Wireless Carplay and GPS antenna clarification

Hi all,
I'm getting ready to install a Kenwood Excelon Reference HU that has wireless Carplay. Can anyone who's done a similar install clarify something for me? I've read that with the iDatalink

$29 ACC-SAT-TO2 Sat Radio and GPS Antenna adaptors for TO2 Vehicles

ACC-SAT-TO2 Adapter, I can retain the use of the factory GPS antenna. Other comments I've read say that in order to use wireless Carplay, I can't do that - I must use the supplied GPS antenna provided by Kenwood with the HU. Which is true?

Thanks!
Mike

 

I can't comment on your Kenwood but my Pioneer which has wireless CarPlay required a GPS antenna to be installed under the dash. I didn't understand what it was for as the Pioneer didn't have navigation. I was told it was required though and it was stuck to the inside of the dash. Maybe it functions as the WiFi antenna?

 

Thanks. That’s part of what has me confused. They’re both GPS antennas and whether or not I use the factory GPS antenna or the one supplied with the HU, they both plug into the same spot on the back of the unit. I don’t understand why CarPlay would need the HU antenna installed in order to function wirelessly.

 

Unless it's a WiFi antenna???

 

I also have a pioneer unit and I used the iDatalink adapter to connect to the factory gps antenna. Wireless carplay works fine for me with that adapter. I have a WC6600NEX.

 

Thanks. That's encouraging. The user manual for the Kenwood HU says to use the supplied antenna and that using other antennas can cause a drop in positioning accuracy. I wonder why the factory GPS wouldn't be accurate. Maybe I'll go ahead and install the factory GPS given that I already have the adapter, and see how that goes. If I notice any problems, I'll switch to the Kenwood antenna.

Has anyone tried this with a Kenwood unit?

 

I used an adapter for the factory GPS antenna from maestro on my Kenwood. No issues.

However, you might get slightly better (more accurate) signal with the white banded kenwood GPS antenna.

 

Great! Thanks. Did you try the Kenwood, or have you just stayed with the factory antenna?

 

I’ve got a kenwood dnx997xr and i used the iDatalink

$29 ACC-SAT-TO2 Sat Radio and GPS Antenna adaptors for TO2 Vehicles

ACC-SAT-TO2 adapter. Wireless CarPlay just requires GPS (either factory or aftermarket)

Originally used the supplied antenna with the unit until I found out about the adapter to use the factory one.

 

Okay, great. Thank you!

 

I'm really debating going aftermarket. Are you all happy with your choices?

 

Yep. Just be sure to get one with the maestro so that you dont lose any functionality like the in cluster display

 

My Pioneer w/ Maestro is miles ahead of the Entune garbage it replaced.

 

Which Pioneer did you install?

 

W4500NEX

 

I have a Kenwood DMX906S and am using the factory antenna with wireless carplay. No issues and no need for the Kenwood antenna.

 

I just stuck with it. I haven’t any issues and it seems accurate enough for me so I never went back in to swap out.

 

Kenwood Excelon all the way.

Excelon DDX-9907XR in my commuter car. And an Excelon DNR-1007XR in the tacoma. Both are awesome!

 

Can someone post a picture of this Kenwood antenna? Preferably next to a ruler. It doesn't make sense that they would have the antenna under the dash. GPS is 1.5GHz so it will go through the dash but I still find it odd.

Another possibility is synchronization signal from cell towers. Without this, GPS usually takes about a min to get good accuracy. Using the external timing signal brings it down to something like 100nS.

 

I used the Kenwood antenna as per instructions. Once you go CarPlay you're using your phone for GPS anyway so I haven't been concerned about GPS reception. I think I may have never even used the native nav on the Kenwood. The thing is basically a screen for your phone at that point, other than tuning into a game on the radio now and again.

Regarding quality my dmx906s reboots itself about once an hour, so it's an annoyance only on long trips. You can tell it's about to do it when the audio from your phone gets choppy.