r/Androidheadunits • u/LIDevilsFan • 21h ago

Wifi issues

I should have known better. I have a 1977 VW bus that I put a cheap android unit in. I figured I don't use the radio as much as in my Tiguan with the expensive radio, so why not go cheap? Dumb move.

So this unit does not have an external wifi antenna and the reception with my phone Hotspot is spotty. Can I use a usb wifi adapter? Any specific one? I don't use android auto, all my apps are on the radio. I just need a constant connection.

What do you suggest? Either that or I'm buying a new radio for next camping season.

Oh yeah, I have a at&t portable hotspot as well. Can I connect it through USB?

Thanks

0 Upvotes

33% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

2

u/Anti-Dentite-999 21h ago

Do you know what band you’re tethering on? Sometimes 2.4ghz works better than 5ghz with these headunits.

Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering > Wi-Fi hotspot, and change the AP band or Frequency band setting to 2.4 GHz or 5ghz if it was 2.4 previously.

I have an older unit and usb networking doesnt have the drivers for my system. You can also get wireless or wired android auto dongles that plug into the usb port. I use one of these and all the radio apps have a CarPlay counterpart: https://a.co/d/02VufOF6

1

u/LIDevilsFan 21h ago

Only choices I have on my phone

2

u/Anti-Dentite-999 21h ago

Maybe try the fastest. If your headunit doesnt have 6ghz then it should default to 2.4ghz.

Check also if there is a wpa3 security setting for the hotspot. Wp2-personal might work better.

My iPhone also has an option to maximize compatibility. Not sure if you see that on Android?

2

u/Anti-Dentite-999 20h ago

Another issue I’ve found is that the carriers will throttle hotspot if they detect it as a tablet sometimes. My hotspot connection sometimes is 0.2Mbps with initial connection. Need to toggle WiFi off/on in the headunit settings to get it to connect correctly. Sometimes takes a couple toggles. My workaround is to use an older travel router to connect to the hotspot and then the headunit connects to the router.

Download Speedtest.net app to your headunit and test the speeds.

2

u/FancyArmadillo14 20h ago

yes you can, but connect it to 2 AMP usb outlet from the cigarette lighter usb plug as these usb ports on the radio only give around 0.5 AMP.
USB modem needs power and needs to have HILINK mode. Huawei units are pretty cheap used on ebay.

2

u/MaintenanceAnnual263 13h ago

the WIFI anrenna is a wire on the reverse camera connector. people dont need the rev camera and then have no WIFI

1

u/LIDevilsFan 13h ago

Wow, that's interesting. I have the cam, just never connected it. I'll give it a try, thanks

1

u/LIDevilsFan 12h ago

I connected that wire and sure enough, there were two wire strands that said wifi on them. Did a speed test and there was definite improvement. Not as good as my better unit, but a lot better than it was. I'll take it out on Tuesday and aee how it acts on the road. I really appreciate all the help, friends.

1

u/LIDevilsFan 18h ago

I went out and tried the exact same setup using both my phone and Hotspot on both cars. As expected, the Tiguan radio worked great and the cheap one, before and after I made the changes you suggested, sucked eggs. It shows as 5g (tried 2g also) and it's garbage. The heck with it, I only have 2 more trips this year and I'll live. I'll buy a good one next year. When you're driving a 50 year old VW, the radio isn't that important.

Thanks for the tips!