So if you have the first-generation of dongle, is this second-generation worth upgrading to? Thinking long and hard about it, I don’t think it is. Because software is shared between generations, there will not be any differences in compatibility other than with its hardware. If you think a detachable USB cable or 5.8GHz speeds will help improve the location of your dongle or the connection or the stability in your vehicle, then it might be worth the upgrade. Otherwise, I would wait for more drastic changes or feature improvements. Another scenario where it can be useful is if your car has only wired CarPlay and you want to run Android Auto on it. Would have been perfect for my X1 but alas, BMW feels wired CarPlay is too old school. The installation video says you plug it into your car's smart port, be it USB-C or USB-A, with the other USB-C end going into The Magic Box. It includes an 8-inch premium braided cloth USB-A to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-C cable. The Magic Box takes about 20 seconds to load and displays a fun animation screen. It warns you not to use the dongle while in motion, and then deposits you in a configuration screen. The Magic Box runs Android itself, and thus has its own settings you must use—like setting it up to use Wi-Fi from your home, or when parked by the coffee shop, or off of your phone’s mobile hotspot while you’re on the road.

There’s little competition in this category — and as a result, if you want a device that can convert your CarPlay wired connection to a wireless one, this is the way to go. Should I buy the Carlinkit 4.0? So out of all of the tests, the results were in favour of the 3.0 dongle. It is a much faster dongle overall, where boot-up times are reduced by around 5 seconds overall. This in turn results in a faster bootup time overall. Sometimes the 2.0 dongle can get close, so if you already have a 2.0 dongle there may not be such a significant reduction to warrant upgrading to the 3.0 or equivalent dongle. The Ottocast is basically a rebadged Carlinkit 3.0 dongle inside its slightly different casing. So having seen what the Ottocast can do, I thought it would be a good idea to see if the CarLinkit 3.0 will be any different from the original I have. So I took this dongle for a spin in the car to see how much faster it is against this CarLinkit 2.0 dongle. Firmware Updates & Tests Like the above devices, using The Magic Link starts out just fine: Plug it in, watch the intermediary interface appear on screen, look for the Bluetooth connection on the iPhone, connect to it, and CarPlay is up and running. The usual lag applies. It includes a 12-inch USB-A to USB-C cable. Seat: Alhambra, Ibiza, Leon, Toledo, Ateca (do not recommend using it on Android Auto), Arona, TarracoThe adapter properly handles the different types of audio (music, speech/Siri, phone call, ringtone), enabling the head unit to store separate volume levels for all of them. So you can for example turn up your music while still getting directions at a reasonable volume. Delay You can also operate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wirelessly on your CarPlay display, stream local media files and output to a connected HDMI display. So in short, they are smart little devices that open new opportunities for your CarPlay display, and they are perfect if you find yourself in the car for long periods of time, or whilst you’re waiting for your EV to charge. 24 CarPlay AI Boxes Tested In the box, you get the Mini 3.0 dongle itself. There is a small USB-C to USB-A cable that connects the dongle to your car’s CarPlay USB port. And there is a small paper manual that tells you how to operate and update the dongle. Features & Comparisons

On the top of the case, there is a criss-cross pattern of holes for ventilation and cooling of the chipset inside. And on the bottom, there is a small single hole that shows a green or red LED to inform you that the dongle is powered and operational, or whether there are any connection errors or compatibility issues. Once it’s actually connected, however, it seemed to perform extremely well. I was actually surprised how responsive and reactive CarPlay was to touch, and I never had any dropouts after initial connectivity. That could be because the device relies on a dual 2.4GHz and 5GHz connection for improved connectivity. The connection seemed almost like a wired one in terms of responsiveness, and actually faster than most other CarPlay Wireless connections I’ve used. Conclusions Diving into the Geekbench app its results matched these two mentioned dongles, ranking joint second place in the single-core test, third place in the multi-core test, and third place in the GPU test. But the difference in scores between them is very little. Dual Bluetooth & Gaming VW: Spacefox, CC, Scirocco, Amarok, Beetle, Beetle Cabriolet, Golf R, Caddy, California, Caravelle, e-Golf, Fox, Golf, Golf Cabriolet, Golf SportsVan, Golf Variant, Golf SportWagen, GTI, Jetta, Lamando, Multivan, Passat Variant, Polo(Except for Polo with Type-C), Sharan, Tiguan, Touran, Transporter, Passat, Atlas, Crafter, CrossFox, Gol, Saveiro, Voyage, Arteon, Bora, Magotan, Sagitar, T-Roc, ID.3, ID.4Although it might look a little similar to CarlinKit’s earlier T-Box branded CarPlay AI Boxes, inside things are a little different. The Plus features an Android 11 operation system, 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM, a fast 8-core Qualcomm 6125 CPU and an Adreno 610 GPU. There is also the usual 4G LTE SIM and SD card slots for local internet and added storage of up to 128GB. Its YouTube app runs in full-screen tablet mode, which isn’t as nice as the same app on some other AI Boxes. The T-Box Plus also has the same issue where it can’t update to the latest version of Netflix, so you’ll have to look at sideloading any updates to access any new app features instead. Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto A few caveats before you get started: Your phone can't be connected to other Bluetooth devices, not even the hands-free option for your car’s infotainment system—I had to delete my phone’s existing entry. It also can't be connected to another Wi-Fi network, which is difficult if you've got a strong signal from the house that reaches your driveway. The Cplay2Air works with the iPhone 6 and up, and you can plug it into a USB-C port if you buy your own converter cable. Only 1 finalist didn’t support any secondary Bluetooth connections, whilst the rest supported at least a Bluetooth remote control connection, and 6 offered both remote and Bluetooth game controller support.

In second place we have the Ottocast Picasou 2 Pro. This is a new entry AI Box that I have yet to bring my full review on this channel, but it made good sense to size it up alongside all the other AI Boxes. Thanks to its overall performance it managed to easily sneak its way into taking second place in my top 5. Only vehicles that come with wired CarPlay can use this dongle to upgrade to wireless CarPlay. Carlinkit 3.0 is compatible with all iPhone models from the iPhone 6 and above running iOS 10 or above. Carlinkit 4.0 works with both iPhones (iPhone 6 and above, iOS 10 or above) and Android smartphones (Android 9.0 or above, some require Android 11.0 or above, such as Huawei).If you use Carplay and Android Auto in Aftermarket Android Head Unit, You can choose 👉 Carlinkit Autokit (CCPA) . It's specially made for Android head units, which is suitable for model system versions above Android 4.4+. Features: ✅ Convert Your Wired Carplay/ Android Auto to Wireless! Your car already has wired Apple CarPlay installed either from the factory or upgraded through your dealer, and you are using its functions. Peugeot: 208, 2008, 308S, 3008, 4008, 408, 301, 308, 308 SW, 508, 5008, Expert, Partner Tepee, Traveller, Rifter

Activez le bluetooth et le wifi, mais gardez "non connecté". Cherchez et sélectionnez le signal bluetooth dans votre iphone, le nom du signal bluetooth qui s'affiche sur l'écran de la voiture. Built-in 4G full Netcom module for networking, and can also use mobile phone hotspot WIFI for networking Navigating the CarPlay interface via touchscreen is quite smooth and not perceived as being too laggy. There is not much of a difference compared to wired CarPlay. This clearly indicates that the concept indeed works. The cable that comes supplied is of a similar length to the other dongles, and it is also detachable from the dongle, should you need to replace it with a longer cable or replace the original one if it becomes faulty in the future. In The CarGPS in navigation apps was just fine and calling quality seems just the same as you would expect, with your iPhone and car microphone doing all the heavy lifting for both of these functions. Making phone calls works in principle. There is some talking over each other every now and then which however also happens with wired CarPlay from time to time. Mercedes-Benz: A-Class, B-Class, CLA-Class, CLS-Class, E-Class Cabriolet, E-Class Coupe, GLA-Class, GLE-Class, E-Class, GLS-Class, SL-Class, GLC-Class, S-Class, C-Class The first CarPlay adapter I tried, the Cplay2Air, is straightforward: You plug the Cplay2Air directly into the car’s USB-A smart port via the integrated cable. If you want the convenience of CarPlay Wireless or Android Auto Wireless without having to upgrade your car’s head unit or get a new car, then the Carlinkit 4.0 is absolutely worth considering. You’ll need a car that supports CarPlay through a wired connection first, and the device is a little expensive, but apart from the slow initial connection, it works very well. The competition