When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
@jadski Thanks for the tips! Will see if I can set Carlink to "on" all the time to hopefully enhance stability. I'm curious if you know what setting keeps the parking sensor overlay on (presumably only when it has data to show)? Mine currently only displays when in reverse.
@ZedZed Unless you know of a download source, I don't think one can just install Zlink as an alternative. Carlink does seem to be the standard on FYT headunits.
Zlink is an Android app, so it will run on an Android HU. I posted the link for the apk a day or so ago. Zlink works with Android Auto and CarPlay. Carlink does the same job and is just the one that the sellers of the CHSTEK chose to install. I only mention it because I have never seen a post where people have complained of having problems with Zlink, but lots of posts where people are having problems with Carlink. It does no harm to download and install Zlink from an apk. so it's worth a try IMO.
Andy, here is what I put together from my experience with Chstek CarPlay. Feel free to edit or correct for the installation guide.
CarPlay connection to the chstek 7862E
The installation guide recommends after the unit is installed to connect the unit to WiFi or a hotspot to download apps and launcher of choice (carwebguru, agama, vivid, etc).
If you are planning to primarily use CarPlay, then you can skip that step.
If you want to install other apps and/or launchers, then you will have to connect the HU to a home WiFi network or to your phone as a hotspot.
Important: Do not try to connect your HU to Bluetooth or CarPlay while you are hooked up to WiFi or a hotspot.
Important: Do not connect your telephone to the HU with Bluetooth prior to setting up CarPlay.
Go to your main menu
Device > USB device start: select Carlink
Then go to User
User> Application setting: turn on Carlink (see below)
(I have everything else turned off except the vivid launcher)
Then under your apps icon on your home screen, find your Carlink app. First make sure that it is up to date. If not, download the update (you will need to be connected to either home WiFi or to hotspot for this). Then open the Carlink app and click on the settings icon and make sure that the toggle button for auto connection is on.
Important!! Now disconnect the HU from any WiFi connections.
Make sure that your iPhone is up to date with latest version of iOS.
Then on your iPhone:
Make sure that your WiFi and Bluetooth are on and not connected to anything. Then go to:
Settings > General > CarPlay: look for Carlink-xxxxx and click on it . This should allow CarPlay to use Bluetooth to establish a WiFi connection between HU and iPhone.
It should auto connect. If it doesn’t, then open Carlink app on the HU and hit open button and it should connect.
Once CarPlay is open, then use the button pictured below to toggle between CarPlay and android HU.
I pinned the button to the dock on my vivid launcher
Same button takes out of CarPlay and back to native mode
That is awesome @jadski thank you for taking the time to write this up, much appreciated.
I will add it to the next version of the guide, which now also has full instructions for changing the boot animation
It's a small thing, but given the Chstek physically looks like it was made for the interior of the car, having it boot up first with the Carrera S silhouette followed by the Porsche logo gives it real OEM style polish
It's a small thing, but given the Chstek physically looks like it was made for the interior of the car, having it boot up first with the Carrera S silhouette followed by the Porsche logo gives it real OEM style polish
Absolutely, and I have done this here too as you know. But I almost never see the results of my work because I have my HU set to shut down fully only if it has not been used for 3 days. So when I start the car, it just goes briefly (and instantly) to the home screen (CarWebGuru in my case) and then Android Auto opens with my nav and music apps ready to go.
Do I take it that you fully shut down your unit every time you leave the car? The battery drain here seems to be negligible over 72 hours. If I am leaving the car unused for longer than that, I put the CTEK on, regardless of the HU settings. Do you fully shut down your CHSTEK unit because you have found that the battery drain is serious otherwise? I like the 'instant on' that I get with my setup, which is the same as OEM with the PCM used to be. Just wondering.
First off, to Andy and everyone that has contributed to the guide, THANK YOU!!
I'm considering the CHSTEK unit for my 981 Cayman S, and my use case would almost certainly be "Native" mode. I see in the guide that there are a few functions that I need that are listed as "maybes"...
1. I need to connect the head unit to my Uniden R4 radar detector (bluetooth connection) in order to use the Highway Radar app.
2. I also need split screen mode (one app on the left, one app on the right)
On the CHSTEK unit, has anyone successfully connected to a non-phone bluetooth device? Same question for getting split-screen mode working.
Absolutely, and I have done this here too as you know. But I almost never see the results of my work because I have my HU set to shut down fully only if it has not been used for 3 days. So when I start the car, it just goes briefly (and instantly) to the home screen (CarWebGuru in my case) and then Android Auto opens with my nav and music apps ready to go.
Do I take it that you fully shut down your unit every time you leave the car? The battery drain here seems to be negligible over 72 hours. If I am leaving the car unused for longer than that, I put the CTEK on, regardless of the HU settings. Do you fully shut down your CHSTEK unit because you have found that the battery drain is serious otherwise? I like the 'instant on' that I get with my setup, which is the same as OEM with the PCM used to be. Just wondering.
I currently have it as the default setting where it shuts down after 3 days of not being used, but as I don't use the car every day I do see it from time to time and I just love the fact it looks OEM when I do see it! LOL
And the Chstek is so damn fast booting up from cold that it's already displaying TomTom navigation before I gett off my driveway!
First off, to Andy and everyone that has contributed to the guide, THANK YOU!!
I'm considering the CHSTEK unit for my 981 Cayman S, and my use case would almost certainly be "Native" mode. I see in the guide that there are a few functions that I need that are listed as "maybes"...
1. I need to connect the head unit to my Uniden R4 radar detector (bluetooth connection) in order to use the Highway Radar app.
2. I also need split screen mode (one app on the left, one app on the right)
On the CHSTEK unit, has anyone successfully connected to a non-phone bluetooth device? Same question for getting split-screen mode working.
Thanks all!
1. I do not think you will be able to connect the Uniden R4 to the HU via BT. The only way to be sure is to try it - but nobody seems to have had any success with pairing BT devices other than those required for the unit to function. I tried, for example, to connect my Pedal Commander app by installing it on the HU and connecting with BT. No go. The Pedal Commander app works perfectly on my phone, but not on the HU. I asked PC support if they were thinking of implementing a solution and they said it wasn't possible due to constraints imposed by Google.
2. Split screen is a function of later Android versions and should work. You have to drag down from the top of the screen to display running apps and then swipe the app you want to run in split screen to the side of the screen where you want it. Afterwards, the app that was last open plus the app you just swiped will occupy half the screen each. AFAIK. You can't adjust the split to 66/33 or 60/40 etc - it is fixed at 50/50. There may be an app in the Google Play store that adds to this functionality. I have done it in my Panamera just to try it out, but I almost always use Android Auto which, of course, has a roughly 66/33 split as standard. I always have navigation in the 'big half' and music in the 'small half'.
EDIT: I see the Highway Radar app on the Google Play store, so you can certainly run the app on the CHSTEK HU - but if it has to connect to the physical radar detector via BT to function properly, then I am afraid it's a no-go. Looks like a useful app - radar detectors aren't as common in the UK as in the USA. IDK what type of radar they use in the US, but here, by the time your radar detector has detected the cop, the cop has detected you, so they're not all that much use here. They just tell you that you have been detected,effectively.
EDIT AGAIN: Does the app have the ability to run in the background? If so, then you could run it as normal on your phone. You will probably still get the alerts, and they may come through car audio. I run an app in the background that detects speed cameras (the UK is infested with them). When it alerts, the alert comes through the car audio even though the app is running in my phone, not in the HU. I created a Tasker task to open the app when the car's BT is detected. You'd have to try it in your car to see if it worked though.
I currently have it as the default setting where it shuts down after 3 days of not being used, but as I don't use the car every day I do see it from time to time and I just love the fact it looks OEM when I do see it! LOL
And the Chstek is so damn fast booting up from cold that it's already displaying TomTom navigation before I gett off my driveway!
Oh yes! I love it when I see it, too. Just that I rarely see it I think that some form of getting rid of the Android logo is more or less essential for those who reboot every time. A full animation is the most exciting, but harder to do. This is what I managed:
1. I do not think you will be able to connect the Uniden R4 to the HU via BT. The only way to be sure is to try it - but nobody seems to have had any success with pairing BT devices other than those required for the unit to function. I tried, for example, to connect my Pedal Commander app by installing it on the HU and connecting with BT. No go. The Pedal Commander app works perfectly on my phone, but not on the HU. I asked PC support if they were thinking of implementing a solution and they said it wasn't possible due to constraints imposed by Google.
2. Split screen is a function of later Android versions and should work. You have to drag down from the top of the screen to display running apps and then swipe the app you want to run in split screen to the side of the screen where you want it. Afterwards, the app that was last open plus the app you just swiped will occupy half the screen each. AFAIK. You can't adjust the split to 66/33 or 60/40 etc - it is fixed at 50/50. There may be an app in the Google Play store that adds to this functionality. I have done it in my Panamera just to try it out, but I almost always use Android Auto which, of course, has a roughly 66/33 split as standard. I always have navigation in the 'big half' and music in the 'small half'.
EDIT: I see the Highway Radar app on the Google Play store, so you can certainly run the app on the CHSTEK HU - but if it has to connect to the physical radar detector via BT to function properly, then I am afraid it's a no-go. Looks like a useful app - radar detectors aren't as common in the UK as in the USA. IDK what type of radar they use in the US, but here, by the time your radar detector has detected the cop, the cop has detected you, so they're not all that much use here. They just tell you that you have been detected,effectively.
Thanks for the info!
Good to know that split-screen does work, but unfortunately the bluetooth connectivity issue is likely a deal breaker for me. The integration between Highway Radar and my detector is basically a must have. It really is a great app for those that use compatible detectors. Basically it pulls the police, pot hole, hazard, etc... data reported from Waze, along with reported air patrol info (pulled from another site), and it shows immediate details on anything the detector picks up (and beeps and flashes the screen red on a hit). This allows me to keep the detector itself in "dark mode" with the volume off - everything gets routed to the Highway Radar app. I can also make changes to the detector's internal settings from the app itself.
And regarding the usefulness of detectors, it really depends on where you live, what types of detection are in use, etc... For example, laser is used by stationary cops, and with laser you're right about that.. once they hit you, it's too late. But, the stationary nature of that detection method means there's a good chance someone has pinned them on Waze already. When stationary and not using laser they usually just leave their radar on, and if they are using "instant-on", as long as they hit someone a mile or so in front of me I will still get an indication. As far as police on the move, here in my area they rarely use instant-on functionality... they are either driving around with it on, or off (again, usually). I don't drive particularly fast, at least not for extended periods, but driving a "target car" like a Porsche I do like the added security blanket.
EDIT AGAIN: Does the app have the ability to run in the background? If so, then you could run it as normal on your phone. You will probably still get the alerts, and they may come through car audio. I run an app in the background that detects speed cameras (the UK is infested with them). When it alerts, the alert comes through the car audio even though the app is running in my phone, not in the HU. I created a Tasker task to open the app when the car's BT is detected. You'd have to try it in your car to see if it worked though.
Yes I could certainly still run the Highway Radar app on my phone and manage it from there, using the phone screen and any associated audio connections - and this is how I used to run it. However, the app is not compatible with Android Auto, so the only way to get info on the HU screen is via native mode. This is my current solution... https://rennlist.com/forums/981-foru...tegration.html
EDIT: Yes it will run in the background also, but I really would rather have everything running on the HU.
Last edited by Natural1; 08-05-2024 at 01:34 PM.
Reason: more info
Good to know that split-screen does work, but unfortunately the bluetooth connectivity issue is likely a deal breaker for me. The integration between Highway Radar and my detector is basically a must have. It really is a great app for those that use compatible detectors. Basically it pulls the police, pot hole, hazard, etc... data reported from Waze, along with reported air patrol info (pulled from another site), and it shows immediate details on anything the detector picks up (and beeps and flashes the screen red on a hit). This allows me to keep the detector itself in "dark mode" with the volume off - everything gets routed to the Highway Radar app. I can also make changes to the detector's internal settings from the app itself.
Yes, that sounds terrific I must admit. Not sure if it is a dealbreaker though, since I assume you use the app currently via your phone as it won't work with the PCM. This means you have a PCM and a phone running at the same time. While it would be amazing to have the app running in the HU and connected to BT, changing the outdated PCM for an Android unit would bring you all the benefits of such a move, and you would just still use your phone in a holder for the Highway Radar app. So, still using two devices, but at least both will now be bang up to date.
Originally Posted by Natural1
And regarding the usefulness of detectors, it really depends on where you live, what types of detection are in use, etc... For example, laser is used by stationary cops, and with laser you're right about that.. once they hit you, it's too late. But, the stationary nature of that detection method means there's a good chance someone has pinned them on Waze already. When stationary and not using laser they usually just leave their radar on, and if they are using "instant-on", as long as they hit someone a mile or so in front of me I will still get an indication. As far as police on the move, here in my area they rarely use instant-on functionality... they are either driving around with it on, or off (again, usually). I don't drive particularly fast, at least not for extended periods, but driving a "target car" like a Porsche I do like the added security blanket.
Good info, thanks. Almost all the use of police radar in the UK is from stationary 'speed awareness vans'. I rely on Waze to alert me to the vans, and it is pretty good. You'd have to be unlucky and be one of the first to go through the trap to get caught. That is, of course, easily possible. The vans are usually clearly marked as police detector vehicles so, so at least the cops are playing fair
Once in place, the vans stay for an hour or so and then move on, so a good chance that a Wazer will have reported it. Most of the automated speed detection in the UK is done by cameras of various types, and the location of all these are reported by the authorities, so they are always reported by Waze. It's only the mobile vans we have to worry about, although most police forces publish the van locations two weeks ahead of their use. As well as Waze, I also use a standalone camera detector device (Saphe) which is excellent and also works with Android Auto and Carplay, plus an additional app on my phone which runs in the background but alerts via car audio. I feel that all this is needed here because we are just infested with cameras and, as you rightly say, a Porsche immediately becomes a 'target car'.
Yes I could certainly still run the Highway Radar app on my phone and manage it from there, using the phone screen and any associated audio connections - and this is how I used to run it. However, the app is not compatible with Android Auto, so the only way to get info on the HU screen is via native mode. This is my current solution... https://rennlist.com/forums/981-foru...tegration.html
EDIT: Yes it will run in the background also, but I really would rather have everything running on the HU.
Thanks for the extra info. Clever use of the tablet!
Re split screen - here's how you do it on the Chstek
Press the task switcher button from the top pull-down menu and then press the feint icon that you can see for the first app and it'll snap to the left of the screen. Repeat for the other app.
Apologies for the cr@p pics!
@Natural1 I think you can also get more than two apps displaying if you use a different launcher like Vivid as it is highly configurable (can somebody confirm pls as I don't use it)
Re split screen - here's how you do it on the Chstek
Press the task switcher button from the top pull-down menu and then press the feint icon that you can see for the first app and it'll snap to the left of the screen. Repeat for the other app.
See that little doohickey I've circled in red? If you press and hold and then drag it, can you adjust the relative sizes of the two windows? Some versions of Android allow this, but not all. It's probably less useful on a 'tall' screen like the CHSTEK than on a wide screen like mine.
On the bluetooth issue, it's a known problem with the FYT designed units.
I have a very similar use case as I want to conect the app for my throttle pedal controller to the HU. It works fine on the phone but will not work on the Android HU.
08-05-2024, 07:14 AM
I think that some form of getting rid of the Android logo is more or less essential for those who reboot every time. A full animation is the most exciting, but harder to do. This is what I managed:
