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CarPlay solution for Tesla by Michal Gapinski using Raspberry Pi with Android
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ElectricAnt54
Active Member
Tesla-android (rasberry pi) hardware & software is really not that hard to setup now. I think my first YouTube videos will be showing me building a new Tesla-android using very simple case & fan etc. I suspect people see the big steam punk looking colorful ice cooler tower fan that many of us used long ago and begin to think the setup is too hard.
. Even that fan was not too hard to setup, I watched some YouTube videos.
ElectricAnt54
Active Member
Ah well if your pi is in the car and Ethernet cable will reach the pi, you can also perform the update using tesla browser Screen rather than MacBook. Both are an option
.It still requires a SIM. Scroll down toward the end of the page you posted.
CarlinKit Wireless CarPlay Android auto Mini Box Adapter For Tesla Mod
After receiving the product, please power up the product first to upgrade the product version online. If you are unsure of the procedure, please feel free to contact us, we will provide an instructional video or solution within 24 hours. Simple online upgrade step:Connect CarlinKit T2C car...www.carlinkit.store
It does, but when I emailed, that person said nice you update firmware SIM is no longer required? So, if true that is good news.
Yes. Try it and report back your experience. I think a new thread related to this TC2 solution would be best though.
ElectricAnt54
Active Member
Tesla-Android and T2C are not essentially the same. If all you care about is CarPlay and do not mind the reported lower visual quality of T2C and the lag it introduces to the CarPlay interface, T2C might be a product which would make you happy.
Tesla-Android is an open source project. The code is posted on the internet for all to see & review. It is based on the Android Operating System & runs on Raspberry Pi 4B hardware. Soon it will run on other hardware and you can change to other configurations if desired. Tesla-Android provides the Android OS running within the Tesla browser. CarPlay is made possible by plugging a Carlinkit CPC200-CCPA dongle in to the USB port of the Raspberry Pi and running the Android OS "autokit" app which is part of the Tesla-android install. The Google Play app is also included if you want to install other programs such as simple games, Firefox in the event you do not like the default Android OS browser. You can install Waze in the event you rather use the Android version (you'd need to plug a GPS usb stick in to the Pi). The Raspberry Pi 4B system on a chip (SOC , kind like a computer brain) is much more powerful than what is in T2C so Tesla-Android CarPlay has a more responsive interface, sharper visual image and no noticeable video compression artifacts. I hear within 2-3 weeks tesla-android will be sped up even more via the Pi's hardware based video acceleration abilities (decoding/encoding video) which are built in to the more powerful SOC. I highly doubt the SOC in T2C has this ability but Carlinkit doesn't tell us about what is in their product. Here is a preview (twitter) [here it is in reddit] of an upcoming update which should allow some games to be played as well as perhaps watching video smoothly from Android OS YouTube or VLC. Tesla Android has a very active user community on Reddit too.
T2C is a commercial product by Carlinkit. The only function it offers is ability to use CarPlay in the Tesla center console's web browser. The T2C uses a weak system on a chip (SOC kind like a computer brain). I read the SOC is the same as in the older carlinkit dongle which is plugged in to the Raspberry Pi (an android device) and other android devices. Carlinkit is making the SOC do a lot of work. Therefore it seems have a bit of lag when using CarPlay. Also I read reports that image quality is not as good as Tesla-android. Reduced image quality helped the weaker SOC perform better. But many people might not notice if they have never seen CarPlay in a OEM setup. I suspect Carlinkit will sell a V2 of the T2C with improved computing power. Some people might end up buying the T2C twice, version 1 and an improved version 2. Tesla-Android might not end up being much more expensive.
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Dude you are amazing! I cannot even keep up with the amount of good information you have shared so far. I will definitely be joining that subreddit as I had no idea conversation about the Tesla-Android solution existed outside of this forum!Tesla-Android and T2C are not essentially the same. If all you care about is CarPlay and do not mind the reported lower visual quality of T2C and the lag it introduces to the CarPlay interface, T2C might be a product which would make you happy.
Tesla-Android is an open source project. The code is posted on the internet for all to see & review. It is based on the Android Operating System & runs on Raspberry Pi 4B hardware. Soon it will run on other hardware and you can change to other configurations if desired. Tesla-Android provides the Android OS running within the Tesla browser. CarPlay is made possible by plugging a Carlinkit CPC200-CCPA dongle in to the USB port of the Raspberry Pi and running the Android OS "autokit" app which is part of the Tesla-android install. The Google Play app is also included if you want to install other programs such as simple games, Firefox in the event you do not like the default Android OS browser. You can install Waze in the event you rather use the Android version (you'd need to plug a GPB usb stick in to the Pi). The Raspberry Pi 4B system on a chip (SOC , kind like a computer brain) is much more powerful than what is in T2C so Tesla-Android CarPlay has a more responsive interface, sharper visual image and no noticeable video compression artifacts. I hear within 2-3 weeks tesla-android will be sped up even more via the Pi's hardware based video acceleration abilities (decoding/encoding video) which are built in to the more powerful SOC. I highly doubt the SOC in T2C has this ability but Carlinkit doesn't tell us about what is in their product. Here is a preview of an upcoming update which should allow some games to be played as well as perhaps watching video smoothly from Android OS YouTube or VLC. Tesla Android has a very active user community on Reddit too.
T2C is a commercial product by Carlinkit. The only function it offers is ability to use CarPlay in the Tesla center console's web browser. The T2C uses a weak system on a chip (SOC kind like a computer brain). I read the SOC is the same as in the older carlinkit dongle which is plugged in to the Raspberry Pi (an android device) and other android devices. Carlinkit is making the SOC do a lot of work. Therefore it seems have a bit of lag when using CarPlay. Also I read reports that image quality is not as good as Tesla-android. Reduced image quality helped the weaker SOC perform better. I suspect Carlinkit will sell a V2 of the T2C with improved computing power. Some people might end up buying the T2C twice, version 1 and an improved version 2. Tesla-Android might not end up being much more expensive.
Hi all, I’m not a techie either, and I followed along and had been running tesla android since version 25.1
give it a try, it’s very rewarding getting it going.
the current version is really not difficult to set up. Especially for those who don’t even want or need internet access (sim card).
you can do all the steps at home before deploying it to your car.
it’s hard to tell if carlinkit will have much software support for the t2c device
also, dev is relentlessly Improving it, it really could only get better, just check out his Twitter or the dedicated Reddit page
give it a try, it’s very rewarding getting it going.
the current version is really not difficult to set up. Especially for those who don’t even want or need internet access (sim card).
you can do all the steps at home before deploying it to your car.
it’s hard to tell if carlinkit will have much software support for the t2c device
also, dev is relentlessly Improving it, it really could only get better, just check out his Twitter or the dedicated Reddit page
This!I don’t consider myself a techie either but can report that I went out to my car moments ago and got things working for the first time. I still have questions about order of startup etc. but can say I’m happy with the responsiveness of CarPlay.
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@ElectricAnt54 or anyone else, is this Separable Cable ON/Off Switch you referenced on your blog to power your Raspberry Pi working your the car?
Thanks
Thanks
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My biggest concern with data or no data is Teslafi.com. I rely on that for logging my driving. I just posted this as a support ticket in their portal. If anyone knows or has a stab at the answer feel free to comment here. Not sure how responsive or good their support is.
"What happens if I drive around all day with my Tesla offline?
Some background: I'm using a device I built called Tesla Android Project. It allows me to have CarPlay on my Tesla screen. It works by having the Tesla connect to a WiFi connection it creates in the car. This solution has required the use of an LTE modem so that the car stays online. I've been doing this for several months and it works fine. But, I'm paying AT&T $25 a month for the LTE connection.
There's a new update available that doesn't require an LTE modem and data plan. But, the car is offline while you're doing this. So what happens if I start out in the morning, turn the device on (disconnecting car from Internet) and drive around all day. Then I get home at night and turn that device off. My car will then connect with it's built in LTE modem or my home WiFi.
Question: will I still see all the daily details of my driving? In other words, is this data stored, logged, cached or whatever until the Tesla sees a working connection again?"
"What happens if I drive around all day with my Tesla offline?
Some background: I'm using a device I built called Tesla Android Project. It allows me to have CarPlay on my Tesla screen. It works by having the Tesla connect to a WiFi connection it creates in the car. This solution has required the use of an LTE modem so that the car stays online. I've been doing this for several months and it works fine. But, I'm paying AT&T $25 a month for the LTE connection.
There's a new update available that doesn't require an LTE modem and data plan. But, the car is offline while you're doing this. So what happens if I start out in the morning, turn the device on (disconnecting car from Internet) and drive around all day. Then I get home at night and turn that device off. My car will then connect with it's built in LTE modem or my home WiFi.
Question: will I still see all the daily details of my driving? In other words, is this data stored, logged, cached or whatever until the Tesla sees a working connection again?"
Great to hear of your success! I think a lot of less techie potential users read all this stuff and get scared off. I think for most people who try this it's a pretty smooth process. It's like any product these days - if all you consider is the problems and complaints you see online you'll think the product is trash. I'd bet for every person posting questions because they're stuck there's 10 more happy users out there enjoying CarPlay in their Tesla and we'll never hear from them.
I don’t consider myself a techie either but can report that I went out to my car moments ago and got things working for the first time. I still have questions about order of startup etc. but can say I’m happy with the responsiveness of CarPlay.
I guess this same question can be directed to Tesla too, right?
ElectricAnt54
Active Member
Yes. I plug the USB-A in to my cigarette lighter adapter and USB-C in to the Raspberry pi.
ElectricAnt54
Active Member
Yeah, I should add the whole reason I immediately bought the LTE USB modem + Tello plan is that I hate having my car offline for any reason. Even if it's sleeping... I want that information to be captured and that data to be queriable in the 3rd party stat tracking application I use called Teslamate. Im sure you guys have heard of it... it's pretty much an open-source clone of TeslaFi. And it's amazing to be able to capture so many stats from the car. The ability to capture data from the car is honestly one of my favorite features and one of the reasons I find it so hard to switch from Tesla to another brand.
With Teslamate it literally just shows me the car was offline. I can actually see this quickly when I first installed the Tesla-Android Carplay solution as the vehicle stayed offline the entire night. It was the first time that has ever happened as I have a WiFi access point in my driveway, specifically so that the car is online and reachable at all times:
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I purchased another cable I believe you had posted early on Vilros and I cannot get it to work in the car. I will try a few more things. Worst case I will return it and get the one above. Thanks
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