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I wanted to install the interface from China. During installation I came across a converter from Beatsonic. This converter is installed. It mirrors the image from an iPhone to the display of the car. It is functional and I can connect my iPhone there. Then I looked at Beatsonic the installation of the converter. In this installation, cable connectors are changed both from the control unit in the car and connectors from the display. To install both systems without instructions I was overwhelmed. I have then canceled the installation. I would probably have had the possibility to rebuild the part of Beatsonic, but even for this the deconstruction is not clearly clarified for me. My biggest problem is that I have no working navigation device in the vehicle (US/EU). It always comes differently than you think, but still better than no navigation device.
Always a good trip to all here.
I wanted to install the interface from China. During installation I came across a converter from Beatsonic. This converter is installed. It mirrors the image from an iPhone to the display of the car. It is functional and I can connect my iPhone there. Then I looked at Beatsonic the installation of the converter. In this installation, cable connectors are changed both from the control unit in the car and connectors from the display. To install both systems without instructions I was overwhelmed. I have then canceled the installation. I would probably have had the possibility to rebuild the part of Beatsonic, but even for this the deconstruction is not clearly clarified for me. My biggest problem is that I have no working navigation device in the vehicle (US/EU). It always comes differently than you think, but still better than no navigation device.
Always a good trip to all here.
Hi Bertoni,
Sorry to hear you ran into problems installing the CarPlay kit. Your car's previous owner has installed the Beatsonic IF04EP mirroring kit. I have it in my car and it works very well. Last year, I considered transitioning to a CarPlay kit but decided that it wasn't suited for my needs. But Beatsonic confirmed that I could leave the mirroring kit installed and also install their CarPlay kit since they use different inputs in the car. Of course, the CarPlay kit you bought may not allow this and you may have to remove the Beatsonic kit first.
Here are a couple of links to the Beatsonic kit and installation in a 2013-2017 LS. Hopefully, this information will give you confidence to remove it before installing the CarPlay kit. Good luck!
Lastly, I am not quite sure I understand your issue with the navigation device. When checking the installation of the mirroring kit, I did notice that the GPS connector in the kit would not plug into the Navigation head unit. Beatsonic told me "For your specific vehicle model and year, the GPS wire is to be left disconnected. It will operate without any issues without it connected." I don't know if this addresses your concern.
Hi comotiger,
thank you very much for your support. My problem is that I have a US Lexus in Germany. The built in navigation system does not work in Europe and I would like to have a working navigation system in the car. For this I am looking for a way to solve the problem. The idea was Carplay with the interface. Also Lexus has built in more restrictions that are not really solvable in Europe. There are among other things the operating language, temperature display only Fahrenheit and some more. To change a US Lexus or Japanese Lexus you would have to delete and reprogram the control units. Only something for real freaks and that should live nearby if there are problems. For this I have in Germany a LS460 in the long version which there is not to buy here so. in the video of Beatsonic I have also seen that both devices are to be installed there. The video leaves but very important information open. With the installation of the screen mirroring also plugs are changed both at the control unit and at the monitor. When I realized that, I canceled the installation because I also lack the knowledge and I was afraid that something could happen. The mirroring of the iPhone helps for now and an external navigation device to attach to the windshield is in the glove compartment. It's just a shame to own such a nice car without a working navigation device.
Thanks again for your help.
Best wishes
Hi bertoni, if you can mirror your iPhone why do you need an external navigation device attached to the windshield? You can run Google maps on your phone and mirror it on your Nav screen.
Hello comotiger,
thank you for your question.
It is about reliability. GoogleMaps needs a stable mobile internet connection. This is not given everywhere in Europe. In the bigger cities it works quite well, but in the countryside and in the mountains it is not so. No Internet, no navigation. In addition, there must still be enough data volume available on the mobile phone contract. If the monthly data volume is used up, the mobile Internet becomes very slow. Conventional navigation systems work with installed maps and via satellite.
It is also the case with screen mirroring that music or radio reception can only be played via the iPhone. The built-in radio or the very good CD player are not available.
For safety, carry a mobile navigation system. There is also an older road atlas in the car.
With good internet reception googlemaps works very well, but then the music/radio only via the iPhone.
An external navigation device is of course not nice in a vehicle of this class and if it works via the built-in technology and the built-in screen it has much more style for me.
As long as it works with screen mirroring that is the first choice.
Best wishes
Hi bertoni,
Sure, I agree that using Google maps by mirroring your phone may not be as reliable as using the car's Nav system. But you don't have that option, so you might as well use mirroring to the built-in screen rather than use an external device like Garmin or TomTom for navigation. Unless you are driving in the mountains or rural areas all the time, reliability should be fine. And data usage is generally not an issue; maybe it is where you live.
Music and radio do not have to be played thru the mirrored phone. I use the bluetooth to listen to music and podcasts from my phone. In addition, the car's radio and DVD players work fine and available thru their respective sources. In fact, because the Beatsonic mirroring kit has a Nav bypass module, you can watch DVDs when the car is moving!
You can download a map to your phone using google maps. I do that for trips away from home and where I expect to lose my internet connection. I don't know if it works in Germany, as it says some regions may be locked. Download areas & navigate offline - iPhone & iPad - Google Maps Help
Hi comotiger and hi Vtallysx4,
thank you very much for the tips. In the next week I will get a little more familiar with how to use the iPhone in the car. The hints help me a lot. I will report on the further experiences.
To all here always a good trip.
Best wishes
Hi comotiger and hi Vtallysx4,
the iPhone is mirrored via the AV input. This works.
The maps from Googlemaps can also be used offline.
When the iPhone is used via AV no other sources can be opened. Either AV or CD or radio or....
The bleutooth connection works. It is possible to listen to music from iPhone via bluetooth. Does the bluetooth connection have a higher priority than the input selector? I have not tried that yet. How can I watch a DVD while driving? Probably only works if the DVD is copied to the iPhone?
Thanks for your support. I've made a lot of progress here.
How I now deal with the additional interface for Apple Carplay I do not know yet. The biggest problem with the navigation is solved.
Now I'm just looking for a suitable holder for the iPhone, so that the iPhone is held horizontally.
All a good trip and best wishes from Germany.
Hi comotiger and hi Vtallysx4,
the iPhone is mirrored via the AV input. This works.
The maps from Googlemaps can also be used offline.
When the iPhone is used via AV no other sources can be opened. Either AV or CD or radio or....
When using AV input for mirroring, you cannot simultaneously use the BT or FM or SAT or DVD inputs. You will have to listen to radio or music thru the AV input on your phone.
Originally Posted by bertoni
The bleutooth connection works. It is possible to listen to music from iPhone via bluetooth. Does the bluetooth connection have a higher priority than the input selector? I have not tried that yet.
Even when mirroring your phone, calls can come thru the BT channel. I am not sure about this, but are you saying that you could listen to music on your iPhone with BT when still mirroring the phone with AV input? I haven't tried that, but if it works, great!
Originally Posted by bertoni
How can I watch a DVD while driving? Probably only works if the DVD is copied to the iPhone?
Your Beatsonic mirroring kit has a Nav Bypass controller. Insert a DVD in the slot and the DISC/DVD input should not be grayed out when you are driving. Select that input and watch your DVD.
Originally Posted by bertoni
Now I'm just looking for a suitable holder for the iPhone, so that the iPhone is held horizontally.
All a good trip and best wishes from Germany.
I really like ProClip mounts and holders (proclipusa.com). Holder will rotate for landscape view in Nav screen.
Mount for 4LS: Console Mount 834848
Adjustable Holder for iPhone 8: 514666
Adjustable Holder for iPhone 12: 246817
My Android phone will not upgrade by using the car unit device. My phone updates whenever I choose to allow an update to install. Virtually all of the time, that will be while I'm in my office or at home. The Android OS updates from 4.1 still run some devices, albeit "slower". I have a tablet with 5.0 - but I'm not doing any serious CAD apps on it. Was never meant to be used for that. Duh. Neither is my 2 year old S9 presently running 10. I have a desktop and another high end tablet for doing anything serious. You've attempted to make a mountain out of a molehill, and showing off your tech knowledge, which, frankly, we all knew already. No one does the computing you are suggesting you do in your car. No one on this forum.
Just a quick update on this.
I purchased an android auto module from an eBay vendor name Road Top out of China, they are also on AliExpress. Paid $279 shipped for the unit, very similar to the unit you guys mentioned above. Received it in 6 days via DHL.
Install was quite straight forward, similar to the steps mentioned above. Communication with the vendor is quick with good English. The provided user manual is well laid out and informative.
Don't mind the gap under the screen I did not complete the full reassemble when the pic was taken.
To my surprise the wireless connection for android auto works flawlessly. I thought I would be limited to the the wired option only but the wireless function is fast and works nicely.
Upon starting the car the oem unit booths up as normal. A three second press on the map button switches to android mode. The AA icon is then displayed, clicking on the icon opens the program. Display is clear and the backup camera still works as intended.
Switching between the oem and AA systems is a three second press on the map button.
I has only been a few days since the install so I am still learning and testing the system.
Display dims as it should when the head lights are turned on or off.
Waze, google maps, Pandora and google assistant works smoothly.
Since my car is a 2014 year model, it is limited to the split screen, no worries for me there.
So far I am happy with the unit. The one issue I have is navigating the mouse in the AA mode, lol. It will take some time to get use to that.
I will keep updating my experience and issues with this unit.
I have a lsailt box I bought from merge screens.
They claimed wireless android auto will work but I can not get it to work.
or RoadTop most people here appear to have installed and also seem to be popular with BMW users? As best I can tell there isn't any difference in features/functionality although they sell for about half of the Beat-Sonic/Crux versions.
For anyone who has connected an aftermarket front view camera, what does it use as a trigger to turn on? It looks like it pops on when you shift from P->D or R->D for the time interval set although not sure that helps seeing objects parking a car pulling forward?.
Any idea how do those interface options compare to the generic Chinese versions like Carlinkit or RoadTop most people here appear to have installed and also seem to be popular with BMW users? As best I can tell there isn't any difference in features/functionality although they sell for about half of the Beat-Sonic/Crux versions.
For anyone who has connected an aftermarket front view camera, what does it use as a trigger to turn on? It looks like it pops on when you shift from P->D or R->D for the time interval set although not sure that helps seeing objects parking a car pulling forward?.
Not sure if you're still looking for this but, skip the really expensive kits...
The HIGH config is for the Joystick models (2013-2017), This is a plug and play kit (You do need to pull the dash apart but, it's easy to do with the right tools). It does support wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay. 2013-2015 will have the split screen, 2016-2017 will have full screen (changed with a few jumpers on the device). Plenty of install directions in this thread.
This really is one of the best addons you can put in your 2013-2017 LS.... It EVEN has HDMI in, so you can play HDMI devices on your screen.
Kind of bumping this thread because new owners should see this option, for $280, its' a deal of the century for the infotainment system in the LS460
08-05-21, 10:28 AM
