EC Offroad CarPlay Solutions For 2016+ 200 Series LC

[DomSmith]

Paul-

I was told by EC that they are not pushing the vendor for BT for wireless CarPlay based on the instability issues. They currently recommend using the WiFi protocol for data transfer the way I am with OBD2.

I edited this post after re-reading the email response I got.

 

[greynolds]

Any further news on Bluetooth?

It sounds like they have no plans to do any work on adding / enabling Bluetooth capabilities for things like OBD2 sensors.

They also have no plans to pursue wireless CarPlay further at this time - apparently they found that the wireless solution that works with the hardware they went with just doesn't work well and switching back to wired is supposedly difficult. It sounded like we could actually enable wireless CarPlay on our own if we really wanted to, but it's a use at your own risk sort of thing.

I think they would be well served in updating their web pages to remove mention of these capabilities as they could be key features for someone considering a purchase and reasonably assuming that everything listed on the site is working.

 

[DomSmith]

So I started testing this am to get a few things crossed off my list. Unfortunately I have limited time today.

Not a great start...

AV Source in the rear did nothing. Last night it mirrored (audio and video). AUX in rear which did nothing last night now has audio from the front but just the "AUX" Source icon on the screen.

Tried using HDMI and DISC on both screens.

Drivers side was fine:

Passenger side was dark and ghosting Apple CarPlay...

Ghosting can be seen here as well...

Even with CarPlay disconnected the ghosting remained. Weird.

I have an email in to EC again.

UPDATE: EC Off-road did not think this screen issue was related to their box but seemed interested in what was going on. Long story short Toyota replaced it under the Platinum Extended Warranty. They found no physical damage so it was covered.

 

[greynolds]

I attempted to try Android Auto with my Samsung Galaxy S8 (which is an "extra" phone I bring with me primarily when traveling) yesterday afternoon, but it wouldn't "pair" with the EC Offroad device (I plugged a USB > USB-C cable into the same USB port I'm using for CarPlay). I'm not sure if I was doing something wrong on the phone or on the EC Offroad side. The S8 has Android 9, so I had to install the standalone Android Auto app. I'll play around with this some more, but it looks like it's possible to just run Android Auto on the phone itself and get the simplified UI for supported apps, so it may be possible to install the Android Auto app directly on the EC Offroad device and then use Google Maps within that. I may have time to experiment with this some this afternoon.

I just tried Android Auto again a few minutes ago and it worked fine this time. I looks like I just didn't have the Android Auto app fully setup on the S8 when I tried it yesterday.

 

[airforce1]

Any LX570 owners install this? And will it play nice with aftermarket 360 cameras?

 

[greynolds]

Any LX570 owners install this? And will it play nice with aftermarket 360 cameras?

I doubt that this product will work in the LX570 given that the factory infotainment system is very different from the Land Cruiser.

Not sure about aftermarket cameras as I haven't tried any, but it does have a bunch of video inputs that are supposed to be for cameras.

 

[greynolds]

I just updated the first post with some info on what a bunch of the factory buttons do when in the EC Offroad / Android / CarPlay modes.

 

[DomSmith]

I did a bit more testing today. I had no issues using the AV source in the rear this time. Every time I switched to it, it mirrored the front unit with both audio and video. In reverse all the camera views came up as normal on the front screen and the rears did not change.

CarPlay showed CarPlay. Waze showed Waze. Netflix showed Netflix. Torque showed Torque. Media Monkey showed Media Monkey.


Anything I displayed on the front went to the rear screen with AV selected...

The only thing I didn't like was switching from the EC unit back to the OEM unit by holding the HOME button. It would kick the rear screens to the main android screen just before switching to the OEM system so it displayed this in the rear rather than staying on CarPLay, etc...

Maybe you could still control this environment with a mouse plugged into one of the 2 USB ports? Then you'd probably have full control of the EC unit from the rear screens with a long ass mouse cord while looking at the OEM system up front? Not sure if the front would need to stay on aux though...

I still have the ghosting in the right rear screen. I have not heard yet from EC on the ghosting but did update them with an email stating that the rear AV seemed to be working now.

I also tested two different sources on the rear screens and can say with certainty that it can be done. I don't know how I did it but I had HDMI on the right rear from an ipad and AV with netflix on the left rear. The audio was not ideal with the wireless headsets. The left rear played Netflix wireless flawlessly. On the right the wireless kept picking up both sources and was switching back and forth like crazy. Untenable. Both audio plugs with wired headphones worked fine for each screen.

Once I switched sources using the remote both rear screens were on the same source again. I tried for 20 minutes to get back to having one display a different source but it's beyond the amount of time I want to put towards it. We have one kid. I'm sure someone with more kids knows exactly have to switch to different sources but I'm not that guy.

I will update this as I find out more...

 

[greynolds]

^ Yeah, I'm sure a mouse could be used to control the EC unit in that situation. If a wireless mouse with a USB dongle is used, no cable would be needed.

 

[DomSmith]

Good suggestion. I might give that a try.

I also messed around with the Bluetooth and phone calls. I haven’t really sorted out exactly what is going on. When connecting to carplay the startup screen says not to connect BT but that’s not very realistic. BT is on to make phone calls through the OEM system. I guess I need to look at the BT settings on my phone to see what it’s connected to. You can also make calls through the EC system using Siri in CarPlay but maybe that’s wired? I need to pay more attention and try it out some more. I have used both and you can select which one to use on your phone the way you would chose “speaker” after initiating a call. So it looks like local host is wired CarPlay and BT is the OEM system.

No matter how I initiate a call I can change it on the phone.

At one point while listening to music I noticed the audio changed speakers and I was trying to figure out what was going on. I think it was switching between the AUX output of all the speakers and the small EC speaker?


These were the screenshots from the phone and the head unit...

I think what’s happening above is the ability to play the music through OEM system via BT or wired CarPlay?

I will do more testing on this to try to make sense of it all.

Despite all this I can say that when I’m driving around using Waze and listening to music through CarPlay I’m happy. Putting all the bits and pieces under stress to try to test them, swapping rear screen sources and putting everything through its paces is exhausting and has unearthed a few strange behaviors. But the regular stuff I will use has been acceptable.

I’m not ready to give it a full blown endorsement yet but I’m close. If I can turn off my OCD brain and stop trying to find flaws and just use it when I’m driving I’m certain I’ll be happy.

I won’t speak for @greynolds but I do feel some responsibility to put it through it’s paces so those that want to consider it have as much info as possible (good and bad) to see if it fits their needs.

 

[DomSmith]

OK some great news for those that care about the rear screens...

Geoff's recommendation for a wireless mouse was excellent. I drove down the hill to Staples and picked up this wireless USB mouse...

https://www.staples.com/Logitech-M325-Wireless-Optical-Mouse-Ambidextrous-Black-910-002974/product_784551

This allowed me to control the EC environment exclusively with a mouse if I desired. No setup. Plug in USB dongle to USB 1 or USB 2, pull battery protector tab on mouse. Use mouse. Mouse arrow shows up on the rear screens.

I started with the rear screens in AV and it controlled everything in the EC environment. The front unit changed as well when it is in AUX mode. So if I changed the app in the back it changed the front to the same. Audio and video. Doesn't seem to be possible to use 2 different android sources split front and rear at the same time. I think that's reasonable.

But then I changed the source on the front screen to SAT and it switched to the OEM system, and I left the rear in AV. I got SAT radio on the front with audio from the OEM speakers and the rear screens remained on the EC unit. I could then use the mouse to make changes on the EC unit which no longer affected the front...


CarPlay in rear with SAT/NAV split screen in front...

Android home screen on rear with SAT/NAV split screen up front...

Netflix on rear with SAT/NAV split screen up front...

The one thing I could not figure out how to do from the rear using the mouse was escape CarPlay to get back to the android home screen. On the head unit up front you push the home button while in the EC mode. Not sure how with the OEM system running up front. Getting back to the android screen from Netflix is easy as there is an available back button.


I think this is pretty sweet. I don't know that I would use it a lot but some others might find it very useful. Just realize this is me sitting in my driveway putting this thing through it's paces to try to test everything out, not real world trips. Your mileage may vary.

I have not heard back from EC on the ghosting. We would almost exclusively only use one screen at a time but we would certainly like the option for the kiddo to sit in either seat on a trip. I will update with any suggestions they have.

Also of importance is that I have noticed a loud pop (volume of pop determined by volume setting) when first engaging audio for CarPlay. If the volume is high it's a loud pop. Volume off no pop. Swapping to any other sources or back to CarPlay after initial startup it does not happen. Starting in any other android app it does not happen until I select CarPlay. I will double check Netflix to be sure. No pop with Media Monkey. Shut the car off and restart... pop when audio activation in CarPlay.

This bothers me a lot. I did not notice this initially because of 1 of 2 things in my estimation...

1. It didn't pop previously and after the NAV voice update it created this problem (maybe unlikely but I feel like I would've noticed this right out of the gate). It's concerning.

2. I never had the volume up enough to hear the pop when I first activated audio in CarPlay. I find this hard to believe but I'm not betting any paychecks on it.

I hate to seem like such a pest to the EC guys but I am going to send an email asking about it. This actually would make me consider pulling it out.

 

[LCtoLX]

Any LX570 owners install this? And will it play nice with aftermarket 360 cameras?

That was my question too. The vendors should be able to answer this for us LX owners.

Over on the ClubLexus site, a fellow today posted an install of an add on from China in his LX570 (2016) with pics.

CarPlay integration with OEM head unit on 2016 LX570 - Successful - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion

LX - 3rd Gen (2008-2021) - CarPlay integration with OEM head unit on 2016 LX570 - Successful - About a week or so ago, I did the same for my 2014 GX460, decided to do the same for my 2016 LX570 as well. The process is fairly simple, a true plug and play installation. Compare to GX460 install...

www.clublexus.com

 

[greynolds]

OK some great news for those that care about the rear screens...

Geoff's recommendation for a wireless mouse was excellent. I drove down the hill to Staples and picked up this wireless USB mouse...

https://www.staples.com/Logitech-M325-Wireless-Optical-Mouse-Ambidextrous-Black-910-002974/product_784551

This allowed me to control the EC environment exclusively with a mouse if I desired. No setup. Plug in USB dongle to USB 1 or USB 2, pull battery protector tab on mouse. Use mouse. Mouse arrow shows up on the rear screens.

Cool - I was pretty sure that would work as I did use a mouse for some of the Android app setup on the front screen and it worked really well.

The one thing I could not figure out how to do from the rear using the mouse was escape CarPlay to get back to the android home screen. On the head unit up front you push the home button while in the EC mode. Not sure how with the OEM system running up front. Getting back to the android screen from Netflix is easy as there is an available back button.

One of the options on the main CarPlay screen is "Toyota" or "Car" - that exits CarPlay and goes back to the Android App Launcher (what you're referring to as the home screen).

I think this is pretty sweet. I don't know that I would use it a lot but some others might find it very useful. Just realize this is me sitting in my driveway putting this thing through it's paces to try to test everything out, not real world trips. Your mileage may vary.

Having the mouse available will most likely come in handy from time to time up front, when poorly behaved Android apps require scrolling to get to input fields, but scrolling with your finger on the screen doesn't work. The Spotify login issue I ran to is a good example of that.

I have not heard back from EC on the ghosting. We would almost exclusively only use one screen at a time but we would certainly like the option for the kiddo to sit in either seat on a trip. I will update with any suggestions they have.

I'm really curious what the issue might be as I would think the signal path from the EC unit is essentially the same to both displays. Not knowing enough about how the rear displays work, I'll ask a potentially dumb question - do other video sources that you can view (not from the EC unit) also come from the front unit? If so, do those display fine on both rear displays now?

Also of importance is that I have noticed a loud pop (volume of pop determined by volume setting) when first engaging audio for CarPlay. If the volume is high it's a loud pop. Volume off no pop. Swapping to any other sources or back to CarPlay after initial startup it does not happen. Starting in any other android app it does not happen until I select CarPlay. I will double check Netflix to be sure. No pop with Media Monkey. Shut the car off and restart... pop when audio activation in CarPlay.

This bothers me a lot. I did not notice this initially because of 1 of 2 things in my estimation...

1. It didn't pop previously and after the NAV voice update it created this problem (maybe unlikely but I feel like I would've noticed this right out of the gate). It's concerning.

2. I never had the volume up enough to hear the pop when I first activated audio in CarPlay. I find this hard to believe but I'm not betting any paychecks on it.

I hate to seem like such a pest to the EC guys but I am going to send an email asking about it. This actually would make me consider pulling it out.

Yeah, I'm getting this to some degree too, though it sounds like yours may be more severe than mine. I wouldn't feel like I'm being a pest asking them to look into it as it's a legitimate issue. The closer we can coax them into making this a "perfect" solution without any glaring issues, the more sales they're likely to get from the ih8mud crowd. I'd like to get to a point where I can give this unit a strong recommendation - for my needs, fixing this and the HVAC issue would get me there. So far, any issues I've run into with Android apps have been with the apps themselves, no fault of the EC unit.

 

[FerrisBueller]

The closer we can coax them into making this a "perfect" solution without any glaring issues, the more sales they're likely to get from the ih8mud crowd. I'd like to get to a point where I can give this unit a strong recommendation - for my needs, fixing this and the HVAC issue would get me there. So far, any issues I've run into with Android apps have been with the apps themselves, no fault of the EC unit.

I would purchase right now if the HVAC issue was fixed. I am assuming that the rear screen ghosting problem is an isolated incident (e.g., maybe some bad or bridged solder joints on the circuit board), but there aren't other data points to prove this one way or the other. If someone else experiences the ghosting problem, then it becomes a real concern.

 

[DomSmith]

^Agree. I’m pretty impressed with it. CarPlay is really nice to have as an iOS guy.

The ghosting issue also affects the HDMI and DISC sources when I’m in the OEM system so it must be some kind of bleed over from the EC unit but not sure why it would be on one screen. If I need to I’ll unplug the rear screens and the kid can use the OEM stuff like she always has.

I’m comfortable with how the HVAC works on my 2016. I’ve lost the climate button but can get to it by holding down HOME to get to OEM and then using it. HOME again and I’m back to Android/CarPlay. The hard buttons all work which control it all anyway except for a fan button but the temp keys can make the fan speed change. I have not had my climate system in the OFF position overnight after leaving it on. We do use the truck every day though.

The popping noise is a nuisance to my OCD. I suppose if they said nothing we can do I would either have to get over it or try to remember to have the volume on 0.

 

[DomSmith]

Ahhhhhh that’s right! Thanks Geoff! Yes the car icon in CarPlay. That will do it.

This unit has so many options. I’d be thrilled if they resolve the pop I’m experiencing and secondarily the screen ghosting. I will unplug the video cable if I have to so that’s not a deal breaker to me.

 

[psnyman]

Thanks for your detailed testing @DomSmith - I haven’t yet connected that cable for my rear screen and I have also been getting that audio pop - will pay attention when testing again and report back.

 

[seajeff]

Well, I took the plunge. I received the EC Offroad unit last week for my 2016 LC and got it installed this weekend. Thanks Dom on the awesome install write up and greynolds, psnyman on sharing your own experiences. Many of the issues I encountered were already commented or resolved in this thread in accurate detail.

I've only played with it for an hour or two but my initial impressions - CarPlay is very fast and that alone was worth the upgrade (to me). The base Android is a plus and I'm going to play with that a bit more. (Starting with the WiFi ODB2 and Torque Pro. I second the mouse recommendation if only for the Spotify native android app scrolling issue. (lol).

My son connected his OnePlus 6t and was able to get kick into android auto type of mode, so that was a nice bonus too in addition to CarPlay.

At first glance, Gaia through CarPlay also was pretty cool. It displayed the map and updated as I drove around. But updating the position on the map was noticeably more jerky than in Google Maps or Waze. (But not to the point that you would miss a turn.) A surprise to me, I discovered that I could open Gaia on my CarPlay connected phone and add map overlays that then dynamically would appear on Gaia on the screen. So I could partially control Gaia on my phone while it was displaying on the main screen. This might be a really nice way for a navigator to adjust settings, pan and scroll around on the phone while the main map remained visible. I didn't really expect that at all and I'm curious what other CarPlay apps support interesting dual use scenarios. I had been running Gaia on a connected iPad and maybe now I don't need that. Here's a photo showing some of the USGS quadrangles you can get through Gaia showing up on the CarPlay. I plan to test Gaia on the main android system as well, as I'm thinking that might be my offroad spec (functions without cellular) and would include downloaded Gaia maps and local music storage.

I'll keep sharing my experiences. So far, so good.

 

[NCMTNS]

Looks like a new model is out. Wonder if it addresses the HVAC and audio pop issues some are having. I may reach out to them and see as I really like this unit...

Interface Module unit to suit LandCruiser 200, Car Play & GPS, Android

Module to Suit Toyota LandCruiser 200 series For VX / Sahara 2016 - July 2018 Our new V5 unit is here.. The best there is This Aftermarket module will fit facelift Sahara & VX models up unitl July 2018, unlike the older interface units this one is FULLY plug and play, just 2 plugs to install...

www.ecvisionsound.com

 

[greynolds]

Looks like a new model is out. Wonder if it addresses the HVAC and audio pop issues some are having. I may reach out to them and see as I really like this unit...

Interface Module unit to suit LandCruiser 200, Car Play & GPS, Android

Module to Suit Toyota LandCruiser 200 series For VX / Sahara 2016 - July 2018 Our new V5 unit is here.. The best there is This Aftermarket module will fit facelift Sahara & VX models up unitl July 2018, unlike the older interface units this one is FULLY plug and play, just 2 plugs to install...

www.ecvisionsound.com

Good question, but I doubt it fixes those problems. Most likely a boost in CPU performance and possible a newer version of Android. However, I'm going to contact EC Offroad and see if a swap can be arranged.

Update: I just sent them a message and will report back with what they say.