Not sure if this has been done or posted about here, nothing came up when I searched… in case this helps someone else solve a problem…
I put a HomePod in my car!
It probably seems like a dumb idea.. fair enough and it’s certainly not perfection.. but it was just the thing for me.
I have this vintage mustang (66) that came with a stock AM radio and single speaker. At some point, the previous owner committed a blasphemy and cut the steel dash to make a single-DIN sized hole to accept a “modern” (ie 90s crap) deck and tossed two loosed 6x9s on the back parcel shelf.
This was not gonna do it for me. I considered making the most of the slot and having a nice modern CarPlay deck, perhaps with a motorized screen that came out… but these aren’t cheap and I’d still need speakers and a way to mount them.
Then I started realizing how cheap a HomePod mini is compared to all that other stuff. And I liked how it would replicate the original “mono” single speaker arrangement.
So I ordered a basic 12v socket and wired it in to the switched power. I added a cheap USB-C “PD” socket adapter and plugged the HomePod into that. It powered right up and was ready to set up. The only glitch was the car being right at the edge of my wifi coverage.
Once it was set up, it no longer needed wifi and I could connect my phone wirelessly without any problems.
It’s not the loudest thing out there, not really useful at highway speeds with all windows open.. but it’s great for in town, cruising, etc.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone who might be considering a similar arrangement. An offline HomePod can still be very useful and enjoyable.
I put a HomePod in my car!
It probably seems like a dumb idea.. fair enough and it’s certainly not perfection.. but it was just the thing for me.
I have this vintage mustang (66) that came with a stock AM radio and single speaker. At some point, the previous owner committed a blasphemy and cut the steel dash to make a single-DIN sized hole to accept a “modern” (ie 90s crap) deck and tossed two loosed 6x9s on the back parcel shelf.
This was not gonna do it for me. I considered making the most of the slot and having a nice modern CarPlay deck, perhaps with a motorized screen that came out… but these aren’t cheap and I’d still need speakers and a way to mount them.
Then I started realizing how cheap a HomePod mini is compared to all that other stuff. And I liked how it would replicate the original “mono” single speaker arrangement.
So I ordered a basic 12v socket and wired it in to the switched power. I added a cheap USB-C “PD” socket adapter and plugged the HomePod into that. It powered right up and was ready to set up. The only glitch was the car being right at the edge of my wifi coverage.
Once it was set up, it no longer needed wifi and I could connect my phone wirelessly without any problems.
It’s not the loudest thing out there, not really useful at highway speeds with all windows open.. but it’s great for in town, cruising, etc.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone who might be considering a similar arrangement. An offline HomePod can still be very useful and enjoyable.
