eBay Bluetooth Streaming Box DIY and Reveiw

ctuna · 06-18-2019, 03:58 PM

So you buried it behind the stereo .
Maybe some heating issues there ?
Did you run extensions out for the USB/SD card slots?

stamonkey · 06-18-2019, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

So you buried it behind the stereo .
Maybe some heating issues there ?
Did you run extensions out for the USB/SD card slots?

Yeah, it's buried behind the stereo, there is decent space behind the climate control, but I suppose heat could be an issue.

I think all my box has is USB, but I only use the streaming bluetooth feature.

Where does everyone else have their boxes mounted?

AlexNZL · 06-19-2019, 05:41 AM

I was looking at this link, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bluetooth-A...T/223506463442.

And it says "JAPANESE SPEC BMW NOT SUPPORTED"

My car is a Japanese Import 07 e92 335i, with CCC and a Stacker in the boot(but no insert for it) so I was hopefull that one of these units would work for me, but now im not sure.

Anyone see a reason it would not work?

Nickco43 · 06-19-2019, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexNZL

I was looking at this link, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bluetooth-A...T/223506463442.

And it says "JAPANESE SPEC BMW NOT SUPPORTED"

My car is a Japanese Import 07 e92 335i, with CCC and a Stacker in the boot(but no insert for it) so I was hopefull that one of these units would work for me, but now im not sure.

Anyone see a reason it would not work?

I don’t see why not. Also why not grab a new ccc from the US so you can have a working radio?

AlexNZL · 06-21-2019, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickco43

I don’t see why not. Also why not grab a new ccc from the US so you can have a working radio?

Im actually in New Zealand so a US radio would not work here. But I have the CCC unlocked so the Japanese radio works I just have no nav.

I may just take a chance on one. I will probably get the one that doesnt say its not compatible then I may be able to get a refund if it wont work.

ctuna · 06-21-2019, 08:31 PM

Do you have a Most Bus .
It would be best to get standard tools going first to see
whats in your car.
As long as they use the same Most Bus CDC player they use
in the US it should work.

tuckerware · 06-24-2019, 06:30 PM

First off, big thanks to Nickco43 for the thorough DIY. Not sure if you are aware, but the Mr12Volt eBay seller links to this post as the install guide.

I essentially followed the hardware installation step by step but when it came to coding I figured it would be worth trying without. Lo and behold, it was recognized as a CDC on my 2008 M3 with Professional radio immediately. No coding needed. Made this a very simple install.

vibroluxious · 07-13-2019, 08:33 PM

I pulled the trigger on the box without an SD Card since I didn't need it. I hooked it up and was all set to code the radio and lo and behold on my 2009 328i professional radio, CDC popped right up without coding. My car was not pre-wired for a cd changer so this was a bit of a surprise.
I set the volume levels for BT music to match my radio, aux, USB and CD player and all is well.
The sound is much better that the tunai firefly I was using. I didn't expect that so that was a happy discovery.
I use spotify to stream and the system will automatically call it up when I switch to CDC without having to open the app in my phone.
This was another happy surprise.
Overall I'm pretty stoked to have the steering wheel controls and display functional with BT streaming and still be able to use the factory BT phone system.

Thanks OP for bringing this box to light. I wish I would have done this a long time ago.

thefrog1394 · 09-04-2019, 09:18 PM

Just installed this. Super easy install. Assuming you already have NCS Expert installed, coding the VO only takes a few mins. Just try not to drop the MOST connector under the seat and spend 10 minutes trying to find it like I did lol.

I used the crappy T-taps that came with the kit and tapped into the brown/green? (radio power) and brown (gnd) wires. Pushed the box behind the climate controls. There is plenty of room.

Compared to my blackberry music gateway (an a2dp bluetooth aux streaming box), I feel like songs have less bass, and maybe sound less "full". Its very possible that the blackberry box is doing some audio processing to "liven" up the music, so who knows. Also seems to be a little quieter than AUX or tuner inputs. It is nice not to have the background hiss when listening to podcasts or other speech.

So far I have a few outstanding questions on how this works that may have impact on day-to-day usage:

Turning off the car/radio pauses playback but doesn't disconnect bluetooth immediately. It seems to disconnect pretty quickly once I'm inside, but I'm not sure whether it is because I am going out of bluetooth range, or if there is just a few minute delay before the bluetooth shuts down. Re-connect is pretty much instant when I power back on the radio which is great.

Hopefully multiple device connections are handled well. That was always an annoyance on my old bluetooth aux device. If I need to reset the box when the bluetooth memory fills up or to change the device pairing order, it will be annoying to have to pull out the climate control to get to the box and its reset button.

It seems like the song title doesn't come across. I see "Track 2" displayed by default, but I can click around and see the artist name if I try.

I can't seem to find a way to pause playback other than switching away from the CD changer source. This would be nice for podcasts.

I'm operating under the assumption that the head unit power I tapped into shuts off after 20 mins and so this won't drain the battery. It doesn't seem to be a true switched power line.

Overall seems like a good upgrade. I'm one of those weirdos that really likes steering wheel controls. I hate having to switch between Waze and Spotify every time I want to jump to the next track.

ctuna · 09-04-2019, 10:44 PM

I found I had to turn up the volume on the streaming bluetooth on the
phone in order to get better fidelity out of the streaming.
They mention this in the instructions.
The usb sd card playback is identical to the cd player as far as I can
tell.

thefrog1394 · 09-05-2019, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

I found I had to turn up the volume on the streaming bluetooth on the
phone in order to get better fidelity out of the streaming.
They mention this in the instructions.
The usb sd card playback is identical to the cd player as far as I can
tell.

Phone volume is all the way up. In the world of Spotify, I can't imagine downloading songs onto an SD card to be honest lol. I suspect the weak link is the A2DP codec used. Probably just SBC, the basic Bluetooth A2DP codec, which is quite a bit worse than something like AAC or AptX which are supported on higher end headphones and stereo systems.

ctuna · 09-05-2019, 10:54 AM

There is not much Music that I consider worth listening to past the
early 70's. Some but not much.
I am probably missing something but it's well hidden .

mofugginyeti · 10-13-2019, 05:32 PM

Installed the box without sd yesterday from the NJ seller. Everything is working good, put the included mic into the factory position and I'm told it has good call quality. My only issue is I can't seem to get into the settings menu to tweak volumes. When i press the right knob it jumps to currently playing. Is there a trick to this? I emailed the seller but havent heard back.

ctuna · 10-14-2019, 02:28 AM

There is no volume setting for individual sources.
I don't see this as being a problem. USB volume seems
to be the same a CD volume. You can set your phone
volume for Bluetooth phone or music streaming from
your phone.

eyelobes · 10-17-2019, 10:28 AM

I've got a question regarding this. I have bluetooth phone in my 2007 non idrive already and would like to use this box for music and audio streaming only. My idea is to purchase the Avin 10.25" system for non-idrive (cutting up the dash). Since that is android I am wondering if I can just connect that to the bluetooth box instead of the aux like the system requires. I've heard the audio quality on the android units are crap due to that aux connector.

gamesfrager · 10-17-2019, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyelobes

I've got a question regarding this. I have bluetooth phone in my 2007 non idrive already and would like to use this box for music and audio streaming only. My idea is to purchase the Avin 10.25" system for non-idrive (cutting up the dash). Since that is android I am wondering if I can just connect that to the bluetooth box instead of the aux like the system requires. I've heard the audio quality on the android units are crap due to that aux connector.

It will work only if the AVIN unit supports A2DP. This box is not limited to what it can connect to as long as the transmitting side supports the A2DP profile.

eyelobes · 10-17-2019, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamesfrager

It will work only if the AVIN unit supports A2DP. This box is not limited to what it can connect to as long as the transmitting side supports the A2DP profile.

Looks like it does. and the price isn't bad right now either

https://avinusa.com/10-25-multimedia...1-e92-e93.html

ctuna · 10-17-2019, 12:59 PM

I think the point is to run the Avin into the aux on the Bluetooth
Box via a hardwire thus avoiding the BMW aux. You would still have
two A2DP's the Avin's and the Bluetooth boxe's . You would have
to always select the bluetooth box aux to get the avin to run sound as you
would for the BMW aux.

Hybridz0rz · 11-01-2019, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nvturbo

nice DIY....but it would have been much easier by getting a Kinivo BTC480 Bluetooth kit. You don't have to remove the stock headunit or any kind of wiring. Plus, it's WAYYY cheaper.

Looks wack af with aux bluetooth modules. This is the propper way to do it. If youre scared away by simply removing a headunit this probbably is the wrong place for you

flyrr100 · 11-03-2019, 11:24 AM

Hi guys. I've been reading the posts on here. I have a 2008 328i with iDrive. I want a USB to hook up my iPhone. Right now I have the temporary $10 bluetooth adaptor in the AUX plug. It works surprisingly well, but needs recharging every week and as I drive 300+ miles weekly it's a pain in the behind if I forget. I want a full time, hard connected USB.
I'm looking at the GROM system. Installation looks pretty straight forward. But lots of talk about re-coding the car to make it work through the CD changer. Here I'm clueless. I've called dealers and installers and been told they won't do the work, or they don't know how to. I did have a Denison system on a Jag and my Jag guy activated this easily. But I'm thinking BMW systems are a little more complicated.
Looking for advise. Teach me like I'm a 5 year old how to, if necessary, re-code a BMW system.

ctuna · 11-03-2019, 06:53 PM

No matter which one of these you use cdc coding is one of the simplest
things to code.
If you live near a major city there is bound to be coders that can do it
for you if you don't want deal with it you can generally find coders.

Down loading and setting up the coding software on a PC only costs
you your time assuming you have a PC.

The trouble may be that coding of most bus modules may require
an ICOM Cable instead of cheap K/D can cable.

judas · 11-06-2019, 02:24 PM

Hi! Thanks for the DIY... Unfortunately it is not working for me.

E92 M3 w/ professional audio

Did the MOST loop adaptation and it seems to be working as I'm getting audio from radio, but when I switch to CDC it tells me to insert a CD. If I insert a CD in the trunk it plays.

I can connect to Car Kit Bluetooth but getting no audio from the device, seems as it is not recognized by the head unit. Any ideas? Thanks!

06-18-2019, 03:58 PM	#111
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	So you buried it behind the stereo . Maybe some heating issues there ? Did you run extensions out for the USB/SD card slots?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-19-2019, 05:41 AM	#113
AlexNZL New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 07 E92 335i (JDM) Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New Zealand iTrader: (0)	I was looking at this link, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bluetooth-A...T/223506463442. And it says "JAPANESE SPEC BMW NOT SUPPORTED" My car is a Japanese Import 07 e92 335i, with CCC and a Stacker in the boot(but no insert for it) so I was hopefull that one of these units would work for me, but now im not sure. Anyone see a reason it would not work?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-21-2019, 08:31 PM	#116
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	Do you have a Most Bus . It would be best to get standard tools going first to see whats in your car. As long as they use the same Most Bus CDC player they use in the US it should work.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-24-2019, 06:30 PM	#117
tuckerware New Member 3 Rep 12 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW M3 Coupe 6MT Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Santa Barbara, CA iTrader: (1)	First off, big thanks to Nickco43 for the thorough DIY. Not sure if you are aware, but the Mr12Volt eBay seller links to this post as the install guide. I essentially followed the hardware installation step by step but when it came to coding I figured it would be worth trying without. Lo and behold, it was recognized as a CDC on my 2008 M3 with Professional radio immediately. No coding needed. Made this a very simple install.
	Appreciate 2 Thorin117.50 BSG33528.50 Quote

07-13-2019, 08:33 PM	#118
vibroluxious New Member 4 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2009 3281 X-Drive Join Date: May 2018 Location: Ohio iTrader: (0)	I pulled the trigger on the box without an SD Card since I didn't need it. I hooked it up and was all set to code the radio and lo and behold on my 2009 328i professional radio, CDC popped right up without coding. My car was not pre-wired for a cd changer so this was a bit of a surprise. I set the volume levels for BT music to match my radio, aux, USB and CD player and all is well. The sound is much better that the tunai firefly I was using. I didn't expect that so that was a happy discovery. I use spotify to stream and the system will automatically call it up when I switch to CDC without having to open the app in my phone. This was another happy surprise. Overall I'm pretty stoked to have the steering wheel controls and display functional with BT streaming and still be able to use the factory BT phone system. Thanks OP for bringing this box to light. I wish I would have done this a long time ago.
	Appreciate 1 6ixSpd6014.50 Quote

09-04-2019, 09:18 PM	#119
thefrog1394 Private 24 Rep 76 Posts Drives: 2007 335i Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Columbus, Ohio iTrader: (0)	Just installed this. Super easy install. Assuming you already have NCS Expert installed, coding the VO only takes a few mins. Just try not to drop the MOST connector under the seat and spend 10 minutes trying to find it like I did lol. I used the crappy T-taps that came with the kit and tapped into the brown/green? (radio power) and brown (gnd) wires. Pushed the box behind the climate controls. There is plenty of room. Compared to my blackberry music gateway (an a2dp bluetooth aux streaming box), I feel like songs have less bass, and maybe sound less "full". Its very possible that the blackberry box is doing some audio processing to "liven" up the music, so who knows. Also seems to be a little quieter than AUX or tuner inputs. It is nice not to have the background hiss when listening to podcasts or other speech. So far I have a few outstanding questions on how this works that may have impact on day-to-day usage: Turning off the car/radio pauses playback but doesn't disconnect bluetooth immediately. It seems to disconnect pretty quickly once I'm inside, but I'm not sure whether it is because I am going out of bluetooth range, or if there is just a few minute delay before the bluetooth shuts down. Re-connect is pretty much instant when I power back on the radio which is great. Hopefully multiple device connections are handled well. That was always an annoyance on my old bluetooth aux device. If I need to reset the box when the bluetooth memory fills up or to change the device pairing order, it will be annoying to have to pull out the climate control to get to the box and its reset button. It seems like the song title doesn't come across. I see "Track 2" displayed by default, but I can click around and see the artist name if I try. I can't seem to find a way to pause playback other than switching away from the CD changer source. This would be nice for podcasts. I'm operating under the assumption that the head unit power I tapped into shuts off after 20 mins and so this won't drain the battery. It doesn't seem to be a true switched power line. Overall seems like a good upgrade. I'm one of those weirdos that really likes steering wheel controls. I hate having to switch between Waze and Spotify every time I want to jump to the next track.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-04-2019, 10:44 PM	#120
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	I found I had to turn up the volume on the streaming bluetooth on the phone in order to get better fidelity out of the streaming. They mention this in the instructions. The usb sd card playback is identical to the cd player as far as I can tell.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-05-2019, 10:54 AM	#122
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	There is not much Music that I consider worth listening to past the early 70's. Some but not much. I am probably missing something but it's well hidden .
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-13-2019, 05:32 PM	#123
mofugginyeti Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Central Florida iTrader: (0)	Installed the box without sd yesterday from the NJ seller. Everything is working good, put the included mic into the factory position and I'm told it has good call quality. My only issue is I can't seem to get into the settings menu to tweak volumes. When i press the right knob it jumps to currently playing. Is there a trick to this? I emailed the seller but havent heard back.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-14-2019, 02:28 AM	#124
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	There is no volume setting for individual sources. I don't see this as being a problem. USB volume seems to be the same a CD volume. You can set your phone volume for Bluetooth phone or music streaming from your phone.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-17-2019, 10:28 AM	#125
eyelobes Private First Class 67 Rep 179 Posts Drives: 440i GC Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Augusta, GA iTrader: (0)	I've got a question regarding this. I have bluetooth phone in my 2007 non idrive already and would like to use this box for music and audio streaming only. My idea is to purchase the Avin 10.25" system for non-idrive (cutting up the dash). Since that is android I am wondering if I can just connect that to the bluetooth box instead of the aux like the system requires. I've heard the audio quality on the android units are crap due to that aux connector.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-17-2019, 12:59 PM	#128
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	I think the point is to run the Avin into the aux on the Bluetooth Box via a hardwire thus avoiding the BMW aux. You would still have two A2DP's the Avin's and the Bluetooth boxe's . You would have to always select the bluetooth box aux to get the avin to run sound as you would for the BMW aux.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-03-2019, 11:24 AM	#130
flyrr100 Enlisted Member 3 Rep 40 Posts Drives: BMW 328i, F150 crew cab Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Oviedo, FL iTrader: (0)	Hi guys. I've been reading the posts on here. I have a 2008 328i with iDrive. I want a USB to hook up my iPhone. Right now I have the temporary $10 bluetooth adaptor in the AUX plug. It works surprisingly well, but needs recharging every week and as I drive 300+ miles weekly it's a pain in the behind if I forget. I want a full time, hard connected USB. I'm looking at the GROM system. Installation looks pretty straight forward. But lots of talk about re-coding the car to make it work through the CD changer. Here I'm clueless. I've called dealers and installers and been told they won't do the work, or they don't know how to. I did have a Denison system on a Jag and my Jag guy activated this easily. But I'm thinking BMW systems are a little more complicated. Looking for advise. Teach me like I'm a 5 year old how to, if necessary, re-code a BMW system.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-03-2019, 06:53 PM	#131
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	No matter which one of these you use cdc coding is one of the simplest things to code. If you live near a major city there is bound to be coders that can do it for you if you don't want deal with it you can generally find coders. Down loading and setting up the coding software on a PC only costs you your time assuming you have a PC. The trouble may be that coding of most bus modules may require an ICOM Cable instead of cheap K/D can cable. Last edited by ctuna; 11-03-2019 at 07:01 PM..
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-06-2019, 02:24 PM	#132
judas New Member 15 Rep 17 Posts Drives: 2017 M240i Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Bogotá D.C., Colombia iTrader: (0)	Hi! Thanks for the DIY... Unfortunately it is not working for me. E92 M3 w/ professional audio Did the MOST loop adaptation and it seems to be working as I'm getting audio from radio, but when I switch to CDC it tells me to insert a CD. If I insert a CD in the trunk it plays. I can connect to Car Kit Bluetooth but getting no audio from the device, seems as it is not recognized by the head unit. Any ideas? Thanks!
	Appreciate 0 Quote