Barrett

January 19, 2014

How to Help your Car Stream Bluetooth Music from your Smartphone

If you don’t like running a cable from your phone to your car, and your vehicle can’t talk ‘A2DP,’ it’s time to buy a Bluetooth receiver that can!

You may have heard I bought a Toyota RAV4 last month.
Like any new relationship with tech, I was dazzled by all the sparkle.

“Look Ma… no keys!”

“And you can make Bluetooth-enabled hands-free calls from your smartphone with the car’s voice-recognition technology using the overhead microphone and stereo speakers?
Cool!!”

But the next morning, you invariably wake up, take another look and realize when it comes to tech, perfection is always just out of reach.

“You can’t stream music from a smartphone to the car’s speakers via Bluetooth?!
You didn’t tell me that last night!!”

Your Phone’s Ball and Chain
When your tech isn’t the latest and greatest, you’re at risk for a few surprises…
(Remember, I bought a pre-owned vehicle.)

And while car body styles don’t change much from year to year, the embedded tech you don’t see ages swiftly in dog years.
(Today, a brand new RAV4 can do the streaming music trick.)

So to play my iPhone’s music through my car’s stereo system, I discovered I needed to jack in my iPhone to an AUX input port next to the shift lever, using a bright green mini cable (3.5 mm) I had lying about.

Now, who wants to hard-wire your phone every time you want some tunes?
(How embarrassing.)

So what’s a humanoid to do?

Get thee to a computer and research a Bluetooth receiver workaround to replace this messy, old school cabling solution!

You may not need the resources of a Viking king to figure it all out,
but it couldn’t hurt. I found this tech rabbit hole particularly deep…
(Along the way, you may even uncover the origins of Bluetooth’s odd name!)

R2D2 Vs A2DP
Like my RAV4, lots of newer cars come equipped with Bluetooth power to make smartphone calls via the car’s stereo system.

But to stream music via Bluetooth from the same smartphone, a car also needs to be ‘A2DP’ capable.

What?
(Is that something out of “Star Wars?!”)

A2DP is simply a newer Bluetooth flavor.
It stands for “Advanced Audio Distribution Profile.”
And that’s what enables your car to stream Bluetooth ‘audio.’

So if your car can’t do A2DP, what you need is a portable A2DP Bluetooth receiver to pair with your smartphone and then send the A2DP audio down the car’s AUX jack with its own cable.

Don’t Cross the Streams
In case you’re wondering, it’s not a problem to pair two devices to your smartphone:

One connection to your car’s phone system
Another to your new Bluetooth adapter for music

In fact, Bluetooth tech allows you to connect up to 8 devices simultaneously.

Just don’t try to do exactly the same thing with any two of the connections.
That would cause a universe-ending ‘conflict.’
(like crossing the streams in “Ghostbusters”)

Choose your Bluetooth Receiver!
There are three variables to consider when you look to buy your portable Bluetooth receiver:

Price
Power
Pleasure

You might expect a wide range of available solutions to address all three pieces. But in fact, there are not!

The challenge is finding a compact unit with a DC adapter that’s priced right.

I’ve done some research, and I’m chastened to report in today’s marketplace you can only get two of the three:

#1 – Compact and Good Price, but Requires Regular Recharging

Gogroove BlueGate Bluetooth Adapter – $29.99

What’s not to like? The form factor is perfect!
It’s tiny and does the job of bridging the inches between your iPhone and the AUX jack. The problem is it only runs on its rechargeable battery.
So you’ve always got to worry about charging it up via a USB port.

Runner up:

Miccus Mini-Jack Rx Bluetooth – $37.99

This one doesn’t have the short cable. Its little plug juts right out of the unit.
Then, the tiny stick attaches onto the AUX jack.
This uber-compact design may or may not work for your car…

#2 – Good price and DC Adapter, but More Messy Cables

Kinivo BTC450 Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit – $39.99

This device can also handle your phone calls, because it houses a microphone in its little disc controller.
But you don’t have to use it for that purpose, since you’ve already got your car’s phone system paired to your phone for that use.

The unit gets really great reviews on Amazon. It even auto-connects, when it senses your phone! The only problem is you’ve got two cables to contend with.
(DC power to the unit, and then the connection to the AUX jack)
Granted, neither of them weighs down your phone.

Runner up:

Belkin Bluetooth Car Hands-Free Kit – $79

It’s more expensive, but for no apparent reason.
(sigh)

#3 – Compact and a DC Adapter, but Expensive

Griffin Technology BlueTrip AUX- $99

This should be the perfect choice!
Its design has only one cable running from your DC adapter
(which houses the Bluetooth receiver) straight to your AUX jack.

The only problem is price. It shouldn’t be this expensive!
I think the root cause is it’s been discontinued.
(no longer seen on Griffin’s website.)

Now, it’s only offered on Amazon Prime through a third party.
So, buyer beware…

Runner up: NONE!

(I don’t see any other products out there designed like the BlueTrip AUX…)

Tomorrow is NOT Yesterday
I think the real problem here is there’s no ‘problem.’
What I mean is… today’s ‘new’ cars can normally handle A2DP audio streaming if they’ve got Bluetooth functionality.
They don’t need no stinking adapters!

So this is yesterday’s problem.

Manufacturers know this and probably haven’t continued to offer more efficient solutions, simply because there’s no future in supporting this particular past.
(I came upon several viable devices online that were no longer available…)

The Kinivo Joins the Team
So what’s a cable-phobic tech everyman to do?

Honestly, I considered doing nothing and just leave that bright green mini cable in my car for my iPhone’s use. The phone slips nicely into a little slot right above the AUX jack.
(My little green snake really isn’t that horrible!)

But that solution wouldn’t be very forward focused, would it?
And hardly a fitting end to this week’s epic journey in search of tech enlightenment.

So I Iooked again at the Kinivo and its 963 ratings boasting four and five stars.
(versus only 97 lower ratings)

Click.

If adding two cables to lose one cable is what it takes to free up my iPhone from its lowly 20th century tether, then I say….

…well, let’s move on.

Did I mention how much I love my car?

1 Comment

January 12, 2014

Are You as Smart as your Car?

This is the magic “kiss” that you hope you’ll never have to perform with your Smart Key to revive your keyless car. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Exactly…

I love my new car.
It’s really smart.
But now, I realize it may be a little too smart for my own good…

Last time on At Home with Tech,
I survived the car-buying gauntlet, and brought my Toyota RAV4 home.

But my brain was so focused on surviving the deal, I didn’t commit enough neurons to analyzing all the technology baked into the vehicle.

There was one feature that became of particular interest almost immediately after I drove off the lot…

Be Careful What You Wish For
The car comes with a ‘Smart Key’ remote instead of a standard key.
Essentially, it’s a mini transmitter that tells the car’s CPU, “Give this human full access to the vehicle.”
(until Skynet takes over)

All you need to do is carry the Smart Key in your pocket, and the car senses your presence.
When you walk up to the car and reach your hand to the door, the car unlocks automatically.
(an impressive parlor trick)

Once you’re in the car, there’s no ignition switch… just a push button labeled “Engine Start/Stop.”

It seems the future has arrived!

The Risks of Smart Key Technology
Actually, Smart Key tech has been around for more than a few years.
(Mercedes Benz offered the first one way back in 1998… interestingly only a few months after Skynet’s fictional creation.)

Today, lots of car brands are using this keyless ignition system tech.

Beyond convenience, Smart Key technology is supposed to be more secure, since it uses rolling security codes to frustrate hackers.

But as wonderful as it is, this advanced car tech can lead to some inconveniences down the line.

So if you aren’t familiar with this issue before you buy your next set of wheels…
(guilty as charged)
…at least you should be aware of it before it crops up when your roadster is parked in the middle of nowhere, and HAL won’t open the pod bay doors…
let alone start the car.

A Kiss can Save your Day
So what happens when your Smart Key remote dies?
How do you get into your car without a physical key?

The good news is Toyota thought of that.
They slipped a tiny key into the body of the Smart Key fob.
It’s totally hidden, and you’ve got to press a micro button to activate its release, like you’re 007.

So that gets you in.

But then how do you start the car?
Remember, there’s no place to insert your James Bond back-up key.

So I scoured the manual, did a little online research and then called a local Toyota dealership in search of an answer…

What I discovered sounds almost too good to be true:

If you place the Smart Key right next to the Engine Start button…
(like the remote is giving the button a little kiss)
…that little techy love smooch will magically power up your car when you press the Start button.

Uh huh.

Yes, you can awaken your sleeping beauty simply with a kiss…

The Power of Resonant Energy Transfer
The ‘how’ of this tech voodoo isn’t readily accessible on the Internet.
I really had to dig to find what I believe is close to an accurate answer…
(I guess Toyota doesn’t want to give away any secrets.)

The service department rep at my Toyota dealer actually told me that nobody has ever asked her why ‘the kiss’ works before.

But simple science backs up this seemingly too-good-to-be-true fairy tale hocus-pocus…

Here’s the deal:

Even without a working battery, the Smart Key remote has a passive proximity chip that’s activated when the frequency chip behind the Engine Start button sends out its radio signal looking for the fob’s start code.
(as long as the Smart Key is close enough to the button)

Science fiction?
Not really…

Your Smart Key’s backup system operates much like your work ID card that opens the doors in your office building…
The ID card is called a proximity card and contains an itty-bitty antenna and frequency chip. Your card will receive enough power from the RF signal provided by the door’s reader device for the card to transmit back its presence.
(The whole thing is called ‘resonant energy transfer’… for you geeks out there.)

So in a sense, your car’s Smart Key gets enough juice from the car to ID itself in an emergency and get the car going!

And all it takes is a kiss…

Once Upon a Time…
Sleeping Beauty always wakes up in the story, but I decided I should have a back-up plan, just in case.
(Somehow, my life doesn’t clock in like a fairy tale every day. You?)

So I ordered a couple of batteries on Amazon to power my remote. And I’ll keep them in the car, just to be safe. That way, I’ll be prepared if I need to do emergency surgery on my Smart Key should it decide to loose its smarts and can’t be persuasive with a kiss.

Silly Humans
I know I might be over reacting.
(just a bit)

Besides, this problem isn’t supposed to announce itself without warning.
Apparently, when the Smart Key’s battery begins to go… you’ll notice its shrinking capacity.
Its like when your TV remote starts to weaken….the channel buttons work only occasionally… and only when you push them with ‘great intent.’

Keep it in your Pocket!
Oh… here’s a final word to the wise, should you still be considering joining the Smart Key generation.

Don’t lose your Smart Key.
Your wallet will tell you that’s definitely not a smart thing to do…

For the record, when I bought my RAV4 last month, the salesman warned me it would be an expensive venture to replace the Smart Key.
(He didn’t say how expensive.)

I confidently replied I didn’t intend to lose either of the two fobs that came with the car.

But of course, I was curious what the damage would be.
So I called back my local Toyota dealer.
(I think they know me by name, now.)

$440.
(gulp)

Yes, it costs $440 to replace a lost Smart Key.

I think somewhere out there you can buy a car for $440 that will pass inspection.

How does one get to $440?
The dealer broke it down for me:

$200.00 for the smart controller fob
$112.94 for the laser-cut, mechanical (back-up) key
$127.95 to program the controller and the car together

That totals $440.89. (plus tax)

That’s a far cry from getting a spare key for a few bucks cut by your friendly locksmith down the street.

That said, I don’t plan on losing my fob.
If I don’t have to take it out of my pocket, why would I ever lose it?
(famous last words)

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
I suppose the old practice of putting a key into an ignition switch is rather analog. What’s really so crazy about Smart Key technology?
But isn’t it a little freaky how advanced cars are becoming?

On the not-too-distant horizon, Google’s got its self-driving car project
ready to launch.
One day, ‘driving’ one of those cars is really going to take a lot of trust on my part.

So I’ve decided that smart vehicle should have a wicked-large
glove compartment. Because I’ll be bringing plenty of back-up batteries…!!

2 Comments

January 5, 2014

The Internet is Killing the Car Buying Dance

How to buy a car will probably become crystal clear when hell freezes over. Still, the Internet can help melt away some of the confusion.

I really dislike buying a car.
That archaic routine wasting time at a car dealership…
Yuck.

Alas, few automobiles last forever.
A few weeks back, I finally faced the reality that I needed to replace my old Toyota RAV4.

No matter how prepared I feel going into the car-buying battle,
I know the odds are stacked against me to get the best deal.

It’s all quite excruciating.

Doing the Dance
Have you ever done the ‘dance?’
You know… that special tango you get to do with car salesmen when you’re trying to ‘negotiate’ a new set of wheels.
If so, you know what I’m talking about…

I do the dance every few years.
These sales guys are at it every single day.
What chance does an average Joe really have?

Sure, there must be a few of you out there who could go toe-to-toe
with Cal Worthington. Not me.
(maybe in the next life)

There must be a better way…

Technology has Changed the Rules
Fortunately, there’s some good news to report.
I’ve discovered the magic of today’s tech can even out the odds a bit.

Technology has had a significant impact on how the car-buying game now works. And if you pay attention to this new tech-adjusted landscape, you just might be able to use it to your advantage.

Find Your Car Online
It’s a no brainer that short of driving a car, the Internet can provide everything else you need to know about a particular model.

After some comparative research between the Honda CR-V and
a newer Toyota RAV4, I decided to re-up with Toyota.

Next, it seemed obvious to continue using my computer to locate specific cars with the bells and whistles I wanted…like a V6 engine.
(Mmmmm… V6)

Not surprisingly, I found that area dealerships all listed their cars online, complete with pricing.
(none of that ridiculous “call us the for the price” mumbo jumbo)

I also perused helpful websites like:

After I found what I was looking for, I picked up the phone to see if those vehicles were still available. (Don’t assume the listings are always updated daily.)

Only after that would I commit to taking a trip down to the nearby Thunderdome.

Two Men Enter. One Man Leaves.
Upon arrival, the old-school process inevitably takes over…

Test drive
Negotiate
Wait
Negotiate
Wait some more
Try to escape
Maybe do the deal

No More Wheeling and Dealing?
An annoying problem I found was none of the salesmen seemed particularly interested in dealing very much on the price.
(And I was shopping at the end of the month… at the end of the year!)

Maybe this simply pointed to my limited negotiation skills.

But apparently, there’s a huge disruptive force at play…
It’s called… The Web!

Our amazing Internet has been around for some time now, right?
Hasn’t everyone been shopping there for years to compare car prices?
Apparently not.

I’m told this newer shopping practice has only recently turned car pricing on its head.
(really?)

Today, folks have finally seen the light and are comparing car prices online first before showing up. So cars dealers have been forced to price their inventories competitively online or get passed over with a simple mouse click.

But that shift supposedly takes the punch out of your expected price negotiations later on.

Whenever I wanted to haggle, I was quickly informed that the online price had already been discounted to its rock-bottom, uber-competitive price.
This happened to me over and over again.

While this really felt like just another negotiating angle, I eventually collected some corroborating data along the way to validate the trend.

More than once, I observed the car’s sticker price on the windshield was higher than the online price.
(what?!)

It seems absolutely absurd to list two different prices in today’s technically enhanced shopping society, but apparently there are still enough unsuspecting souls out there who walk into the deal by first looking at the sticker price on the car.

Authority Auto
I also spent some time talking with the folks at Authority Auto.
They’re a car-buying consulting agency with a business model to do all the negotiating for you.
(sweet!)

Even though they take their own cut, it’s an attractive choice, since you’re still saving money on the final deal. Plus, you feel like you’ve got your own battalion on your side to force the best deal possible.

I really liked these guys. It felt like such a breath of fresh air to talk to someone out there who’s on your side!

Though I didn’t formally engage Authority Auto in my car search, (mostly due to timing considerations) they were extremely helpful providing some background on the cyber-affected pricing trend I had discovered.

They confirmed this ‘movement’ as something quite real.

So maybe the price is really the price…

Buy the CARFAX Report before You Show Up
Buying your car at the right price is only half the challenge.
You’ve also got to do your best to make sure the car is in great shape…
And when you’re shopping in the ‘pre-owned’ market, you can never be too sure…

Everyone knows you can get a CARFAX vehicle history report, which documents the reported maintenance and repair history of a car based on its VIN number.
The dealer will usually give it to you during the negotiation.

But here’s a tip you may not have considered:

-Have the CARFAX in hand before you show up.
($49.00 will buy you 5 online CARFAX reports.)

If your car looks fabulous online, isn’t it worth ten bucks to know that it hasn’t been in any accidents before you go down to drive it?

Case in point…

I spent the better part of one afternoon doing the dealer dance around a car I thought I liked.

The deal eventually fell apart…. due in no small part to the fact they started the negotiation from the sticker price, and I began with the online price….
(Imagine that!)

But before all that happened, I noticed a slight body irregularity near the fender before my test drive.

When I got home, I ran the CARFAX report. (No, they didn’t give it to me.)
And…yup… it had been in an accident.

Had I done the CARFAX ahead of time, I would never have considered the car, and I could have saved the whole afternoon!

No Dancing with Amy
I should also mention that I was originally given the damaged car’s disputed online price by a nice salesperson on the phone named Amy.
(The car was ‘newly available’… so it wasn’t actually listed online yet.)

Amy was quite helpful. Her pleasant style went a long way towards getting me to commit to an appointment to visit her dealership.

But when I walked in to see Amy, she was nowhere to be found. I was quickly escorted to someone else’s desk. When I relayed my conversation with Amy, the salesman barely gave a look of recognition. When a colleague walked over with the car’s paperwork, he did mention Amy briefly by name, but I swore I saw a slight smirk flicker over his face.

What was going on?!

I eventually discovered the truth.
There was no Amy…

Car Dealer Call Centers
Amy existed… but only at a call center in some other part of the country.
Yep, auto dealers have resorted to call centers to get you in the door.

And if you don’t show up, they keep calling you until you want to change your phone number!

Every dealership I called wasn’t the actual dealer.
It was the call center.

Consider yourself warned.
Don’t judge the dealership by that first call…

Finish the Dance the Old-Fashioned Way
Finally I found “the car.”
I think it winked at me when I first found it online.
It had everything I was looking for, and the test drive was great.

Done?
Not quite…

The last factor you can’t forget about is taking a good look under the hood.
And no cyber voodoo can do that for you.

I’m fortunate enough to have a great mechanic
who’s worked on my cars for years.
I’m not buying anything he hasn’t looked at and blessed.

So as part of the dance, I told the salesman he would need to get the car to my mechanic for a once-over.

He countered by inviting my mechanic to schlep up to the dealership.

When I insisted, he said that my mechanic might damage the car if he put it on the lift.
(what?)

I countered again by saying I would pay for any damages.
(just calling his bluff)

With a straight face he said, “What’s your mechanic going to find that mine didn’t?”

That was the last straw.

Sensing my determination, he pivoted away from the problem.

We did the rest of the deal, including the part where he explained to me how the Web had killed the ability for people like me to haggle over price.
(Yeah, I’ve heard.)

So when he extended his hand to seal the deal, I sat there unhappily and said the car still needed its appointment with my mechanic.

I guess when you’re really willing to walk away, they know it.

My Car has its Date with the Doctor
In case you’re getting stressed wondering if my deal fell through… don’t.
The salesman succumbed to my superior negotiating tactics.
(hardly)
But he did deliver the RAV4 to my mechanic for its physical.

And yes, the doctor loved it.
(though my mechanic did uncover a couple small problems,
which the dealer agreed to remedy)

Price is important.
But inside is where it counts in the long run…

Success!
So I bought the car.
And so far, so good…!

If you’re in need of some new wheels, I wish you good luck with your upcoming dance.
Just don’t forget to bring the power of your Internet research to the party.
And always make sure your mechanic gets the last word…

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