How to add wireless Apple CarPlay to your car
Apple CarPlay is great, but using a wired connection can be annoying Apple
If you have a car that uses a wired USB Apple CarPlay entertainment system, you might be wondering if there’s a way to ditch the cable and go wireless.
Wires are a bit painful after all. Twice as in the car, where you have to think of the cable and connect it to your iPhone.
I have good news. There is a solution: wireless CarPlay dongles.
These dongles connect to the CarPlay USB port in your car and allow wireless connection between the iPhone and the CarPlay system.
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You plug the dongle into the USB port, connect your iPhone to the Wi-Fi signal and you’re good to go.
note: To use a dongle, you need a car with CarPlay system.
Wireless CarPlay dongles tend to come with a number of advantages and disadvantages.
The benefits are obvious – you no longer have to go through the hassle of connecting your iPhone to a cable, which means you can keep your iPhone in a bag or pocket and not have to fiddle with it every time you get in and out of your car.
As for the cons, there are quite a few of them too.
Setting up these dongles can be a bit frustrating (partially because the instructions are a bit vague) and it may take a few tries. I recommend familiarizing yourself with the instructions and installing the dongle if you’re not in a hurry to get somewhere.
Another issue I’ve noticed is that it can take up to 30 seconds for the iPhone to connect to the dongle, and trying to use CarPlay while this is happening can cause issues like the lead connection.
Be patient! Keep in mind that a wired CarPlay system was not originally intended to work like this.
Also, something that seems to surprise people – and it surprised me at first – seems that no cable means your iPhone won’t charge. A good solution to this that doesn’t introduce another cable is to attach a wireless charging station.
Finally, there is an increased latency or lag when using a CarPlay dongle. The lag is felt when using the CarPlay touchscreen or buttons on the steering wheel, and this can cause people to press buttons to try to get a response, which can cause problems.
There’s no denying that a wired connection is faster and smoother than using a wireless CarPlay dongle. This is because the dongle needs to act as an intermediary between the iPhone and the CarPlay system (this does not apply to factory installed CarPlay systems as they are better optimized).
The bottom line is that you can toggle the switch if you really get tired of using a wire, but with the benefits, this switch also comes with some downsides.
If you enjoy navigating the cons, then a dongle like that is for you SuperiorTek 5.0 is worth a look. It’s definitely a much cheaper solution than buying a new car!