Linkswell JL radio.

[Sylent2018]

Factory backup camera still work? And did you have the Factory sub, and does that still work?

Cam works great. I don't have factory sub. This radio has 6 channel preamp. Will be building my own sub and upgrading speakers.

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[Werewolf1021]

How long does it take your phone to connect via Bluetooth? The 5in feels like 5 minutes. Also, does it remember the last item played? ie not default to the radio?

 

[Sergio671980]

Any updates on hiw you liking it??

 

[tCub]

Any updates on hiw you liking it??

He dead

 

[msandhu413]

It does not look like it has Apple CarPlay?

 

[Tommy1569]

Looks like insane audio might be better

 

[Combat Chuck]

Installed today... Not sure how well I like it. Wifi is extremely slow connected to my phones hotspot. Everything works as it should right now. I think it has too many features. I will test it out for the week and see how well it holds up. It does sound a lot better though.

Any issues with the Linkswell? How do adjust your volume? Does it have active parking lines like the OEM that follow the vehicle steering?

 

[addicted_to_modding]

I am wonder if the radio killed the OP ...

I would like an update too but I am ordering one from amazon for $760+tax with free returns. I will test it out and see how it is. I will contribute to the channel when it gets here.

The reason I am hoping this radio works out for me over insane audio is because of the +$640 and the tighter pixel density. I really hate low resolution screens. Not sure why products more expensive than flagship phones are less capable. I feel like you are just paying for vehicle specific integration primarily. I would have paid insane audio $1400+tax price if they didn't feel the need to splatter their logo everywhere in an annoying manner and just let their product speak for itself and the screen resolution should have at least been 1080p at that price point and not 720p. The big deal for me with Insane audio is the waterproofing and storage expansion and 2x ram.

That said I am just looking for a replacement for my 7" factory radio that will get me the additional functionality that i am missing.

- Adding additional 3rd party cameras (currently needed for installing my 360 3D camera system from SZDalos)
- Ability to have navigation without the need of tethering my phone
- I also want to use these blue-tooth accessory control switches that I have seen that are app controlled. I hope to run the app from the radio to again not need my phone.
- Claims to be able to DVR via USB so I hope to be able to use this as a second recording option for my 360 camera system

Anything more than above would be a bonus. I read on their site that the radio could get sluggish if you install to many apps which is sad at the price point but I think it wont be the case for my use case. Not sure what apps would be worth having on my car radio, I can only think of a handful.

I don't like the fact that it can't leverage the microphones already built into the car and instead require you to use theirs. Something tells me that call quality will decline from factory but I will know for sure once I get to play with it.

@Sylent2018 Glad to hear that the sound quality is not bad. Did you resolve the slow WiFi. I wonder if it is associated to interference. I will run some tests prior to installing to see if there is any issue with this when the antenna is completely exposed. This could make or break the radio for me if if it has slow data transfer rates.

 

[addicted_to_modding]

So I received the head unit today. The first thing I noticed was how light it was, especially compared to the factory 7".

The good:
- UI is nice, blended well with gauge cluster
- works with dual zone HVAC system, has a better UI than factory.
- finish of the bezel looked good and screen brightness and contrast was also good. The unit overall looks great and looks like it came with the Jeep. This is my favorite thing about the radio and what I don't like about insane audio's offering.
- sound was great from what I can tell, noticeable improvement from factory radio even with factory speakers. Also lots of audio settings to tweak things to your liking.
- responsiveness of the unit was good too. Just as good if not faster than factory. I played around with google earth and it didn't feel laggy.
- WiFi speeds were not great but were not terrible either. Will need more time with the unit to get a better gauge.
- Great boot loader with the ability to customize.
- tested aux video input with 360 camera and video was nice and not distorted. When using aux video you have the menu options across the bottom which maintains the right aspect ratio for the video. Something similar should have been done for the reverse camera.

The bad:
- Arrived with two minor scratches at the bottom of the unit. Amazon sent me out a replacement should be here on Thursday.
- Bluetooth seems to only be able to pair to a phone. So was not able to pair it with my Bluetooth OB2 reader for use with the torque app. This would also mean I wouldn't be able to use the other Bluetooth accessories I planned on buying. Reaching out to manufacturer for some support in case I am missing something.
- Factory backup camera connects to the head unit but there are definitely issues. First, the image is stretched vertically to fit full screen. Unnecessary and undesirable. Second parking line are in no way aligned with the image. The lines do move with the steering wheel but they seem to be pointing down like you are driving into the ground while the road is going up. I should have taken a picture but you would have to trust me when i say it is completely unusable in its current state. I tried to see if there was any way to calibrate it but couldn't find anything. Will discuss with manufacturer. This is an extreme step down from factory both in picture quality and the details of the guide lines. Honestly doesn't even look like it belonged to the head unit, it was such poor quality in general the manufacturer should really give it some attention because it is making them look bad.
- Factory USB though worked for charging didn't work with Android auto. It came with an extra separate USB which did work with Android auto but not sure consumers would want to use that over factory.
- Android auto is stretched vertically on the display. Googled it briefly and read that the manufacturer has to do some things so that it can scale correctly. Come on guys SMH.
- Netflix was not available in the app store, not sure if it is because of the version of Android.
- Google maps doesn't have the option to stay in night mode, my preference, again not sure if this is because of the android version.
- Unit or wiring harness that came with the unit may have been defective. When i turn the Jeep off for some reason the gauge cluster, shift indicator LED's and the head unit remain on and do not ever go off. I waited 30 minutes and just gave up and put the factory radio back in. Everything shuts off as it should now. I am hoping that this issue will be resolved when the new unit arrives.

I have yet to test call quality but will wait for the new unit for that. Assuming the new unit can shut off, the major issues for me are the Bluetooth and reverse camera. I connected my 360 camera system into the reverse camera input and it too was stretched to fit the screen making my reverse camera look like low quality. I do like the $600 savings from insane audio but i may have to pay it to get the features that are not quite right with this unit. Will update once I speak with manufacturer.

 

[addicted_to_modding]

This was the response regarding Bluetooth sent to my email. I will be giving them a call to clarify as using WiFi for accessories as suggested would mean:

You could only connect to one accessory at a time, requiring you to switch your WiFi connection when switching apps.

That would be ridiculous!.. Will update

 

[addicted_to_modding]

I have made multiple calls to their tech support and have left messages. Called directly and called the main number, spoke with reception who then forwarded me to another voicemail which I left a message again. Once I hear back I will update.

I heard online that Insane Audio offers a discount for vets, not sure if this is true but will be looking into taking advantage of that if this doesn't work out which at this point I am betting it won't. I also saw a video of the reverse camera integration on Insane Audio's head unit and it looked great so they are starting to look like the only option. Also Insane Audio sent me some screen shots of updates they are working on for the UI to make it match the Jeeps factory interface better. They should just copy Linkswell's UI .

 

[addicted_to_modding]

So I heard back from LinksWell.

Tech support was friendly and answered all my questions and in the end came to the same conclusions as I did earlier, that their head unit was unfortunately not for me.

Bluetooth:
Can only connect to the phone. They recommended That I get an OB2 that connects via USB. I will reach out to Insane Audio, I wonder if this is the case for them. I hope not, but I am pretty sure it isn't.

Reverse Camera:
Is stretched to full screen on purpose. They said it use to just be scaled but they received feedback that customers preferred it stretched ... Also there is no way to adjust/calibrate the parking lines so this feature is useless. Also any camera/dvr connected to this input will be stretched so yeah this input is useless for me in general.

Not Turning off:
They knew exactly what I was talking about and immediately asked if my doors were off... Yup ... Its a known bug and they are currently working on a fix. This means everyone who has this radio at the moment can't drive naked in this beautiful summer weather. I won't hold this one against them but yeah this one hurts.

So I canceled my replacement from Amazon and am returning the one I have. Not sure if anyone needs further followup, but I will be reaching out to insane audio regarding Bluetooth and if they have any issues with their units not turning off when the jeeps doors are off.

 

[addicted_to_modding]

Insane Audio Update:

1 - Bluetooth
I spoke with Insane Audio and the assured me that Bluetooth functionality of their unit allows for you to connect any Bluetooth accessory you want including a phone. They even gave me examples of exactly what kinds of Bluetooth accessories I was looking to get. I may get a mini Bluetooth keyboard to keep in the jeep to make input entry easier.

2 - Reverse Camera
You can see from the video review I linked, about 27 minutes in, that the reverse camera is not distorted and you have options when it comes with guide lines. In the video linked he has all options enabled.
Insane Audio JL3001 Review

3 - Not Turning Off (No door bug)
Insane Audio told me that is is not an issue at all with their unit. It was made for a Jeep and a Jeep was made to drive without doors

I also confirmed that Insane Audio offers veteran discounts so be sure to reach out to them to take advantage of that, it will help cushion the price difference between the two units. Also You don't pay tax if you order directly from them which also saves you which makes the price difference about 50% more which at this time I would say is worth it.

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