Motorola MA1 - Its good!

[CBphev]

So I got fed up of waiting for UK supply chains and ordered a Motorola MA1 from the states via eBay.

This allows wireless android auto and now I just get in the car, put my phone on the wireless charge pad (if going a longer distance) and the phone connects to android auto automatically.  No need to plug anything in.  

I have stuck the motorola gizmo to the underside of the dash above the USB port, you cant tell its there.

I have had a message once saying it had diconnected and had to unplug it and plug it back in - but has been working fine apart from that one off event.

Only other thing was I had to change my phone case to a slightly thinner one to have reliable wireless charging.

[nlee]

I've been waiting for a UK supply of this. Good to hear it works well.

[ZZYGY]

Good to know it works, as plugging the phone is a fiddle. There are other makes,   but I'm not convinced about them. I fitted a FitcamX Dashcam this week, really simple  10 minute job and it does the basics well. Better start saving for the Motorola MA1 now.

[CBphev]

I didn't see any other makes when I was looking (there was one other that isn't available - think it was a croud fund thingy).  I did find similar things that are designed to work with an aftermarket head unit that runs on Android, rather than an OEM one that is android auto compatible.  For these you install an app on the head unit (like you do on your phone) so that the little box works.

[JackE.T]

Wireless carplay & android auto & screen mirroring in 1 on Kickstarter. Maybe you guys will interesting.
 

[Saxacat]

On 6/11/2022 at 8:25 AM, CBphev said:

So I got fed up of waiting for UK supply chains and ordered a Motorola MA1 from the states via ebay.

This allows wireless android auto and now I just get in the car, put my phone on the wireless charge pad (if going a longer distance) and the phone connects to android auto automatically.  No need to plug anything in.  

I have stuck the motorola gizmo to the underside of the dash above the USB port, you cant tell its there.

I have had a message once saying it had diconnected and had to unplug it and plug it back in - but has been working fine apart from that one off event.

Only other thing was I had to change my phone case to a slightly thinner one to have reliable wireless charging.

 

Hi Chris,

Just wondered how the MA1 was performing?

I've got someone bringing one across from the States in a couple of weeks, so I'm quite excited.

I notice some reviews claim there's quite a drain on the phone Battery, have you seen any evidence of that?

 

Edward

[nlee]

15 minutes ago, Saxacat said:

 

Hi Chris,

Just wondered how the MA1 was performing?

I've got someone bringing one across from the States in a couple of weeks, so I'm quite excited.

I notice some reviews claim there's quite a drain on the phone battery, have you seen any evidence of that?

 

Edward

I'd expect they all drain the Battery if using navigation, etc. Certainly it saps the Battery if using navigation in a cradle without AA/CarPlay. It shouldn't be using the screen, which is a big drain but there will be a lot of wireless communication going on. I'd expect to make more use of the wireless charging pad if using for anything longer than a 30 min journey. 

I also got bored of waiting for the MA1 and after a bit of research, I ordered a Carsifi over the weekend, which I hope will arrive in the next week. I'll see how that performs and post on here.

[Iain Stewart]

I ordered a Carsifi and it came in about a week, I fitted it yesterday to my brand new Rav4 (9 month wait) and it was very easy to set up and does work wirelessly but there was a definite drain on the phone Battery when I took it for a run last night.

To connect my work phone though I had to unplug the Carsifi to get it to connect to Toyota Touch, I think there is an option for a double press of a button to get it to swap but I haven't tried it yet.

As an aside my wireless charging pad seems to have a blanking plate where the button would be to switch it on, anybody else seen that recently?

 

Iain

[nlee]

52 minutes ago, Iain Stewart said:

I think there is an option for a double press of a button to get it to swap but I haven't tried it yet.

That's how I understand it, the "magic" button changes between paired phones.

[ZZYGY]

Just went for Carsifi, now £72.99 so I think it's worth a pop, compared with the "2022 Carlinkit AI box 4+64GB" on Amazon at £246.

[Iain Stewart]

5 hours ago, nlee said:

That's how I understand it, the "magic" button changes between paired phones.

Tried it on the way home and the "magic" button does work, it's a good little system.

[nlee]

My Carsifi arrived this morning. So, 6 days from order to arrival. Tracking info was excellent throughout.

It took all of 5 minutes to connect and set up. I quite like how you can change the DPI value to force it in split screen, with maps taking up two thirds of the screen and audio/phone on the other third but it makes things a bit smaller so may leave it as default for now.

From ignition on to AA launching is more or less the time it takes the multimedia system to boot up, so about the same as plugging in via a cable. 

I haven't been on a journey with it yet so can't comment on Battery drain (but at least I'll get some use out of the wireless charging pad now) or stability of connection. But first impressions are very positive.

[ernieb]

@nlee, when you’ve given it a reasonable run and can form an opinion can you give use some feedback on the potential power issue? 

[nlee]

20 minutes ago, ernieb said:

@nlee, when you’ve given it a reasonable run and can form an opinion can you give use some feedback on the potential power issue? 

Certainly will. I think the phone power drain is the same on units that already have wireless AA and CarPlay built in. I've seen some comments on some of the newer Toyotas (although from reading between the lines, it sounds like it is only wireless for iOS on them???)

[Nick72]

On 6/11/2022 at 8:25 AM, CBphev said:

So I got fed up of waiting for UK supply chains and ordered a Motorola MA1 from the states via ebay.

This allows wireless android auto and now I just get in the car, put my phone on the wireless charge pad (if going a longer distance) and the phone connects to android auto automatically.  No need to plug anything in.  

I have stuck the motorola gizmo to the underside of the dash above the USB port, you cant tell its there.

I have had a message once saying it had diconnected and had to unplug it and plug it back in - but has been working fine apart from that one off event.

Only other thing was I had to change my phone case to a slightly thinner one to have reliable wireless charging.

Good one. Think I'm going to order one in a few weeks. What did you pay for it with shipping?

 

[nlee]

I've done a variety of journeys over the weekend and yesterday and been able to give the Carsifi a real good test. A few 20/30 min journeys over the weekend and 7 hours of driving yesterday. Connection has been faultless, no drop outs and no lags. On all journeys I was navigating with Amigo or Google Maps and listening to podcasts. On the shorter journeys the increase in phone Battery drain was hardly noticeable. On a 2 hour leg of yesterday's journey, the Battery drained 23%. So it's an additional drain but no more than I'd probably expect, and it could easily accommodate a normal longer journey without needing charge.

My anticipated use is to avoid all the plugging in for the shorter journeys but always though I would charge on longer journeys.

However, I found the wireless charging a bit useless. Firstly, I tested it the other day with an app to analyse charge rate while not connected to the multi media unit at all. It's so slow! It only charges at 230mA (would take 17 hours for a full charge!) That might be my phone and case and others might have more joy. In comparison, with the same set up, the wireless charging pad in the house is around 800mA (5 hours full charge). I found yesterday that the charger in the car was flicking from amber to green constantly, regardless of how I positioned the phone. I think it was because of the heat. Again, could be my phone being sensitive to themal protection and others may be ok. It was a warm day but with heavy use apps running, using data and connection via WiFi to android auto, it is going to get warm. Perhaps Toyota should include a A/C vent in the cubby! I ended up plugging the phone into one of the USB sockets in armrest for the return journey.

So, the Carsifi works great for all the regular short journeys but might still need to be plugged into power for especially long journeys.

[Saxacat]

1 hour ago, nlee said:

 

However, I found the wireless charging a bit useless. Firstly, I tested it the other day with an app to analyse charge rate while not connected to the multi media unit at all. It's so slow! It only charges at 230mA (would take 17 hours for a full charge!) That might be my phone and case and others might have more joy. In comparison, with the same set up, the wireless charging pad in the house is around 800mA (5 hours full charge). I found yesterday that the charger in the car was flicking from amber to green constantly, regardless of how I positioned the phone. I think it was because of the heat. Again, could be my phone being sensitive to themal protection and others may be ok. It was a warm day but with heavy use apps running, using data and connection via WiFi to android auto, it is going to get warm. Perhaps Toyota should include a A/C vent in the cubby! I ended up plugging the phone into one of the USB sockets in armrest for the return journey.

 

I don't have the wireless charging, but whenever I plug my phone into the car, I get a warning on the phone (S22 Ultra) that the charge rate is very low and suggests using another source.

 

My MA1 has arrived in the UK, but it will be another week or so before my daughter brings it to me. Once I have the MA1 I'll come back with info on performance and Battery drain, although I expect all the devices will be much the same.

[ernieb]

2 hours ago, nlee said:

I've done a variety of journeys over the weekend and yesterday and been able to give the Carsifi a real good test. A few 20/30 min journeys over the weekend and 7 hours of driving yesterday. Connection has been faultless, no drop outs and no lags. On all journeys I was navigating with Amigo or Google Maps and listening to podcasts. On the shorter journeys the increase in phone battery drain was hardly noticeable. On a 2 hour leg of yesterday's journey, the battery drained 23%. So it's an additional drain but no more than I'd probably expect, and it could easily accommodate a normal longer journey without needing charge.

My anticipated use is to avoid all the plugging in for the shorter journeys but always though I would charge on longer journeys.

However, I found the wireless charging a bit useless. Firstly, I tested it the other day with an app to analyse charge rate while not connected to the multi media unit at all. It's so slow! It only charges at 230mA (would take 17 hours for a full charge!) That might be my phone and case and others might have more joy. In comparison, with the same set up, the wireless charging pad in the house is around 800mA (5 hours full charge). I found yesterday that the charger in the car was flicking from amber to green constantly, regardless of how I positioned the phone. I think it was because of the heat. Again, could be my phone being sensitive to themal protection and others may be ok. It was a warm day but with heavy use apps running, using data and connection via WiFi to android auto, it is going to get warm. Perhaps Toyota should include a A/C vent in the cubby! I ended up plugging the phone into one of the USB sockets in armrest for the return journey.

So, the Carsifi works great for all the regular short journeys but might still need to be plugged into power for especially long journeys.

Thanks Nigel for the comprehensive review, sounds  like a good option.

I have a Samsung S10 which will accept a repaid charge. I find that connected via the cable it charges very well but the pad charger is useless. I do have a slim case on the phone and it charges really well on a number of different pads I’ve got but the car pathetic. What I’ve found is that the phone seems to heat but not charge and the positioning is critical. I’ve have tried it without the case but it was no more than marginally improved, 3 out of 10 must do better in my book.

[nlee]

10 minutes ago, ernieb said:

I’ve have tried it without the case but it was no more than marginally improved, 3 out of 10 must do better in my book.

I also tried it without the case yesterday and it did the switching green to amber light, just the same.

[ernieb]

1 hour ago, nlee said:

I also tried it without the case yesterday and it did the switching green to amber light, just the same.

Sad really but sometimes it’s good that others observe the same issues as it eliminates the potential that it’s your phone/case/car.

[roger_37]

On 6/11/2022 at 8:25 AM, CBphev said:

So I got fed up of waiting for UK supply chains and ordered a Motorola MA1 from the states via ebay.

This allows wireless android auto and now I just get in the car, put my phone on the wireless charge pad (if going a longer distance) and the phone connects to android auto automatically.  No need to plug anything in.  

I have stuck the motorola gizmo to the underside of the dash above the USB port, you cant tell its there.

I have had a message once saying it had diconnected and had to unplug it and plug it back in - but has been working fine apart from that one off event.

Only other thing was I had to change my phone case to a slightly thinner one to have reliable wireless charging.

 

[roger_37]

can you get google maps, while you are using this device.

i have this device but cannot get google map to display.

[nlee]

21 minutes ago, roger_37 said:

can you get google maps, while you are using this device.

i have this device but cannot get google map to display.

On my Carsifi, you can get Google maps, Waze, Amigo, basically it's exactly the same as you get when you use a cable. I don't see why the MA1 would be any different, it's the same application, just a different device.

[roger_37]

1 minute ago, nlee said:

On my Carsifi, you can get Google maps, Waze, Amigo, basically it's exactly the same as you get when you use a cable. I don't see why the MA1 would be any different, it's the same application, just a different device.

maybe ive not set it up right

 

[roger_37]

1 hour ago, roger_37 said:

maybe ive not set it up right

 

sorted, now setup now complete