DIY: Add Apple AirPlay to Your Car



1. Purchase the AirEnabler Adapter Kit from Amazon. It comes with everything you need: 12v power adapter, USB to USB micro cord, USB DAC (Digital to Analog Controller), and 3.5 mm audio cable.







2. Pry up your center trim. First remove the shift boot by pulling one of the corners away and out, working your way around the boot. Then, grab the rearward edge of the storage binnacle (iDrive is different) and just pull up. Should pop out relatively easily. You don't need to remove the whole thing, just enough to provide space to maneuver in.







3. Here's the location of the perfect spot to hide the box.







4. Pull up the rubber mat that lines the bottom of the glove box. Arrange the box and wires so that it's seated nice and securely inside the area of dead space. Tuck the wires through to the glovebox, underneath the plastic bottom of the glove box. It'll be obvious when you see it what to do. There's plenty of space to hide everything.







5. Plug in the 12v adapter, usb power, and 3.5 mm audio jack.







6. Replace the rubber mat, pop the trim back in, reseat the shift boot and you should be left with a reliable and clean airplay installation.







7. When starting the car, the box takes about 15-20 seconds to boot (not nearly as long as an AirPort Express) so you don't really notice it. Join the AirEnabler_XXX wifi network. The box is preconfigured to send all data from the phone to your cellular network, not wifi. It's pretty smart. You'll notice that I'm connected to the wifi network, but there's still the LTE logo in the corner, letting you know it's still connected to the cell network as well.







8. Set the car's input to AUX. If you're on iOS 7, swipe up from the bottom, hit airplay, choose the box (I named mine something different, the default is the same as the wifi network) and enjoy high quality, wireless music.







TIPS:



- Turn down the volume on the car's head unit all the way, set the iPhone's volume to 80-90%, then readjust the car's volume. This will ensure the best sound quality.



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- The box is plug and play out of the box, but any advanced configurations require Telnet it access the box. It's still pretty simple. The guide above has more info.



- Because this interfaces with the car solely with the AUX IN, there's no control from the steering wheel or head unit. Only volume. This is essentially the same as a wireless AUX IN. Hey guys, just finished installing the AirEnabler Adapter Kit that arrived this morning from Amazon. The box was smaller than I expected so I was hopeful that I could find a spot to hide as much of it away as possible. I decided to pull up the center trim to have a look at any potential spots and there's the perfect one in between the rear edge of the center trim and the front edge of the glove box.1. Purchase the AirEnabler Adapter Kit from Amazon. It comes with everything you need: 12v power adapter, USB to USB micro cord, USB DAC (Digital to Analog Controller), and 3.5 mm audio cable.2. Pry up your center trim. First remove the shift boot by pulling one of the corners away and out, working your way around the boot. Then, grab the rearward edge of the storage binnacle (iDrive is different) and just pull up. Should pop out relatively easily. You don't need to remove the whole thing, just enough to provide space to maneuver in.3. Here's the location of the perfect spot to hide the box.4. Pull up the rubber mat that lines the bottom of the glove box. Arrange the box and wires so that it's seated nice and securely inside the area of dead space. Tuck the wires through to the glovebox, underneath the plastic bottom of the glove box. It'll be obvious when you see it what to do. There's plenty of space to hide everything.5. Plug in the 12v adapter, usb power, and 3.5 mm audio jack.6. Replace the rubber mat, pop the trim back in, reseat the shift boot and you should be left with a reliable and clean airplay installation.7. When starting the car, the box takes about 15-20 seconds to boot (not nearly as long as an AirPort Express) so you don't really notice it. Join the AirEnabler_XXX wifi network. The box is preconfigured to send all data from the phone to your cellular network, not wifi. It's pretty smart. You'll notice that I'm connected to the wifi network, but there's still the LTE logo in the corner, letting you know it's still connected to the cell network as well.8. Set the car's input to AUX. If you're on iOS 7, swipe up from the bottom, hit airplay, choose the box (I named mine something different, the default is the same as the wifi network) and enjoy high quality, wireless music.TIPS:- Turn down the volume on the car's head unit all the way, set the iPhone's volume to 80-90%, then readjust the car's volume. This will ensure the best sound quality. This is a good guide on the box from the manufacturer. It has everything you need to know about setup, advanced settings, etc.- The box is plug and play out of the box, but any advanced configurations require Telnet it access the box. It's still pretty simple. The guide above has more info.- Because this interfaces with the car solely with the AUX IN, there's no control from the steering wheel or head unit. Only volume. This is essentially the same as a wireless AUX IN. Last edited by kenbrinkman; 04-29-2014 at 08:49 PM ..