EC Offroad CarPlay Solutions For 2016+ 200 Series LC (NEW SEPT 2020 MODEL)
- Thread starter greynolds
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Mine came with that version.
The integrated plugin Android box mounted inside the EC unit is version 2.0 from 2021-03-26. (I'm an electrical engineer... I couldn't NOT void my warranty and check out the internals.) I know some of you were doing debugging with EC, so you might have this info to compare against.
Do it Geoff! All the cool kids are…
I've had the EC Offroad unit for a few weeks now and generally am pleased with its stability especially if Carplay is your goal. That being said, like many I couldn't help but explore the other android apps. For example, I love having the ability to stream CNBC via youtube TV on my way to work while running Carplay(wired). **I'm watching the road**
Curious about a few things:
- I'm an ios user so excuse my ignorance but has anyone posed the question why these don't ship with a more recent of android installed? A lot of the issues that have been raised about certain apps come down to compatibility with Android 8 (8 was released 4 years ago right?) Is Zlink the holdback?
- Has anyone been able to get Tidal to work for music directly on android unit? I downloaded and it just simply won't boot up fully (works great on car play)
- Has anyone attempted to upgrade to the latest version of zlink? (Not a lot of information on this app online or it's very elusive)
- I guess what i'm getting at is, has everyone resigned to the idea that to stay within 3 versions of android we'll be spending $1200 a year to upgrade to the latest device? Hell, that may just be the world we're livin in and if so at least we have a quality solution.
Again, I've had a great experience so far and would not change my decision (beggers can't exactly be choosers). I love the unit and the price of the unit, while not ideal, is worth it considering how much it improves my experience in such an expensive vehicle.
Cheers,
Noah
PS: @greynolds you rock dude. I really appreciate you and the rest of the mud community doing so much leg work to meticulously document everyone's experience. I need a new hotspot for work anyway and I'd like to draft off of your experimenting getting a second internet connection to the device while maintaining wireless carplay. I read through your post and frankly just got lost(I'm a little slow). Did you settle on a hotspot that has an ethernet out and hook the hotspot directly into that? There seem to be limited options on hotspots that have an ethernet port( I am considering the Nighthawk 5G which does). If so will any usb to ethernet adapter work?
Curious about a few things:
- I'm an ios user so excuse my ignorance but has anyone posed the question why these don't ship with a more recent of android installed? A lot of the issues that have been raised about certain apps come down to compatibility with Android 8 (8 was released 4 years ago right?) Is Zlink the holdback?
- Has anyone been able to get Tidal to work for music directly on android unit? I downloaded and it just simply won't boot up fully (works great on car play)
- Has anyone attempted to upgrade to the latest version of zlink? (Not a lot of information on this app online or it's very elusive)
- I guess what i'm getting at is, has everyone resigned to the idea that to stay within 3 versions of android we'll be spending $1200 a year to upgrade to the latest device? Hell, that may just be the world we're livin in and if so at least we have a quality solution.
Again, I've had a great experience so far and would not change my decision (beggers can't exactly be choosers). I love the unit and the price of the unit, while not ideal, is worth it considering how much it improves my experience in such an expensive vehicle.
Cheers,
Noah
PS: @greynolds you rock dude. I really appreciate you and the rest of the mud community doing so much leg work to meticulously document everyone's experience. I need a new hotspot for work anyway and I'd like to draft off of your experimenting getting a second internet connection to the device while maintaining wireless carplay. I read through your post and frankly just got lost(I'm a little slow). Did you settle on a hotspot that has an ethernet out and hook the hotspot directly into that? There seem to be limited options on hotspots that have an ethernet port( I am considering the Nighthawk 5G which does). If so will any usb to ethernet adapter work?
greynolds
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- Thread starter
- #127
It's a good question, but seems to be very typical with these Android head units where they're behind the curve on Android versions. No idea why though as I've never received a good answer.
I don't recall if I have tried the Tidal app on mine, but it may just be one of the apps that doesn't play nice with our Android version.
I have not, but it's one of those things I'm hesitant to mess with because it works fine for me.
Pretty much yes. But the good news is that we currently don't have too much of a need for a newer version of Android. If we get to the point where most apps need a newer version of Android, then we'll have to spend more money probably.
Thanks
. So it's pretty much plug a USB to Ethernet adapter in to one of the USB ports and then hook an Ethernet cable up to that and a corresponding port on the hotspot of your choice. I have tried several different USB to Ethernet adapters and they all have worked so far. If you go with one of the units I provided a link to in the post #103 above, you can be certain you'll have one that works. As I mentioned in my private message reply, I ended up going with a MoFi 4500 mobile hotspot and it has been working really well so far. It does take about 90 seconds to boot up and get a cellular connection, so you do need to be a bit patient each time you start the car, but it has been otherwise 100% reliable so far.
Custom PCB fabricated, waiting for delivery. It's amazing what you can do for $2 (plus shipping).
How long did it take you guys to get the module shipped from EC?
Received it 9 days after ordering.
Wow. That's quick from Oz. Thanks
All the Android Auto apps (when going through my phone) stay in night mode when I have my phone's AA app set to "automatic" based on time of day. Day mode does work if I manually select it. But I don't want to have to manually switch back and forth.
This appears to be a common problem around the web, though, so I don't think it has anything to do with the EC unit and likely is a problem with the phone software.
This appears to be a common problem around the web, though, so I don't think it has anything to do with the EC unit and likely is a problem with the phone software.
I'm running a netgear nighthawk 5100. It's totally overkill and overpriced for this use. Debating taking it back and switching to the M1100 since it's half the price and 5g isn't a requirement or very available for that matter at the moment.
I'm sending it through this adapter(I tried a couple because i was impatient waiting on amazon but i can say that this one has been extremely stable):
Amazon product ASIN B00YUU3KC6
Anyone had success connecting an external mouse or keyboard to the device?
Still driving me nuts not having tidal on the android side of things. I find myself using that side of the unit more and more.
I'm sending it through this adapter(I tried a couple because i was impatient waiting on amazon but i can say that this one has been extremely stable):
Amazon product ASIN B00YUU3KC6
Anyone had success connecting an external mouse or keyboard to the device?
Still driving me nuts not having tidal on the android side of things. I find myself using that side of the unit more and more.
I have used a wireless mouse with the system and it works great. I had it set up in the back for my daughter to use on the rear screens to help navigate the menus etc.
greynolds
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- Thread starter
- #137
I went with the MoFi because I didn't want to go with one of the routers that has a battery and wanted something with tabs for mounting it semi-permanently. Agreed that 5G isn't needed for this at the moment. It definitely makes sense to go with a 4G option for now and upgrade to 5G later, if it makes sense as the 5G options will drop in price over time.
Has anyone tried this model?:
I can't find much info on it and EC has just one general and a couple of install videos. A good bit more money, but I am a fan of the larger screen. Like to know if it's quirky and needs work or if it's good to go out of the box.
I can't find much info on it and EC has just one general and a couple of install videos. A good bit more money, but I am a fan of the larger screen. Like to know if it's quirky and needs work or if it's good to go out of the box.
The screen menus looks to be the same as the 100 series Tesla style screens that are available for the 100 series and LX470. Made in Chyna...
There was a lot of growing pains with those from the 100 series forum thread(s).
Such as HVAC not working correctly, locking up, etc...
Here's one of a few threads about them
Tesla style head unit - has anyone seen this?
Weird issue here.... My climate control works for hot air, but when I try and use my AC it blows hot... I'll try plugging in the OEM unit to see if it's just a AC issue or a phoenix issue
forum.ih8mud.com
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greynolds
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- #140
I don’t believe anyone on IH8MUD has tried it yet, at least not in a 20+ US spec LC. I’m very tempted because the larger, higher resolution screen would be really nice to have. The potential negatives that come to mind are:
This would completely remove the factory infotainment functionality, so no more SiriusXM via satellite or AM/FM radio. Maybe this isn’t really a negative, but it is nice having the option to use the factory features.
There would be no access to custom settings via the touchscreen. Apparently, all of these can be done with various button presses on the dash or with Techstream, so this may not be an issue. I think I have mine set the way I want at this point, so not a huge problem.
Any impact on the heating and cooling functionality. This is potentially a big issue if any functionality is lost or the controls aren’t 100% reliable. I’d really like to see someone with a US spec LC try it before I do
.I think the advantages of this option are pretty obvious though and I have a hunch I’ll install one of these (or a newer version) eventually.
