that would involve taking out the existing system which I wouldn’t know how to do.
Hey Nick, is that a B Class your in. Hard to tell, I'm looking at a 2020 B Class 180. In Australia that's the only version available here. What are your thoughts please. Cheers Rob
Ah no it was an A-Class 🤓
I have reviewed it on my channel before! 👍🏼
th-cam.com/video/hM2KoML32ic/w-d-xo.html
Hows the phone battery drain ??
Can this be left connected with car when not driving?
Well if you’re using CarPlay Wirelessly yes it will drain the phone battery but for shorter journeys it’s pretty good.
That depends on your car, most cars will cut the power to USB ports, for Mercedes looks like the power is turned off when the door is opened.
Hi Nick, how can I get full screen android auto or carplay on MB GLB/A screen?
Sadly not all cars can do full screen CarPlay. There are other manufacturers who have come across the same before.
For Mercedes it’s a common question which I’ve answered on my FAQ series here: th-cam.com/video/N9x56XWdjIo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=mlzuNGtciSlsdcdb&t=537
Basically it’s because MBUX (also known as NTG 6) on Mercedes is available in two screen sizes, 7” & 10.25”. When designing & coding I’m led to believe that you can only choose one (to maintain compatibility) for everything.
So to make sure it works on all models, Mercedes of course had to go with the 7” version, which is perfect for 7” owners but of course leads to a cropped experience if you have a 10.25” screen.
NTG 7 found in some new cars have higher faster processors and have one screen size leading to a full screen experience on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Hope that explains potentially why it’s like that on some cars!
What happens when you have multiple phones in the car. How do you choose one of them?
All of the adapters kind of boot up into their own interface before launching CarPlay so you can select a different phone there
I’ll be covering them all in more detail in the future 🤓
Is there any way to make apple CarPlay use more of the screen? Like yours, mines seems to take up about half the available space…
Sadly not all cars can do full screen CarPlay. There are other manufacturers who have come across the same before.
The reason is because MBUX (also known as NTG 6) on Mercedes is available in two screen sizes, 7” & 10.25”. When designing and coding I’m led to believe that you can only choose one (to maintain compatibility) for everything.
So to make sure it works on all models, Mercedes of course had to go with the 7” version, which is perfect for 7” owners but of course leads to a cropped experience if you have a 10.25” screen.
NTG 7 found in some new cars have higher faster processors and have one screen size leading to a full screen experience on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Hope that explains potentially why it’s like that on some cars!
If you care about audio quality of Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal, leave your phone plugged in. Go wired and not wireless.
but with 2023 facelift, if you have the smartphone integration package you don't need this
Very true! This is for older cars that have the previous multimedia system. 🙏
The pass-through charging has got to be the most hilarious thing! I could have just used wired CarPlay which has always kept my phone fully charged!
Sorry should have made it clearer in the video
As I mentioned in the video for me pass through charging is important as I review cars often and often use my phone to capture clips.
To record and grab footage on the screen and plug it in when doing that but every other time, day to day use would be wireless.
And damaged your battery
If my car only had one USB port the charging pass through would be helpful. Most of my drives are short trips across town so a wireless Apple CarPlay is beneficial but for the occasional drive that’s a couple of hours it would be better to only have to plug in the cord connected to the pass through instead of swapping the adapter with the cord.
@@npolearythen why can’t you just unplug the CarPlay and go wired for those moments? I get it’s simpler but you could save money
@OmariFaith I could but I’ve had hundreds of people wanting me to try some adapters out so decided to make a video on them for everyone 🤓
Thanks for this interesting review. I will stick with the wired connection for my iPhone. I find it rather useful to charge my phone whilst driving. Having a wireless connection with charging capabilities seems a bit redundant no?
It also has much better sound !
@@IslandDigitalif these adapters are using proper apple protocols, there is 0 difference in audio quality between wired and wireless (unless you’re using an external DAP inline with the iPhone). Both wired and wireless CarPlay support a maximum audio resolution of 16bit/48hz lossless uncompressed audio.
I don’t think it’s redundant. I have a charging pad built into my vehicle so don’t have to plug it in to charge. But have been thinking about getting a wireless CarPlay so I can just leave phone in purse. But for long trips can always just put phone on charging pad.
Carolay2air is absolute Rubish on my Jeep gladiator, replaced 3 under warranty, freezes every 30 seconds and when it doesn't it builds up a massive lag where the GPS is talking me to turn left 1km after the turn. Definitely do not recommend that.
Family just got a brand new Genesis and for some heckin reason it doesn’t have wireless CarPlay so this video is a lifesaver. Thanks.
Because it's a HYUNDAI. Good luck with your Hyundai. Been there done that!
No idea why it’s so important to have wireless🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
If required stick a cable in and off you go..
First world problems🤔🤔
If a Mercedes (MB) model has wireless Apple Carplay, does it disconnect when a passenger charges his phone with the USB-C wire? On that note, if the (MB) car has wireless Apple Carplay, can a phone connect to the car via a USB-C wire at all? Thank you in advance. Great videos.
No it shouldn’t do. The second “plug-in would just charge”. Same as if you plugged in your phone.
Yes you can, if you’ve connected Wireless Apple CarPlay, then it will only connect via wireless. To connect wired only, unpair the phone via Bluetooth and delete the pairing in the car and then connect via cable.
So a waste of time and money, you aren’t getting rid of clutter, you still need a cable to charge your phone so you either tie up 2 ports or add more clutter with a dongle and pass through. What a dumb product lol. Concise and good review though, sorry you are out of pocket on it though.
I enjoyed making this video! Plus I wanted to keep it as non bias as possible.
You will always need to add something to a car if it doesn’t have wireless CarPlay to achieve wireless so no matter what you do there will always be an added dongle.
Some modern cars though do have wireless CarPlay now so you wouldn’t need these at all if you’re trying achieve wireless 🤓
U still have to charge ur phone anyway, wireless CarPlay drain your battery fast, and with cable you get better connection. In fact audio is way better when it’s connected by wire than wireless.
I’d used otticast/ cplay2air also, then i switch to the old school wired carplay, coz wireless carplay with/without wireless charge make the phone terribly hot.
Well, I drive an Opel too and found the CarPlay is unreliable to start up even wired. I sometimes need to unplug and replug once or twice to make Carplay show up, and it can be quite slow.
Nick, I’m MB owner and I value your videos and efforts. You became my go-to-expert in discovering my car. Keep it up.
Wow, thank you so much!
I'll keep the videos coming!
Any future topics you'd like to see? 😎
@@npoleary Yes please. The regulations is Middle East prevent manufacturers' dash cam to detect the signals and provide AR in SATNAV. I still can buy one separately and install given its location is ready in the car underneath the central rear mirror. Can you dig some info and resolution to that? You know multiple features are associated with it like Cruise Control capturing the road speed accordingly to speed mark.
Yes laws and regulation differ all the way round the world! Rather annoying!
Really sorry I wouldn’t know what they are in other countries! It was extremely difficult to find out on board recording dashcam in the UK alone
i have in my MB SLC the Carlin Kit adapter, but now an important thing. As mentioned power from the battery of the iPhone is a limited thing for longer rides for sample to a holiday destination or on business trips. Need now a cable again is a contraproductiv request to the cablefree dongles. Then I can direkt plug my phone to the car USB. Solution I made. There are magnetic wireless charger by QI available in very compakt size like the Apple charger which you can fit on your dasboard. Power will you get by chargers which you connect to your 12 V cigarette lighter. with such a combination i have the option to let my phone in the pocket on a short trip or tab my phone on the magnetic charger and by my experience this works for a day trip without any problems.
on the argument of charging the phone, i think a nice magsafe mount would go nice with this, so you can have your phone nicely mounted and charging, but still dont have to fight with plugging it in everytime you jump in your car
I have a magsafe mount from Moment and have wired carplay. I enjoy that combo and since I generally use maps a lot on my daily commute to alert me to changes in traffic conditions, I don't mind not having wireless carplay yet.......buuuut, we rented a car once that had wireless carplay and it was very nice not being forced to plug my phone in each time just to be able to use it. For short trips, wireless would be my go to, for my work commutes that are almost an hour and a half each way, I'm staying plugged in anyway.
All I want is apple CarPlay in full screen. Else I don’t use it at all😂
I cannot understand why Mercedes do not have this function. I have just moved from Landrover and this is now standard across their range.
They’ve been rolling it out over the years. It takes quite a long time for a manufacturer to update 30 models! 🙃
There are quite a few that have it now and more coming out this year.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for your excellent assessment. I watched your video this afternoon and ordered the U2 X Pro. I've watched a few clips about these gadgets, your honest approach meant I could go ahead and just do it. Thanks.
BTW I (we) have recently bought a new GLA AMG 35. I traded in my C250 2015, and my wife her A250 2014. We are retired and decided that we don't need two cars. I wanted to keep mine and my wife wanted to keep hers. We paid a visit to our usual Merc dealer and saw the GLA in the showroom. We both liked what we saw and bought it.
We are very happy with the car it suits us in different ways. Thank you for the thoroughness of your presentations.
Ah awesome! Thank you, thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Does this have TH-cam / Netflix ?
Sorry it’s been a little while since I covered these but I don’t think it did. I’m sure it just converted it to wireless but…I did cover a device that does do that made by the same manufacturer:
th-cam.com/video/BAMKMsxAzto/w-d-xo.htmlsi=DJRcBNQswkFxFkMg
Very informative video I’m glad I found this. Minutes ago I didn’t know that these products even existed. I’m looking to upgrade to a MagSafe (wireless charger) when i upgrade from iPhone 11 max to the new iPhone 15 max next week. I wasn’t going to bother if I still needed to plug in for CarPlay. Subscribed 🙏 thanks again
Thank you! 🙏🙏
Glad you enjoyed the video! 🤓
I still can’t understand how in 2023/24 we still have to use a fk cable to use AppleCar. I have same thing with Kia Ceed GT it’s so annoying. Best bit that most manufacturers don’t state that you have to connect applecar with cable. Your video is amazing mate. I am planning to buy one before I will change car. Definitely will do better research for applecar before any purchase.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Most models coming out now do have Apple CarPlay wireless but yes always good to check!
I’m actually curious, out of everything tested here, which one are you using in your personal vehicles? Also, you didn’t show how the phone connects to the adapter. Also also, you didn’t time how long a wired connection takes to launch CarPlay.
Please do for Android.
I’ll add it to the list! 🤓 thanks for the suggestion!
Just purchased a U2-X Pro Android Auto for my 2019 C63s. Keep up the good work, thanks!
is it any good? any problems with it? i also have a c63s😁
You can buy them a lot cheaper on Aliexpress with free delivery from China which is where they come from anyway , your just cutting out the middle-man.
Hi Nick, I have 2 MBZ's. I also value your videos! You are clear and concise. Bravo
Ah awesome! Thank you glad you enjoy them!
My GLB (2024 model) did not come with CarPlay installed. If I invest in one of these devices, will I be able to have CarPlay or do I need to activate/purchase it first (through Mercedes Me)?
You will need to make sure the car has CarPlay first, sadly these devices just convert the wired bit to wireless, they don’t give a car Apple CarPlay
2:18 If you want to get to the actual topic.
Yes but it’s important to know what I’m testing for! And to showcase that I have not been gifted any adapters, I purchased them all myself for this video.
Hello (I'm from Canada)
I watch your videos a lot, it's very interesting and very well explained........ I had a question for you with the Mercedes Me app, when I start the car remotely, is this normal? that the vehicle turns off when I unlock the door, the car stops turning and I have to restart the car with the button
I have a new 2023 C 300.
Hey! Thank you! Glad you enjoy the videos!
Sadly I wouldn’t know, that feature does not exist here in the UK. I think it is though, I seem to recall someone asking a long time ago on one of my videos and someone replied yes it was normal.
I bought one and returned it for the very point you raise about your battery depleting when your connected wirelessly and using multiple apps. What’s the point if you have to have to keep charging your phone.
Useful for quick trips (most of what I do)
Longer journeys I’ll defo plug in
Hi Nick - have you tested if maps would display on heads-up display. I have C2play and I have noticed maps do not show up on heads up display. I have 2022 GLS 450. Additionally I have noticed while connected to CarPlay through these adapters they do not apply any music equalizer changes in effect and sound quality isn’t great then. Please let me know if you are able to see maps on your onscreen display while using these adapters. Thanks
No sadly Apple CarPlay will only operate on the centre screen.
Apple did announce last year they were working with manufacturers to enable Apple CarPlay in the instrument cluster but this is extremely early stages. It won’t have support in new cars for a while yet if manufacturers choose to use it.
There is one manufacturer who has done it already, I might cover them soon 👀
What about Android? Remind me again, this is *Mercedes* and you have to use a cable!? This should just be a software update as my phone can connect to the car via Bluetooth. Great video Nick and thanks for making
Ah I’ll hopefully cover Android in the future! I do have one in a drawer at home so I’ll see what I can do
Some Mercedes do have wireless, all new models released that are rolling out seem to have it now
thanks again very useful video, I'm learning all features of my mercedes from your videos. Keep going!!
Thank you! 🙏🙏 I’ll keep them coming! 🤓
I have Carlink 4.0 in my GLE, and it works perfect at 98-99%. Sometimes it disconnect, but you only have to plug and unplug again. I’m very happy with it. But my iPhone heats a lot when I use it. I don’t know if it happens with the rest of the devices.
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Thanks, Nick! Just purchased the Ottocast AIR, and they already have a discount; together with your code, it is absolutely a bargain!
Nick, may i know which is the best to buy without any issue?
@leocfwong ah awesome! I bought them all myself a few months ago and emailed them last minute and they gave me a code to share 🤓
@wongteckfui5879 I produced the video with my thoughts, did you watch all the way to the end?
It’s up to you 🤓
One works with CarPlay and Android Auto, one is faster than the others, one worked absolutely fine with pass through charging and the cheaper was good too!
Hi. I purchased the U2 X Pro and have been driving around with it for a full week. It works great, aside from minor interruptions (which are only a second long). I think it is definitely better than direct wired USB in the way it responds. Starts up quickly (faster than wired car play), and instantly plays music. Often with wired, it took almost 30 seconds or more to start up and then it didn't play music immediately. I also think all the apps run better and more smoothly with the wireless adapter than with Wired CarPlay. An example is that Waze does not have to be open on my device to run and music is a bit louder and clearer. All in all I am really happy. Wish I know about this sooner!! Thanks!! 🙏
Hi Nick thanks for your reply. I now have another question. Normally I listen to music from a memory stick via dongle, great it goes from tune to tune . Now I have apple car play with ottocast u2 device the music still plays but the same song over and over again. Any quick solutions please would be appreciated.
Thanks Nick
That’ll be because you’ve got repeat enabled on your phone
What app are you using? Apple Music, Spotify, TH-cam music etc
Just change it on your phone or on the now playing screen 👍🏼
As i understand that you must buy smatphone integration package before you can use apple car play or android auto and it cost about 500 dollar in sweden . Mercedes 300 de 2021
For previous generation Mercedes cars it depends if smartphone integration was selected or not when it was built. Luckily it can be added though!
Years ago, if a car didn’t have it, that was it. It would never have CarPlay unless it had some serious modification with internal components that etc
Maybe add ones with features that allow payback of Netflix/TH-cam etc. Naturally not for while driving, but for when you are charging…
Absolutely, I’ll see if I can check them out in the future! 🤓
Anything that doesn't use WiFi? All I tried create their own WiFi network and the phone needs to be connected to that, as a result I can't use the At&t WiFi in my car at all while using wireless Apple Car Play through these devices.
No sadly that’s how CarPlay works. Apple CarPlay uses the WiFi standard to transmit data. If you already use Wi-Fi I would probably avoid buying one of these and just plug it in via the wire.
Hope that makes sense sense! Any questions just message me back
Hi Nick, I just bought a ottocast u2 adapter for my glass, it works but should I see everything that is on my iPhone? Keep up the very useful videos. Alan 9:52
Oh nice!
You won’t be able to view every app on an iPhone though. Apple CarPlay is the same if it’s wired or wireless. These adapters just make wired to wireless
Can u do the same for Android auto ?
I’ll add it to the list of potential future videos! 👍🏼
Thanks for the suggestion!
Hi Nick, very informative
Does any of these wireless compatible shown a full on the dashboard?
My GLE shown nearly quarter of the screen with the wire connector
No sadly not it’s down the car manufacturer’s screen and multimedia system. So for Mercedes the reason is because MBUX (also known as NTG 6) on Mercedes is available in two screen sizes, 7” & 10.25”. When designing and coding I’m led to believe that you can only choose one (to maintain compatibility) for everything.
So to make sure it works on all models, Mercedes of course had to go with the 7” version, which is perfect for 7” owners but of course leads to a cropped experience if you have a 10.25” screen.
NTG 7 found in some new cars have higher faster processors and have one screen size leading to a full screen experience on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Hope that explains potentially why it’s like that on some cars!
You talk too much. GTTP! Get To The Point! You never explained how to set up the adapter for the phone. Is it Bluetooth? Is it WiFi? You never said anything about connecting to the phone.
Sorry but I like to be detailed! Although I am looking to do more short form content in the future that will deliver the video content faster.
It uses the CarPlay protocol so it connects the same as if the car had wireless CarPlay.
Wireless CarPlay uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that how CarPlay works in all cars. That’s not unique to these adapters.
Interesting review and really well presented. Interested to know if you had any problems with reconnection of any of the adapters you tested following initial pairing, especially when connecting within vicinity of home WiFi or with another device BT connected to your iPhone, e.g. Apple Watch?
This is something I’ve personally had issues with causing a connection delay with my wireless CarPlay adapter I’ve recently purchased from Amazon. The times I’ve tested this with my iPhone still connected to my home WiFi, connection was delayed and was only established once the adapter forced a WiFi connection to Apple CarPlay.
Thank you! Didn’t have any problems at all, the only thing I will add is the Wi-Fi one. This is not an issue with these adapters, this can happen even with a manufacture fitted Wireless CarPlay, sometimes you can find it will want to stay connected to your home WiFi but as you drive away it’ll connect shortly afterward. Apple Watch no issues at all.
I have a 2019 mercedes b class. I can't access carplay because I have to buy this option from mercedes to be enable.. if I use this ottocast u2-air will carplay work?
So you’ll need CarPlay on the car first, sadly these adapters do not give a car CarPlay they only convert wired to wireless
Hi Nick I’m about to purchase a CLA premium plus, I too have an Astra K Elite nav as my current car, plugging my iPhone into the K centre console has always been no issue for me and I like that it charges and just hides out the way. But was surprised that the only connection to the MBUX system was in that sliding door area which is also where the wireless charger is.
Do you think I’d be able to somewhat extend or move that box unit within that space so that it doesn’t hinder my use of the wireless charger? Maybe some sticky pads to hold it further into the drawer at the back or maybe even use an extension cable to wire it out of it completely and maybe hide it in the glove box or something obviously with all wires being hidden behind panels etc, I don’t want to ruin the beautiful interior with ugly cables and I don’t want to mount my phone on the dash.
For my small journeys it’s fine to just keep my phone in my pocket but on my big commutes I’d like the hassle free life of just slapping it on the wireless charger and not worrying about it. I’m a big lover of ACP and I absolute hate people who use phones at all whilst driving so this is a perfect use for me.
Love your videos, your videos have been a huge help in me deciding to get a CLA class so thank you, and keep up the good work.
Ah awesome thank you! Glad you’re enjoying the videos!
Ah that’s a good idea but yes that port that’s labelled is the one for CarPlay so yeah putting it into the glovebox would be quite a neat solution although you’d still see the cable slightly with the wire going in.
@@npoleary no no, thank you. Very informative vids. And I think I’d somewhat disassemble the centre console and hide the wire within the trim itself. A little bit of cable tidying would make this setup very sleek and modern. I’m used to hiding wires and fitting dashcams etc for every friend, family and their dog so I’m hoping this would work for me. Would definitely need one of the units with removable connection though. Again thank you, and even more so for your reply.
Amazon has a really good deal right now on the Ottocast U2 X which is their redesigned 2023 model. It's reduced in price with an included $20 coupon. I paid $56 American. I'm gonna give it a shot and see how it runs for a couple of weeks. Amazon has a terrific return policy. Pretty much you can return anything. So I will return with my results.
Hi Nick, I have the FeinOdi. Included adapter for USB to USB C is very bad and caused losing connection at every bump in the road. I replaced it for a right angled adapter to be able to close the cover of the cup holders (pro tip 😂😂). Just drove from Holland to Spain without a problem or losing connection. Hope this helps!
Ah thanks for sharing! That’s a good idea! I might look at that right angled thing for the future!
@tuinlaaf1967 do you have a link for the right hand drive adapter.
it is really upseatting /disappointed that Mersendes Benz put cars in the market without the correct software 2019 model , of cource all has do with money.
What do you mean? Why would there be incorrect software?
Totally useless. Didn’t show them working. Didn’t show how you use them. You sat in your car and showed us boxes. Yes you told us which one works better but in what? What cars did you test it in? how did you hook them up? How did they hook up to the phone?
Oh sorry you feel that way, these devices are plug and play. They will work in almost any car as long as the car has Apple CarPlay but you will need to check. As I independently create these videos, there’s physically no way I can test in every car out there.
They have cables in the boxes in the video that you plug in to the car’s USB ports or USB-C ports and it’s as simple as connecting via Bluetooth where it establishes as Wi-Fi connection. This is how wireless CarPlay works and is no different to if a car had it natively.
I make a conscious effort to keep the videos as short as possible but while keeping detail. I used to make videos quite long but from feedback over the years from my viewers, I’ve been shortening them down where I can.
Wireless CarPlay is worse than wired CarPlay in my opinion. Constance wireless communications between receiver and iPhone get my phone heated up fast. naturally it drains battery faster as well especially when map navigation is on or just having map display on. I noticed regardless I have wireless CarPlay or not, my phone is always connected for charging. This makes my wireless CarPlay totally pointless for me. Another flaw about wireless CarPlay is when the initial connection fails, you will have to go through several steps to reconnect wirelessly unlike wired CarPlay where you just need to unplug and replug back on..
I can’t understand why one should need this. When I use cable I get CarPlay AND phone charging at the same time. Please enlighten me!!!
Some people like it more for a convenience factor.
I need my phone a lot so I prefer to charge via USB-C and make use of the faster charging speeds 🤓
I bought a Carlinkit brand device in 2021 for my C205 with NGT5.5 for € 60 or so including shipping costs and it is still working perfectly
Had no idea this was even a thing, many thanks for the video!
No worries! Glad you enjoyed it!
Does a 2020 c43 have wireless car play I think it has wired but I don’t pick mine up until tomorrow
I don’t believe so, I’m sure wireless came out in 2022 on the C-Class