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Aftermarket Bluetooth streaming that works with Navigation system for less than $20
Sup y'all!
I just wanted to share my thoughts with you on this Bluetooth FM Transmitter I bought from Amazon.
So, my 08 RX has Bluetooth and NAV and (like many of you) I wanted an inexpensive Bluetooth music streaming / player that worked decent while keeping the factory Bluetooth working with my phone. (Cassettes with wires suck )
Well, after a while of reading a bunch of reviews I settled on this one at amazon which costed me $17.99 at the time. (I think it may even be cheaper now)
Initially I didn't have high expectations for the unit because from my experience these FM transmitters generally suck (I've had a few in the past that died) but I have no regrets on picking this one up.
I've had it for about 8 months now and it hasn't skipped a beat. (Daily usage)
With this unit you can stream your music while still using the car's OEM Bluetooth for your calls.
When the phone rings, the music playback will stop/pause and when you hang up just press play on your phone and it resumes.
A note for the audiophiles: There is a small amount of radio static present but for less than $20 ~ its still a great deal.
All in all, if you don't wanna cough up the $100+ for the more higher end unit you may want to consider picking this one up. I'm glad I did.
If you have any questions about the unit drop them in thread..
Bluetooth Streaming music player in 2008 Lexus RX350
How do you set up your phone to send phone audio to the OEM headunit, but radio/podcasts to this plugin bluetooth unit?
Its a FM Transmitter so your Phone's Bluetooth signal goes through the radio.
In the Lexus, select your Radio and just tune your radio to a frequency with nothing but static ~ I use 87.9 FM (I've have it saved as preset #4 on the OEM Head unit) then on the Transmitter you select that station.
NOTE: The FM Transmitter has a separate volume control so don't forget to turn it up!
Then on your phone (I have a S7 edge ~ Android) select "call audio" for the Lexus and "Media Audio" for the Transmitter (See pics below ~ the Transmitter's name is T11)
Select Media Audio for your music
Select Call Audio for the Lexus Bluetooth
Here's a few more "cool" things about it.
The unit displays the car battery's amperage at start up. (Could come in handy if your car won't start)
You can insert a micro SD card into the unit
You can insert a USB thumb drive into it
You can charge your phone through it
And you can use it for your phone calls as well if you don't have Bluetooth calling in your Lexus
I bought one of these, and it works pretty great for less than a dub! I've had lots of transmitter-type items, but the tech on this is pretty tight. Recommended!
I just purchased a similar one (Nulaxy brand) and it works really well. It is only FM quality but for me it is good enough. I mostly listen to music I have copied to an SD memory card and it works great. Thanks for posting the info on how to set up each device for phone calls and media.
I just purchased a similar one (Nulaxy brand) and it works really well. It is only FM quality but for me it is good enough. I mostly listen to music I have copied to an SD memory card and it works great. Thanks for posting the info on how to set up each device for phone calls and media.
It is quite the polished sales pitch but if FloorJack is secretly an Amazon seller of Asian electronics from his Hawaii home well God bless him!
Originally Posted by FloorJack
Here's a few more "cool" things about it.
The unit displays the car battery's amperage at start up. (Could come in handy if your car won't start)
You can insert a micro SD card into the unit
You can insert a USB thumb drive into it
You can charge your phone through it
And you can use it for your phone calls as well if you don't have Bluetooth calling in your Lexus
Again: Not bad for less than $20..
I like that USB feature, as I don't put music on my phone. Have you played with that enough to know how much control it gives you? Like if I had hundreds of songs on, say, a 32GB stick, are they only going to play in alphabetical order?
It appears to play folder by folder. I saw in the instructions it has a really basic way to navigate and play certain folders. But I havent used that yet. I just put in some bootleg shows in folders and it started the first folder and is going though the show in the correct order. I have not had time to navigate around to different folders.
I did notice that if you turn off the car mid-song when you start up the car next it will start from the beginning of that song.
I like that USB feature, as I don't put music on my phone. Have you played with that enough to know how much control it gives you? Like if I had hundreds of songs on, say, a 32GB stick, are they only going to play in alphabetical order?
So I finally tested it out and it is very basic.
I used a 32 GB sandisk thumb drive added 3 folders labeled rap, rock and rnb and added about 5 songs to each folder.
As soon as I inserted the thumb drive it was recognized by the unit and began playing the first song in the first folder and then proceeded down the list playing all songs in all the folders while ignoring the folders. (Hope that makes sense)
On the unit there are next and previous track buttons but that's about it.
No way to navigate through the folders.
Meh...
If you want an intuitive USB music player you may want to look at other options.
Just wanted to drop an update to say its still working strong but it looks like the display has faded a bit.. (Its not as bright as in the pics I first posted) Oh well, still better than the 3 or so cassette adapters that I ran thru before picking it up.
Thanks for the report and update, but I'm a bit confused: is there any "Bluetooth" connectivity of this device to the RX 350? It appears to be an FM transmitter which sends a signal to the RX's FM radio. For music, one still has to connect / plug-in a smart phone to this device. And for phone calls, the smart phone Bluetooth connectivity takes over as before.
1) Am I missing that there is a Bluetooth connection for the music / audio from the smart phone via this device?
2) Would the most this device offer be earphone-quality audio output from my phone via an FM connection? or is there more functionality?
3) I have a new iPhone XR, which I fear might not recognize or connect well to non-Apple devices. What smart phone works for you?
Thanks.
No, there is no direct Bluetooth connection to your car..
Its an FM transmitter that communicates to your phone via Bluetooth and then broadcasts the signal from your phone to the desired radio station on your stock AM/FM Radio.
The audio quality is decent (definitely not crystal clear) but very listen-able and since the other options available easily exceed $100 its hard to beat.
I use an Samsung (Android) phone, but the phone type really shouldn't matter because the Bluetooth connect is non-proprietary.
Yes, thanks for the clarification.
If anyone else has experience with newer Apple iPhones or other IOS devices, I'd appreciate hearing about any compatibility or incompatibility issues.
01-16-18, 10:43 PM
Aftermarket Bluetooth streaming that works with Navigation system for less than $20
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