Radio Upgrades... Let see them.
- Thread starter 4RunninMD
- Start date
How do you add the phone buttons to your steering wheel?
Bluesky 07
Senior Member
Recently replaced my Kenwood with the excellent Pioneer AVH-2550NEX & couldn’t be happier with it. I placed a magnetic phone mount as shown using one of those removable 3M strips, a solution I would have loved to have figured out much sooner.
Cthesandman
New member
Hey Boffroad,. Appreciate your replies to this thread.
I have 03 sport that has the JBL system with the CD/tape deck and the steering wheel controls.
Prepared to upgrade to a used Kenwood DDX9904s. Bought the PAC RP 4.2-TY11 for the install along with 95-8202 Metra. It has some USB plugs as well so I'm running some extensions to one of the blank center console buttons. The backup camera will probably take some extra effort from all the YouTube vids I've watched bit I'll still tackle that soon after.
I noticed a few replies back you mentioned issues with the higher volumes being distorted and people suggested you plug the factory deck back in and crank the volume prior to the install. Did you end up having to do that, or was it an issue with the din switches on the harness controller?
Thx
Sent from my GM1900 using Tapatalk
Bluesky 07
Senior Member
I think you were asking [MENTION=497646]bronx[/MENTION] but there's a backup cam post linked in my sig that may be helpful to you.
I got this backup camera on amazon: Amazon.com: NATIKA Backup/Front View Camera,IP69K Waterproof Great Night Vision HD and Super Wide Angle Metal OEM Style Reverse Rear View Backup Camera for Cars Pickup Trucks SUVs RVs Vans (Black): Car Electronics
The camera looks pretty solid, and the picture is clear. Hopefully it will last because it was a bear installing it. Routing the wiring was probably the biggest chore.
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I added the phone buttons on the right side of the steering wheel and used an idatalink maestro SW steering wheel adapter with my Alpine ILX-W650.
Toyota switch pad: 84244-35030-B0
Toyota switch cable: 84204-58010
Here's the instructions. DIY Bluetooth/Voice Command steering wheel button install (pics)........for REAL
The pictures are no longer there, but fortunately it was an easy process, probably took me all of 15 mins.
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blackjackck
Member
EXCELLENT JOB! That'll be my next upgrade. I'll try the backup camera again later this summer.
Finally got around to putting something more modern in the T4R with the following:
Pioneer MVH-1400NEX
Metra 95-8202
CRUX SWRTY-61S
CCD Backup camera in place of the license plate light
The Pioneer unit was relatively cheap ($233.5) and the apple play function is great!! Installation went smoothly and no issue getting my factory steering wheel controls to work with the CRUX SWRTY-61S. Only gripe is the backup camera. Does not fit in the existing mounting holes so they needed to be re-drilled and the provided RCA cable was not long enough so an extension is needed. Also the angle might not be optimal for most but works for me as I was tired of getting in and out of the car while hitching up the trailers.
Pioneer MVH-1400NEX
Metra 95-8202
CRUX SWRTY-61S
CCD Backup camera in place of the license plate light
The Pioneer unit was relatively cheap ($233.5) and the apple play function is great!! Installation went smoothly and no issue getting my factory steering wheel controls to work with the CRUX SWRTY-61S. Only gripe is the backup camera. Does not fit in the existing mounting holes so they needed to be re-drilled and the provided RCA cable was not long enough so an extension is needed. Also the angle might not be optimal for most but works for me as I was tired of getting in and out of the car while hitching up the trailers.
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Terminator03
New member
After having installed a Sony XAV-AX1000 in my daughter’s Camry last year and really liking the interface and CarPlay functionality, I decided to pull the trigger on the upgraded XAV-AX5000, which with the holiday sale ended up costing just under $300 from Crutchfield. Coincidentally it was the same price I paid for the 1000 last year, and this one has rear usb inputs, capacitive larger display, etc. so it was a no-brainer. Had it in for about a month now and love it! I also installed a backup camera with a license plate mount. It works very well, and can see the hitch for trailer hookup, which was my main purpose for both the new head unit and the camera. Routing the wires for the camera through that conduit in the tailgate was probably the hardest wire snaking I’ve ever done, but I got it done. The rest was a piece of cake once into the body. I can’t believe how much better everything sounds, even though I previously had a Pioneer single DIN with Bluetooth previously. Everyone used to complain about background noise when I was using the hands-free calling, but with this new AX5000, it’s super clear, which was another huge bonus. I did have to order a new set of factory brackets to complete the install because the previous owner installed the Pioneer single DIN, which uses a mount that doesn’t need the stock brackets. Since the AX5000 has the rear USB inputs with built in cables, I routed the phone input to the left of the steering wheel, and used one of the USB input plugs that replaces one of the blank switch plugs for my input, and put a simple magnetic mount on the vent for the phone. With a short 1’ cable, it makes for a neat arrangement to interface for the CarPlay. I routed the second USB cable into the glovebox, which is used for flash drive connection if I need to update firmware, or play videos, or something. All in all, I couldn’t be more pleased with the setup, and it has made driving my Runner even better than it already was.:guitar3:
trd_v8_sport
New member
Ive been running the atoto A6 for a little over a year now along with the Natika backup camera and heres my take:
The atoto a6:
Fits great in the oem spot, hence why i wanted it. Android auto with the dongle used to work great. Relatively plug and play with the steering wheel controls, i did have to modify the metra harness to get it all to work, but its great now that it does. The last few months ive had constant bluetooth issues, along with android auto always freezing. Now their customer service is awesome, they are quick to get back and try different solutions, theyve exchanged the android auto dongle twice because of my freezing issue. Theyve sent updates to alleviate my bluetooth and backup camera issues. However just yesterday the screen went dead and ive emailed them to let them know the issue. They gave me a solution to try and i will give it a shot. If not, i will probably be looking elsewhere which sucks because it is such and awesome radio when everything is working. This is just and fyi.
The natika "oem" style backup camera:
Much like the HU, worked awesome for a few months, vision is clear even at night. However i noticed anytime it rained or i washed the truck, the camera would stop working until it stopped working completely. Emailed them, and they had me buy another camera and redunded me. This new camera has been good for a few months, but i did seal it with silicone just in case. This is just an fyi with my setup. I might be looking into the sony xav if i continue to have issues with my atoto unit
The atoto a6:
Fits great in the oem spot, hence why i wanted it. Android auto with the dongle used to work great. Relatively plug and play with the steering wheel controls, i did have to modify the metra harness to get it all to work, but its great now that it does. The last few months ive had constant bluetooth issues, along with android auto always freezing. Now their customer service is awesome, they are quick to get back and try different solutions, theyve exchanged the android auto dongle twice because of my freezing issue. Theyve sent updates to alleviate my bluetooth and backup camera issues. However just yesterday the screen went dead and ive emailed them to let them know the issue. They gave me a solution to try and i will give it a shot. If not, i will probably be looking elsewhere which sucks because it is such and awesome radio when everything is working. This is just and fyi.
The natika "oem" style backup camera:
Much like the HU, worked awesome for a few months, vision is clear even at night. However i noticed anytime it rained or i washed the truck, the camera would stop working until it stopped working completely. Emailed them, and they had me buy another camera and redunded me. This new camera has been good for a few months, but i did seal it with silicone just in case. This is just an fyi with my setup. I might be looking into the sony xav if i continue to have issues with my atoto unit
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B.E. Coyote
Member
Anybody put a back -up camera on the roof? Thinking of putting one up top with the new stereo for help backing up the boat.
I picked up the Alpine ILX-w650 for my Non Nav/Non JLB 4runner.
Pretty basic radio, with Android Auto and external mic.
+cheap, relatively
+android auto works like any other android auto
+pretty simple to use
-Engaging parking brake sequence to pair phone is dumb. I was hoping I could just ground out the parking brake wire, but the fact that you have to engage, disengage, engage again makes this option not possible.
-I don't see screen mirror function which is surprising at this price point.
-The volume does not auto adjust with speed (not sure if any do?)
-I was running android auto with maps on and using bluetooth audio and it was breaking up on the call. Soon as I dropped android auto it got clear. Will have to do more testing to see if this was a one time thing.
-Steering wheel controls don't work. I had to buy a Axxess ASWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Adapter for $60 just to get the volume buttons to work. If the volume auto adjusted I think I could had done without them...but since it doesn't and the volume buttons are capacitive, it's a pain in the butt having to lower the volume after getting off the highway all the time.
So far for $300 I am not super impressed with the radio. The two things I wanted were Android Auto and external mic, which I got both. My other 4R has Nav and JBL. I am not sure if the WX650 is compatible with that car, but I will be looking at other options unless this one proves to work out better soon.
Pretty basic radio, with Android Auto and external mic.
+cheap, relatively
+android auto works like any other android auto
+pretty simple to use
-Engaging parking brake sequence to pair phone is dumb. I was hoping I could just ground out the parking brake wire, but the fact that you have to engage, disengage, engage again makes this option not possible.
-I don't see screen mirror function which is surprising at this price point.
-The volume does not auto adjust with speed (not sure if any do?)
-I was running android auto with maps on and using bluetooth audio and it was breaking up on the call. Soon as I dropped android auto it got clear. Will have to do more testing to see if this was a one time thing.
-Steering wheel controls don't work. I had to buy a Axxess ASWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Adapter for $60 just to get the volume buttons to work. If the volume auto adjusted I think I could had done without them...but since it doesn't and the volume buttons are capacitive, it's a pain in the butt having to lower the volume after getting off the highway all the time.
So far for $300 I am not super impressed with the radio. The two things I wanted were Android Auto and external mic, which I got both. My other 4R has Nav and JBL. I am not sure if the WX650 is compatible with that car, but I will be looking at other options unless this one proves to work out better soon.
OK, the Alpine ILX-W650 I listed above is going back.
I called tech support about the static on the phone while using android auto and they said to update the firmware. I did that and it is still there. As soon as I unplug the USB for android auto, the sound is fine. Phone calls are over bluetooth so not sure why plugging it in and running maps on android auto would have any effect on the phone call. However, a quick google search shows that this is not uncommon with other phones/car setups.
With that said, these are listed as fitting on Crutchfields site
$345 Pioneer AVH-2550NEX DVD receiver
I like the hard buttons for volume. Has dvd/cd player too (if anyone uses those anymore). Looks OEM.
$348 Sony XAV-AX5000 Digital multimedia receiver
Hard buttons again. No cd player so it's smaller behind screen.
$349 Kenwood Excelon DMX706S Digital multimedia receiver
Hard buttons, big screen.
It looks like I can get into wireless Android auto for an extra $100. Not sure that's worth the price since it'll likely drain the battery anyways and have to be plugged in to charge.
I called tech support about the static on the phone while using android auto and they said to update the firmware. I did that and it is still there. As soon as I unplug the USB for android auto, the sound is fine. Phone calls are over bluetooth so not sure why plugging it in and running maps on android auto would have any effect on the phone call. However, a quick google search shows that this is not uncommon with other phones/car setups.
With that said, these are listed as fitting on Crutchfields site
$345 Pioneer AVH-2550NEX DVD receiver
I like the hard buttons for volume. Has dvd/cd player too (if anyone uses those anymore). Looks OEM.
$348 Sony XAV-AX5000 Digital multimedia receiver
Hard buttons again. No cd player so it's smaller behind screen.
$349 Kenwood Excelon DMX706S Digital multimedia receiver
Hard buttons, big screen.
It looks like I can get into wireless Android auto for an extra $100. Not sure that's worth the price since it'll likely drain the battery anyways and have to be plugged in to charge.
What phone do you have? I have a Note 9. I may try it with one of the apple phones to see if it does it. I also don't have Nav or JBL. Tempted to switch it to my other 4R that does to see if the problem is on that car as well. That one does have Nav and JBL
Bluesky 07
Senior Member
[MENTION=67260]RoyBell[/MENTION], I recently installed that Pioneer and it’s terrific. Highly recommend it.
Kingstonlake
New member
Does anyone have a recommendation for a non JBL 4R? I'm not really interested in bells and whistles as it relates to android or Apple phone integration. Most of the time I'm using my truck I won't have a cell signal. I'm interested in GPS/Bluetooth/tuner. Thanks guys!
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