OTTOCASTU2-AIR Wireless CarPlay Adapter 2024 - Apple CarPlay Wireless Adapter Convert Wired to Wireless Plug & Play Dongle 5Ghz WiFi Auto Connect Online Update for iPhone & OEM Wired CarPlay CarsClimatePartner certified

I’ve been using the OTTOCAST U2‑AIR wireless CarPlay adapter in my OEM CarPlay vehicle and it’s seriously impressive. Setup took under a minute, and it now connects to my iPhone automatically within 10–15 seconds every time. No more plugging in my phone. The 5GHz WiFi keeps everything smooth—no lag, no dropouts. Worth it for the convenience alone.

Have had it a few months now. Worked perfectly as soon as I plugged it in. And has worked ever since. Very happy that I don't have to plug in my phone each time I get in the car.

I purchased this item for my 2021 Lexus NX300 as the car came with wired CarPlay. The connection time isn’t bad, it booted up within 5-6 seconds after turning the car on. Usually by the time the Lexus distraction warning was gone Wireless CarPlay was ready to go. There was no lag between me using the touchpad in the car and the reaction of the cursor on the screen for CarPlay. This is a great concept, but the execution has much to be improved. My issues with this product are:1. The quality of the audio. I noticed when using the wireless CarPlay, my car speakers had poor audio - little to no bass and highs and lows got crackly/almost inaudible. Switching back to standard Bluetooth or wired CarPlay did not have this issue. I listen to a lot of music and this was a deal breaker for me.2. Lag when switching songs. I skip around a lot in my playlists and library. The lag is easily 1-2 seconds between pressing my steering wheel button and the audio/display catching up in CarPlay. Again this issue is not present with Bluetooth audio or wired CarPlay.3. Interference. This device accepts A LOT of interference while driving. It would happen often where I’m driving and the audio will cut out, crackle or even lose the connection because of some other signal (perhaps police radar, stronger wifi bands near by etc). I found this to be very annoying and distracting.4. This is an edge case, but there are instances where I leave my car running and get out with my phone (for example to go into Starbucks while my friend waits in the car). Once I walk away and come back, the device does not reconnect to my iPhone. I can turn off/on wifi and Bluetooth on my phone and nothing. I have to physically unplug the device from my car and reinsert it to power cycle it. After a minute or so it will reconnect to my phone. This is probably the most annoying issue.5. Back up camera black screen. After reversing and shifting to park or drive, my screen will be black for a few seconds I guess while the device reloads CarPlay. This happens quite often and can get annoying.6. Battery drain. Not an issue for this device in particular, but wireless CarPlay SUCKS your battery dry. I download all my music in Apple Music so I’m not even streaming, but the wireless projection of CarPlay absolutely kills my battery on my iPhone 12. Add navigation and forget it. Just throw your battery out. I suppose you could use a Qi charger while connected to Wireless CarPlay, but that seems idiotic in my opinion. At that point just plug the damn wire in and call it a day with wired CarPlay.7. Song seeking issues. Sometimes a song would end and the next song would begin but 10 seconds into the song. I’ve never had this issue with Apple Music in general or using Bluetooth or wired CarPlay. Very odd.8. Phone call confusion. My iPhone wouldn’t know which device to connect to to route a call - my car, the phone, Bluetooth or the Wireless CarPlay receiver. Frustrating.9. Slow disconnect. I shut off the car and it takes a good 5 seconds for my phone to disconnect from CarPlay. This can be annoying especially if you have DND while driving enabled to automatically enable while connected to your car and disable when disconnected.All in all I wouldn’t recommend this device for the above reasons I stated. If you absolutely need CarPlay, plug it in with your wire. If you don’t mind the above issues I mentioned then purchase this device and see how it works in your own car. The cons outweigh the pros in my opinion.

9/23 updates - "Otto" likes to disconnect frequently from the car, Bluetooth and my iPhone and can be very annoying to reconnect. One other very odd “quirk” has appeared with “Otto”.When my car is off and parked in my driveway with “Otto” plugged into the USB audio port in my car, Otto takes over my wireless Sony ear buds when I’m close to the car and kills the Bluetooth signal from my iPhone to my ear buds.See the Car Play photo - that’s what pops up on my iPhone when Otto takes over my Tidal streaming.I unplugged Otto from the vehicle USB and my ear buds were fine. My Palisade must power Otto via the USB cable even when the ignition is off and allow it take over my iPhone. I'm looking for an improved brand or Otto model.It’s very odd to have my Sony ear buds die when I’m doing yard work so from now on, I unplug Otto when I’m doing yard work with my car in the driveway.3/23 update. 3 months later through a tough, coldwinter and “Otto” is still working nearly flawlessly with my iPhone 12 and Tidal streaming. As long as the Tidal app is open on my iPhone, connection is quick. I have not noticed any unusual drop outs or other quirks.It can take a minute or two for iPhone and Otto to connect if the Tidal app isn’t open. But if I click on the Tidal app on the Palisade media display, it connects nearly instantly. Really happy with Otto!12/21/22 update - got my 2023 Hyundai Palisade and I transferred “Otto” directly from old Mazda CX-9 to the Palisade, which immediately detected Otto and Otto worked instantly.The functionality was nearly perfect just like my old Mazda, I have to click on the Tidal app on my cell phone to fire up streaming with Tidal. Once I do, Car Play and Tidal work perfect! Otherwise, no issues.Original Review -My expectations for this device were low. I was expecting to have to send it back. I was wrong on both counts.Once I got “Otto” set up, it worked flawlessly and wirelessly with my formerly hard wire only Apple Car Play. It even worked with my Tidal streaming app on my iPhone through Otto enabled wireless Air Play.I had to open the Tidal app after my car audio system and “Otto” booted up. My car audio system boots a lot slower than Otto.Navigation, phone, audio and every app worked fine.A couple of install notes. Make SURE you have real Apple Car Play - Otto just makes existing Car Play wireless, it doesn’t create the entire Apple Car Play universe.Make sure you use the proper USB port in your car. You can have multiple USB ports in your car and it’s possible only one works for audio and the rest are power only. That’s how my Mazda CX-9 is set up.Otto includes 2 connection cables. One is USB C to USB C and the other is USB A to USB C. If you don’t know the difference, Google them. You need the right cable.Follow the directions and you should be fine - in a 2019 Mazda CX-9 with Apple Car play. I’ll have connection data on a 2023 Hyundai Palisade in about 10 days after my new Palisade arrives. Hope this helps!

3 weeks updated review:It power cycles once every trip. Returning.This thing works. I have a Sony XAV-AX1000. It has Apple CarPlay, but it’s wired. This hooks into the USB, and once you pair your iPhone with it-it connects to Apple CarPlay in about 10 seconds. It is no slower than a factory wireless infotainment system or aftermarket head unit.