Wireless Apple CarPlay on Lexus ES350 Using Carplay2Air
02-22-20, 02:09 PM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
Wireless Apple CarPlay on Lexus ES350 Using Carplay2Air
I have a 2019 Luxury Lexus ES350 equipped with wired Apple CarPlay. I rarely use it because of the nuisance of connecting a lightening to USB cable to my phone, putting my phone in the slot to hold it, and then forgetting to remove the phone from the car when I arrive at my destination. I have found it easier to use the Lexus navigation system even though I find it less accurate and less reliable than Apple CarPlay. Recently I purchased, received and have been using the CarPlay2Air USB dongle (carplay2air.com) which provides wireless connection to Apple's CarPlay. The CarPlay2Air device is about the size of a small SSD drive and has a short cable (about 4-5 inches)that plugs into the USB port on my Lexus. I then slip the CarPlay2air device into the nearby slot normally occupied by my phone. Set up of the device was straightforward. One plugs the device into the USB port, starts the car, and connects to the device in the Bluetooth settings on the iPhone. (I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max, but the CarPlay2Air device is stated to work with all iPhones from iPhone 6 up.) After connecting the device via Bluetooth, the device then establishes automatically a wifi connection to AppleCar Play in my Lexus and disengages the Bluetooth connection. The Lexus display is very clear about what is going on during this process and clearly shows when a connection has been established. Once connection is established, Apple CarPlay comes up on the Lexus display and works as it does via a wired connection. The CarPlay2Air device receives firmware updates via an IP address provided in the directions when the device is connected to USB and Apple CarPlay. Placing this IP address into the url of Safari on my iPhone, came back and told me that a firmware update was available, and I downloaded and installed it without any problems.
I leave the CarPlay2Air permanently connected to the USB connection in my Lexus. When I get into the Lexus and start the engine. the usual Lexus start-up sequence occurs, and within seconds of that completing I am informed on the Lexus display that connection to Apple CarPlay has been made and Apple maps appears full screen on my Lexus display. From pressing the start button on my Lexus to full access to Apple CarPlay takes about 30-35 seconds or less. I am able to activate Siri from the steering wheel voice control to get navigation to a destination and for other actions such as sending and receiving text messages (which are read aloud), making phone calls, and listening to music. With Apple Music my album art work shows up nicely on the Lexus display. In selecting and playing music I notice a delay of less than one second.
So far I am quite happy with the CarPlay2air device. It does exactly what it claims to do and does it well. To date I have encountered only one anomaly. I notice that after giving a voice command for a destination, the Multifunction Display Panel on my Lexus ES350 was stuck showing a microphone with a red diagonal line through it. I was able to solve this problem by tapping (not holding) the voice activation button on the steering wheel, and then at the Lexus beep saying "cancel". The Multifunction display then works properly, and I am still in Apple CarPlay navigation.
Apple in iOS13 made very significant improvements to CarPlay and Apple Maps. The display and layout of Apple Maps as well as their accuracy is much better then in previous versions of CarPlay. I look forward to further using wireless Apple CarPlay via this device.
Please note that I am not connected in any way with either CarPlay2Air or Apple. This post is purely designed to relate my experience with the CarPlay2air device.
Tom
I leave the CarPlay2Air permanently connected to the USB connection in my Lexus. When I get into the Lexus and start the engine. the usual Lexus start-up sequence occurs, and within seconds of that completing I am informed on the Lexus display that connection to Apple CarPlay has been made and Apple maps appears full screen on my Lexus display. From pressing the start button on my Lexus to full access to Apple CarPlay takes about 30-35 seconds or less. I am able to activate Siri from the steering wheel voice control to get navigation to a destination and for other actions such as sending and receiving text messages (which are read aloud), making phone calls, and listening to music. With Apple Music my album art work shows up nicely on the Lexus display. In selecting and playing music I notice a delay of less than one second.
So far I am quite happy with the CarPlay2air device. It does exactly what it claims to do and does it well. To date I have encountered only one anomaly. I notice that after giving a voice command for a destination, the Multifunction Display Panel on my Lexus ES350 was stuck showing a microphone with a red diagonal line through it. I was able to solve this problem by tapping (not holding) the voice activation button on the steering wheel, and then at the Lexus beep saying "cancel". The Multifunction display then works properly, and I am still in Apple CarPlay navigation.
Apple in iOS13 made very significant improvements to CarPlay and Apple Maps. The display and layout of Apple Maps as well as their accuracy is much better then in previous versions of CarPlay. I look forward to further using wireless Apple CarPlay via this device.
Please note that I am not connected in any way with either CarPlay2Air or Apple. This post is purely designed to relate my experience with the CarPlay2air device.
Tom
02-24-20, 09:37 AM
#2
Great review! Unfortunately, the Bluetooth sound quality is no match for wired. 
The following 5 users liked this post by kalel2127:
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dklanecky1 (02-24-20),
FTBoomer (02-29-20),
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tedlip (08-06-21)
02-24-20, 10:14 AM
#3
Driver School Candidate
I have a 2019 Luxury Lexus ES350 equipped with wired Apple CarPlay. I rarely use it because of the nuisance of connecting a lightening to USB cable to my phone, putting my phone in the slot to hold it, and then forgetting to remove the phone from the car when I arrive at my destination. I have found it easier to use the Lexus navigation system even though I find it less accurate and less reliable than Apple CarPlay. Recently I purchased, received and have been using the CarPlay2Air USB dongle (carplay2air.com) which provides wireless connection to Apple's CarPlay. The CarPlay2Air device is about the size of a small SSD drive and has a short cable (about 4-5 inches)that plugs into the USB port on my Lexus. I then slip the CarPlay2air device into the nearby slot normally occupied by my phone. Set up of the device was straightforward. One plugs the device into the USB port, starts the car, and connects to the device in the Bluetooth settings on the iPhone. (I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max, but the CarPlay2Air device is stated to work with all iPhones from iPhone 6 up.) After connecting the device via Bluetooth, the device then establishes automatically a wifi connection to AppleCar Play in my Lexus and disengages the Bluetooth connection. The Lexus display is very clear about what is going on during this process and clearly shows when a connection has been established. Once connection is established, Apple CarPlay comes up on the Lexus display and works as it does via a wired connection. The CarPlay2Air device receives firmware updates via an IP address provided in the directions when the device is connected to USB and Apple CarPlay. Placing this IP address into the url of Safari on my iPhone, came back and told me that a firmware update was available, and I downloaded and installed it without any problems.
I leave the CarPlay2Air permanently connected to the USB connection in my Lexus. When I get into the Lexus and start the engine. the usual Lexus start-up sequence occurs, and within seconds of that completing I am informed on the Lexus display that connection to Apple CarPlay has been made and Apple maps appears full screen on my Lexus display. From pressing the start button on my Lexus to full access to Apple CarPlay takes about 30-35 seconds or less. I am able to activate Siri from the steering wheel voice control to get navigation to a destination and for other actions such as sending and receiving text messages (which are read aloud), making phone calls, and listening to music. With Apple Music my album art work shows up nicely on the Lexus display. In selecting and playing music I notice a delay of less than one second.
So far I am quite happy with the CarPlay2air device. It does exactly what it claims to do and does it well. To date I have encountered only one anomaly. I notice that after giving a voice command for a destination, the Multifunction Display Panel on my Lexus ES350 was stuck showing a microphone with a red diagonal line through it. I was able to solve this problem by tapping (not holding) the voice activation button on the steering wheel, and then at the Lexus beep saying "cancel". The Multifunction display then works properly, and I am still in Apple CarPlay navigation.
Apple in iOS13 made very significant improvements to CarPlay and Apple Maps. The display and layout of Apple Maps as well as their accuracy is much better then in previous versions of CarPlay. I look forward to further using wireless Apple CarPlay via this device.
Please note that I am not connected in any way with either CarPlay2Air or Apple. This post is purely designed to relate my experience with the CarPlay2air device.
Tom
I leave the CarPlay2Air permanently connected to the USB connection in my Lexus. When I get into the Lexus and start the engine. the usual Lexus start-up sequence occurs, and within seconds of that completing I am informed on the Lexus display that connection to Apple CarPlay has been made and Apple maps appears full screen on my Lexus display. From pressing the start button on my Lexus to full access to Apple CarPlay takes about 30-35 seconds or less. I am able to activate Siri from the steering wheel voice control to get navigation to a destination and for other actions such as sending and receiving text messages (which are read aloud), making phone calls, and listening to music. With Apple Music my album art work shows up nicely on the Lexus display. In selecting and playing music I notice a delay of less than one second.
So far I am quite happy with the CarPlay2air device. It does exactly what it claims to do and does it well. To date I have encountered only one anomaly. I notice that after giving a voice command for a destination, the Multifunction Display Panel on my Lexus ES350 was stuck showing a microphone with a red diagonal line through it. I was able to solve this problem by tapping (not holding) the voice activation button on the steering wheel, and then at the Lexus beep saying "cancel". The Multifunction display then works properly, and I am still in Apple CarPlay navigation.
Apple in iOS13 made very significant improvements to CarPlay and Apple Maps. The display and layout of Apple Maps as well as their accuracy is much better then in previous versions of CarPlay. I look forward to further using wireless Apple CarPlay via this device.
Please note that I am not connected in any way with either CarPlay2Air or Apple. This post is purely designed to relate my experience with the CarPlay2air device.
Tom
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Ohtexan (01-11-22)
02-24-20, 12:41 PM
#5
02-24-20, 12:48 PM
#6
Rookie
Thread Starter
Yes. The steering wheel controls work as they do with wired CarPlay. However, I did make note of an anomaly using the voice activation from the steering wheel (loss of the Multifunction Display). This can be resolved by tapping the steering wheel voice activation to activate the Lexus interface and then saying "cancel".
02-24-20, 12:52 PM
#7
Rookie
Thread Starter
The CarPlay2air device establishes initial contact with the iPhone via Bluetooth, but then activates a wireless connection between CarPlay and the iPhone. Thus the audio and all other interactions between the iPhone and CarPlay are via wifi as stated in my initial post.
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02-25-20, 09:55 AM
#8
I read many reviews online about these types of devices and most seem to be hit or miss. It's great that you found a device that seems to work flawlessly with our vehicles but have you had a chance to test hifi music, do you have ML sound system?
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007 (03-23-22)
02-25-20, 05:57 PM
#10
Rookie
Thread Starter
Sounds great on paper but in practice, it's a whole different story. I tested the built-in wireless CarPlay on a friend's vehicle, he has an 18/19 BMW M550i. As expected, when listing to music wirelessly from Spotify or Apple music there isn't any noticeable difference but there was a noticeable difference when listening to hifi music (Tidal & Amazon music HD). His vehicle has the optional Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System and when comparing wireless vs. cable connection the difference was night & day while playing hifi.
I read many reviews online about these types of devices and most seem to be hit or miss. It's great that you found a device that seems to work flawlessly with our vehicles but have you had a chance to test hifi music, do you have ML sound system?
I read many reviews online about these types of devices and most seem to be hit or miss. It's great that you found a device that seems to work flawlessly with our vehicles but have you had a chance to test hifi music, do you have ML sound system?
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User 41924 (02-28-20)
02-28-20, 11:03 AM
#11
I'm with tnw2933 on everything, except I have (and like) the ML system. After years of letting my phone connect via Bluetooth and never taking it out of my pocket, I've been trying for the last couple on months to develop the habit of unplugging my phone when I get out of the car, but I still forget it occasionally. This doesn't even address the plugging it in part or the wire that you can't hide! It's not difficult or time consuming to plug it in or take it out. It's just inconvenient. So I often just don't use it. To me, it would be well worth sacrificing the sound quality, but I have trouble justifying the cost.
I question the comment about establishing a wifi connection to ACP after initially using Bluetooth to connect. I read a couple of reviews and watched a video on installing. This wasn't mentioned anywhere. I would think using a wifi connection would be a HUGE marketing advantage, and might even justify the $150. I would like to have that confirmed, if possible.
I question the comment about establishing a wifi connection to ACP after initially using Bluetooth to connect. I read a couple of reviews and watched a video on installing. This wasn't mentioned anywhere. I would think using a wifi connection would be a HUGE marketing advantage, and might even justify the $150. I would like to have that confirmed, if possible.
Last edited by User 41924; 02-28-20 at 11:12 AM.
02-29-20, 04:59 AM
#12
I'm with tnw2933 on everything, except I have (and like) the ML system. After years of letting my phone connect via Bluetooth and never taking it out of my pocket, I've been trying for the last couple on months to develop the habit of unplugging my phone when I get out of the car, but I still forget it occasionally. This doesn't even address the plugging it in part or the wire that you can't hide! It's not difficult or time consuming to plug it in or take it out. It's just inconvenient. So I often just don't use it. To me, it would be well worth sacrificing the sound quality, but I have trouble justifying the cost.
I question the comment about establishing a wifi connection to ACP after initially using Bluetooth to connect. I read a couple of reviews and watched a video on installing. This wasn't mentioned anywhere. I would think using a wifi connection would be a HUGE marketing advantage, and might even justify the $150. I would like to have that confirmed, if possible.
I question the comment about establishing a wifi connection to ACP after initially using Bluetooth to connect. I read a couple of reviews and watched a video on installing. This wasn't mentioned anywhere. I would think using a wifi connection would be a HUGE marketing advantage, and might even justify the $150. I would like to have that confirmed, if possible.
Mentions wif right on the front page.
https://carplay2air.com/
@tnw2933 Can you give us a screenshot of your phones Bluetooth Screen and your wifi screen while using the device. That should confirm that it is on wifi and not BT. Do you have the 2.0 version? Can you share the link for the version you are using.
I'm intrigued
Last edited by FTBoomer; 02-29-20 at 06:13 AM.
02-29-20, 09:05 AM
#13
Rookie
Thread Starter
I am absolutely positive that the connection of the carplay2air device to Apple CarPlay in my Lexus ES350 is via wifi and not Bluetooth. Initial setup of the device is via Bluetooth, but then the device transfers wifi contact information to the iPhone and the Bluetooth connection is terminated. I am not in my Lexus now to grab a screen shot, but I have confirmed that when my iPhone 11 Pro Max is connected via the carplay2air device in Settings>WiFi I clearly see a wifi connection to the carplay2air device. Furthermore, when I climb in my Lexus ES350 with my iPhone and start the engine, and have the transmission in park (so as not to enable the rear camera view) the display of the Lexus is taken over by Carplay2air and it presents very clearly the steps for the connection to wifi and indicates when the connection is complete. The display then immediately shows the normal Apple CarPlay screen. This happens every time I get in the car with my iPhone and the entire connection process requires about 25-30 seconds until the Apple Car Play screen is displayed.
I am using the latest version of the carplay2air device, and I believe that is 2.0. I have updated the device to the latest firmware using Safari on the iPhone and the indicated IP address provided in the instructions with carplay2air device. The IP address checks with the device and tells you if a firmware upgrade is available. For me an upgrade of firmware was available and it was installed in about 1-2 minutes without any problems.
One additional item regarding the carplay2air device that I have not previously mentioned and which I have not tried, may be worth mentioning. The carplay2air device has a USB 2 passthrough connection on the device. This is apparently designed for USB audio input e.g. with a USB stick. I have no idea whether music on such a USB stick would afford higher quality than just using the various sources of music that I have available with Apple Car Play connected wirelessly.
I am using the latest version of the carplay2air device, and I believe that is 2.0. I have updated the device to the latest firmware using Safari on the iPhone and the indicated IP address provided in the instructions with carplay2air device. The IP address checks with the device and tells you if a firmware upgrade is available. For me an upgrade of firmware was available and it was installed in about 1-2 minutes without any problems.
One additional item regarding the carplay2air device that I have not previously mentioned and which I have not tried, may be worth mentioning. The carplay2air device has a USB 2 passthrough connection on the device. This is apparently designed for USB audio input e.g. with a USB stick. I have no idea whether music on such a USB stick would afford higher quality than just using the various sources of music that I have available with Apple Car Play connected wirelessly.
03-01-20, 02:46 PM
#15
Driver School Candidate
For those that have tried this, have you found a low profile USB-A male cable x USB-A female that you could use to connect the car with the Carplay2Air device? I wanted to keep the device in the cup holder and keep the cover closed to hide it. I don’t use the front cup holder. Wanted to keep it in the car, hooked up all the time, but out of the way. I also wanted to use the Qi charger for. my phone.