Alpine Debuts First Aftermarket Wireless CarPlay Receiver

[sos47]

this may be a sex machine for my 14 year old volkswagen bon jovi edition (.. with compact cassette player)

 

[keenkreations]

Ahhh.... gotcha. Sorry I misunderstood.

Like @jermwhl mentioned, Crutchfield and others sell DIN slide in adaptors and wiring harnesses for a lot of cars, but there are still challenges with the issues you mentioned. I just traded in a 2011 Nissan Frontier I really wanted to upgrade with something like this and also add on a backup camera. To get the steering wheel phone controls it has would have meant another adaptor and a LOT more wiring. I'm pretty handy with a wrench, but I decided I did not want to take it on.

Here is a photo I found online of a Frontier like I had where someone installed a Double DIN Pioneer unit. It does not look awful IMO, but you can certainly tell it is not a factory install.

I think with all the different issues you mentioned and the difficulty of the install, these things are going to be targeting a very niche market.

In my opinion, installs are not too difficult to do...but the wiring can be very time consuming, especially with said adapters and whatnot. Installed a PAC unit to enable the stock steering wheel control in my current vehicle, tedious to set up, but never have to touch again.

From what I’ve seen, some DIN adaptors look better than other, that’s for sure

 

[DempaX]

@DempaX

Do you have any issues with your iPad Pro getting too hot and shutting down? I've read stories of such and living in North Carolina have worried about leaving the iPad Mini somewhere other than the glovebox.

Hi,

My old iPad 3 which I used very close to the windshield could sometimes overheat in the summer but I have not had that issue with the big pro but that has been mounted lower and in front of at least one vent so it gets cooling on hot days

 

[Z400Racer37]

Pioneer's AppRadio 4 or NEX models let you have Waze open on the iPhone and your audio source displayed on the head unit but only if you switch out of the CarPlay interface by pressing the Mode button on the Pioneer. I do this every day. The only catch, other than having Waze on the small screen, is that you may have to switch back to CarPlay if you want to change tracks or the audio source and every time you do this, it takes you out of Waze.

Honestly, if you really like Waze, I think the best option today is Pioneer's "AppRadio One" models. They don't support CarPlay but they do Siri Eyes Free (which gives you voice control, Bluetooth calling, Messages dictation, etc.) and you can have Waze displayed on the head unit with just a USB connection to your iPhone.

You cannot display different apps between CarPlay and your device. So if you're asking if it's possible to have Waze on your phone, and the playback controls on the deck screen, the answer is no.

I own an ILX-007 (the non-wireless model that preceded this one).

Thanks guys.

 

[CamiMR]

Has anyone actually received/used one of these units? Curious to read some reviews...

 

[larrylaffer]

Has anyone actually received/used one of these units? Curious to read some reviews...

I have the non-wireless one (the ILX-007 that came out a couple years ago). As far as I can tell, there are no physical differences between that one, and this new one, except for wireless CarPlay. So I can at least review the unit in wired mode.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

Pros:
1. Dedicated Siri button with a textured feel, so it's easy to feel for without having to look at the unit
2. Supports third-party backup cameras. Installation was actually really easy.
3. Setting up the date/time, etc settings on the device are pretty easy.
4. The screen is still visible in glare, as long as you keep it clean.

Cons:
1. The Alpine app that you use to tune the audio is a complete piece of crap, and it's the only way to fine-tune settings. If you have a nice sub and amp like I do, you *need* to use this to set everything up. Luckily, you really only have to do this once.
2. The volume and recue/ff buttons are build into a touch surface, and not real buttons. This kind of sucks because you can't feel for the control. You'll need to look at the unit to adjust volume.
3. No mute button. If you want to mute, you have to hold volume down (it automatically sets vol to 0 after about a second of holding). The downside to this is that you have to turn the volume back up to where you had it before.

 

[Juicy Box]

Has anyone actually received/used one of these units? Curious to read some reviews...

I have the non-wireless one (the ILX-007 that came out a couple years ago). As far as I can tell, there are no physical differences between that one, and this new one, except for wireless CarPlay. So I can at least review the unit in wired mode.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

Pros:
1. Dedicated Siri button with a textured feel, so it's easy to feel for without having to look at the unit
2. Supports third-party backup cameras. Installation was actually really easy.
3. Setting up the date/time, etc settings on the device are pretty easy.
4. The screen is still visible in glare, as long as you keep it clean.

Cons:
1. The Alpine app that you use to tune the audio is a complete piece of crap, and it's the only way to fine-tune settings. If you have a nice sub and amp like I do, you *need* to use this to set everything up. Luckily, you really only have to do this once.
2. The volume and recue/ff buttons are build into a touch surface, and not real buttons. This kind of sucks because you can't feel for the control. You'll need to look at the unit to adjust volume.
3. No mute button. If you want to mute, you have to hold volume down (it automatically sets vol to 0 after about a second of holding). The downside to this is that you have to turn the volume back up to where you had it before.

I agree with these, especially the physical Siri button, and the crappy and limited audio settings. The latter was ultimately the reason I returned mine.

Here is my earlier post:

I purchased the Alpine ILX-007 a while back and returned it after a few days. While I like the smaller design, and the drive-less head unit, I could never get the sound right in my MR2. There was hardly any customizing options, besides using the Alpine app, which was not free. Even after purchasing the app, I still was not able to get decent audio.

I returned it about a week after I purchased it.

About the audio, there is an Alpine app you can get to finely tune things, and has user settings for similar setups/vehicles. The downside was the app cost a few bucks, and ended up still sounding like crap so I returned it.

I liked the size and easy install of the ILX-007, but I could never get the audio sounding right. The head unit I replaced was a cheap JVC one that cost a fraction of the Alpine, but the audio quality, and audio settings ended up being so much better.

 

[larrylaffer]

About the audio, there is an Alpine app you can get to finely tune things, and has user settings for similar setups/vehicles. The downside was the app cost a few bucks, and ended up still sounding like crap so I returned it.

The app was free on the store when I got it. They have a separate version that does cost money, and I have no idea what the extra features of that app are. Whatever it is, I don't think it applied to the ILX.

 

[Juicy Box]

The app was free on the store when I got it. They have a separate version that does cost money, and I have no idea what the extra features of that app are. Whatever it is, I don't think it applied to the ILX.

There may have been multiple apps, one being free, it was a while ago and I can't remember. I am assuming I purchased the one with the extra features to probably unlock something that would improve my audio, which it did not.

Or maybe after complaints, Alpine released a free version of the app, I am not sure.

 

[CamiMR]

I have the non-wireless one (the ILX-007 that came out a couple years ago). As far as I can tell, there are no physical differences between that one, and this new one, except for wireless CarPlay. So I can at least review the unit in wired mode.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

Pros:
1. Dedicated Siri button with a textured feel, so it's easy to feel for without having to look at the unit
2. Supports third-party backup cameras. Installation was actually really easy.
3. Setting up the date/time, etc settings on the device are pretty easy.
4. The screen is still visible in glare, as long as you keep it clean.

Cons:
1. The Alpine app that you use to tune the audio is a complete piece of crap, and it's the only way to fine-tune settings. If you have a nice sub and amp like I do, you *need* to use this to set everything up. Luckily, you really only have to do this once.
2. The volume and recue/ff buttons are build into a touch surface, and not real buttons. This kind of sucks because you can't feel for the control. You'll need to look at the unit to adjust volume.
3. No mute button. If you want to mute, you have to hold volume down (it automatically sets vol to 0 after about a second of holding). The downside to this is that you have to turn the volume back up to where you had it before.

Thanks for that! Considering the physical interface is the same as the iLX-007, I'd assume everything you mentioned will be similar or exactly the same.
What I am more interested in hearing about is the wireless side of things:
- Connection stability
- Battery drain
- Troubleshooting when CarPlay stops working properly
- Etc...

 

[Walker111]

Thanks for that! Considering the physical interface is the same as the iLX-007, I'd assume everything you mentioned will be similar or exactly the same.
What I am more interested in hearing about is the wireless side of things:
- Connection stability
- Battery drain
- Troubleshooting when CarPlay stops working properly
- Etc...

I have the 107 and like it so far. First CarPlay unit.

Anyone have any tips/tricks for CarPlay? Anyway to get video to play? See the words of a text when it comes thru?

 

[CamiMR]

Came across an interesting review a couple of days ago, curious tidbits on how it handles more than 1 iPhone connected wirelessly. Would have liked a bit more on battery drain, but they seem overall positive about it.
This is still not available in the UK (where it should come out as iLX-701), and wondering if I import a unit from the States it will work properly, or if I'm better off waiting for the actual UK release...

http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...nd-best-aftermarket-wireless-carplay-receiver

 

[MacWorks916]

I've been running the Alpine iLX-107 and KTP-445A Power Pack in my 2004 Dodge Ram for about 2-months now. So far I've only noticed a couple of minor issues using my iPhone 8 (iOS 11.0.2).

One is the screen goes black sometimes. I'll hit the input button and then I can see the main CarPlay display allowing me to select Music and see what's playing again.

The other issue I've noticed is a slight pause/skip in the music after it's been playing for about 5-10 seconds. I'm assuming it's catching up to the stream and it's a slight hiccup. Otherwise, it's been a great system and well worth the 8-months I waited for the iLX-107 to be released.