Consensus on best wireless Carplay dongle?

[M_Pluto]

Rumor has it that Apple is looking to delete the Lightning port on future phones. Might be year out but when they do, I’m sure they will have to allow wireless CarPlay for Uconnect and others.

Re: apple - Either they switch to USB-C or they remove the port all together, there's been debate on which one they will do.

As for wireless CarPlay, it is a feature introduced in uConnect 5, sadly wranglers are all on uConnect 4 still. Hoping that when it becomes available for the wrangler (jeep only has it available with Grand Cherokee currently) there will be a way to adapt it into the JL.

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[variableknife]

Just got my new '21 JLU (8.4") and love CarPlay, but wish it was wireless. Have the same issue with the aftermarket system I put in my last vehicle so I've decided now is the time to act.

I've googled a bit and I've seen a couple posts on here about dongles people are buying, but is there any consensus on which one to pick? Like on compatibility, reliability, speed, etc., or are they basically equivalent? At a minimum I've seen:

Carlinkit 2.0
CarPlay2Air
Ottocast U2

I might even be missing others.

I'm just here to giggle at the word "Dongle"

 

[JeepinJason33]

My wife's new Jeep GCL and my M5 both have wireless Carplay built in and it works flawlessly. Both vehicles also have a pad that you set the iphone on to wirelessly charge as well. That is where I am a bit confused on the benefit of wireless in the JL. Don't you still have to run a cord to a phone holder that wirelessly charges? At that point, the only benefit is not having to put the cord directly into the phone. I run a 6' lightning cord from the inside of the center console to the drivers side A piller and have a CMM mount to my grab handle where I keep the phone on the left side of the steering wheel. Now, I have to plug it in each time, but it works flawlessly. If I am just on a short trip and did not want to plug the phone in, you can still bluetooth music. I figure if I needed GPS directions I would also want to be charging at the same time so I would plug it in.

 

[blink9cd]

I have a Carlinkit 4 and am having problems.
Reading further, it won't work if you have other bluetooth devices connected to your phone. I must have my hearing aids connected to provide hands-free use here in Ontario.

In a 5 hour trip I had to discontinue using the Carlinkit 4, which I bought from amazon.

I'm discouraged....

DaveL

My 3.0 has been pretty solid for the past year, but .I don't have any experience using them concurrently with other Bluetooth devices. Bummer if it won't work with the hearing aids :\

 

[blink9cd]

My wife's new Jeep GCL and my M5 both have wireless Carplay built in and it works flawlessly. Both vehicles also have a pad that you set the iphone on to wirelessly charge as well. That is where I am a bit confused on the benefit of wireless in the JL. Don't you still have to run a cord to a phone holder that wirelessly charges? At that point, the only benefit is not having to put the cord directly into the phone. I run a 6' lightning cord from the inside of the center console to the drivers side A piller and have a CMM mount to my grab handle where I keep the phone on the left side of the steering wheel. Now, I have to plug it in each time, but it works flawlessly. If I am just on a short trip and did not want to plug the phone in, you can still bluetooth music. I figure if I needed GPS directions I would also want to be charging at the same time so I would plug it in.

I love having the wireless CarPlay over having to plug in and think anything to make that happen is worth it. For at least half my trips, if not more, I never take my phone out of my pocket. And I enjoy using the interface to my music more through CarPlay (not to mention easy access to maps, messages, podcasts, etc.).

For the times where I want to plug in, I'm not sure what everybody else did, but my custom solution is essentially an off brand MagSafe charger under and to the right of my steering wheel along that side panel (supporting cast for that: almost flush USB 12V charger adapter, a tiny right-angle USB-C cable, a plastic Amazon tray, 3M).

At any point I can pull my phone out of my pocket and drop it into the tray, where it basically self aligns to the MagSafe charger. I can do all that in one motion without looking, is out of view, and is much more convenient than anything I used before where you have to put a phone into some sort of holder, plug in, etc. And MagSafe even holds up during off roading. The tray really isn't needed (I had it before), and I bet you could eliminate any visible wiring at all if you messed with the dash some, but I didn't want to bother doing that.

 

[2mnycars]

I wish my dongle worked as they claimed before I purchased it....

I have contacted amazon.ca and I've had a response from the vendor.

Here it is:

Hello D Thank you for your contact We will help you

my edit:

When our device is in use,

the wifi and bluetooth signals of the phone cannot connect to any device other than our product


What phone are you using to connect? What is the current version of the phone? You now go into the backend of the device and upgrade its version. '''' You connect the USB box to the USB port of the car, connect the iPhone to the WiFi of the USB boxand enter '' 192.168.50.2 '' in the iPhone browser to enter the device background (Note: Access to the browser requires the iPhone's mobile data to be open). Then click Basic Information, swipe down to find ''Check for Updates'', and then you can upgrade to the latest version online. '''' Reference picture Do not manually plug in the dongle or power off during the upgrade process. Please continue to wait for the product to automatically restart the system, or refresh the upgrade page. Please follow the instructions to upgrade the product, otherwise the dongle will have bugs. Note: During the upgrade process, do not power off or unplug the box in advance. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, we will provide you with help and technical support. Waiting for your reply Sandy

My response to them:
For safety reasons my iPhone must connect via wifi and bluetooth to my hearing aids 24/7.

I'm really glad yours works for you. I regret that mine doesn't work. I had upgraded the dongle, and it worked worse.

Your post and answers have been very very helpful.

Thanks

DaveL

 

[blink9cd]

I wish my dongle worked as they claimed before I purchased it....

I have contacted amazon.ca and I've had a response from the vendor.

Here it is:

Hello D Thank you for your contact We will help you

my edit:

When our device is in use,

the wifi and bluetooth signals of the phone cannot connect to any device other than our product


What phone are you using to connect? What is the current version of the phone? You now go into the backend of the device and upgrade its version. '''' You connect the USB box to the USB port of the car, connect the iPhone to the WiFi of the USB boxand enter '' 192.168.50.2 '' in the iPhone browser to enter the device background (Note: Access to the browser requires the iPhone's mobile data to be open). Then click Basic Information, swipe down to find ''Check for Updates'', and then you can upgrade to the latest version online. '''' Reference picture Do not manually plug in the dongle or power off during the upgrade process. Please continue to wait for the product to automatically restart the system, or refresh the upgrade page. Please follow the instructions to upgrade the product, otherwise the dongle will have bugs. Note: During the upgrade process, do not power off or unplug the box in advance. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, we will provide you with help and technical support. Waiting for your reply Sandy

My response to them:
For safety reasons my iPhone must connect via wifi and bluetooth to my hearing aids 24/7.

I'm really glad yours works for you. I regret that mine doesn't work. I had upgraded the dongle, and it worked worse.

Your post and answers have been very very helpful.

Thanks

DaveL

That's too bad, I can't see updating doing anything to change how it works. I don't know of any other devices...Unfortunately it seems like you're case might need to just used wired (and come up with the best solution for that) or look into a alternative head unit that has wireless built in (I know nothing about that).

 

[2mnycars]

Thanks Billy. I'm frustrated....wireless is such a good idea. My iPhone is my "unlock device" for my work computer. I keep walking in to work after parking and leaving my cellphone wired up in the Jeep.

And when we have 2 paired phones, the dongle picks the wrong one.....

DaveL

Edit:

I shall send it back to amazon.ca Enough is enough.

Conclusion:

I use it on an Apple iPhone that has the most recent IOS upgrade. My phone is paired to my Phonak hearing aids (for safety reasons. Essential.) And it's paired to my iWatch, and connected wirelessly to the watch.

The vendor says that the phone used MUST have NO other devices connected by bluetooth or wireless. If it is their dongle won't work.

I've left feedback for this device with amazon.ca

I have authorization to return it to amazon. I shall.

I'm really disappointed. Wireless Apple CarPlay would be excellent.

 

[2mnycars]

Billy I shall go back to using wired Apple CarPlay. I truly appreciate your help and suggestions.

DaveL
Toronto

 

[Tom Barry]

I got the CarlinKit CarPlay Adapter ($85 at https://carlinkitcarplay.com/ Use the discount code "MBF" to get 18% of ) to enable wireless CarPlay in my Jeep. It has worked excellently, it’s fast to boot up, and I haven’t had any failures or glitches yet. For the few drives, I’ve done my music is playing by the time I’ve backed out of my parking spot and started to pull forward. I will likely continue using this until enables native wireless CarPlay.

https://carlinkitcarplay.com/products/carlinkit-wireless-adapter-for-factory-carplay

 

[PhoenixM3]

Carlinkit 2.0s on our Ram and Jeep, and they’ve proven to be pretty reliable. Looks like 3.0 is out now.

I’ve had the Carlink 2.0 on my Toyota for awhile and it can be glitchy sometimes. Could also be my latest iPhone 6 too.

 

[blink9cd]

Thanks Billy. I'm frustrated....wireless is such a good idea. My iPhone is my "unlock device" for my work computer. I keep walking in to work after parking and leaving my cellphone wired up in the Jeep.

And when we have 2 paired phones, the dongle picks the wrong one.....

DaveL

Edit:

I shall send it back to amazon.ca Enough is enough.

Conclusion:

I use it on an Apple iPhone that has the most recent IOS upgrade. My phone is paired to my Phonak hearing aids (for safety reasons. Essential.) And it's paired to my iWatch, and connected wirelessly to the watch.

The vendor says that the phone used MUST have NO other devices connected by bluetooth or wireless. If it is their dongle won't work.

I've left feedback for this device with amazon.ca

I have authorization to return it to amazon. I shall.

I'm really disappointed. Wireless Apple CarPlay would be excellent.

I definitely think Amazon is the best place to buy it since it's so easy to turn. Very unfortunate it won't work any other way though...not nearly as good, but I could see a cheap phone with offline maps/local music a potential compromise. Maybe even set up to tether off your main phone somehow to send/receive messages.

 

[2mnycars]

Thanks Billy. You've helped a lot!

DaveL
Toronto

 

[Largefarva]

I got the CarlinKit CarPlay Adapter ($85 at https://carlinkitcarplay.com/ Use the discount code "MBF" to get 18% of ) to enable wireless CarPlay in my Jeep. It has worked excellently, it’s fast to boot up, and I haven’t had any failures or glitches yet. For the few drives, I’ve done my music is playing by the time I’ve backed out of my parking spot and started to pull forward. I will likely continue using this until enables native wireless CarPlay.

https://carlinkitcarplay.com/products/carlinkit-wireless-adapter-for-factory-carplay

Which version did you get, the 3.0 or 4.0? And did you mount it in your center console…if so is the connection pretty reliable or no?

 

[GATORB8]

Which version did you get, the 3.0 or 4.0? And did you mount it in your center console…if so is the connection pretty reliable or no?

It’s seems to be a little hit or miss, so make sure you return to Amazon if you have an issue and get another one.

The 2.0 in my Ram with Uconnect 4c worked flawlessly for four years before dying. We here either a 2.0 or 3.0 in the Jeep and it routinely drops cell calls.

I need to order some new ones.

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