CARLUEX GO Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter review

REVIEW – Wireless CarPlay debuted in 2017 and wireless Android Auto came out in 2019 but not all cars support wireless protocol. The CARLUEX GO Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter allows wireless connections and other features on vehicles limited to a wired USB connection. I have one to review; read on to see what I think!

What is it?

The CARLUEX GO Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter is a 3 in 1 CarPlay adapter. It integrates a USB media player, wireless iPhone CarPlay, and wireless Android Auto into a single USB-powered adapter. This feature set is what one would expect of this type of adapter, but the CARLUEX adapter is capable of much more. When the adapter is connected to a wireless internet service it can display YouTube and Netflix content. When the adapter is connected to a device’s Bluetooth it can mirror the device’s screen, and when it is connected to a device’s WiFi it can display streamed audio and video from that device. 

What’s included?

• Adapter
• Instructions
• USB type C to USB type A cable
• USB type A to USB type C adapter (for cars with USB type C interface)
• Adhesive hook and loop cable fastener
• Magnetic car vent phone holder

Tech specs

Design and features

Unboxing

The CARLUEX GO Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter comes in a black gift box with silver embossed images of the CarPlay and Android Auto icons on the cover. Below the icons is the text “3 in 1 CP Adapter” 

Inside the box, the adapter is held in a foam cushion. Below the cushion are the other included items. The ventilation louver mount came separately outside of the box.

Design

The adapter is mostly a set-it and forget-it device. Consequently, it does not have much in the way of interfaces. There is only a single reset button accessible with a SIM tray ejector or similar device.

The adapter has a USB type C port for connecting to the vehicle and a USB type A port for connecting external media to the device. The size and shape of the unit is similar to other adapters that perform similar functions. One thing that I do wish is that this had an on/off switch so I could turn it off rather than disconnect it from the vehicle.

The adapter is surrounded by ventilation on three sides.

The top of the adapter is imprinted with the CARLUEX logo and name.

The bottom of the unit has a label that reads Z6 Mini, Model CP-300, and includes CE mark, ROHS compliance, and a recycling symbol.

YouTube has a video here of a model CP-300 performing functionally identical to the model I have for review. The software version of the adapter in the video is 20220727.192254 and the version I am reviewing is 20240531.110158. These version numbers are serial dates that describe the updates to the Android 11 based operating system on the adapter.

Given that some of the Windows systems reviewed on The Gadgeteer have shipped with malware and some Android-based devices reviewed have not been Google Play compatible some consideration for using an Android 11 based device needs to be made. Android 11 is the first version of the Android software that is compatible with the wireless Android Auto interface. The CARLUEX acts as a bridge between the car and the device. On the car side the device emulates an iPhone (I don’t know why the developers use an iPhone over an Android.) WWDC presentations have been made that describe how this functions (pt 1, pt 2). The CARLUEX sends an H264 video stream to the vehicle, and the vehicle sends back the x and y coordinates of screen touches. The adapter mirrors a screen that it creates to send to the vehicle. The phone connects to the adapter with Android Auto or iPhone CarPlay. The CARLUEX emulates an Android Auto or CarPlay application inside a head unit. There is a two-way data stream over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi but the stream only interacts with the emulated head unit, which cannot send application data to the phone. The CARLUEX downloads its firmware updates and application updates over WI-Fi so these files are not stored or unpacked on the mobile device. The user may choose to share the recently dialed phone numbers and contact list but these are shared databases only and do not enable exploits to the mobile device. Based on the established interface for CarPlay and Android Auto, the use of this device should be safe.

The adapter takes about 30 seconds to display the main menu after the user plugs it into a running vehicle. The adapter displays a short animation sequence while it is booting.

The CARLUEX boots into the main window of the unit. The main window features a media playback widget on the top left and buttons to start the Android Auto or CarPlay emulators below. To the right, seven shortcuts are displayed in a window pane: Youtube [sic.], Netflix, USB Drive, Bluetooth, Bt Music, settings, and Original Car.

The CarPlay and Android Auto start similarly. The CARLUEX asks the user to pair with the device Bluetooth. After a brief start-up pause, the CarPlay or Android Auto is displayed on the screen.

Based on my testing the screen displayed by the wireless CARLUEX looks identical to the screen displayed when the mobile device is plugged into the car. Call audio is clear in both directions and the refresh of the screen to show map directions does not produce noticeable dropped frames or ripping, even when spinning in circles in a parking lot (which causes the whole map to quickly rotate around the vehicle location.)

The YouTube and Netflix applications require a Wi-Fi connection. 

The CARLUEX requires a Wi-Fi source to use the Netflix or YouTube applications. To access YouTube, CARLUEX uses the SmartTube application, which indicates that Google Play services are not installed on the adapter. The most recent versions supported by the adapter are not the most recent versions available from the developers, indicating that they are modified for use with CARLUEX or that hardware limitations within the adapter prevent later versions from being installed.

The USB Drive application scans the local memory and attached USB drives for compatible media files and plays those files using the onboard application. I tested the video with an .mp4 file and it played well, without any noticeable abnormalities. One issue I observed is that the application must scan the entire volume for content before playing anything. So large audio libraries may require considerable time before the first song is played. 

The Bluetooth app is an interface to the Bluetooth-enabled features of the connected device. In that app the device can be switched, calls can be made, call records can be viewed, contact information can be viewed, and Bluetooth music can be listened to.

One gripe I have about this app is that the contacts are not in alphabetical order and they cannot be searched. The call records are in order of the most recent call.

Both the widget on the left-hand side of the main menu and the button on the Bluetooth menu open the bt music app. The music app plays WAV, AAC, WMA, AMR, MP3, FLAC audio, and audio from MP4 and  AVI files. The buttons on the screen rewind and fast forward the selection but the CARLUEX interprets the steering wheel controls of my car to rewind the track and advance to the next track only.

The “more apps” button has shortcuts for TV screen, mirroring, and Settings.

The TV screen app is useful for casting. For this operation, the Wi-Fi must be on the same network as the casting device. 

Mirroring can be accomplished through Bluetooth. Becuase the screen size is small in my car for Android Auto / CarPlay the Bluetooth bandwidth was sufficient for a good picture and in-sync audio and video. 

The Settings app includes items similar to the settings on a mobile device. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can be managed from here. There are menu items to pick the theme language and time zone. Note that the theme is displayed in the main window of the application but not in the submenus or other applications; these retain the “beach sand” background seen in the pictures.

The settings app also can upgrade the main system or the two applications on the device. You can change the device name and add a user-customized start-up animation versus the main animation used on the device. The app can also clear the cache and reset the device. 

Some online reviews indicated that the resolution of Android Auto was lower on the wireless receiver than it was on the USB result but I think that the two results look the same. Perhaps other vehicles can request a higher resolution screen from the USB output of a phone than the CARLUEX adapter can provide. But at my vehicle’s resolution, it looked and performed equivalently.

What I like about CARLUEX GO Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter

• Mirroring and Casting Capability
• Quick Paring
• Media player

What needs to be improved?

• Media scan before playing
• Adding a power button
• sorting and searching the contact names

Final thoughts

The CARLUEX GO Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Adapter provides that little bit of convenience that I was missing in my vehicle. Now I can have apps that are safe for car use displayed on my vehicle’s screen without having to deal with wires. And if I would like to listen to audio recorded on a video feed, the media playback capabilities of the CARLUEX adapter have me covered. If you want more wireless mobile capabilities in your car consider the CARLUEX Go.

Price: $149.00
Where to buy: CARLUEX
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by CARLUEX. CARLUEX did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.