What is Wireless Carplay adapter？

Regarding the Wireless CarPlay adapter, let’s first understand CarPlay.

What is Carplay?

In the center console of a car, there is usually a display screen, which is similar to a computer and also has its own operating system. After 2023, the coverage rate of the car’s built-in display screen will be over 90%.

Some car screen systems are Android (hereinafter referred to as in car systems), which are generally modified in the later stage and can be downloaded from any app. You can watch movies, watch news, and watch videos.

Some car systems are developed by car manufacturers themselves and only have a few common functions, such as navigation, listening to music, listening to radio, making phone calls, etc.

CarPlay is an in-vehicle system feature developed by Apple that allows the vehicle’s built-in display to mirror and control certain apps on the iPhone. In short, CarPlay extends some of the iPhone’s functionalities, such as navigation, phone, music, and messages, to the vehicle’s central control display.

With CarPlay, users can operate their iPhone via the vehicle’s central touchscreen, buttons, or the vehicle’s built-in voice recognition system, enabling them to use their phone safely while driving. CarPlay supports Siri voice control, allowing users to issue voice commands to operate map navigation, send and receive messages, make phone calls, or play music, among other functions.

It’s important to note that to use CarPlay, your vehicle must be equipped with CarPlay functionality, and your phone must have the iOS system installed and be an iPhone 5 or later model.

Many car infotainment systems that come with the CarPlay feature often require a connection via a data cable, which some car owners find inconvenient. Therefore, they wish to achieve wireless CarPlay functionality. Here, the wireless CarPlay is achieved through Bluetooth and WIFI for the interconnection between the phone and the car system.

Wireless CarPlay typically operates by using Bluetooth to establish an initial connection between the phone and the car system, followed by Wi-Fi to maintain a stable, high-bandwidth data transfer for the interconnection. The general process is as follows:

The user activates the CarPlay settings on the car’s system and enables the wireless mode.
The user goes to the settings on the iPhone, selects ‘General’, then ‘CarPlay’, and searches for and selects the vehicle.
For the initial connection, the system usually asks for a confirmation of the connection and may request a code that is displayed on the car’s system.
Once the connection is confirmed via Bluetooth, the car’s system will negotiate a Wi-Fi connection with the iPhone.
After the Wi-Fi connection is established, all data transfers, including audio, video, navigation, and voice control commands, are carried over Wi-Fi.

This enables the wireless CarPlay to work properly, allowing users to access the various features of their iPhone on the car’s system without the need for a data cable.