Posted on 05/28/2015 6:51:28 PM PDT by scouter
I need some advice. I want to get "hands free" use of my iPhone in my 2003 Honda Accord. It's a 32 GB iPhone 4, NOT 4s. The car has a "cigarette lighter" power source, but DOES NOT HAVE Aux In.
I'd like to hear the phone over the car's speakers (AM/FM/CD) with NO Aux In.
I don't care about playing music from my iPhone. If it comes with whatever I buy, that's fine, but I really only care about using the phone hands free.
I would strongly prefer a solution that does not require anyone to install anything, beyond plugging something into the cigarette lighter and sticking a microphone on my visor.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Bought a flexsmart from amazon about 3 years ago. It tunes into your FM radio. Its easy to use ,syncs up very consistently, and does what it said it would. About 45 Semolians.
Jabra Freeway. Clips to visor ( recommend passenger side ) auto- on /off (motion sense activation) RF modulator for play through FM. Pairs with my iPhone 6. works well, although I find RF signal delivers slightly distorted audio in my FM but YMMV.
Can play MP3 content, streamed app audio, and of course, phone. Voice dialing. Has hard buttons as well as voice commands. Recharge via micro USB. Battery charge level icon display on iPhone home screen. has decent audio volume with its internal speaker. I just use mine for phone calls. ( see note about scratchy FM audio )
regards.
I suggest that you buy a self-contained Bluetooth speakerphone for car - say, one of BlueAnt's products. I have an S4 from them, and it works pretty good. Nothing to solder :-) You don't even need to plug it in, as it has a battery inside, but I do. The battery will then charge automatically. You can also talk to it - and it works well for me.
The car's speakers won't be used (without soldering :-) but you can be up and running in minutes.
1. I saw an FM player that would work with an iPhone G4 in Staples on sale in the clearance box for $20 off to about $65. It plugs into the lighter for power.
2. However, if you have a cassette player in your car, for about $15 you can get a casette-shaped converter with a cord that plugs into your iPhone in the earphone plug, and then plays through your radio. This requires no power.
Get a replacement radio for the car that has bluetooth built in... start at crutchfield.com
Oops, that “FM player” is actually an FM transmitter.
likely the best option is a radio upgrade for the car. Lots of HDradios have iPhone wired and Bluetooth options, most with a remote. The swap is not that hard. just get the correct wiring harness to switch the radio. don’t forget to buy the bezel. Frankly Walmart online can make it happen, but google is always your friend.
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Another vote for the Flex Smart. Been working well for three years running. Nice piece for the money.
One note: It helps if you live in a rural area with some open space on the FM dial. Urban areas with lots of strong signals can make it difficult to find a good station to transmit to.
You might consider something like this:
Or this:
I’ve got a five year old Motorola unit I use. It’s really time for me to upgrade. It’s never been 100% reliable finding the iPhone 4s and I have troubles switching the output from the car audio system to the phone to answer an incoming call.
This site rates the new Moto units as best, but I don’t have a clue as to their ability to rate stuff. CNET seems to have good reviews.
You could do like we did — have your son smash up your uninsured 18 year old Explorer which then forces you to go get a new car (we bought a year old loaner from a dealer). It comes with all the latest built in gadgets to connect to the phone. Seems like we spent a lot of money to upgrade our phone and sound system, though.
http://bluetooth-car-kit-review.toptenreviews.com
I really appreciate all these replies! I knew I could count on Freepers. I’m going to have to look at all the pros and cons. If anyone else has other products I should look at, please keep the suggestions coming!
Thanks again!
sit down before you hurt yourself
I agree. Blue Ant is great. I used one for years, then bought a new truck that had built in Bluetooth. The Blue Ant is actually more reliable.
My Moto unit mentioned above is a TX500. It has good reviews on Amazon and costs only $25 or so. It has only one microphone, so voice quality isn’t great and the speaker is mediocre too IMO. It has fantastic battery life, though.
You got me thinking about this so I just bought the Moto Roadster Pro on Amazon. I’ll see what I think on Saturday.
Why don’t you go in-ear? I just got the new Plantronics Voyager 500 and I love it. Best bluetooth earpiece I’ve owned... and I’ve had several.
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