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I don't know if it's that much better or if it's better at all, honestly. It looks like they have the same parts and functionality. I have to admit I was influenced to some degree by having it come through a "supplier" in Toronto.
So far there are only a couple of negatives:
Occasionally I have to re-pair the phone, even though it is still connected to the PCM via bluetooth.
To change the audio source, I still have to use the Source button on the PCM - which takes it out of Carplay, then I have to go back to Carplay. IT's not that big of a deal, knowing that it is a non-destructive addition to the PCM in the first place.
I thoroughly loved my Isudar - worked flawlessly out of the box. Got it direct from China. The only reason I swapped it out was for the big, wide screen look of the 12.3 unit.
I found the code in the user manual which is downloaded in the head unit.
Thanks Sid. Unfortunately, no user manual or help files on my head unit. ZWNAV support is helpful and prompt, but so far not a lot of help with this one. All I need to do is get to the menu where I can change my car to Right Hand Drive, principally so that the door opening graphic shows the correct door is open. It's no big deal as the Porsche MFD also shows this info, but my thinking is that if it's going to show it, it might as well get it right. I think I can disable it altogether from a menu that I can actually access.
I have been using the ZWNAV aftermarket Android Auto/Carplay unit for about a week now. Here are my initial findings:
Installation was more or less straightforward. I'd say that most people would find this unit to be fairly easy to install, despite the lack of manufacturer's instructions. Looking at the YT videos by member @Santirx, who has tried two examples of a very similar unit, is advised before installation. This will save you a lot of head scratching.
The unit starts immediately the ignition is turned on, providing the sleep timer is set in the menu. I have mine set to three days - if the car isn't used for 3 days, the ZWNAV will turn off fully and will go through the reboot process on the next start. I guess this is to save battery. You can choose different settings from a few hours up to 3 days.
Once the unit has started, Android Auto (and I assume Carplay) fires up wirelessly. This takes about 20 seconds or so before AA appears on screen. I found it essential to install and use the app called ZLINK to make this happen. ZLINK is not on the Play Store/App Store - google it and download and install the APK. BT pairing is how you'd expect it to be (once ZLINK is installed).
My unit performs flawlessly in my Panamera. I have had no glitches of any kind. The screen is bright and clear and very sharp. It looks stunning. Brightness is, of course, fully adjustable and day/night mode follows the phone/car, with screen going dark when headlights are turned on. Full dark mode is available if wanted, as is full day mode.
Audio quality is excellent. I used one of the fibre optic boxes recommended above by @Santirx to connect to my Bose system. Connecting the box is very easy, but it does need tapping into three wires off the Canbus box, for power. I used T Taps, but you can use whatever method of joining wires suits you. I will post a diagram at the end of this post. Full and clear instructions came with my fibre optic box. I find it very hard to distinguish between the audio via this unit and OEM.
Outside of AA I am using Car Web Guru for the launcher and this works very well indeed. It is highly flexible and has a good-looking and easy-to-use interface. Running the unit via CWG means you use any app that that the Play Store offers, and they are the full versions, not the 'cut down' versions that AA/Carplay offer. You can also run Netflix, Prime Video, YT, Chrome etc (not while driving!)*. Where AA/Carplay use BT, these apps via CWG use wifi, so a hotspot connection to your phone is needed. Although my unit comes with a SIM slot, I haven't bothered with this as I suspect the cellular protocols will differ from continent to continent, and besides, using a hotspot works well and is easy. *Although you can use a setting to permit Netflix while driving (could be useful for back seat passengers).
The screen is very responsive - way more so than the PCM, as well as looking much better (IMO). My unit has no volume ****, so the sound level has to be controlled by an onscreen slider, but it is easily accessible and finely graduated across the full 12.3 inches of the screen. I adapted to it very quickly. If you have steering wheel controls, it isn't an issue anyway. Yes, I would prefer a volume ****, but it isn't as important as I thought it was. I may be able to control volume by voice, but I haven't tried that.
Overall, I consider this a big success and recommend going this route if your Porsche is one of the models that features a wide screen in the later model years. It is a huge upgrade in looks, features and functionality.
Here is the wiring solution for the BOSE fiber optic box:
Great write up and review Zed. Thanks for posting. Would be great to find a solution for the 991 as Livestream's effort with Krando did not turn out well.
I agree with all your observations @ZedZed . Great write up. Enjoyed reading your experience with the unit. And thanks for the shout-out. Anyone interested in my videos can access them here:
Great write up and review Zed. Thanks for posting. Would be great to find a solution for the 991 as Livestream's effort with Krando did not turn out well.
Thanks. It was a fairly enjoyable exercise TBH - no real problems. I'm sure there will be a solution for your 991 - there are a lot to choose from on Ali Express and Alibaba. This one https://rennlist.com/forums/991/1045...l#post18647696 looks real cool I think, fitted here to a member's car.
If the lack of a physical volume **** worries you, let me tell you that I felt exactly the same. But after a little while in the car, I totally got used to the on-screen volume control.
You might also care to reach out to @SidVicious who posts in this thread and who also has a 991, IIRC. He is a knowledgeable and helpful guy and may be able to give you some suggestions.
Based on my experience and the end result, I would definitely recommend one of these head units. Mine has given me the look of the latest Panamera, not to mention all the benefits of Android Auto etc.
OK - we have sound! The fibre optic decoder arrived quite late in the day. It took a few minutes to install, using T Taps to make the 3 connections to power, tapping from the Canbus decoder (thanks to @Santirx for this info. Red to Accessory power, Yellow to B+ (battery constant) and black to ground. Then plug in the RCA outputs from the head unit (Red and White jacks) into the decoder box, and finally the orange OEM fibre optic cables into the receptacle on the box.
The sound is very good, but not quite as good as the OEM sound. This is because I am now using RCA analogue sound and converting it to digital. There is a different, more expensive version of the decoder box which can take the optical (Toslink) output of the head unit and feed it directly to the fibre optic orange OEM input. I have numerous sound controls at my disposal now, including a very good equalizer and a full DSP setup in the head unit, so I will tweak the sound over the next few days and see how it goes. If I feel it is lacking and annoying me, I will replace the decoder box with the superior version. The sound is far from bad, but the OEM sets a high bar,
These T Taps are amazing. Way less messy than soldering, much quicker and easier to use, and they give a fantastically strong mechanical connection. It is impossible to pull them apart once installed. The squares are 1cm, to give scale.
Tomorrow I will finish the installation and get all the wires tucked away. Then I have about 10,000 settings to work through,
IMO the vendor should include a 3-pin molex connector (or similar) on the harness and the MOST decoder box, which would make this almost completely plug and play. This would be a pretty simple change on their end I think given that they already do it for the canbus decoder box. @Santirx can maybe pass it along to the vendor/manufacturer since he probably has more pull with them than anyone else here
IMO the vendor should include a 3-pin molex connector (or similar) on the harness and the MOST decoder box, which would make this almost completely plug and play. This would be a pretty simple change on their end I think given that they already do it for the canbus decoder box. @Santirx can maybe pass it along to the vendor/manufacturer since he probably has more pull with them than anyone else here
That would certainly be beneficial. Although, the fibre optic decoder box isn't made by ZWNAV, and as @Santirx discovered, different boxes give differing results. I have always found T-Taps to be extremely effective and very easy to use, certainly easier than soldering (but more expensive). They are available locally and on Amazon - and much cheaper from Ali Express.
Here's something that appears to be a solid solution and at a much more reasonable price. Link Having a Burmester, I'd need to also purchase a Most decoder. However, for the last few weeks, the Isudar board has been working flawlessly and really don't want to mess with anything more right now.
Here's something that appears to be a solid solution and at a much more reasonable price. Link Having a Burmester, I'd need to also purchase a Most decoder. However, for the last few weeks, the Isudar board has been working flawlessly and really don't want to mess with anything more right now.
If it ain't borke . . .
But . . if you did want to replace the PCM, that looks like a really inexpensive way to go. I'd prefer 6 or 8 gig of RAM and 128 gig of ROM, but hey. . . for the money. I like the lower part of the unit - makes it look more like the PCM it's meant to replace.
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Can someone explain Z Link app? How it’s used and when you need it? I purchased a 2013 with a ZZ2 product installed and the Bluetooth connection is spotty at best. Would Z link app help?
09-05-2023, 12:55 PM
