[souvik_daz]

Navigation plays a key part in enjoying a smooth and seamless touring experience on our cherished two-wheelers. The go-to solution for 99% of us riders is to attach our phones to a phone mount and use Google Maps to show us the way.

A common issue with this approach is messed up cameras, especially ones with inbuilt optical image stabilisation. Some of us revert to using a secondary phone as a dedicated navigation device. Even this has its drawbacks. Maintaining a secondary sim is a major hassle. On top of it, receiving/rejecting calls on the helmet intercom or reading incoming messages becomes a challenge without easy access to our primary phone.
Some Chinese brands (Ottocast, Carpuride, etc.) have tried to solve this with dedicated Android Auto / Apple CarPlay devices that attach to your handlebar or mirror and connect to your phone to give you a similar experience to what you get on your four-wheelers. These are relatively pricey (with the cheapest reliable options costing around ₹15,000). I nearly bit the bullet on one such device, till better sense prevailed and I decided to research for a more cost-effective solution. What I found was a relatively cheaper and quicker option. It is super easy and can be utilised by almost anyone ready to spend an hour or so tweaking things, well almost.



Disclaimer: To use the solution, you need to have a secondary phone (which will act as the Android Auto screen and will cast content from the primary phone). I have tried this with Android phones (since that is what I have access to), so I can’t comment on how it needs to happen in the Apple ecosystem.

Apps Required:
1. Headunit Emulator (referred to as HUR going forward and to be installed on the secondary phone). Costs ₹430.
2. WiFi launcher (to be installed on the primary phone).

Steps:
1. Install the above apps on the concerned phones.
2. Enable ‘WiFi direct’ on the primary phone (instructions to do this will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so search for the procedure on Google).
3. Ensure that both phones have WiFi switched on but are not connected to any WiFi network.
4. Launch HUR, and go to Settings -> Connectivity -> WiFi connection mode. Select ‘Use WiFi Direct’.
5. Note the device name on HUR (it will show in small text at the bottom of the screen. Most often it is ‘HUR7’.)
6. Keep HUR running on the secondary device.
7. Launch WiFi Launcher on the primary phone. Grant the permissions requested.
8. Under Wireless, select ‘WiFi Connection Mode’ and ‘Use WiFi Direct’.
9. Go to ‘HUR WiFi Direct Name’ and ensure it matches the device name we noted in step 5. If it does not match, manually type in the name as noted in step 5.
10. Select ‘Start WiFi Service Manually’.

That is it! Android Auto should launch on the secondary screen. Now for your next ride, you can safely keep your primary phone in your pocket or bag and use navigation, calls and messaging (and music if that’s something you prefer while riding) from the convenience of your secondary phone.



If the touch response on Android Auto seems sluggish, go to HUR Settings -> Graphics -> Pixel Density. Enter a value less than what it shows. E.g. It was 440 as the default for me but worked best when reduced to 350.
My intention for such a long post is to help as many of you as possible and make your riding experience as smooth as possible. Happy to hear your thoughts as well as your experience (assuming you do give it a shot).

[RYP]

Why not simply turn on Wi-Fi hot spot from your main phone and tether the secondary phone to it and use Google maps (or any app for that matter) as is? I feel the native Google maps UI is good enough/ better to be used as a daily driver than the Android Auto UI. You can also use Bluetooth tethering instead of Wi-Fi hotspot and save a lot of battery too.

[maverick029]

Secondary cheap android phone with a sim works much better IMO, that way my primary phone stays charged regardless and secondary can be hooked up to usb charger to continue charging. I use this setup and realistically on a bike android auto would be a distraction and personally i would prefer as little distraction as possible.

[DustyWanderer]

I am using a cheap secondary phone with a sim card for my motorcycle navigation purposes so that I do not need to worry about the battery drainage and overheating of my primary phone. If there was some way the manufacturers could give us an android infotainment unit for motorcycles along with e-sim as an optional extra, we could have avoided the worry about our phones getting stolen or getting damaged during accidental drops while traveling.

Ola's Move OS looks promising, and I am sure that in the future we will have motorcycles with inbuilt Google Maps.

[x017in]

can this work of IOS (carplay) too? Ie the android phone can be used to emulate IOS carplay?

[mally2]

Originally Posted by x017in

can this work of IOS (carplay) too? Ie the android phone can be used to emulate IOS carplay?

No HUR does not support CarPlay. IOS is a much closer eco system

[falcon.adv390]

I had tried this on my pixel 4a and it was hit and miss. I bit the bullet and bought the ottocast c5 . connectivity is seamless.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by falcon.adv390

I had tried this on my pixel 4a and it was hit and miss. I bit the bullet and bought the ottocast c5 . connectivity is seamless.

Detailed review please I've heard only good things about this setup.
Do you take it on & off when you head away from your motorcycle?

[x017in]

On a side note, the cracked versions of the paid are available for folks to test (google search). If you like, do support the developer by paying.

On my S22 Ultra, I had to get the Pixel density down to 320 to look good.
Note on pixel density: smaller number = higher resolution

[Sachin_Nair]

I happened to stumble upon this video yesterday while researching this exact topic. I am still in two minds about whether carrying a second phone with a SIM is the best way forward, or using an expensive GPS mount for the primary phone, or buying one of these Chinese Android Auto/Apple CarPlay devices is the best approach. I certainly appreciate the convenience of the AA/CarPlay device; however, I have no idea about its durability and how long it will last. Concerns such as software updates of the device to comply with the latest Android/iOS patches are also on my mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4ERykosVIA&t=634s

[falcon.adv390]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Detailed review please I've heard only good things about this setup.
Do you take it on & off when you head away from your motorcycle?

I have my phone and bluarmor c30 connected to the c5. After the initially config , it takes approx 30 seconds for the carplay/android auto to show up on the screen. There is a .5 second lag when changing songs via carplay/android auto which is negligible.
I have the ram mount lock so dont have to remove it but its very easy if you want to . there are 2 ways to connect it 1) via usb 2) hardwire it to the ignition.

[wr10forever]

Google maps has an offline maps feature which allows users to download map data for offline use. I use the same on my secondary phone which is used as a navigation device. Most importantly, it does not require internet as all data is stored offline and GPS obviously doesn't require an internet connection. The only downside is missing out on live traffic conditions and other dynamic factors like road closures etc..

[Chhanda Das]

This can be quite detrimental to the battery of the primary phone especially in Indian summers especially if you keep it in an enclosed area while using it. The best case scenario could be the primary phone shutting down due to overheating while the worst case could be the primary phone catching catching fire and/or exploding. Also, you could have used the hotspot feature instead of WiFi Direct, couldn't you ?

[DDIS_RE650]

I have purchased the similar dedicated device but for car. It is simple plug and play and does not cost much if buy it from US.

https://www.amazon.com/Skisea-Wirele...s%2C268&sr=8-3

[Senotrius]

As said by others a cheaper second Android phone does the trick for much lower cost besides acting as a backup device if need be.