OTTOCASTWireless CarPlay Adapter for iPhone - 2025 Upgrade Wired to Wireless Apple Carplay Dongle - 5GHz WiFi, Low Latency, Plug & Play, Online UpdateClimatePartner certified

I have been having problems with the aftermarket head unit in my van.I have a Kenwood DDX 9905s (Echelon) which was tethered by lightning cable to my Iphone 13 Pro Max.For some reason this became twitchy with the arrangement and would suddenly drop the Carplay function. I think that the lightning connector end would become physically worn down by the constant unplugging and plugging in (in my car I have the 9705s which doesn't suffer the same issues.)I began to look at upgrading the head unit to "wireless carplay" which would involve my my spending around another $800 and then I came across this.If you have a tethered system and you are self employed (as I am) then you have to look at two issues.1/ Wirelessly using carplay.2/ Providing power that was previously supplied by the wire (because you need to have power to take calls.)I was concerned that the continual wireless transmission of maps would drain the power of the phone over a day so I bought a "magsafe" phone holder to provide power.So I first bought an ESR Magnetic Wireless Car Mount Charger (HaloLock), Compatible with MagSafe Car Charger, Air Vent Car Phone Holder for iPhone.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HNBHSQV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1And then after establishing that the holder provided power and wouldn't drop the phone on unmade roads I bought this to provide wireless carplay.It arrived yesterday and apart from 1 reservation i couldn't be happier!When it arrived I took it out to my van and plugged it into the usb port for the Kenwood and the setup was exactly as the manufacturer described above (a rarity from my experience.)Around 10 minutes later I was done (I spent 5 minutes doing basic tests on the carplay functions.)This morning I took the van out for a working day and I can report that I am totally happy.I experienced two glitches within the first hour (of course) but I am of the opinion that these are the the things that happen just because you're testing.Firstly, I get my radio from the internet (which was another concern about power) and I heard some audio stuttering for about 5 minutes however I was in a poor phone signal area. I never heard them again for the rest of the day.Secondly, I use Waze as my navigation of choice which allows some user input (police, stranded cars etc.)When I touched the screen on my head unit it didn't respond. I returned the head unit to its home screen and then used its touch function to return to Waze. It worked from then on fine.I would like to think it was a glitch in Waze but the problem never returned so it's "one of those things."During my first job I ran the phone battery down a little then monitored the phone power level which returned to 100% with both Waze and the internet radio running.So.... I am calling this a success!With this combo I seem to have saved myself around $650.The Ottocast seemed to do exactly what it claimed to do and I didn't experience one disconnection throughout the day.Earlier I mentioned 1 reservation and it is nothing to do with the performance. When I came here to write this review I found that the price had dropped by $30......Damn!

Edit 1/27/23: second message asking me to download a sketch file and asking me to email them outside of the amassing messaging system. I contacted amazon and was given a full refund through them. Purchased a different brand which worked better out of the box that this paperweight ever did. I’ll be reporting every single spammy harassing message I get from this company to Amazon, and if they keep messaging I’ll contact Amazon again and file a full harassment compliant.Edit 1/25/23: Seller sent me a message offering a full refund which I accepted. Next message? “Download this strange file then send us your email so we can update your unit” after I clearly wrote here that I flashed new firmware and it works as long as I don’t hit any bumps. Talk about a bait and switch - and asking for a purchasers email address? Nope. This company is a scam. Beware.Purchased last March (2022), and it worked great until about July when it started disconnecting from the phone for what appeared no reason. I unplugged it and went back to plugging in my phone directly because I was too busy at the time to try to figure out the problem.Recently I decided to give it another go. I plugged the unit back in to my 2021 Mazda cx-5, installed a firmware upgrade, and it reconnected to my phone right away. I figured I was back in business.I live in the northeast. It’s winter. There are many, many potholes. Potholes you can lose a car in. I hit a pothole and bam, CarPlay disconnected. “Bluetooth item not found” came up on the screen…then the screen showed the Bluetooth name for the unit, and then my phone reconnected. Okay…maybe a one-off…Nope. At this point, you whisper the wrong way and it disconnects. It’s not the wiring in the car, either. I’ve swapped back to the iPhone cord and no problems. Go back to wireless with this thing and it disconnects constantly. I guess it was great for the four or so months before whatever connection inside it decided it wasn’t going to stay stable.

All good, works really well, amazing product!