Samuel Gitukui on July 5, 2022 No Comments
Driving while using your mobile phone is one of the leading causes of accidents. A great way to get around this issue is to have a Bluetooth accessory that connects your mobile phone to your car. Here we aim to find out how to add Bluetooth to car.
Driving while using the phone is prohibited main many States across America. So why would anyone want to risk breaking the law and even putting their lives at risk?
A Bluetooth accessory can help keep you connected with your phone while on the go. Let’s find out more about how you can add Bluetooth to your car.
For easier navigation throughout this past, please use our table of contents below.
- Bluetooth Receiver
- Transmitter For Car
- Audio Receiver
- Bluetooth Speaker
- Add Bluetooth To Car
- Car Amplifier
- Frequently Asked Questions
Bluetooth Receiver
A Bluetooth receiver kit is an accessory that allows you to connect your smartphone to your vehicle’s infotainment system. This is a handy feature if your car’s stereo is unable to connect with your mobile phone.
Are you always wondering how to add Bluetooth to car?
Modern cars however feature stereos that have built-in Bluetooth and can connect quickly and efficiently to your smartphone.
The benefits of connecting your phone to your car using Bluetooth are many and range from keeping your eyes locked on the road while enjoying music to being able to pick up phone calls hands-free with both hands on your steering wheels
You can also access Siri, listen to your favorite podcast or even listen to your favorite music.
Bluetooth Transmitter For Car
The Bluetooth transmitter for car is the same as the Bluetooth receiver. It is also called a Bluetooth adapter. The role of this accessory is to connect your smartphone to your car’s stereo allowing you to listen to music stored on your smartphone and to pick up calls completely hands-free.
The Bluetooth transmitter for cars comes in two main varieties.
Basic The FM transistor – this one allows you to connect your car’s stereo to your smartphone and stream music over an FM frequency.
Multifunctional Bluetooth transmitter – this type of transmitter as the name suggests comes with even more features. Not only are you able to connect your smartphone to your car’s stereo, but you are also able to do hands-free chatting, listen to music, make phone calls, received phone classes, and stream music.
Bluetooth Audio Receiver
Many people have great performing and powerful speakers. But what happens when you want to play the music on your phone with your speakers? After all, such speakers don’t come with a Bluetooth feature.
The same goes for older car entertainment stereos. This is just one of the ways how to add Bluetooth to car?
In comes the Bluetooth audio receiver. These are small gadgets that connect to your car’s entertainment system or your speakers and enable you to connect your smartphone with the speakers. You are thus able to play music on your smartphone using the analog speakers of your car stereo.
Bluetooth Speaker For Car
If you have been wanting a Bluetooth speaker for your car, this is great as you will be able to connect your smartphone directly with the Bluetooth speaker and play music on your car.
But before learning how to add Bluetooth to car, you may want to start by finding the best Bluetooth speaker for your car.
Let’s find out a few factors that you need to consider.
How To Add Bluetooth To Car Factors #1: Purpose
The first thing to consider when looking to buy a Bluetooth speaker for your car is the purpose it plays. Why do you need the speaker? For some people, it’s all about making and receiving phone calls. In this case, you can choose a Bluetooth speaker for a car with long battery life.
On the other hand, you may need a Bluetooth speaker for listening to stored music on your phone. You will therefore need to choose a speaker with a more powerful output and with good battery life.
How To Add Bluetooth To Car Factors #2: The Size
Speaking of output you also want to consider that size Bluetooth speaker for the car that you want to go for. The larger the size often goes with a larger output. This is a great choice if you have a car with a larger passenger cabin and interior.
On the other hand, you may want an inconspicuous speaker. In this case, you will need to go with a speared that has a compact design and remains out of sight when driving.
How To Add Bluetooth To Car Factors #3 The Price
Price plays a huge role in the quality of products. It is important therefore to consider how important the role of your Bluetooth speaker is. For instance, if you need a speaker to assist you in making important business calls, then it makes sense to invest in a top-quality product that will ensure there is no distortion. This will usually come at a higher price.
On the other end, if you want a Bluetooth speaker to use less regularly, then you would benefit from buying one that is cheap and affordable. This is provided that you do not go for an extremely cheap product that will not last long.
How To Add Bluetooth To Car Factors #4: The Number Of Users
You will also need to consider the number of users that will be connecting to the Bluetooth speaker. If it’s only you who uses the speaker and drives the car, then you only need a Bluetooth speaker that connects to a single device.
On the other hand, if you tend to be on the road more with your family, then you need to choose a Bluetooth speaker that allows for multiple device connectivity. This will help ensure a comfortable ride for everyone and that everyone’s needs are catered for.
Sync Phone To Car
Now that you are aware of the different Bluetooth devices which you can connect with your car the question becomes how do you sync your phone to your car.
Asking all the necessary accessories are in place, you can convey your mobile phone to your car using several steps.
Check If Your Smartphone Has Bluetooth
For you to be able to pair your smartphone with your car stereo or infotainment system the necessary features must be available.
Start by checking if your mobile phone has a Bluetooth feature. The good thing is that most modern smartphones welcome this feature.
You can easily find the Bluetooth future in your phone as it is denoted by the better B that has been overlaid with an X. Search for the symbol in your phone’s menu as well as the status area.
As you check your mobile phone menu, ensure that you take note of where the search for devise option is located as well as the “make phone discoverable” option. You will need to activate these at some point shortly.
Keep in that the majority of mobile phones will remain discoverable for a few minutes.
On the off chance that your phone lacks Bluetooth, you can connect in different ways.
Check The Car’s Infotainment System
Many vehicles come with a button that after pressing will allow youth to connect the phone to the infotainment system.
Other vehicle models require a voice command for pairing your phone via Bluetooth. For other vehicles, the process requires you to search out the features in the infotainment system.
That said, you will often find this feature by navigating to the telephone settings in the menu of the infotainment systems, if you are still having a hard time locating this feature you may need to read through the car’s owner manual.
Setting The Car Bluetooth To Discoverable
Go back to your phone and activate the set to discoverable or the search for devices feature on your car. This will come down to the type of infotainment system in your car. For instance, if the system in your car is the one that will search out the Bluetooth or vice versa.
That said, both the car’s infotainment system and your phone should be discoverable with a time orientation of around 2 minutes.
Access the Bluetooth button on your mobile phone. The process should be the same on your car’s infotainment system.
Turn Your Phone Bluetooth Settings To Discoverable
Your car should be searching for a Bluetooth device or should already be readily discoverable. It’s now time to switch to the phone. Remember that you have a short time window to fix the set up ensure that your smartphone is in the right menu.
When the car is searching for a device your phone should be set to discoverable. This allows your car’s infotainment system to ping the phone and pair.
If the infotainment system in your car is also set to “discoverable” the phone be the unit that is searching out devices.
You may find that there is an issue with the pairing at first. This could be caused by time constraints. Either the phone or the car’s infotainment system has run out of time before connecting. In this case, you should try this out several times.
There could be other reasons why Bluetooth is not working. For instance, there could be an incompatibility or the Bluetooth interface. The priority is to not give up if there is a failure to connect in the first place.
Select The Bluetooth Device That You Will Pair
If the smartphone can be discovered through your car’s Bluetooth, then it is going to appear on the list of discoverable and available devices. It will do this with its unique name.
Now you will need to select a device from the list. Often you will need to add a passcode to be able to complete the pairing process. Your car’s Bluetooth will have a preset key code. You can find this froth owner’s manual.
That said, you can as set your password from the car’s infotainment system menu. If you are finding it hard to do this, you may be able to do this at the local dealer.
Once the passcode is accepted, then the car’s infotainment system will pair with your mobile phone.
Add Bluetooth To Car
If there is a type of technology that is changing faster than most it is car technology. Even older cars can now be fitted with some of the most up-to-date technology on the market.
There is a host of aftermarket tech that allows car owners to make use of the latest connectivity as well as safety features all while maintaining their old car.
One great example of such technology is Bluetooth. While this is not a new type of technology and has been in use for some time now, this is one that you would have only expected to find on high-end luxury car models.
Now the technology is cheap and has even become commonplace.
One of the main advantages of Bluetooth is that you can use it for making phone calls. It functions by sending the communication to the speakers of your car. Another function that Bluetooth helps with is treating music from the smartphone to the car’s speakers.
Perhaps the best feature of Bluetooth is that it will help reduce accidents when driving on the roads. The driver can ensure that both hands are always on the steering wheel and always ensure good driving.
There are laws in many states that require the driver to only do hands-free calling when driving.
Let’s find out about the different ways you can add Bluetooth to your car.
Universal Kit
One of the simplest ways that you can add Bluetooth to your car is through the use of universal systems. Just as the name implies, you can add these systems to pretty much any car. This is thanks to the inbuilt microphone and speaker
A lot of these universal kit systems will clip into the car’s sun visor and allow you to install them pretty much anywhere using suction cups.
These universal kits also come with their share of pros and cons. For starters, you can ideally take them from one car and install them in a different car. If you change vehicles regularly, then you will find this is a huge plus as you don’t have to get a new kit for the car.
Some people prefer to use tape to mount the universal kit. However, this could cause staining that can be hard to remove.
That said you can probably find universal units that will integrate easily with your car’s head unit and allow you to easily stream music and make use of different functionalities. The cost of these units may be anywhere from $15 to $30.
Aftermarket Audio Units
You can also replace your car’s entire head unit if you want to improve your vehicle’s audio functionality. Granted, there is a bit of work that is involved plus you are left with no choice but to go with the aftermarket look. That said many audio units will come with instructions
If you are patient and willing to put in a couple of hours and you have the necessary tools, then it is possible to change the audio system in your car. If you don’t have the time or the tools to do it, you can get a professional to do it for you for around $100.
One thing that you should keep in mind is that there is a huge variety of car audio units that you can get in the market today. The great thing is that you will be able to enjoy Bluetooth functionality even with the cheapest aftermarket audio units.
As you go up the price tag, you can find Bluetooth audio systems that offer Bluetooth connectivity, mobile phone syncing, and even text messaging. The text message features allow for reading out loud ensuring that your eyes are always on the road. You also get features such as voice commands which let you control the phone without touching it.
Since there is also a huge variety of aftermarket audio systems, it is possible to get one that matches the look and interior styling of your car. The costs will begin as low as $40 and go up to hundreds of dollars for a unit that offers more features.
Some of the more common and top brands include Alpine, Pioneer as well as Kenwood.
Vehicle Specific Adapters
If you would rather keep your cars stereo and would not mind having wires that cross then you can get an adapter and get Bluetooth accessibility and functionality.
Just like aftermarket audio units, there’s a huge variety of vehicle-specific adapters to choose from.
Bluetooth Car Amplifier
Before you even think of getting a Bluetooth car amplifier, you must ensure that it matches your specific needs. Also, you will need to choose one that will integrate with your car’s stereo.
By now it should be clear that there are several factors to keep in mind when buying Bluetooth car amplifiers.
Let’s take a look at some of the more important technical features to watch out for. They include output, class, impedance as well as frequency response.
Dot worry if these terms intimidate you, as we shall be looking into them closely and carefully so that you can choose the best Bluetooth car amplifier for you.
Class
Car amplifiers will fall into one of four major classes. These include A, B, A/B, and D classes. The major difference in the class comes down to the efficiency of the circuits. What we mean by efficiency is just how much alternating current the amplifier can give out compared to the direct current that is getting into the amplifier.
The class A type of amplifier offers the least efficiency in the group. The cause of this is the simple circuits which then result in the unit conducting all of them. Of course, the car speaker will not use all of the electricity. This results in a lot of wastage.
The efficiency of class A amplifiers sits at 30%.
On the other hand, a class B amplifier will only conduct electricity half of the time. This results in less electricity wastage resulting in a much higher efficiency of 70%. The downside with these types of car amplifiers is that they have some signal distortion to them.
Then there are the class A/B amplifiers. They are cross between the class A and the class B amplifiers as you should be able to tell. The benefit is that they can offer the efficiency that you get from a class B amplifier yet the signal is clear like the case A amplifier.
Class D amplifiers offer the best efficiency. This sits at between 90% and 95%. The reason for this is that they turn off completely as the transistor will hold any electricity once the switch is off. None of this energy then will be left in the transistors.
Power Output
This is the second factor that you need to consider when buying a car amplifier. Keep in mind that the role of the amplifier is to send more power to the spheres resulting in higher volume. If you want to take your output to the next level. The most important thing is to get a powerful amplifier.
But here’s the thing, the speakers themselves should be built to handle the extra power. Otherwise, you may just end up overheating the speakers and frying their internal parts.
Impendence
This refers to the level of internal resistance to your car campfire. It is measured in Ohms. The more the resistance, the more that the amplifier needs to work to be able to offer current.
You, therefore, want to go with an amplifier that has low impedance. This means that it’s able to offer more current to the speakers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Connect Bluetooth To Car
Start by checking whether your Bluetooth is discoverable by your phone. If so tap on the connect button on your phone and then tap pair new device.
How To Connect iPhone To Car Bluetooth
If your car’s infotainment system supports Apple CarPlay then all you need to do is press the voice command button and hold it. The car should also be on the Bluetooth paring state. Take your iPhone click stings then go to general, car play, available pairs, and then select your car.
When Did Bluetooth Come Out In Cars
The first hands-free car kiosk with Bluetooth came out in 2001. During that time, Bluetooth has improved and continues to offer safety on the roads by making wireless phone connectivity possible.
