PeterA

Try this on Amazon:

USB 3.0 Adapter 90 Degree Male to Female Coupler Connector Plug Left Angle and Right Angle by Oxsubor

FTBoomer

I ordered one of these magic black boxes and then found these on Amazon:

User 41924

It wasn’t that I thought you were all wrong. I just didn’t understand how or why. So I asked them, and tnw2933 is exactly correct. This is their response:
Our adapter has WiFi and Bluetooth hardware. It connects with Bluetooth and sends the WiFi credentials to the phone, then disconnects from the Bluetooth network. It works solely on WiFi from that point on. You cannot use both wifi at the same time. You can use mobile data to access the internet.

I should have known better than to doubt!

GoGoPSU

That’s very interesting @woodrow. So question because I am not 100% clear. If I am attached to the car via wi-fi using the carplay2air device, my mobile data will still work for streaming things like apple music and data for my maps? My experiences in the past have been if wi-fi does not have access to the internet (the carplay2 device) then my phone will not have access to it. In other words when my internet is down and I am connected to wi-fi, my phone doesn’t work. But when I turn wi-fi off, I can use my mobile data plan and I get access. I am trying to understand how in this scenario, how does the phone know to use mobile for data but wi-fi for carplay?

tnw2933

I am not @woodrow, but I am the thread starter, and I own and use the carplay2air device. This device works by establishing a wifi connection between the iPhone and the carplay2air device. the carplay2air device does not require an internet connection to work. It only needs a connection via wifi to the iPhone, and of course must be plugged into the USB port of my ES350. Music, Siri voice activation, Apple Maps, Waze, Google maps and other Apple CarPlay features are accessed by the iPhone using a mobile data connection with the data being transferred via wifi to the carplay2air device.

I do not think this is any different when Apple CarPlay is connected via a wired USB connection. Last Spring, before purchasing the carplay2air device, I was using Apple CarPlay and Apple Maps to navigate via a wired connection from the iPhone to Apple CarPlay on my ES350. While traveling not far from Grandfather Mountain, NC in the mountains of NC, I lost the cellular signal and Apple Maps ceased to function. I switched to the Lexus navigation system which uses satellite data, and I was back in business.

I am certainly not an expert on all of this so if any of the above is incorrect, please feel free to correct me.

TechNut

I don’t think you understood the question, or at least I have a different understanding of the question. I understand the carplay2air device doesn’t require internet access, however Waze and Google Maps does. The point is that the phone will automatically seek Internet connectivity through a WiFi connection when it is active (for Waze as an example), rather than using mobile (cellular) data. If it sees a WiFi connection to the carplay2air device, it will normally “assume” it can access the internet through that network connection.

Perhaps a more vivid example of this is on a home network. If the phone is joined to the home network, it will automatically connect when within range and look for the Internet via that home WiFi network. If for some reason the Internet is down on that home network, the phone will still connect to that WiFi network, it just won’t find the Internet. You will have to disconnect from that home WiFi network and use mobile data to connect to the Internet. So in the carplay2air model, the phone still needs mobile data access to the Internet in order to use map services, but by default the phone would be seeking that access via the WiFi network which merely routes to the carplay2air device. It would seem that the phone hits a proverbial dead end reaching the Internet while it is connected to the carplay2air device. Was there some specific phone setting you had to use so the phone would use mobile data for Internet connectivity?

kalel2127

You guys are overthinking it, just know that it works:

Wireless Carplay

tnw2933

I did understand your question, and I stand by my answer that an internet connection is NOT necessary to access Apple Maps, Waze or Google Maps. In all three cases when I am in my ES350 and carplay2air connects via the wifi connection, all of those services are available on the road and work as expected. All of them (and other services such as Apple Music and Siri services) are all active on the road. via the cellular data connection to the iPhone. There is no "deadend" when the carplay2air device is being used since the iPhone provides access to those services via cellular data. Yes, I do have Cellular data turned on in Settings on my iPhone for Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze. If I did not, then those services would be inoperable and the carplay2air device would be useless.

I just went out to my ES350, backed it out of the garage, waited for the carplay2air device to connect via wifi and display the Apple CarPlay screen(about 25-30 seconds). I then went into Waze, used Siri to input an address to a friend's home. In about 15 seconds Waze showed me a map to my friend's home with turn by turn navigation. I then did the same thing using Google Maps, and the same successful result occurred. I have already tried Apple Maps numerous times and it works fine. Other expected Siri services work as well.

GoGoPSU

That is correct TechNut. You understand what I was asking. While it may ‘just work’, I am also a Tech Nut. And I am curious more than anything how this works.

As you state, I know when my internet is down at home because even though I can receive calls on my iphone, if the wi-fi internet from my router at home is down, then my phone will not load websites or access any data related app. HOWEVER, if I turn off wi-fi on the iphone, the iphone will then use the cellular data connection.

So following this logic, I am trying to understand how the iphone knows to use cellular data while connected to the dongle via wi-fi. There must be a setting within the dongle to state that it will only use carplay from the dongle and all other data will come from cellular.

Anyone else thought about security with this device as well? I don’t mean to be an alarmist. But this thing is connected to your car and your phone. And your DATA connection. Therefore, it follows logic it could see everything passing along that connection and feed it back to the country of origin. China. Now again, I fully understand that this is the world we live in. But just wondering if anyone thought of this. I am still getting it as I believe we have to somewhat trust people. But given apps still make the app store and to our phones that steal our data and location, it seems that this could do the same.

FTBoomer

Just received notification that my little black box will be here on Monday. I am curious about the whole wifi and internet streaming thing. I want to stream Tidal to this thing and have it play via wifi on my system. I'll report back on Monday or Tuesday.

TechNut

I can accept that some smart engineer(s) has/have figured this all out already and it "just works", but like you, I can't stand not knowing how that can be. I realize this inquisitiveness comes from my technical background and doesn't have anything to do with an automotive function. I do understand wireless networking and this discussion just brings up so many questions because I don't know how they did that ...

GoGoPSU

Haha, we are cut from the same cloth! I totally get what you mean which is why I asked the question! Haha!

FTBoomer

So these DO NOT work. The cover won't close. I think I'm going to go to a streo store and see what it would cost to remove the center console and have them tap into the front USB ports and run an extension line back and into the center glove box and install a USB port in there.

GoGoPSU

I have been worried about this issue. i want to use my cup holders but not have this big wire always in view. I was looking at a smaller ribbon type connection but i like your idea about relocating the USB port to the glove box or center console area. Let us know how things go with this.

jaycedog

It is unfortunate that Lexus has not implemented wireless CarPlay into their lines. I think this would definitely improve user experience.