Vais IVIC-5DR (Android Integration System)
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Pit Crew
Joined: Jun 2016
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From: ATL/Clemson
Vais IVIC-5DR (Android Integration System)
So I was scrolling around on Vais Tech's website and came across this product that would allow you to integrate your Android phone into the Lexus touch screen system for 2006-2009 models. It's $399.
Anyone ever used this before? If so, does it work and worth buying?
Link: http://www.vaistech.com/newsite/product/ivic-5dr/
Anyone ever used this before? If so, does it work and worth buying?
Link: http://www.vaistech.com/newsite/product/ivic-5dr/
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: BC
I've only had my IS for about 3 months now but this was the first mod I did, my car came with an Ipod input but it really sucked and I really wanted to get video on there or at least bluetooth streaming which is when I came across this unit. I tried finding reviews but could not come across anything that really made me feel like this was the right unit to buy, but I really wanted android integration so I went for it. I have tried android screen mirroring in my other cars using Pioneer head units with App Radio mode and an app called ARUnchained.
My experience buying this wasn't all that great, the customer service wasn't very great, the instructions were pretty crappy and generic, for example towards the end there are two modes you can choose between with dip switches but they don't tell you anything about the modes, why they're different or how to choose which one to use.
That being said the installation was pretty straight forward. I read somewhere (might have been in the instructions or a write up) that the VAIS box can be hidden behind the head unit, I didn't see much room back there and ended up putting mine on the right side of the transmission tunnel (not ideal). I used a Samsung MHL adapter and tried initial set up with my Note 5 (which isn't exactly supported) but ended up using my old Galaxy S3 as the stay-in-car phone and just tether data from my Note. Setting up the unit was another story, it took quite a bit of time to get everything working right but now it does work right.
The unit takes a long time to boot up but does work as intended. I don't have any connection issues anymore but the app used drains my phone even when not in use (I use an app to turn my phone's screen off) which seems odd considering it's plugged in 100% of the time but I digress.
All in all I would most likely buy this unit again as it does do what I wanted which is the ability to use music apps and have the steering wheel controls switch songs, stream youtube & netflix (only when parked)
I rushed through this post but if you have any specific questions just ask
My experience buying this wasn't all that great, the customer service wasn't very great, the instructions were pretty crappy and generic, for example towards the end there are two modes you can choose between with dip switches but they don't tell you anything about the modes, why they're different or how to choose which one to use.
That being said the installation was pretty straight forward. I read somewhere (might have been in the instructions or a write up) that the VAIS box can be hidden behind the head unit, I didn't see much room back there and ended up putting mine on the right side of the transmission tunnel (not ideal). I used a Samsung MHL adapter and tried initial set up with my Note 5 (which isn't exactly supported) but ended up using my old Galaxy S3 as the stay-in-car phone and just tether data from my Note. Setting up the unit was another story, it took quite a bit of time to get everything working right but now it does work right.
The unit takes a long time to boot up but does work as intended. I don't have any connection issues anymore but the app used drains my phone even when not in use (I use an app to turn my phone's screen off) which seems odd considering it's plugged in 100% of the time but I digress.
All in all I would most likely buy this unit again as it does do what I wanted which is the ability to use music apps and have the steering wheel controls switch songs, stream youtube & netflix (only when parked)
I rushed through this post but if you have any specific questions just ask
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 15
Likes: 1
From: NSW
I've only had my IS for about 3 months now but this was the first mod I did, my car came with an Ipod input but it really sucked and I really wanted to get video on there or at least bluetooth streaming which is when I came across this unit. I tried finding reviews but could not come across anything that really made me feel like this was the right unit to buy, but I really wanted android integration so I went for it. I have tried android screen mirroring in my other cars using Pioneer head units with App Radio mode and an app called ARUnchained.
My experience buying this wasn't all that great, the customer service wasn't very great, the instructions were pretty crappy and generic, for example towards the end there are two modes you can choose between with dip switches but they don't tell you anything about the modes, why they're different or how to choose which one to use.
That being said the installation was pretty straight forward. I read somewhere (might have been in the instructions or a write up) that the VAIS box can be hidden behind the head unit, I didn't see much room back there and ended up putting mine on the right side of the transmission tunnel (not ideal). I used a Samsung MHL adapter and tried initial set up with my Note 5 (which isn't exactly supported) but ended up using my old Galaxy S3 as the stay-in-car phone and just tether data from my Note. Setting up the unit was another story, it took quite a bit of time to get everything working right but now it does work right.
The unit takes a long time to boot up but does work as intended. I don't have any connection issues anymore but the app used drains my phone even when not in use (I use an app to turn my phone's screen off) which seems odd considering it's plugged in 100% of the time but I digress.
All in all I would most likely buy this unit again as it does do what I wanted which is the ability to use music apps and have the steering wheel controls switch songs, stream youtube & netflix (only when parked)
I rushed through this post but if you have any specific questions just ask
My experience buying this wasn't all that great, the customer service wasn't very great, the instructions were pretty crappy and generic, for example towards the end there are two modes you can choose between with dip switches but they don't tell you anything about the modes, why they're different or how to choose which one to use.
That being said the installation was pretty straight forward. I read somewhere (might have been in the instructions or a write up) that the VAIS box can be hidden behind the head unit, I didn't see much room back there and ended up putting mine on the right side of the transmission tunnel (not ideal). I used a Samsung MHL adapter and tried initial set up with my Note 5 (which isn't exactly supported) but ended up using my old Galaxy S3 as the stay-in-car phone and just tether data from my Note. Setting up the unit was another story, it took quite a bit of time to get everything working right but now it does work right.
The unit takes a long time to boot up but does work as intended. I don't have any connection issues anymore but the app used drains my phone even when not in use (I use an app to turn my phone's screen off) which seems odd considering it's plugged in 100% of the time but I digress.
All in all I would most likely buy this unit again as it does do what I wanted which is the ability to use music apps and have the steering wheel controls switch songs, stream youtube & netflix (only when parked)
I rushed through this post but if you have any specific questions just ask
Thread Starter
Pit Crew
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 182
Likes: 6
From: ATL/Clemson
I've only had my IS for about 3 months now but this was the first mod I did, my car came with an Ipod input but it really sucked and I really wanted to get video on there or at least bluetooth streaming which is when I came across this unit. I tried finding reviews but could not come across anything that really made me feel like this was the right unit to buy, but I really wanted android integration so I went for it. I have tried android screen mirroring in my other cars using Pioneer head units with App Radio mode and an app called ARUnchained.
My experience buying this wasn't all that great, the customer service wasn't very great, the instructions were pretty crappy and generic, for example towards the end there are two modes you can choose between with dip switches but they don't tell you anything about the modes, why they're different or how to choose which one to use.
That being said the installation was pretty straight forward. I read somewhere (might have been in the instructions or a write up) that the VAIS box can be hidden behind the head unit, I didn't see much room back there and ended up putting mine on the right side of the transmission tunnel (not ideal). I used a Samsung MHL adapter and tried initial set up with my Note 5 (which isn't exactly supported) but ended up using my old Galaxy S3 as the stay-in-car phone and just tether data from my Note. Setting up the unit was another story, it took quite a bit of time to get everything working right but now it does work right.
The unit takes a long time to boot up but does work as intended. I don't have any connection issues anymore but the app used drains my phone even when not in use (I use an app to turn my phone's screen off) which seems odd considering it's plugged in 100% of the time but I digress.
All in all I would most likely buy this unit again as it does do what I wanted which is the ability to use music apps and have the steering wheel controls switch songs, stream youtube & netflix (only when parked)
I rushed through this post but if you have any specific questions just ask
My experience buying this wasn't all that great, the customer service wasn't very great, the instructions were pretty crappy and generic, for example towards the end there are two modes you can choose between with dip switches but they don't tell you anything about the modes, why they're different or how to choose which one to use.
That being said the installation was pretty straight forward. I read somewhere (might have been in the instructions or a write up) that the VAIS box can be hidden behind the head unit, I didn't see much room back there and ended up putting mine on the right side of the transmission tunnel (not ideal). I used a Samsung MHL adapter and tried initial set up with my Note 5 (which isn't exactly supported) but ended up using my old Galaxy S3 as the stay-in-car phone and just tether data from my Note. Setting up the unit was another story, it took quite a bit of time to get everything working right but now it does work right.
The unit takes a long time to boot up but does work as intended. I don't have any connection issues anymore but the app used drains my phone even when not in use (I use an app to turn my phone's screen off) which seems odd considering it's plugged in 100% of the time but I digress.
All in all I would most likely buy this unit again as it does do what I wanted which is the ability to use music apps and have the steering wheel controls switch songs, stream youtube & netflix (only when parked)
I rushed through this post but if you have any specific questions just ask
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: BC
It is quite spendy, but I seen a couple ads for quite a bit less used, just seems they don't come up often.
When I ordered mine I contacted VAIS and they told me they didn't have one in stock but directed me to someone on the east cost of Canada who also didn't have any. Then VAIS got back to me saying they found one in stock so I ordered that unit. It had a sticker of 2016 on it but during start up it shows 2014 so I don't think these units get updated much so finding a used one should work just fine.
I did figure out how (not why) this set up drains my phone battery, when my phone (which stays in the car 24/7) gets power from the MHL cable attached to the VAIS box the screen stays on constantly, even when the car is turned back off which drains the battery. I haven't figured out a way to stop that from happening other than disconnecting the cable whenever not in use, but I did go into the app settings and disable port monitoring which did not solve the issue.
It would be good to know if others leaving the phone connected 24/7 face the same issue or if it's just an issue with my setup.
When I ordered mine I contacted VAIS and they told me they didn't have one in stock but directed me to someone on the east cost of Canada who also didn't have any. Then VAIS got back to me saying they found one in stock so I ordered that unit. It had a sticker of 2016 on it but during start up it shows 2014 so I don't think these units get updated much so finding a used one should work just fine.
I did figure out how (not why) this set up drains my phone battery, when my phone (which stays in the car 24/7) gets power from the MHL cable attached to the VAIS box the screen stays on constantly, even when the car is turned back off which drains the battery. I haven't figured out a way to stop that from happening other than disconnecting the cable whenever not in use, but I did go into the app settings and disable port monitoring which did not solve the issue.
It would be good to know if others leaving the phone connected 24/7 face the same issue or if it's just an issue with my setup.
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: BC
Since this thread popped back up to the top, I would like to update my experiences. I have started having issues with it cutting out to a blue screen, sometimes with loud static, generally happens when shifting from park to drive (through reverse) and vise versa, but also has happened on a few occasions randomly.
*I have been using the same phone the whole time as I use my old S3 as a dedicated device for this kind of thing but I will have to use my day-to-day phone to see if this problem still happens. The thing is my day-to-day phone is a Note 4.5 (Note 4 hardware with a Note 5-ported rom) which wasn't a supported option during set up, but the Galaxy S3 I use in my car was supported so if I have issues with the Note it's hard to fault VAIS
*I have been using the same phone the whole time as I use my old S3 as a dedicated device for this kind of thing but I will have to use my day-to-day phone to see if this problem still happens. The thing is my day-to-day phone is a Note 4.5 (Note 4 hardware with a Note 5-ported rom) which wasn't a supported option during set up, but the Galaxy S3 I use in my car was supported so if I have issues with the Note it's hard to fault VAIS
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Ontario
Afternoon! I have the iVic5D available! It came with my '08 RX350, but I am simply not using it to it's full capabilities. Let me know if you are still looking for one 
seanwilliamrobertson@gmail.com
*Product has since been sold, thanks CL!
seanwilliamrobertson@gmail.com*Product has since been sold, thanks CL!
Last edited by seannay; Aug 30, 2017 at 11:33 AM. Reason: Product has been sold
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 1
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From: Florida
Rookie
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 75
Likes: 5
From: Ontario
I purchased one in 2014 and it was running fine until recently. I did a firmware upgrade they sent me and it shortly after it stopped recognizing my phone. I've been emailing back and forth with support but we have not found a solution.
Anybody else run into any issues with this? I checked the MHL adapter and the HDMI cable they both work. Also newer phones aren't using MHL anymore so you have to find a work around to connect to HDMI with them. I saw one guy use a Microsoft display adapter sucessfully. Others have tried to use chromecast but have not had great results.
Anybody else run into any issues with this? I checked the MHL adapter and the HDMI cable they both work. Also newer phones aren't using MHL anymore so you have to find a work around to connect to HDMI with them. I saw one guy use a Microsoft display adapter sucessfully. Others have tried to use chromecast but have not had great results.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: TX
I am selling a similar unit if anyone is interested.
It is new in box, and comes with HDMI cables.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/263366200679
It is new in box, and comes with HDMI cables.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/263366200679
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