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Intellidash Professional, the wi-fi model of the fundamental Intellidash+ unit we have already reviewed, delivers an easy-to-install CarPlay expertise with no electrical work obligatory.

Components and ports

Within the field, you get the Intellidash Professional, a suction-cupped articulating arm mount, an adhesive glass disc, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a hook and loop cable tie, the facility adapters, and 5 adhesive cable clips.

Automobile and Driver’s new Intellidash Professional boasts a considerable seven-inch show with a little bit of a matte end, which helps cut back glare whereas driving. It has built-in microphones and audio system, although you in all probability will not wish to use the latter.

The mount is wildly adjustable and permits you to mount your show in a number of totally different positions. It may possibly hook up with your windshield on the within or you might affix the glass disc to your sprint and mount the show there.

We choose the windshield possibility, which is a bit simpler to cover the cables.

Down the left facet of the unit are all the port choices. There’s a 3.5mm auxiliary audio enter, an auxiliary audio output, a USB-C port, and a USB-A port for use completely with thumb drives.

There’s a relatively giant energy unit that occupies the automotive’s energy socket so you may’t use it for every other charging, which is a draw back.

Wi-fi CarPlay for the win

We have been steadfast CarPlay customers for years. It is merely the easiest way to make use of your iPhone in your automotive. Apple has routinely added new options to CarPlay, which roll out to everybody because the software program is operating in your iPhone, relatively than your automotive.

So long as your automotive helps CarPlay, you may get any new interface adjustments, app updates, map enhancements, and far more. This yr we noticed a number of new options.

CarPlay began as a wired affair, however quickly Apple launched a wi-fi spec. It has been years, and plenty of new autos nonetheless solely help the wired incarnation, to the dismay of customers.

Most aftermarket options are full head unit replacements that require a considerable quantity of know-how or knowledgeable installer to retrofit. It is a sophisticated and infrequently costly proposition that turns away many customers.

After residing with wi-fi CarPlay for years, nonetheless, it might be arduous to ever return.

To arrange wi-fi CarPlay with the Intellidash Professional, you merely join your iPhone by way of a USB-C to Lightning cable. It is going to then robotically uncover and request to pair with the brand new show. Then you may disconnect the Lightning cable and use it wirelessly from then on. Easy.

When operating wirelessly, it runs over Wi-Fi and also will present your battery standing on the CarPlay interface. In any other case, it’s the identical expertise as operating it wired.

You discover a slight delay in audio as it’s being transmitted out of your telephone, however it is not problematic.

There’s a superb choice to pair together with your wi-fi CarPlay nowadays too — a MagSafe appropriate wi-fi charging mount. We just lately crash examined a number of fashions that may both conveniently maintain your iPhone or maintain and cost it on the identical time.

That is our most well-liked situation the place we will hop within the automotive, mount our iPhone by way of MagSafe the place it will probably additionally cost, and CarPlay runs wirelessly within the background. With the Intellidash Professional, that is the expertise we get.

Is it actually wire-free?

It could appear nearly a contradiction, as Intellidash Professional offers you wi-fi CarPlay, however on the identical time, it will probably add one or two further cables to your automobile. It offers us pause on whether or not or not that may be a step in the fitting route.

What it comes all the way down to is your setup. In the event you place this in your sprint, leaving all of the wires dangling, it may frustrate you and foster a foul expertise.

In the event you take the included instruments to route your cables correctly, it is a fantastic answer for many individuals.

We rigorously routed our energy cable underneath the plastic fringe of our sprint and, the place we could not, tucked the cable neatly into the bundled small clips. With the cords out of the way in which, they keep out of thoughts.

Intellidash Professional may broadcast to your automobile’s radio with a built-in FM transmitter. That allows you to ditch the aux cable leaving you with just one wire — the facility cable — to run your Intellidash Professional.

For the added comfort of wi-fi CarPlay, we’re offered.

Extraneous options

Except for CarPlay, there are a couple of different options value noting, if briefly.

Intellidash Professional has Bluetooth in order that even if you happen to’re not utilizing CarPlay — or have a secondary machine — it will probably nonetheless route its audio and calls via the unit.

A thumb drive could be inserted into the facet the place music could be performed again. And positive, it additionally helps Android Auto if that is your bag.

Do you have to purchase the Intellidash Professional?

After utilizing the Intellidash Professional for a size of time, our solely actual grievance is the way it interfaces together with your automotive. It makes your native show practically ineffective, with ours relegated to a really giant contact display management for the AC and never a lot else.

We additionally began utilizing the FM transmitter, which felt like a blast from the previous. Everybody used to have these to hook up their iPods to their automotive wirelessly however then and now, they’d points.

Once you drive a major distance, your radio broadcast channels change, as some new stations crop up whereas others fade out of vary. So we might select an empty station solely to have it transition to a radio present after driving some time.

In the event you simply drive regionally, an FM transmitter might be the way in which to go.

To make issues simpler, we simply switched to the aux cable, however that meant we wanted to have yet another wire operating round our automotive which simply seems messy. Even once we attempt to disguise it as greatest we will.

The most effective answer can be to have a wi-fi CarPlay adapter for our automobile, however that is the second-best possibility.

Wi-fi CarPlay is a much better expertise for the person, and the Intellidash Professional delivers that. You merely sit down in your automotive, flip it on, and the Intellidash Professional springs to life, robotically connecting to your iPhone with out it ever leaving your pocket.

That is the way in which CarPlay is supposed to be, and disgrace on the automakers for dragging their ft in bringing this to autos natively.

This yr seems like the primary yr we have seen broad wi-fi CarPlay adoption, however there are far too many current autos on the roads that want an answer as effectively. So long as you do not thoughts the second display in your automotive, this provides you that wi-fi expertise without having to switch your automotive’s complete head unit.

Professionals

• Brings wi-fi CarPlay to nearly any automobile
• Giant adjustable 7-inch show
• A number of mounting choices
• Cables tie and clips included
• Straightforward setup
• Auxiliary cable, FM transmitter, or built-in speaker choices for audio output
• USB-C port to attach telephone

Cons

Ranking: 4 out of 5

The place to purchase

Yow will discover the brand new Automobile and Driver Intellidash Professional on Amazon for $399.