Aftermarket Tesla CarPlay and Android Auto Devices

[DB288]

amazon was fine…they helped me return it…

it’s the manufacturer

there is essentially no customer support except referring you to very basic videos that show a few basic steps…

essentially there is no one to help you if there is a problem…

when one uses tech support email or via the amazon chat:

it takes 12 hours to get a reply
my sense is i am communicating with a non english speaker who is using a translation program…pretty sure of that…

look at the instruction sheet: tiny text; in places grammatically incorrect; explanations that are cursory and not clear

come on: a lot of people really like it…okay

but when you have a problem interact with the company or look at there documentation you get the vibe it’s a little better than run out if a garage in china…(honestly)

 

[Mandingo]

Update: The 12v USB adapter arrived today and I tested it out - everything works. When I open the car door the T2C powers up - by the time I've got in, put my seatbelt on and set a destination on my phone/reversed out of the garage the T2C has booted up and my phone flashes CarPlay and the Tesla browser shows the CarPlay display too.

When I exit the car and close the door the screen goes off and the T2C powers off at the same time, my phone then loses connection to Autokit_1234 and joins my wifi network if I am at home - automatically!

I am still working on tidying the wiring but the attached photo shows the T2C velcro'd in the driver footwell - I put the vent holes facing down to see if that helps with cooling, and the 12v to 5v adapter is behind it. I was wondering if the signal from the T2C (wifi and GPS) would suffer from being stuck down there but it seems 100% fine.

I'm also running my radar detector off the same 12v circuit and doesn't seem to be an issue - the fact that this circuit is off all the time I am away from the car makes me feel better about power drain and safety too.

 

[Mikecm1]

Well, figured I’d update on my SIM card usage in case anyone is thinking of going that route. I got a 5GB/m plan thinking that would be sufficient since I almost exclusively use this kit for Spotify, and an hour of streaming on high quality is about 75MB of data give or take.

Somehow though, I blew threw my entire 5GB in 9 days, and I’ve only driven 244 miles in that time. Doesn’t make too much sense unless my phone and/or car were downloading large amounts of data in the background. So I’ll scrap the SIM as a failed experiment and go back to using my hotspot which worked well enough.

 

[**BatteryLow**]

Well, figured I’d update on my SIM card usage in case anyone is thinking of going that route. I got a 5GB/m plan thinking that would be sufficient since I almost exclusively use this kit for Spotify, and an hour of streaming on high quality is about 75MB of data give or take.

Somehow though, I blew threw my entire 5GB in 9 days, and I’ve only driven 244 miles in that time. Doesn’t make too much sense unless my phone and/or car were downloading large amounts of data in the background. So I’ll scrap the SIM as a failed experiment and go back to using my hotspot which worked well enough.

Wow, you really need these Vodafone family & friends data deals we have here in Europe. You get 200gb of data to share each month for €16 per family member

 

[neilrlsmith]

Does anyone else have/had this and know a fix. Had it a day and connection was easy so thought wow - what a piece of kit; too good to be true. And alas, that seems to be the case. The screen freezes often then suddenly remembers all the inputs and therefore flashes through them at 100 mph. And of course that lag means all the navs are at least 200 yards behind where my actual location is rendering navigation useless. I'm praying there's a fix for this! BTW - have a sim and tried hotspot. Both the same issue.

Thanks for any help.

 

[mclark2112]

Mine is working great, but I only use it to control music, audible, podcasts, etc. Using the Tesla map for Nav. My Commute is mostly Highway, don't need the Nav. I've used Waze a couple times on the highway, and it works well enough for showing upcoming speed traps. Wouldn't rely on it for turn by turn in an unfamilier area.

I'm reading more and more how manufacturers are trying to take back control of the entertainment. They were terrible at this for the first 100 years of the automobile, it doesn't bode well for the future. Carplay/AA are the great equalizers, they can make a lackluster system acceptable and current as they follow the deveopment of phones, which is light years ahead of automobile tech developmet.

 

[neilrlsmith]

Thanks. Keen to hear from people that are using the nav apps and whether they have/tolerate lag.

 

[Mandingo]

Does anyone else have/had this and know a fix. Had it a day and connection was easy so thought wow - what a piece of kit; too good to be true. And alas, that seems to be the case. The screen freezes often then suddenly remembers all the inputs and therefore flashes through them at 100 mph. And of course that lag means all the navs are at least 200 yards behind where my actual location is rendering navigation useless. I'm praying there's a fix for this! BTW - have a sim and tried hotspot. Both the same issue.

Thanks for any help.

I’d make sure you have updated to the latest firmware. Then factory reset the unit. Then make sure you aren’t getting Wi-Fi interference.

 

[neilrlsmith]

Thanks. Already updated and reset. How do I check for interference? Assume you have no lag issues then?

 

[Mandingo]

Thanks. Keen to hear from people that are using the nav apps and whether they have/tolerate lag.

I just drove 100 miles using Apple Maps all the way with no lag. Screen refresh isn’t silky smooth but it’s 100% fine for following directions. You have something not working right on your unit, if software refresh doesn’t fix it then get a replacement.

 

[Mandingo]

Thanks. Already updated and reset. How do I check for interference? Assume you have no lag issues then?

Something might be interfering with the connection between phone and T2C or T2C to the Tesla antenna. Make sure the unit is close to the phone and to the screen.

 

[neilrlsmith]

Great. All good tips - thank you. I also have a USB switch instead of one lead. That may also be causing it. But losing that means it 'on' all the time.

I tried switching from 5 to 2.4g and that did work. Annoyingly it defaults to 5g every time I turn it on.

 

[Mandingo]

Great. All good tips - thank you. I also have a USB switch instead of one lead. That may also be causing it. But losing that means it 'on' all the time.

I tried switching from 5 to 2.4g and that did work. Annoyingly it defaults to 5g every time I turn it on.

I think you can pick the Wi-Fi channel it uses in the setup and some of these are 2.4g only. Maybe try experimenting with different channels?

Also I have managed to get mine setup to power on/off automatically without the need for a switch - scroll up for details.

 

[neilrlsmith]

I think you can pick the Wi-Fi channel it uses in the setup and some of these are 2.4g only.

I can yes. I just dont know much about this and how it limits wifi inteference.

 

[Mandingo]

I can yes. I just dont know much about this and how it limits wifi inteference.

I think it’s all experimentation since the interference could be coming from anything/anywhere.

Here’s a guide:-

Guide to Configure Wi-Fi Channels and Channel Widths to Improve...

How to configure Wi-Fi channels and channel widths

www.intel.com

 

[jerome8283]

Update: The 12v USB adapter arrived today and I tested it out - everything works. When I open the car door the T2C powers up - by the time I've got in, put my seatbelt on and set a destination on my phone/reversed out of the garage the T2C has booted up and my phone flashes CarPlay and the Tesla browser shows the CarPlay display too.

When I exit the car and close the door the screen goes off and the T2C powers off at the same time, my phone then loses connection to Autokit_1234 and joins my wifi network if I am at home - automatically!

I am still working on tidying the wiring but the attached photo shows the T2C velcro'd in the driver footwell - I put the vent holes facing down to see if that helps with cooling, and the 12v to 5v adapter is behind it. I was wondering if the signal from the T2C (wifi and GPS) would suffer from being stuck down there but it seems 100% fine.

I'm also running my radar detector off the same 12v circuit and doesn't seem to be an issue - the fact that this circuit is off all the time I am away from the car makes me feel better about power drain and safety too.

I assume your Tesla does not connect to your home WiFi when parked in your garage and, when you get in the car Tesla WiFi is on and there’s no need to switch it on?

 

[Mandingo]

I assume your Tesla does not connect to your home WiFi when parked in your garage and, when you get in the car Tesla WiFi is on and there’s no need to switch it on?

I am experimenting currently - right now my car only knows the Autokit Wi-Fi network to see if that speeds up initial connection and makes it more automatic. I am trying your suggestion of putting the car in park to see if it connects by itself.

 

[EMEV]

I am experimenting currently - right now my car only knows the Autokit Wi-Fi network to see if that speeds up initial connection and makes it more automatic. I am trying your suggestion of putting the car in park to see if it connects by itself.

I have been using the T2C solution (without SIM) for some time and have used the 12V power outlet on my console from the beginning which gives me the T2C power on when I open the car door and power off when I leave and close the car door (my preference on having the T2C off when I am not in the car). I have my car connected to my home WiFi and when the T2C is off it connects automatically to my home WiFi. I have tested different scenarios and in my case the best way to transition from Home Wifi to T2C WiFi and back is to have both WiFi (Home and T2C) set to remain connected in Drive on the Tesla WiFi settings. I know it sounds strange to have the Home WiFi set this way but for me it improved significantly the transition between both WiFi without any intervention from me when I drive off of my garage and the Home Wifi connection is lost (based on distance) but the T2C connection is working.

 

[jerome8283]

I am experimenting currently - right now my car only knows the Autokit Wi-Fi network to see if that speeds up initial connection and makes it more automatic. I am trying your suggestion of putting the car in park to see if it connects by itself.

It seems you already proved it connects when you put the car in park in your garage and when you returned it connected, no?

I believe you may have solved a problem a few us experienced. When parked at home I connect to my home WiFi. When getting into the car, pulling out of my driveway it disconnects from my home Wifi. Assuming the T2C is booted, it will not connect to it because Wifi is usually off. I believe this happens because the Tesla can only reconnect to the last WiFi network that would be my home WiFi. My home WiFi would be out of range. The Tesla cannot switch from one WiFi network to another. If I forget my home WiFi, connect to the T2C, get home and leave it on, when I return to the car it should reconnect to the T2C.

I hope this is all making sense. I’m trying to think this through.

 

[jerome8283]

@EMEV you are touching on exactly what I’m referring to in my last post. It sounds like your saying it will switch from your home WiFi to the T2C WiFi?