Android Radio

[87warrior]

Looks like a newer version is out now.

Thinking of taking the plunge
https://www.amazon.com/ATOTO-Naviga...=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1512058181&sr=1-1

Awesome! But I cannot complain, the older model is still working great for me.

Once you get used to essentially having an Android tablet installed in your dash, all other radio receivers feel boring. IMHO, the biggest benefit to an Android based head unit is that you don't need to worry about tethering your phone and double checking that it is charging. I use downloaded Google maps, Torque, Back Country Navigator, APRS Droid and Amazon Prime music apps regularly without even giving my phone a second thought.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I've had 2 android stereo Joying and Panlelo that had good reviews at Amazon. . It is true that they have extra features like navigation at a lower price compared to the famous Japanese brands. The difference is the quality of the sound it reproduces and is very significant to my ears that I uninstalled them both and paid extra to get a Pioneer.

I've been hesitant to dive into any of those off-brand Android units for the same reason. For me, the effort involved in properly installing a head unit isn't worth the risk with the cheaper Android units.

At the same time though.... I've been thoroughly disappointed in the compatibility of the name brand Android options. Mirror-link is so limited in compatibility it may as well not exist and Android Auto, while very cool, is still very limited in app support. I wish I were better with coding so I could hack a high end head unit with good quality components and switch it to an android operating system. It'd be great to have an Android based head unit that didn't use a $5 touch screen and a $5 set of audio components...

 

[jerryb]

and another sad note thats really pissing me off is pioneers cheap, crappy hard drives. I'd bet serious money a cheap china half baked D din would last longer than the avic 8200 nex. I'm going to buy one dec 11 if I don't get my pioneer back. Their service, phone support, and procedures are horrible. It's been out of my hands for 2 months.

one other thing though supra, you can flash the nex units. I'm not going there though. I already have no back up of the HDD

cheers for cheap chinese A auto.

 

[bamabrock]

I had the Pioneer Appradio2 which was useless for android phones stock but was able to mirror my rooted phone with the ARliberator app. It was a great setup, but the developer of the app disappeared. Appradio unchained has come out to fill the void and works with several other pioneer head units to mirror your phone. I haven't kept up with them since going to a '04, but the XDA forum is still developing for the units. It would be worth to reset an older android phone to strictly use in the car and hotspot from your regular phone for data.

AppRadio Unchained Rootless - Android Apps on Google Play
AppRadio Unchained Reloaded - Android Apps on Google Play

 

[87warrior]

I've been hesitant to dive into any of those off-brand Android units for the same reason. For me, the effort involved in properly installing a head unit isn't worth the risk with the cheaper Android units.

A valid concern, that is for sure. I will say my China made Android radio sounds superior to the stock unit and is on par with the JVC it replaced. Out of the box the audio was 'tinny' but with a little tweaking in the audio equalizer it sounds good to me. Of course I am not an audiophile and spent 15 years before the 100 driving soft top Jeeps.....

 

[KiteOregon]

I purchased the intel based Joying from the joying website. Shipping was prompt and the unit was very easy to install. Sound was much better once i bypassed the factory amp with the metra harness as well as remove the factory sub from the system. System sounds great.

 

[87warrior]

Could you, please show us how it looks like in your car?

This is the ATOTO radio in my 1999 Cruiser playing music via the Amazon Prime music app. This radio sits very close to flush with the factory trim.

 

[BillZ260]

I'm wanting to run one instead of a tablet via BT.

I'm looking for an Android Unit that will run GAIA (GPS built in) and has HD Radio and has a volume knob, not buttons. If you run across that, I'm interested, seems this doesn't exist.

 

[fooldall1]

The Pioneer AVH 3800 and similar radios are a perfect fit and integrate with your Android via Apps.

 

[87warrior]

Losing the volume knob bugged me for a week or so, but now I don't miss it. If you find an Android radio that meets your needs less the volume knob, I'd seriously consider it.

All of the radio's should all have a GPS, but you really want to look for one with an external antenna so it can be mounted outside the bowels of the dash (mine is behind the A-pillar trim).

 

[jLB]

After playing with the GROM VLine in my LX, I've been debating replacing my son's 2 year old Kenwood (DNX771HD I think) with either one of the cheap Chinese Android head units, or a more mainstream head unit that includes CarPlay/Android Auto. I like the concept of the Android head units, but am concerned about the reported quality issues and lack of any real support. I'm not real excited about buying another Kenwood (or JVC) as I find the user interface cumbersome and annoying. Pioneer or Alpine maybe, but some of the prices seem kind of ridiculous if they're just replicating the phone's screen and everything (except the radio) really runs on the phone.

After spending the week in my son's vehicle, we've both had it with the older Kenwood head unit. We ordered one of the Joying units last night. It'll probably be May before we get a chance to install it, but that will give me a chance to play with it on the bench a bit, before we install it.

 

[jLB]

I've received the 2 Joying units that we ordered. Shipping time from China was surprisingly quick.

Joying JY-UM135N2

Double DIN
Physical volume knob
No CD/DVD
7” 1024 x 600
2G RAM
32G Flash
Intel Atom (quad core) CPU
Android 6
Zjinnova Zbox add-on for CarPlay​

Joying JY-UM135N2PX5

Double DIN
Physical volume knob
No CD/DVD
7” 1024 x 600
2G RAM
16G Flash
PX5 (octa core) CPU
Android 6
Zjinnova Zlink built-in for CarPlay​

Other items preparing for Install:

Joying NDVR dashcam
Aux/USB extension/ports (to extend aux input & USB to console)
ELM327 (ODBII bluetooth interface for Torque)
ZTE Mobley (ODBII WiFi hotspot)
Metra 70-8113 (wiring harness adapter to 2000 TLC using factory amp)
OBDII 1 to 2 splitter cable (to allow both ZTE Mobley & Torque [or scan gauge] to be plugged in concurrently)
Toyota OEM stereo brackets
(license plate frame backup cam already on vehicle)
2 pair of 6.5” Infinity speakers for the doors
2 pair of Metra 72-8104 speaker harness adapters​

I’ve played with the 2 head units on my bench for a couple of weeks, as I am still waiting on my son’s vehicle to come home for an install.

My impressions/observations so far:

I still haven't decided which unit we're going to install into my son's vehicle.

Both units are much "lighter" than the OEM head unit, part of that might be the lack of a CD/DVD player.

The "face" is very close to the same dimensions as the OEM head unit.

The depth is a fair bit shallower than the OEM unit, so there should be no problems with clearance for the RCA cables.

Both units take about 25 seconds to boot the first time, as long as it doesn't lose (car) battery power, subsequent boots (resume) are only a couple of seconds.

The UI is very similar between the 2 units, but I have a slight preference for the UI on the PX5.

The Intel based unit seems slightly more stable/polished than the PX5 unit.

The screens on both are light years ahead of the Grom VLine running through the OEM screen in my LX470.

The perceived performance of the Joying units is much better than the Grom VLine V1 in my LX470.

The Play Store application compatibility on the Joying units seems much better that the Grom VLine in my LX470.

I really can’t say too much about sound quality as I’m running the speaker outputs into 4 old Radio Shack Minimus 7 (8 ohm) bookshelf speakers that I had laying around.

The documentation on both Joying units is minimal.

I had a few questions about these units. Due to the minimal documentation, and the loss of the "Joying Forum" after Joying's shift from "carjoying.com" to "joyingauto.com", I decided to see how responsive/helpful Joying's (email) tech support was. So far, they've suitably answered my questions, in 24 hours or less.

The systems do generate some heat. I'm curious how these units will fare in the gulf coast summer heat, enclosed in the dash, with little to no airflow.

I still have a few concerns about the quality/durability of these units, but I am impressed with their functionality so far, and am looking forward to installing one of these units in my son's car.
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[BEG]

OBDII 1 to 2 splitter cable (to allow both ZTE Mobley & Torque [or scan gauge] to be plugged in concurrently)
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I've had issues with trying to get two OBDII items to work, simultaneously, using a splitter. If the ZTE is wi-fi only and doesn't access OBD info (most dongles do) it might work. I've got an OBDLink and a Verizon Hum-x and they don't play together. Currently looking for another in-car hot spot solution.

 

[87warrior]

I would advise you to eliminate the factory amplifier. Using the Metra 70-8113 harness will 'work' but you will experience a constant buzz. No amount of extra grounding or moving ground points will cure it. I tried everything I could trying to maintain the factory amplifier with no success, primarily because I (foolishly) wanted to keep the factory 'subs' (2, 4" in my 99). An unexpected bonus of eliminating the factory amp and driving the door speakers with the headunit's internal amp, was much cleaner sound and fuller bass...and I am still rocking the original speakers.

I am looking forward to your reviews of the joying units.

 

[jLB]

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I've had issues with trying to get two OBDII items to work, simultaneously, using a splitter. If the ZTE is wi-fi only and doesn't access OBD info (most dongles do) it might work. I've got an OBDLink and a Verizon Hum-x and they don't play together. Currently looking for another in-car hot spot solution.

I appreciate your input, but I’ve been using the ZTE Mobley and ELM327 devices concurrently (with a splitter) in my LX470 for the last year and a half without issue. It is my understanding that the ZTE Mobley is just picking up 12vdc, acc & ground from the OBDII port. I am assuming that it will work without issue in my son’s TLC as well.

 

[jLB]

I would advise you to eliminate the factory amplifier. Using the Metra 70-8113 harness will 'work' but you will experience a constant buzz. No amount of extra grounding or moving ground points will cure it. I tried everything I could trying to maintain the factory amplifier with no success, primarily because I (foolishly) wanted to keep the factory 'subs' (2, 4" in my 99). An unexpected bonus of eliminating the factory amp and driving the door speakers with the headunit's internal amp, was much cleaner sound and fuller bass...and I am still rocking the original speakers.

I am looking forward to your reviews of the joying units.

He’s got the 2 4” “subs” in his vehicle as well, and neither of us have any desire to keep them. My 1st choice would be to swap the amp, and I’ve been tempted to pickup a JL Audio XD600/6v2, but the current agreement is that “dad” will pay for everything except amp and sub(s) and “kid” will pay for those.

Looking at the Metra harness, there is a ground, and an “amp/signal ground”. The ground goes to the head unit ground wire, I assume the “amp/signal ground” is tied to the metal chassis of the head unit.

 

[jerryb]

can I ask you guys, if the android based headunit accepted two bluetooth connections would that eliminate your need for a second sim card broadcasting a wifi signal?

 

[jLB]

can I ask you guys, if the android based headunit accepted two bluetooth connections would that eliminate your need for a second sim card broadcasting a wifi signal?

In my case, I fiddled with that for a while on the Grom VLine. I prefer the dedicated hotspot, because it doesn't matter who's driving the car, or which phone is in the car.

 

[87warrior]

He’s got the 2 4” “subs” in his vehicle as well, and neither of us have any desire to keep them. My 1st choice would be to swap the amp, and I’ve been tempted to pickup a JL Audio XD600/6v2, but the current agreement is that “dad” will pay for everything except amp and sub(s) and “kid” will pay for those.

Looking at the Metra harness, there is a ground, and an “amp/signal ground”. The ground goes to the head unit ground wire, I assume the “amp/signal ground” is tied to the metal chassis of the head unit.

If dad is responsible here, I'd go cheap and effective. Do the amp bypass so the speakers receive good clean signal from the headunit. All you need to do is run 8 speaker wires (2 per channel) from the headunit to the amp location under the seat and splice a power wire for the headunit at the amp plugs. There is a recent thread on the bypass.

The 'amp/signal' ground is the shared (-) output for each speaker channel. The metra harness combines the shielded grounds for each amp output into one, while the (+) output is split 4 ways. The amp itself is electrically grounded to the floor under the seat. The radio shares this same ground in the factory configuration.

 

[87warrior]

can I ask you guys, if the android based headunit accepted two bluetooth connections would that eliminate your need for a second sim card broadcasting a wifi signal?

I regularly run two bluetooth devices simultaneously. One is the Mobilinkd TNC (APRSDroid) and the other is the OBDLink LX (Torque).