What do you guys think about this Android HU?

[semcoinc]

Originally Posted by Ohsoslow

Hopefully this link will work.. IPS screen Android 8.0 Car DVD Multimedia Player for BMW E39 M5 with Radio WiFi Bluetooth GPS Navigation-in Car Multimedia Player from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group .. What do you guys think of this? It seems to tick the boxes you guys have mentioned in regards to core speed, ram, operating system etc.. but it’s all outside of my knowledge base! I just want a half decent stereo that has bluetooth to play music. (My x5 has base model stereo with no amplifier) and I guess other features like reversing camera, and gps maps would be nice!

That's a very good price for that basic board performance. The differences with these sources is that they can have varying customized software which can have varying degrees of bugginess. There are many "sellers" of these units who have a base unit built for them that they then put the backbone operating software (the ROM and MCU files) into.

Eonon participates very heavily in the E46 Fanatics forum and provides a lot of support, which is why I purchased an Eonon for my E46 (a Windows version which has been very rock solid after initial Eonon patches) and when it came time for my E53 upgrade I went with another Eonon unit.

If you purchase a unit with a buggy or poorly developed ROM and/or MCU you will spend a lot of time on

https://forum.xda-developers.com/and...re-development

to sort out the mess.

Do your research on the most widely purchased units for the E53 and choose carefully.

Mike

[mr_robot]

Here's another one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Euna...5-f46db72fb971

Looks like the menu bar on the bottom is gone on this one and has higher specs.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by mr_robot

Here's another one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Euna...5-f46db72fb971

Looks like the menu bar on the bottom is gone on this one and has higher specs.

That one is identical in specs/hardware to the one I ordered it looks like. Just has a different bezel and UI for it's ROM. I like the UI on that one a little more, but I have a feeling I'll be installing a ROM from XDA developers forum at some point anyway.

Now I need to order the iBus interface, backup cam, and other accessories to go with this thing.

[Ohsoslow]

Too many options! Haha, thanks for the replies guys! I like the “factory” look, and having actual buttons to press to change radio station presets etc. I am a bit concerned about lack of support.. I asked the question “does the steering wheel buttons work automatically, or do I need to program it, or buy an additional module for it to work?” And the answer was “yes Support steering wheel controls”

[mr_robot]

From my other cars the steering wheel control was not automatic. You have to go into settings and have it programmed and learned. Pretty straight forward though, just press the button on the wheel and select the function you want on the screen and save.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by mr_robot

From my other cars the steering wheel control was not automatic. You have to go into settings and have it programmed and learned.

That is interesting. My experience was opposite.

On the 1st Eonon in the E46 at the end of 2016, and the newer 8 core unit from last year, I did not need to set up either. The same was true of the 8 core Xtron that I installed in the E53. No setup needed. In any case, as you suggest, it is easy enough to set up.

[crystalworks]

^My Avin Avant 2 steering wheel controls worked out of the box as well.

[mr_robot]

Well this was on a non-bmw android HU install, on my Ford actually so maybe it was different as it doesn't use CAN-BUS.

[bcredliner]

Seciane unit has the capability to set up steering wheel controls but it was not needed. Controls worked without doing anything.

Always a good idea to limit posts to E53 experiences, often even the same year and model to reduce misinformation and confusion.

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Always a good idea to limit posts to E53 experiences, often even the same year and model to reduce misinformation and confusion.

Or at least as in this case, BMW/Ibus experience. That discussion and experience will be very similar and very useful as we have seen across a number years in the E53, E39, E38, and even E46 with CAN-BUS.

But yeah. Not much beyond fuel, air and fire join up a Ford and BMW even if they both have Android radios.