FM Transmitters and Bluetooth
Discussion
I thought I'd update this thread with my findings. I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago to go in my 12yo Lexus that didn't have bluetooth streaming built in, and so far I've been really impressed.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078J7KYXB
99% of the time I've left it set to 108Mhz and have driven all around London and along the M4 corridor with no noticeable interference. The only interference I've experienced was driving into Oxford, where a quick retune was necessary. To test the streaming quality, I played the same track back-to-back on my cars inbuilt CD player and via my phone and while the CD was better the difference really was minimal.
I've mainly used it for streaming music and podcasts, but have also received a few calls and have had no complaints about the call quality. This one also has a handy voltage reading when switching on - useful for checking battery/alternator health.
As I mentioned earlier, I suspect a lot of the negative opinions on these devices is based on cheap devices from 10 years ago as these modern ones seem great and get excellent reviews on amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078J7KYXB
99% of the time I've left it set to 108Mhz and have driven all around London and along the M4 corridor with no noticeable interference. The only interference I've experienced was driving into Oxford, where a quick retune was necessary. To test the streaming quality, I played the same track back-to-back on my cars inbuilt CD player and via my phone and while the CD was better the difference really was minimal.
I've mainly used it for streaming music and podcasts, but have also received a few calls and have had no complaints about the call quality. This one also has a handy voltage reading when switching on - useful for checking battery/alternator health.
As I mentioned earlier, I suspect a lot of the negative opinions on these devices is based on cheap devices from 10 years ago as these modern ones seem great and get excellent reviews on amazon.
Komo12k said:
Dont know if this is the right thread, but do you guys know of any good ways to overcome not being able to play music from my 2009 S5 - It doesnt have MMI - just the connection (wired) in the glove box...?
The beauty of these devices is that they'll work with any car that had a 12v socket and an FM radio, so this would definitely work in your S5.If you have a aux socket you can also get bluetooth transmitters like the following, but I wasn't able to use one of these as my 2005 Lexus doesnt have an aux socket.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Transmitter-Tao...
Jimi.K. said:
Funk said:
I bought one of these for use in my E46. It was s
te, but if someone wants it for free they're welcome to it if I can find it.
Looks very similar to mine. In what way did you find it ste, but if someone wants it for free they're welcome to it if I can find it.te? New car's a dream; Spotify on the phone straight to the car with track control via the buttons on the wheel. Lovely.
Many years ago (possibly 10) these devices were illegal in the UK as they were classed as broadcasting and this pirate radio. They relaxed the law so that you could use them. However, at the same time the signal strength in the US was throttled back dramatically. It used to be the case that it didn’t matter if there was a radio station broadcasting on the frequency you chose because they were so strong. But, it meant those driving around you would end up listening to your music and not the radio station. As a result, they have become very underpowered.
If your radio has any kind of aux in you can use a parrot. I had one on a Jeep in 2004 and it was the best Bluetooth phone I’ve had in any car. The only thing you would have on show is a tiny microphone. The model I had did have a dash mounted screen but you didn’t need this so just don’t wire it up. The parrot also plays your music from the phone on the cars speakers.
If your radio has any kind of aux in you can use a parrot. I had one on a Jeep in 2004 and it was the best Bluetooth phone I’ve had in any car. The only thing you would have on show is a tiny microphone. The model I had did have a dash mounted screen but you didn’t need this so just don’t wire it up. The parrot also plays your music from the phone on the cars speakers.
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