A few months ago, a friend gave me a CPLAY2air as a gift. I occasionally drive a CarPlay equipped car that needs a cord, not in itself a major bummer. I suspect the CPLAY2air didn’t work for her either, so she gave it to me to give it a bash.

Before we get to the CPLAY2air, there are a few reasons why using a USB cord is a good idea, not the least being the charge-while-you-use feature. If you use maps, and love a chat, you really need a top up the power or risk running out when you need it. If your car has a Qi charging pad, you’re in luck. However, I’ve discovered all Qi pads are not equal, and your phone bounces into charge, then off again. Just use a cord and be done with.

How does wireless CarPlay work?

There are a few things people seemed confused about, so here are a few quickie points to clear it up. Inbuilt wireless CarPlay uses WiFi, but the process begins by pairing your phone to the car using Bluetooth. Once paired, the car system asks if you’d like to switch to CarPlay, then moves from a Bluetooth connection to WiFi. In a thrice, up it pops. From then on, your phone uses power like it is going out of fashion.

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ABOVE: CPLAY2air – DO NOT BUY

Using CarPlay by USB cord instead, means you’re charging while you drive.

The CPLAY2air is a USB dongle that converts the car’s inbuilt USB/CarPlay to wireless. However, after initial enthusiasm, the CPLAY2air went badly tits-up.

First, each time you start your car, you have to wait an eon for it to start up then connect your phone. Next, the system is a bit slow, but the kicker is, although you can hear your caller, your caller can’t hear you properly. What’s the point of using it if the phone connection is a bit iffy?

I tested my theory by removing the CPLAY2air, and switching to Bluetooth instead. The caller could hear me just fine.

I prefer CarPlay right? I connected using USB, and again, the caller said my voice was as clear as a bell. Of the 3 methods, only CPLAY2air was a bust.

Firmware Updates

Like everything else electronic, the CPLAY2air is Chinese. Their aftersales is ordinary, and their support is worse. They advised a firmware update which made the dongle even less stable than it was before. Some forums say the updates bricked their CPLAY2air completely, and were outraged. I would be too.

Cost

Wireless CarPlay dongles range in price, with CPLAY2air being among the more expensive. $170 AUD is a lot of money, only to find that you bought a pup. Good luck getting your money back, because according to the forums, it is like trying to get blood out of a stone.

CPLAY2air is a complete waste of money

TOP TIP: Never ever run your phone down, especially if you’re on a trip.

You never know when you’ll be stuck at the roadside pleading for help, as I know only too well.

If you’re using wireless CarPlay for any length of time, and you don’t have a wireless charger, you’ll need USB anyway. Either way, CPLAY2air is a shockingly expensive waste of space. A huge dongle hanging out of USB port is as bad as having a cord to your phone.

I can’t think of a single reason to buy one.