CarPlay CarPlay adapter to convert to wireless CarPlay?

[mecutler]

Almost 1 year ago, I ordered the CarPlay2Air dongle for my 2019 Mazda MX-5 (Miata) with factory CarPlay and never got it to work. I sent it back. On Cyber Monday, the price on the CarLinKit 2.0 module was so low that I could not resist ordering one to see if improvements would make it work for me. On Day 1, I got nowhere. On Day 2, I did the same thing as Day 1, and suddenly a search screen popped up, I made a BlueTooth connection, CarPlay came on the screen and all worked well as I drove for 40 minutes, did some shopping with multiple stops and starts, and drove back home. (When I say "all worked well," I think there was 1 problem. Several times after stopping and restarting, the search screen came up again and I had to re-connect before getting to CarPlay. I believe that after one successful connection it should have gone direct to CarPlay on subsequent restarts.)

On Day 3, it was as if Day 2 had never happened. After repeated efforts, I could not get any indication that the dongle was doing anything. Mostly it glowed red and the Mazda Connect screen said USB Disconnected. It would stay red for about 15 seconds, then flash green for less than a second, then back to red. This cycling repeated endlessly, never staying green long enough to bring up CarPlay or a search screen. I decided to unpair the dongle and my phone and then re-pair, but I never could get anything to come up to re-pair the BlueTooth connection.

CarLinkIt tech support wanted me to get the version number of the dongle firmware, but since I had no more connection at all, I was never able to get to any screen that would tell me the firmware version number.

Does anybody have any suggestions? I am looking for a step-by-step path to get re-connected, or at least to find out what version firmware I have. Since it did connect one day and worked well all day, I know that it is possible for it to work, so there must be a way to get re-connected. I have not done any firmware upgrade or anything else that might brick the dongle, so it should be in the same state it was in when it worked.

 

[phantom25]

Almost 1 year ago, I ordered the CarPlay2Air dongle for my 2019 Mazda MX-5 (Miata) with factory CarPlay and never got it to work. I sent it back. On Cyber Monday, the price on the CarLinKit 2.0 module was so low that I could not resist ordering one to see if improvements would make it work for me. On Day 1, I got nowhere. On Day 2, I did the same thing as Day 1, and suddenly a search screen popped up, I made a BlueTooth connection, CarPlay came on the screen and all worked well as I drove for 40 minutes, did some shopping with multiple stops and starts, and drove back home. (When I say "all worked well," I think there was 1 problem. Several times after stopping and restarting, the search screen came up again and I had to re-connect before getting to CarPlay. I believe that after one successful connection it should have gone direct to CarPlay on subsequent restarts.)

On Day 3, it was as if Day 2 had never happened. After repeated efforts, I could not get any indication that the dongle was doing anything. Mostly it glowed red and the Mazda Connect screen said USB Disconnected. It would stay red for about 15 seconds, then flash green for less than a second, then back to red. This cycling repeated endlessly, never staying green long enough to bring up CarPlay or a search screen. I decided to unpair the dongle and my phone and then re-pair, but I never could get anything to come up to re-pair the BlueTooth connection.

CarLinkIt tech support wanted me to get the version number of the dongle firmware, but since I had no more connection at all, I was never able to get to any screen that would tell me the firmware version number.

Does anybody have any suggestions? I am looking for a step-by-step path to get re-connected, or at least to find out what version firmware I have. Since it did connect one day and worked well all day, I know that it is possible for it to work, so there must be a way to get re-connected. I have not done any firmware upgrade or anything else that might brick the dongle, so it should be in the same state it was in when it worked.

have you tried connecting you phone wired thru the dongle?

HeadUnit > Carlinkit > Apple Lightning Cable > iPhone

 

[MaddenMan]

@MrMister111
I used the @Wallytax VW firmware upgrade that he got from them, version 09.23.2020 I believe, which worked and got me connected, but when I came back the next day it came to the dongle screen and didn’t generate a BT network based on my radio.

Worse, now I can’t get it to accept any other firmware. Looks like it’s game over. Dongle connection screen still loads, but no sign of an active Bluetooth/wifi connection anymore. The string of letters and numbers on the dongle screen has changed significantly, to what’s pictured. So.. I haven’t bricked the device but I can’t connect to it and I can’t update the firmware any more via USB to be able to connect... so, definitely stumped.

Any ideas please @VLud ? You seem to be the one keeping the dream alive! I have a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan and am using a iPhone 12 Pro Max to connect. Firmware usually works flawlessly with first flash, but then on a second try after a long power down in the car USB port or just unplugged for over 10 minutes, it’s back to not generating any networks and the LED stays red, tapping the search button does nothing. Only way to get it working is to reflash via USB.

Thanks in advance 🤞🏻

 

[MaddenMan]

@MrMister111

(Just to be clear I have a carplay2air with just USB A male and female, not a carlinkit with USB C)

Update. I was able to reflash the @Wallytax firmware, plugged it in and connected flawlessly, then upgraded to the latest firmware as I didn't have a rollback option, then downgraded to 2020.08.04 via OTA which worked perfectly both times. Waiting to see what happens once I've left it for over 15 minutes. I want to try the custom firmware of @VLud but also don't want to brick my device by trying. I assume my dongle is on stock 2020.08.04.1602 but I cannot be sure as I assume I will not be able to connect again to check. If it is on stock 2020.08.04.1602 can I just start flashing the custom firmware on top of that?

Also, when clicking the white button on the IP page it now gives me an option to 'open flash mode' or 'close flash mode' which I have never seen before or heard mentioned. I left it on 'close flash mode' before unplugging the dongle. Pictures below. The string of letters beginning 0060 is the rollback version and the other image is the upgraded 11.10 firmware.

p.s. fun fact it takes a screenshot of the Carplay screen at the same time when you trigger a screenshot of your phone!

 

[MaddenMan]

Update Update

@VLud I have installed your custom firmware, no need to answer those newbie questions I asked. I found the answers by searching the thread. Custom firmware worked on the first boot, no issues. Just waiting to see if a second boot up provides a BT name or not. @Wallytax was saying something interesting about it booting too fast for the VW MiB 2, which is the problem I think I have too. It is possible that all these firmware versions are 'working' as intended but the head unit is booting too fast or slow to properly engage with the dongle? I never get a blank screen, just no Bluetooth name to connect to, as pictured below. (no wifi being broadcast either)

Although if that is the case, why does it work flawlessly on the first try? I suppose there is a longer pause with the first connection where the car 'reads the USB', specifically being read by 'Gracenote' (https://www.gracenote.com/open-source-software/) which takes an extra couple of seconds, that doesn't happen the next time it is plugged in. Perhaps a firmware boot delay as suggested by @Wallytax could significantly smooth this issue out for VW and possibly more car makes and models? Or perhaps it needs more inspection into the Open Source Gracenote code to play nicely. Hopefully not.

Would happily donate to your work @VLud if you could make something like this so we could test. At this point, Carplay2air & Carlinkit should be employing you to sort out their mess of a product!

 

[josejrp]

<...>

Does anybody have any suggestions? I am looking for a step-by-step path to get re-connected, or at least to find out what version firmware I have. Since it did connect one day and worked well all day, I know that it is possible for it to work, so there must be a way to get re-connected. I have not done any firmware upgrade or anything else that might brick the dongle, so it should be in the same state it was in when it worked.

You should be able to check the firmware by plugging the unit to a wall outlet USB power brick and connecting to the SSID that it will broadcast (if you connected it to a Mazda in the past, you should see a SSID named MAZDA##, but I guess you may also see another SSID name coming out from it). After connecting your phone to that SSID, you can then browse to http://192.168.50.2 to check the firmware and/or update it.

You may also be able to make the system recognize it again by resetting the Mazda Connect system (Press and hold the Back button, the Nav button, and the Mute button for at least 10 seconds). This is a temporary fix, however, a lot of the time the Mazda Connect system will report "Apple CarPlay failed" when starting up and registering the Carlinkit. The latest firmware (11/10) seems to be better about registering, but my Carlinkit now reboots every 30-60 seconds, so it's unusable. I've never gotten it to work reliably with the older Mazda Connect in the MX-5 - it used to cause the entire Mazda Connect system to reboot with the older firmware, which was even worse.

 

[bx-space]

I decided to unpair the dongle and my phone and then re-pair, but I never could get anything to come up to re-pair the BlueTooth connection.

Since it did connect one day and worked well all day, I know that it is possible for it to work, so there must be a way to get re-connected.

I had the same experience. After unpairing (deleting the dongle from the bluetooth list of my phone) there is no chance to re-pair because the dongle don't activate bluetooth anymore. Very strange.

I tried many different firmwares (June and newer) but no one get bluetooth working again. CarPlay starts with a wired connection through the dongle but that is pointless and it tends to reboot every 30-60 seconds.

Honestly, my suggestions are either to send it back and wait until someone can confirm that it works reliable with MZD Connect or wait for the next offical updates and give it another try and live with it, when the dongle getting bricked during the update 😉

Until now the "old" mazda headunit can't handle the way the dongle works (regardless of a wired or wireless connection). Maybe the CarlinKit-Developers can improve their scripts but there is no guaranty that the hardware of our headunit will be capable.

 

[Kurt871]

Has anyone figured out what the sync mode, sound quality, and media delay settings are for? I tried going to the carlinkit FAQ but it wasn't very helpful.

I'm not sure what sync mode does, but sound quality probably helps if you're experiencing buffering issues (DVD being better than CD, presumably.) Media delay seems to also be a buffering balance between lag (switching songs, navigating menus, etc.) and bandwidth. For example, when I set to 300 or 400, I get lots of skipping when playing audio, but 500 seems to be the sweet spot with no audio issues + least lag possible.

Neither here nor there, but I recently replaced the tiny USB A-to-USB C cable that came with the Carlinkit 2.0 with an Aukey USB 3 A-to-C cable to try and resolve audio distortion on phone calls and have noticed a massive improvement in boot up times and general performance. May be worth a shot for anyone with the USB-C version who are seeing connection issues (and for eight bucks, a pretty low lift investment if it doesn't help.)

 

[mecutler]

have you tried connecting you phone wired thru the dongle?

HeadUnit > Carlinkit > Apple Lightning Cable > iPhone

Yes. Nothing happens when I do that.

 

[kuralex]

@MrMister111
I used the @Wallytax VW firmware upgrade that he got from them, version 09.23.2020 I believe, which worked and got me connected, but when I came back the next day it came to the dongle screen and didn’t generate a BT network based on my radio.

Worse, now I can’t get it to accept any other firmware. Looks like it’s game over. Dongle connection screen still loads, but no sign of an active Bluetooth/wifi connection anymore. The string of letters and numbers on the dongle screen has changed significantly, to what’s pictured. So.. I haven’t bricked the device but I can’t connect to it and I can’t update the firmware any more via USB to be able to connect... so, definitely stumped.

Any ideas please @VLud ? You seem to be the one keeping the dream alive! I have a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan and am using a iPhone 12 Pro Max to connect. Firmware usually works flawlessly with first flash, but then on a second try after a long power down in the car USB port or just unplugged for over 10 minutes, it’s back to not generating any networks and the LED stays red, tapping the search button does nothing. Only way to get it working is to reflash via USB.

Thanks in advance 🤞🏻

I have exactly the same problem on Skoda Kodiaq 2020 MIB 2.5 head unit.
After I flash the device everything works fine, but only one time. Next time I see '...' instead of bluetooth net name, and can not connect. If I flash the device again using USB stick then it starts working... till next connection.
Tried different firmware versions, nothing helped.
I sent my device back. If the problem is resolved I'll definitely order it again.

 

[Renato Almeida]

have you tried connecting you phone wired thru the dongle?

HeadUnit > Carlinkit > Apple Lightning Cable > iPhone

I tried it on my car. It connects and I can se gmaps on the car screen but the apple car play works too slow.

 

[timmerk]

Does anyone know which post has the information on the EEPROM programmer and test clip? I keep searching for it but can't find anything. Thanks!

 

[mecutler]

Yes. Nothing happens when I do that.

I made some progress today. I managed to update the firmware to 2020.11.10.2137. Once that was installed, I reconnected the dongle to the Miata, got to the search screen, and eventually got fully connected to wireless CarPlay. But it only works for about 30 seconds, then loses the connection and goes back to the Mazda infotainment screen, and within the next 30 seconds, CarPlay returns, etc. This just repeats over and over. I recall seeing other folks with this problem. Has anybody solved it?

 

[Josumart]

I made some progress today. I managed to update the firmware to 2020.11.10.2137. Once that was installed, I reconnected the dongle to the Miata, got to the search screen, and eventually got fully connected to wireless CarPlay. But it only works for about 30 seconds, then loses the connection and goes back to the Mazda infotainment screen, and within the next 30 seconds, CarPlay returns, etc. This just repeats over and over. I recall seeing other folks with this problem. Has anybody solved it?

Nope, I'm still stuck with this issue. My next steps are:
1- Try another phone (don't have high expectations on this one), and
2- Switch off the bluetooth on my phone, plug the dongle, turn it on and see if the the dongle reboots also if it's not connected to anything. This won't fix it, but... I do not know, maybe lets someone fix it.

 

[VLud]

Does anyone know which post has the information on the EEPROM programmer and test clip? I keep searching for it but can't find anything. Thanks!

I use a TL866II Plus (with accessories like the SOP8 clip) but any cheaper programmer can do the job

 

[mecutler]

I made some progress today. I managed to update the firmware to 2020.11.10.2137. Once that was installed, I reconnected the dongle to the Miata, got to the search screen, and eventually got fully connected to wireless CarPlay. But it only works for about 30 seconds, then loses the connection and goes back to the Mazda infotainment screen, and within the next 30 seconds, CarPlay returns, etc. This just repeats over and over. I recall seeing other folks with this problem. Has anybody solved it?

Since my earlier post, I went for a short drive (about 3 miles) to a grocery store and back. The pattern I described before repeated today. I timed it. Once CarPlay comes up, it lasts about 28 seconds and then reverts to the Mazda Infotainment screen. Then the search screen comes up and with no input from me it finds the iPhone, connects to it, and CarPlay comes back. The time from CarPlay disappearing until reappearing is also about 28 seconds. That sequence just keeps repeating.

My guess is that the dongle keeps rebooting itself. That seems to follow from the fact that it goes to the search screen every time, before getting back to CarPlay. This seems like a problem that should have a firmware solution.

 

[cort]

I use a TL866II Plus (with accessories like the SOP8 clip) but any cheaper programmer can do the job

Did you performed any modification to your TL866II plus? Cause some days ago I tried to connect my dongle with a clip to the programmer but got error on one pin. No chance to read the flash.

 

[Josumart]

Nope, I'm still stuck with this issue. My next steps are:
1- Try another phone (don't have high expectations on this one), and
2- Switch off the bluetooth on my phone, plug the dongle, turn it on and see if the the dongle reboots also if it's not connected to anything. This won't fix it, but... I do not know, maybe lets someone fix it.

Ok, if I do not connect my phone, the dongle stays on for 30 min without rebooting. I still need to try another phone. I have also restored my phone from Icloud, and did not work.

 

[Zombie Woof]

Has anyone figured a solution for when a USB flash has caused Bluetooth connection to not show any longer??

 

[rckstwrz]

Received an email today saying there's new firmware that finally supports Subaru, but they didn't email the actual firmware. Anyone know where to find this newest update?

 

[Patrick G]

Where is the best place to buy if I want the most current version with Subaru support? Can it be had on Amazon (to mitigate risk)?

 

[arman4s4]

Replaced stock USB cable by Anker Powerline II 3-in-1 Cable.

PowerLine II 3-in-1 Cable

Anker PowerLine II 3-in-1 Cable, Lightning/Type C/Micro USB Cable for iPhone, iPad, HTC, LG, Samsung Galaxy, Sony Xperia, Android Smartphones, and More(3ft / 0.9m)

www.anker.com

No audio stuttering/head unit rebooting noted so far.


Carlinkit CPC200-U2W-PLUS.
2018 Honda Accord Touring

 

[arman4s4]

Received an email today saying there's new firmware that finally supports Subaru, but they didn't email the actual firmware. Anyone know where to find this newest update?

Carplay2air has updated their website that it now supports Subaru, Suzuki and MG Hector.

 

[MrMister111]

Well eventually mine working fine, one thing though on Waze the voice is all distorted and loud. I normally click waze so it runs and gets notifications in the background.

 

[Andrew A]

Received an email today saying there's new firmware that finally supports Subaru, but they didn't email the actual firmware. Anyone know where to find this newest update?

If you manage to get the update, please post about how well it works. I have a 2017 Subaru and have been waiting for support — I would love to purchase this if it actually works reasonably.