Hmm I believe I did turn of AVI1/2/3 and HDMI...do you know how this relates to the steering wheel control?
CarPlay works in a 2020 Land Cruiser
- Thread starter Eric Sarjeant
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CharlieS
GOLD Star
I’m not a great person to comment on the current offerings, but my older Naviplus works well with CarPlay.
I don’t have any issues, but it is a bit quirky - you have to have the input on aux, make sure you don’t have Bluetooth connected to the factory head unit. While this is neither difficult, nor complex, I occasionally get tripped up by it, when my son switches to the FM input source and I forget, and then a call comes in and I can’t hear the phone audio…
We don’t see this kind of quirky behavior on my wife’s Honda with native CarPlay, it just works seamlessly.
If you can deal with the quirks, it is a good solution to get CarPlay in the 200.
I don’t have any issues, but it is a bit quirky - you have to have the input on aux, make sure you don’t have Bluetooth connected to the factory head unit. While this is neither difficult, nor complex, I occasionally get tripped up by it, when my son switches to the FM input source and I forget, and then a call comes in and I can’t hear the phone audio…
We don’t see this kind of quirky behavior on my wife’s Honda with native CarPlay, it just works seamlessly.
If you can deal with the quirks, it is a good solution to get CarPlay in the 200.
RobW0
GOLD Star
I never used Waze before I got the Naviplus unit. I feel the use of Waze on your cars screen is well worth the price and the few hiccups.
Not specifically. IIRC, those were the instructions provided to enable SWC.
Is it though? A Camry has it. Cruisers were too integrated with the MFD that really has not changed since 2003.
The menus and button layout on our 04 are almost identical to the 14 and 20. Graphics quality is early 2000s.
So I got the correct thickness PCB boards in. I soldered up the resistor and gave it a try with my Pixel 4XL and the NP unit. The phone would charge without issue (fast charge), but it wouldn't pull data at all. I tried every USB-C cable I had, but no luck. I don't have any newer iPhone to test out either. If you search "Tindie" for the item described above, there are notes saying the Pixel 4a (which was released after the 4 and 4XL) exhibited the same behavior. They also mentioned that a few Samsung phones worked correctly as well as some newer iPhones. So while this could still work for some, it doesn't for me, which is a bummer. The bad thing about the PCB design that I used, the designer decided to use the PCB board as the "tongue" for the USB-C. While the cable does click into place, the connection seems flimsy. I bet with some proper mounting and strong tape, it would be quite sturdy.
So... as I posted before, my experience with Naviplus has been disastrous. Now I'm looking to get a replacement and I can either buy another NP or opt for the EC Offroad unit.
As far as I know, @Eric Sarjeant is the only one to have used both the Naviplus and the EC Offroad systems. It would be great if he could do a short comparison of both systems (no pressure, Eric). I already know that there's a difference in functionality since the EC system is a full-fledged Android system so it's able to run applications internally whereas NP is limited to running them on the phone. What I'm curious to know and have not been able to learn from the 23 pages before this post are the following:
+Does the EC system also connect via the Aux port in the same quirky way as the NP?
+How's the sound Quality compared to the NP?
+Dropouts/stuttering/breakup while using wireless CarPlay? If so, how often? Every minute, every hour? None?
+How well do the steering wheel controls work on the EC? Is it also hit and miss like in the NP?
+Does the screen go black (coming back after a couple of minutes) like on the NP?
Any other notable differences?
Thank you!
As far as I know, @Eric Sarjeant is the only one to have used both the Naviplus and the EC Offroad systems. It would be great if he could do a short comparison of both systems (no pressure, Eric). I already know that there's a difference in functionality since the EC system is a full-fledged Android system so it's able to run applications internally whereas NP is limited to running them on the phone. What I'm curious to know and have not been able to learn from the 23 pages before this post are the following:
+Does the EC system also connect via the Aux port in the same quirky way as the NP?
+How's the sound Quality compared to the NP?
+Dropouts/stuttering/breakup while using wireless CarPlay? If so, how often? Every minute, every hour? None?
+How well do the steering wheel controls work on the EC? Is it also hit and miss like in the NP?
+Does the screen go black (coming back after a couple of minutes) like on the NP?
Any other notable differences?
Thank you!
Is anyone surprised that these small electronic companies that create highly customized hardware and software products are unreliable?
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Good idea, I will do that at some point. the EC is much better. I'll try and do that in the next week or so to explain why.
No.
Just making sure you’re aware of this thread: EC Offroad CarPlay Solutions For 2016+ 200 Series LC - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ec-offroad-carplay-solutions-for-2016-200-series-lc.1220652/
And this one: Grom vs EC offroad vs Naviplus - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/grom-vs-ec-offroad-vs-naviplus.1249078/
Yes, thanks I did look at all those posts. Eric is still the only person to have used both units and could answer those questions for me.
greynolds
SILVER Star
The newer version of the EC Offroad unit is really quite good overall, especially if you just care about CarPlay. But this thread has been pretty much focused on the Naviplus unit, so I would encourage asking specific questions about the EC Offroad unit in the dedicated thread. Some of the questions asked above don’t require someone to have experience with both, though I am curious to read Eric’s comparison when he posts it.
I have re-read through all the posts and only found the answer to question #1 about the AUX input. Regardless, I've ordered the EC Offroad unit and will be receiving it shortly. Naviplus was a big disappointment for me, so it can only get better. I also don't expect NP to do the right thing and credit my entire purchase price, especially given that they sent me a defective unit. Their response to my question about a refund implied that they will test the unit before making a decision. I'm predicting they will put it on a test bench, verify that it powers up and call it hunky dory. We'll see. It's crazy to think I've already dropped $2k on just adding Carplay to my cruiser. Yikes! I'll post on the ECOR thread once I have it installed.
Beat-Sonic launched another option this month. They list compatibility only for 2016-2019 LC.
www.beatsonicusa.com
LGVIF-CB4W Wireless S-Connect Interface for Select 2014-2021 Lexus GX
Now a wireless solution to allow Apple Carplay and Android Auto to your factory Lexus/Toyota Infotainment System! Local installation available in La Mirada, CA. email us to schedule an install appointment at info@beatsonicusa.com. Details Plug and play wireless solution to allow Apple Carplay...
www.beatsonicusa.com
Hi all,
I made a thread about how my factory GPS has been wonky since my Naviplus install. It looks like two other users, one with Naviplus and one with ECoffroad reported similar issues. Sometimes the factory GPS gets the right location upon starting the truck and sometimes the location is 50
here’s the thread: Inconsistent factory GPS after Naviplus CarPlay install and ceramic tinting - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/inconsistent-factory-gps-after-naviplus-carplay-install-and-ceramic-tinting.1252807/
was wondering if anyone else has the same issue or doesn’t have the same issue? I’m hoping the latter and that a mistake was made during the install that can be reverted as I like the factory Navs ability to tell me what streeet im on in the instrument cluster.
I made a thread about how my factory GPS has been wonky since my Naviplus install. It looks like two other users, one with Naviplus and one with ECoffroad reported similar issues. Sometimes the factory GPS gets the right location upon starting the truck and sometimes the location is 50
here’s the thread: Inconsistent factory GPS after Naviplus CarPlay install and ceramic tinting - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/inconsistent-factory-gps-after-naviplus-carplay-install-and-ceramic-tinting.1252807/
was wondering if anyone else has the same issue or doesn’t have the same issue? I’m hoping the latter and that a mistake was made during the install that can be reverted as I like the factory Navs ability to tell me what streeet im on in the instrument cluster.
Beat-Sonic launched another option this month. They list compatibility only for 2016-2019 LC.
LGVIF-CB4W Wireless S-Connect Interface for Select 2014-2021 Lexus GX
Now a wireless solution to allow Apple Carplay and Android Auto to your factory Lexus/Toyota Infotainment System! Local installation available in La Mirada, CA. email us to schedule an install appointment at info@beatsonicusa.com. Details Plug and play wireless solution to allow Apple Carplay...
From what I’ve heard Beatsonic as the best quality but their release doesn’t have wireless CarPlay which is a deal breaker for me. Per my post above my Naviplus experience hasn’t been perfect but wireless CarPlay has been and it’s well worth it (just my opinion)
greynolds
SILVER Star
I've had both the older and newer (SEPT 2020) EC Offroad units installed and haven't noticed any issues with the factory GPS. In both cases, the EC Offroad GPS module has been installed in the center speaker grill area.
Best quality in what regard? Best sound quality? Most stable? Something else? The current EC Offroad module has been pretty rock solid for me, with very few issues. I think twice it has booted up in a weird state where the display was blank, but restarting the car sorted that out. But in terms of crashes, CarPlay stability, and so on, it has been extremely good so far. Audio quality from both wireless CarPlay and native Android apps is excellent and I haven't noticed any breakups in audio from wireless CarPlay nor do I recall anyone reporting that in the EC Offroad thread I started. The EC Offroad unit definitely isn't perfect (see the list of quirks and such I've posted in the EC Offroad thread), but it's quite good.
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