Grom Adapter With Bluetooth

[LexIS200Sport]

no worries mate :)

Just FYI, I got my system from Carputer UK

Let us know how you get on!

[FuntimePhil]

im assuming you got model toy1?

Quick question for you, im going to connect my Iphone to mine for 2 purposes, Bluetooth for the handsfree and on long distances i will connect via the connector so i can play music but not drain Battery. Question is, when i have it hard connected and attempt to play music, which streaming method will take priority? as i want the full sound quality of the connector as opposed to the slightly less quality of the Bluetooth stream.

[LexIS200Sport]

That's an interesting one... I don't have an Iphone so I have absolutely no idea lol!

I guess its down to the Iphone to select which connection to send music through. But the GROM unit will auto-switch to Bluetooth if it receives any audio signals from that end, no matter what.

I am just wondering if Bluetooth becomes redundant anyway if you connect your phone to the dock cable, because the callers voice will still be heard via the car speakers. The only difference is that you will use the phone's microphone instead of the Bluetooth one. So if you are able to position your phone properly, you may not even need the Bluetooth connectivity at all!

[FuntimePhil]

have to admit that response has worried me a bit lol. im sure the mic is more powerful than the phones mic, especially at a distance. i'll be a bit miffed if i cant have clear music quality and Bluetooth :(

[FuntimePhil]

i've emailed grom direct for there input. see i need the Bluetooth as on short distances i wont bother with the music, just Bluetooth for calls, but long distance i'll want to dock it for music but i'll obv also want the Bluetooth capability, and through the supplied mic, not having to lean forward to speak into the phone

[LexIS200Sport]

Cool, keep us posted on what they have to say.

I just thought of a quick experiment that you could do to verify this. Have your Iphone docked to a home stereo and get hold of a Bluetooth earpiece. Play some music and see which unit responds. If it is the home stereo ONLY, then you shouldn't have any issues at all.

Also get someone to give you a ring and see if the Iphone switches from the home stereo to the Bluetooth earpiece just for phone calls. If it does, then all should be good.

However, if you hear your music from both the stereo AND the Bluetooth earpiece, then it is most likely that the GROM unit will default to audio via Bluetooth, I'm afraid...

And just to clear any doubts... pairing a device to Bluetooth alone will not cause the GROM unit to disable the dock connector entirely. For instance, I always have my phone paired automatically when I enter the car, and the iPod still plays fine. Is it only when the Bluetooth receives an audio signal where it cuts out the iPod and switches over to the phone.

This is not just limited to calls, but any beeps and sounds produced by the phone will cause the GROM unit to auto-switch to Bluetooth. But I find this okay because I frequently use my phone for navigation, and so the GROM unit does a good job of switching back and forth between the iPod and Ovi Maps, much like the cars equipped with factory navigation I guess...

[FuntimePhil]

good idea! will have to give it a go, im not holding out much hope as i've read a few things on net that once a Iphone is paired with a Bluetooth speaker etc all music auto plays through it, bit gutted really as that totally defeats the object of what i wanted to do. oh well i guess i'll have to see what the quality is actually like, it might not be too bad playing from an Iphone?

[LexIS200Sport]

Well if you happen to be around the Milton Keynes area, you are more than welcome to test it out in my car :)

Although it is quite possible that the iPhone's Bluetooth audio quality is better than my Nokia E71 in the first place!

[FuntimePhil]

here is response from Car-putor. Still waiting for response from Grom direct. But seems like it should be ok:

Thanks for your interest in our products.

I find it very difficult to tell the difference between Bluetooth and wired when in a moving car however the cable method must give better sound quality although it's difficult to tell.

You can switch between either music source by quickly switching between CDC mode to radio and back within 2 seconds, this will select either streaming or cable. If the phone receives a call the music will stop playing whichever mode you are currently using and resume afterwards. If you are listing to the radio or CD player and the phone rings you will need to switch to CD changer mode via your stereo or steering wheel controls.

When used in conjunction with the Grom Bluetooth dongle I can confirm that the external mic is always used regardless of the way the phone is connected.

If you have any further questions then please don't hesitate to ask.

[FuntimePhil]

and short but sweet response from Grom

When connected to ipod cable that takes priority, but you can switch the source with the Iphone if you want to change the method.

When phone rings, Bluetooth will take over and you use the external mic.

[LexIS200Sport]

Bingo! :)

[FuntimePhil]

need help lol, i have mine now installed. when my Iphone is connected to the cable everything works fine, when its just in Bluetooth mode it works ok but i cant select tracks using the stereo, its all manual from the ipod, which is a bit of a pain really. have you tired yours yet?

[LexIS200Sport]

when its just in bluetooth mode i cant select tracks using the stereo, its all manual from the ipod

Not sure if I understand exactly what you mean... is your Iphone connected via Bluetooth at the same time as your iPod is connected to the dock cable? Or do you mean the "iPod" function within the Iphone?

When connected via Bluetooth, the music player on my Nokia E71 works with the controls on the stereo, no problems at all. Are you able to answer and hangup calls using the next/previous track button on the stereo?

[FuntimePhil]

its ok i've sorted it now, it was the ipod on my Iphone. so when i got in the car it connected auto by Bluetooth but if i wanted to listen to music i had to manually start and manually skip on the ihone itself. Calls worked fine.

Apparently all recent versions of the Iphone didnt allow track skipping via Bluetooth, not just grom but any Bluetooth device, just pause. But the recent update fixed it so i updated Iphone and now works fine. The only thing now is that when in Bluetooth mode i still have to actually start playing music on the Iphone to start it off, so after i initially press play on the Iphone i can then put it away. Is that the same as your nokia? does it play automatically or do you have to press play on the phone first and then use there stereo to control tracks?

All said though the system is fantastic! call quality is amazing, very loud and everyone i spoke to says clarity is amazing! and Bluetooth streaming music quality is also amazing. Very impressed! Ill put a picture of where i mounted the speaker. I threaded it though the roof and its mounted in the middle pokeing out the rear view mirror. looks really neat!

[LexIS200Sport]

The only thing now is that when in bluetooth mode i still have to actually start playing music on the iphone to start it off, so after i initially press play on the iphone i can then put it away. Is that the same as your nokia? does it play automatically or do you have to press play on the phone first and then use there stereo to control tracks?

Yep, I've got to launch the music player and press the play button initially on the phone. The stereo can be used to control the music player thereafter.

Glad to hear that it all works well for ya mate. Is there a noticeable difference in audio quality between playing music via Bluetooth or the dock cable?

[FuntimePhil]

i love it, best purchase ever, im amazed how flawless the system is!

Um music quality, tough call really. Id say it is noticable but not so much in a bad way. When its docked it sounds like CD quality, when its Bluetooth, the quality is great, just sounds like a very very slight bit distant. if i hadnt compared the two i dont think i would of noticed.

[FuntimePhil]

So just for those that are interested, here is where i mounted the mic:

This is where i dock the phone:

LOVE IT

[LexIS200Sport]

Looks nice! Did you have to remove any trim pieces to get the mic's wire to where it is? Might think about relocating mine.

Did you route the mic wire through the side of the A-pillar trim that is closer to the windscreen or closer to the door?

[FuntimePhil]

yeh i removed the pillar closest to windscreen, easy to pop off, and then pop off the rearview mirror cover, you will need to then unscrew the mirror but very easy. then its really easy poke the mic though the roof trim and our the mirror hole. then when you pull it tight the cable just slips under where the roof trim meets the windscreen and slides right back to the middle of the roof. then just tuck it behind the other cables in the pillar and put cover back on! really simple.

Does that make sense lol

[LexIS200Sport]

Yep makes perfect sense :)

I was a bit wary about removing some of the trim pieces, which is why I took the easy route and mounted my microphone just at the top of the A-pillar. You could say I was a bit lazy/impatient too

But that is a very neat installation you have there, well done!

[jomo]

Following this thread on another site also, i'v got in my IS200 an old grom kit which i use with my itouch and Iphone 3gs, i also have a Parrot handsfree kit installed.

When i have the Iphone connected to the grom kit the sound quality is as good as cd's, but since the Iphone os4 came out it does not work perfectly IE: cant change playlists up n down, but works just fine on itouch?

When the Iphone is connected and i get a call, the Iphone pauses the track and the parrot takes over, when the call ends the Iphone re-starts the track where it left off and away we go, job done. ;)

I'm working on this project at the mo, but the grom cable is not compatible with the apple docking station!!

But this is a short vid of how i have it set up now (but now liking phils placement of iphone)

Hope you like, Martin

[FuntimePhil]

i tried your project lol and fried my Iphone! i cut the car charger plug off and wired it to the ignition, not realising that as soon as i turned car on i sent 15 volts to the phone which i didnt like! forgot about the resistors in the charger plug! DOH

Mine wouldnt skip tracks either but i have just updated Iphone to os 4.3 and it works fine,

[jomo]

My iphones on 4.0 and jailbroken, so dont want to update it if i can get away with it. Itouch is up to date so that works just fine.

The dock was connected to the grom cable but all i got was nasty feedback and it didn't charge at all!

I'v still got it in the garage somewhere so not given up on it yet (yet lol)!

[ravi]

Hi, I'm looking at getting the Grom kit, however I have the factory fit sat nav and a Nokia Bluetooth hands free kit fitted several years ago which mutes the stereo when making or receiving calls. I just want to be able to connect an iPod or other music player via the standard stereo as both cd and cassette (used to use cassette connector for iPod) have packed up. Does anyone know the best option to go for.