Android Radio Head Units for Chasing?

adlyons

EF2
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
Messages
167
Location
Norman, Oklahoma
All, has anybody ever considered using some of these new android OS radio/head units for chasing? Here is an example from China which is essentially a 10.1 inch Android 8.0 tablet for your car that slots right into the din. This would avoid some of the frustrating mounting solutions Ive seen or faced over the years.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HHWMRCM/ref=sspa_dk_hqp_detail_aax_0?psc=1

It would appear they function just like a default car stereo but running on the android OS. Ive seen several variants that run full android and let you download Apps from the app store and configure things just like a tablet. There are also options for adding GPS and backup cameras and steering wheel controls. Knowing there are many great offline maps programs available for android such as Maps.me I could see these being a real game changer for offline navigation. You could potentially run radarscope as well if paired with a hot spot. Has anybody done this? What was your experience like?
 
I've had one since last year running radarscope and google maps. No hitches so long as you have a reliable data source. I did find that it was necessary to rewire a bit as it tended to draw more current (keep clock and other settings) when the car was off than the factory unit. I simply put the unit on a switched relay along with a few other things and have since had no problem.
 
Very cool glad it's working out for you. I'm considering jumping in with one as well. Any particular brands you reccomend? It can be tricky with a lot of these cheap Chinese brands.

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Interesting. Thanks for posting as I didn't know these existed. My main concern would be GPS. Does it depend on cell towers or can the device use GPS. Adlyons mentioned an add on GPS. That would be preferable but one would have to make sure RadarScope and GoogleMaps can access that GPS data.
 
Interesting. Thanks for posting as I didn't know these existed. My main concern would be GPS. Does it depend on cell towers or can the device use GPS. Adlyons mentioned an add on GPS. That would be preferable but one would have to make sure RadarScope and GoogleMaps can access that GPS data.
Bill everything I have seen with the include GPS works right out of the box with google maps Waze and other android apps. That indicates a good possibility it would work natively with radarscope.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Stormtrack mobile app
 
I am in my 4th year of having an android deck in my car. I will put my reviews of each I have owned below. If you have an older vehicle like I do with a double din, these are a must (for GPS, Bluetooth, and other features). Outside of chasing, having Google maps, Netflix, or anything else right in your dash is amazing. For offline maps I have always used iGo, but any would work. Traveling with families in metro areas though I always go back to google maps.

Chasing with them has been great too, especially for the impromptu chases where you run out the door. When I go out for lightning and just small chases it is my go to. Radarscope, Pykl3, and even had various spotter network apps on there from time to time. GPS work great within the weather apps too.

Edit: To get internet to these devices I always just leave a hotspot device in the car. You can use the hotspot device on your phone, but I am not a big fan of adding that to the phone during a chase. Supposedly you can get dongles to work for data by plugging it into the USB, I dont know anyone who has actually done that.

Brand Reviews:
Eonon G2110F (4.4 android w/ 6" screen)
My first was an Eonon brand with android 4.4 on it. It work great except for a few features. Boot time was pretty slow around 25-30 seconds, but you can change the display logo to that of any car maker so it has that factory look during boot up. The iPod connection never worked perfectly and the DVD gave out after a couple years. I ended up just throwing about 40gb of music and 20gb of music on a usb drive and plugged it into the unit to use. This original unit did not have much space so I could load very little too it, but was enough for what I needed. Bluetooth connection was good but the mic when talking to people did not pick my voice up great. They are never as good as the ones built into cars or like you get from brands like JVC, but they get the job done. Just remember they are tablets so you will have an occasional screw up from it. Overall I loved that unit, but it just got a bit old, so I sold it and picked up one with a higher android build.

Panlelo (S10 Plus 2 Din Android Car Stereo 2G+32G 7") - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panlelo-S1...m41eb408e1e:g:LdsAAOSwfHBca4KA&frcectupt=true
I bought this unit at the end of last year to get up to android 7.0 and to get a little more space. The design is sleek and looks great. Function is another story. Getting the right button pushed, like the volume was a real pain. It also did not organize my music near as well as Eonon unit did so it was a real pain to find the album I wanted. The only real upside of this unit is the boot time. Music would be playing with 10 seconds most of the time. I finally got tired of the features I was missing I order another Eonon. It also was not working with the GPS in radarscope, which was the final straw in a way.

Eonon (GA2170B - Android 8.0 Oreo 4G RAM, Octa-core & 32G ROM Head Unit Split Screen and PIP) - https://www.eonon.com/Android-Car-G...PIP-Multitasking-Note-No-CD-DVD-function.html
This is my newest unit that is not installed yet as it came in yesterday. There are some good review videos out there so you can see it in action. I will try to post an update after it is in and I test some of the features.

Eonon really is one of the better companies out there in this field, though their stuff is still not the quality you expect from the big American companies. If you are considering it though, it is definitely worth it in my mind (especially if you have one of those just square double din stereos). They do make custom dash replacements for cars that are not just square double dins, so that is something to look into as well.

Picture of my old Eonon unit when it was in my Tuscon -
12718127_10103777732081517_450199294029164005_n.jpg
 
Had one since 2014...being an early adopter had its issues but the latest units seem pretty solid. There are several brands but they virtually all have the same components in them such as a processor, ram, etc.
 
Been using one for the past few years. Great for GPS and an extra radar view. Planning on upgrading mine as it's an old Pumpkin Auto Android 6 with only 16GB of storage. Have Radarscope, Pykl3, Google Maps, SiriusXM, iHeart, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube, and SlingTV.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Stormtrack mobile app
 
I am in my 4th year of having an android deck in my car. I will put my reviews of each I have owned below. If you have an older vehicle like I do with a double din, these are a must (for GPS, Bluetooth, and other features). Outside of chasing, having Google maps, Netflix, or anything else right in your dash is amazing. For offline maps I have always used iGo, but any would work. Traveling with families in metro areas though I always go back to google maps.

Chasing with them has been great too, especially for the impromptu chases where you run out the door. When I go out for lightning and just small chases it is my go to. Radarscope, Pykl3, and even had various spotter network apps on there from time to time. GPS work great within the weather apps too.

Edit: To get internet to these devices I always just leave a hotspot device in the car. You can use the hotspot device on your phone, but I am not a big fan of adding that to the phone during a chase. Supposedly you can get dongles to work for data by plugging it into the USB, I dont know anyone who has actually done that.

Brand Reviews:
Eonon G2110F (4.4 android w/ 6" screen)
My first was an Eonon brand with android 4.4 on it. It work great except for a few features. Boot time was pretty slow around 25-30 seconds, but you can change the display logo to that of any car maker so it has that factory look during boot up. The iPod connection never worked perfectly and the DVD gave out after a couple years. I ended up just throwing about 40gb of music and 20gb of music on a usb drive and plugged it into the unit to use. This original unit did not have much space so I could load very little too it, but was enough for what I needed. Bluetooth connection was good but the mic when talking to people did not pick my voice up great. They are never as good as the ones built into cars or like you get from brands like JVC, but they get the job done. Just remember they are tablets so you will have an occasional screw up from it. Overall I loved that unit, but it just got a bit old, so I sold it and picked up one with a higher android build.

Panlelo (S10 Plus 2 Din Android Car Stereo 2G+32G 7") - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panlelo-S1...m41eb408e1e:g:LdsAAOSwfHBca4KA&frcectupt=true
I bought this unit at the end of last year to get up to android 7.0 and to get a little more space. The design is sleek and looks great. Function is another story. Getting the right button pushed, like the volume was a real pain. It also did not organize my music near as well as Eonon unit did so it was a real pain to find the album I wanted. The only real upside of this unit is the boot time. Music would be playing with 10 seconds most of the time. I finally got tired of the features I was missing I order another Eonon. It also was not working with the GPS in radarscope, which was the final straw in a way.

Eonon (GA2170B - Android 8.0 Oreo 4G RAM, Octa-core & 32G ROM Head Unit Split Screen and PIP) - https://www.eonon.com/Android-Car-G...PIP-Multitasking-Note-No-CD-DVD-function.html
This is my newest unit that is not installed yet as it came in yesterday. There are some good review videos out there so you can see it in action. I will try to post an update after it is in and I test some of the features.

Eonon really is one of the better companies out there in this field, though their stuff is still not the quality you expect from the big American companies. If you are considering it though, it is definitely worth it in my mind (especially if you have one of those just square double din stereos). They do make custom dash replacements for cars that are not just square double dins, so that is something to look into as well.

Picture of my old Eonon unit when it was in my Tuscon -
View attachment 17722
This is exactly what I was looking for. You are awesome man! I was looking at the same brand. Have you had any issues with factory backup cameras?

sent from my Android
 
You can add pretty much any CCTV cam, auto backup cams, etc so long as you can plug in phone plugs. Using CCTV which is normally BNC type, adapters to phono are fairly cheap and work well.
 
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Ive seen most accept the factory cam along with steering wheel controls and Aux/USB so overall it seems like plug and play if you get the right model.
 
This is exactly what I was looking for. You are awesome man! I was looking at the same brand. Have you had any issues with factory backup cameras?

sent from my Android
The one I just purchased will be the first android I have had with a backup camera. Have had them before when I used to by dvd stereo decks. I hope to install it this weekend. Had to get my oil pressure sensor replaced before I could move on to the "fun" project. If you wire them up correctly, they turn on when you go in reverse. I always like to wire mine where I turn it on manually so I can look behind me at anytime (even in Drive).

Sent from my VS987 using Stormtrack mobile app
 
Chris, my Tahoe has a Bose system and the Android stereo I have sounds great.

As for the unit you linked to, imo, I'd try to find one that has more storage. Mine has 16GB but only 4GB is used for apps. I plan on upgrading to one that has 32GB storage.
 
Im looking at a 2019 Forester to replace my 17 Forester Ive worn out already. The 19s are supposed ( according to the salesman) a head unit that you can "cast" an android app from your phone to the dashboard screen. Will be interesting to see if it actually works as advertised.
 
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