Boss Audio BE10ACP Car Stereo -Android CarPlay Digital Multimedia Receiver - $229 at Autozone B&M only, $329 everywhere else

lord_snot

Feb 5, 2021

1,152 Posts

Joined Nov 2009

Feb 5, 2021

lord_snot

Feb 5, 2021

1,152 Posts

Quote from Dr. J

:

Thanks for the in depth response. I look into this occasionally, as my MY CR-V doesn't have much in the way of integration - e.g. no Android Auto for example. As you said, gone are the days of simple radios where you just got the right DIN/sleeve and wiring harness and you were good to go.

It sounds like you have a 2015/16 CR-V? If so, the Carplay beta firmware for the OEM 7" HU got leaked online. It supposedly works fine and can be found pretty easily. No support for Android Auto though. I have a JVC in my 2016 CR-V. Using an iDatalink Maestro interface, the JVC supports Lanewatch. I haven't kept up with it, but iDatalink's newest product, the RR2, is supposed to be capable of supporting Lanewatch even if the HU doesn't (as long as the HU has 2 camera inputs).

RyanL

Feb 5, 2021

6,338 Posts

Joined Feb 2008

Feb 5, 2021

RyanL

Feb 5, 2021

6,338 Posts

Quote from lord_snot

:

It sounds like you have a 2015/16 CR-V? If so, the Carplay beta firmware for the OEM 7" HU got leaked online. It supposedly works fine and can be found pretty easily. No support for Android Auto though. I have a JVC in my 2016 CR-V. Using an iDatalink Maestro interface, the JVC supports Lanewatch. I haven't kept up with it, but iDatalink's newest product, the RR2, is supposed to be capable of supporting Lanewatch even if the HU doesn't (as long as the HU has 2 camera inputs).

Researching steering wheel controls (the one youtuber RobblySlacks replied back to me BTW and supposedly the Axxess ASWC-1 is compatible with this Boss HU - got one coming today so I'll post back), I was out of the loop on a lot of aftermarket audio/video and was surprised by all of the interfaces available for modern vehicles. I mean, if I were to hook this exact stereo up to a modern Honda with a backup and sideview camera I would go at it with either 2 relays (to isolate triggers) or one relay with 2 diodes (one on each trigger) and have them both routed to the backup camera input. It's amazing what these interfaces can do, especially when they tie into the CAN bus. Looks like you can retain a lot of the factory features that display the temperature or vehicle information. Of course you need a decent interface, all the appropriate harnesses, and a decent head unit which supports a lot of these features (talking a little bit of $). But it's still possible. Just have to decide if it's worth it though.

Dr. J

Feb 5, 2021

39,097 Posts

Joined Nov 2005

Feb 5, 2021

Dr. J

Feb 5, 2021

39,097 Posts

Quote from lord_snot

:

It sounds like you have a 2015/16 CR-V? If so, the Carplay beta firmware for the OEM 7" HU got leaked online. It supposedly works fine and can be found pretty easily. No support for Android Auto though. I have a JVC in my 2016 CR-V. Using an iDatalink Maestro interface, the JVC supports Lanewatch. I haven't kept up with it, but iDatalink's newest product, the RR2, is supposed to be capable of supporting Lanewatch even if the HU doesn't (as long as the HU has 2 camera inputs).

It was the side camera that gave it away.... that was only in a couple MY's - honestly a great thing, it doesn't make sense that they took it away....

lord_snot

Feb 5, 2021

1,152 Posts

Joined Nov 2009

Feb 5, 2021

lord_snot

Feb 5, 2021

1,152 Posts

Quote from Dr. J

:

It was the side camera that gave it away.... that was only in a couple MY's - honestly a great thing, it doesn't make sense that they took it away....

I like it, but honestly, if you are trying to give a voice command to Google and trigger the camera, it stops the HU from listening and you have to start over, or when you are trying to follow map directions and it switches to the camera. It can be very frustrating

RyanL

Feb 6, 2021

6,338 Posts

Joined Feb 2008

Feb 6, 2021

RyanL

Feb 6, 2021

6,338 Posts

The Axxess ASWC-1 did the trick. Plug in and play. No resistors or programming needed. With 2 wire resistor style steering wheel controls (probably the most common style), all you have to do is connect one of the steering wheel wires to ground, the other to the red/grey wire, the black to ground, and the red to switched +12v (makes the most sense to use the same accessory power as the stereo).

1

dgodwin

Feb 6, 2021

222 Posts

Joined Mar 2007

Feb 6, 2021

dgodwin

Feb 6, 2021

222 Posts

I finally received the wiring harness I ordered but it's only 23 degrees out. I've already connected everything I can do inside the house. Hmm.

RyanL

Feb 6, 2021

6,338 Posts

Joined Feb 2008

Feb 6, 2021

RyanL

Feb 6, 2021

6,338 Posts

Quote from dgodwin

:

I finally received the wiring harness I ordered but it's only 23 degrees out. I've already connected everything I can do inside the house. Hmm.

Start it up and let it get nice and hot for a while. That's better for all the interior trim anyway (less likely to snap something if it's nice and warm).

1

Dr. J

Feb 6, 2021

39,097 Posts

Joined Nov 2005

Feb 6, 2021

Dr. J

Feb 6, 2021

39,097 Posts

Quote from lord_snot

:

It sounds like you have a 2015/16 CR-V? If so, the Carplay beta firmware for the OEM 7" HU got leaked online. It supposedly works fine and can be found pretty easily. No support for Android Auto though. I have a JVC in my 2016 CR-V. Using an iDatalink Maestro interface, the JVC supports Lanewatch. I haven't kept up with it, but iDatalink's newest product, the RR2, is supposed to be capable of supporting Lanewatch even if the HU doesn't (as long as the HU has 2 camera inputs).

Thanks for the heads up on that firmware.... it took some digging to find recent (active) software download links, but I was able to do it and upgrade it yesterday.... took all of 5-10 mins after I got the USB drive loaded. My personal phone is an android (no love for Android Auto I guess) but my work phone is an iphone and it works flawlessly with the system. I guess there's a possible GPS issue that I might have to remove the head unit to detach a cable but we'll see if that surfaces.

lord_snot

Feb 6, 2021

1,152 Posts

Joined Nov 2009

Feb 6, 2021

lord_snot

Feb 6, 2021

1,152 Posts

Quote from Dr. J

:

Thanks for the heads up on that firmware.... it took some digging to find recent (active) software download links, but I was able to do it and upgrade it yesterday.... took all of 5-10 mins after I got the USB drive loaded. My personal phone is an android (no love for Android Auto I guess) but my work phone is an iphone and it works flawlessly with the system. I guess there's a possible GPS issue that I might have to remove the head unit to detach a cable but we'll see if that surfaces.

No problem! Believe me, if I was starting from scratch, I'd probably just buy a used iphone solely for Carplay. It's really dumb that Honda didn't release it and also support Android. The HU is merely a dumb terminal for the phone. The screen on the OEM HU is far superior to my JVC.

ManFromEast

Feb 7, 2021

451 Posts

Joined Nov 2014

Feb 7, 2021

ManFromEast

Feb 7, 2021

451 Posts

Thanks to OP and everyone who contributed on this thread, it made this an easy decision. I picked one up in store this morning, minus a 10% courtesy credit (they couldn't honor the 20% offer that ends today). Got it installed today on my 2005 Escape, modified the provided L-brackets to get the unit mounted as deep as possible, so deep the screen contacts the dash.

Very happy with the performance and looks, especially for the price!

RyanL

Feb 7, 2021

6,338 Posts

Joined Feb 2008

Feb 7, 2021

RyanL

Feb 7, 2021

6,338 Posts

Quote from ManFromEast

:

Thanks to OP and everyone who contributed on this thread, it made this an easy decision. I picked one up in store this morning, minus a 10% courtesy credit (they couldn't honor the 20% offer that ends today). Got it installed today on my 2005 Escape, modified the provided L-brackets to get the unit mounted as deep as possible, so deep the screen contacts the dash.

Very happy with the performance and looks, especially for the price!

Yeah, it's not bad at all (especially for this price). I still think it was supposed to be $329 and somebody in corporate messed up and listed it for the same price as the BE7ACP since none of the other Boss units are on sale or anything. And it's too new to be on clearance. It does have some short comings but the most important things are good - screen is fairly solid, bright enough (may be a little too bright), and it's fairly responsive to touch (most cheaper head units use crappy resistive touch screens). The disconnections I was having with android auto seem to be minimized with a shorter cable. Still wondering if it's a phone issue, an android auto issue (carplay might work flawlessly for all I know), or may be a low power thing from the head unit. If it does have to do with the length of the USB cable then I'm guessing people who have to extend the tiny USB pigtails that come from the back of the unit with USB extension cables are probably having a miserable time with disconnects. And since I mentioned the screen brightness, are you or anyone else seeing that bug I mentioned about the day brightness setting reverting to the night brightness setting? Just wondering if that's a bug or I have a dud of some sort. Oh, and I figured out what video files this thing plays off a flash drive, MKV. I had a bunch of movie rips on a flash drive and most were either m4v or mp4 but for some reason I had a random mkv file on there and it was the only one showing up. No audio though and the aspect ratio was screwed up. Will have to take the drive out next time I think about it because I'm not sure if the audio was DD, DTS, AAC, MP3, etc. I'll post back results though soon.
Edit: Audio in that one MKV file was 2 channel AAC.

Last edited by RyanL February 6, 2021 at 08:18 PM.

ManFromEast

Feb 7, 2021

451 Posts

Joined Nov 2014

Feb 7, 2021

ManFromEast

Feb 7, 2021

451 Posts

Quote from RyanL

:

Yeah, it's not bad at all (especially for this price). I still think it was supposed to be $329 and somebody in corporate messed up and listed it for the same price as the BE7ACP since none of the other Boss units are on sale or anything. And it's too new to be on clearance. It does have some short comings but the most important things are good - screen is fairly solid, bright enough (may be a little too bright), and it's fairly responsive to touch (most cheaper head units use crappy resistive touch screens). The disconnections I was having with android auto seem to be minimized with a shorter cable. Still wondering if it's a phone issue, an android auto issue (carplay might work flawlessly for all I know), or may be a low power thing from the head unit. If it does have to do with the length of the USB cable then I'm guessing people who have to extend the tiny USB pigtails that come from the back of the unit with USB extension cables are probably having a miserable time with disconnects. And since I mentioned the screen brightness, are you or anyone else seeing that bug I mentioned about the day brightness setting reverting to the night brightness setting? Just wondering if that's a bug or I have a dud of some sort. Oh, and I figured out what video files this thing plays off a flash drive, MKV. I had a bunch of movie rips on a flash drive and most were either m4v or mp4 but for some reason I had a random mkv file on there and it was the only one showing up. No audio though and the aspect ratio was screwed up. Will have to take the drive out next time I think about it because I'm not sure if the audio was DD, DTS, AAC, MP3, etc. I'll post back results though soon.
Edit: Audio in that one MKV file was 2 channel AAC.

I was testing the unit last night and saw the phone flashing charging/not charging (car wasn't running), but I'm using carplay and didn't see it disconnecting from that. You might try to find a heavier gauge cable from a tablet or usb brick charger. Sometimes the AWG will be listed right on the cable (lower is better), or the USB end might be marked "3A". Otherwise, a powered USB hub might bump the power to the device enough to allow it to stay connected. I am going to extend the cables with a cigarette lighter usb passthrough, I'll report back if that makes it worse.

I have noticed that the day brightness is reverting to "1", it seems to do it upon reset. Day setting 1 is still a lot brighter than the night setting 1, so they seem to be on a different scale.

The last pages of the manual specify what USB flash drive formats are supported: Filesystem: Fat32; Audio: WAV, MP3; Video: AVI, MKV, WMV; Picture: JPG, PNG, BMP. Not sure if anyone has mentioned, you can change the background photo to one on your flash drive.

Edit: Got the reverse light trigger set up, it will bypass the splash screen and go right to the reverse camera. Nice!

QkTreasures

Feb 7, 2021

2,621 Posts

Joined Mar 2014

Feb 7, 2021

QkTreasures

Feb 7, 2021

2,621 Posts

Anyone know what version of android this is?

RyanL

Feb 7, 2021

6,338 Posts

Joined Feb 2008

Feb 7, 2021

RyanL

Feb 7, 2021

6,338 Posts

Quote from ManFromEast

:

I was testing the unit last night and saw the phone flashing charging/not charging (car wasn't running), but I'm using carplay and didn't see it disconnecting from that. You might try to find a heavier gauge cable from a tablet or usb brick charger. Sometimes the AWG will be listed right on the cable (lower is better), or the USB end might be marked "3A". Otherwise, a powered USB hub might bump the power to the device enough to allow it to stay connected. I am going to extend the cables with a cigarette lighter usb passthrough, I'll report back if that makes it worse.

I have noticed that the day brightness is reverting to "1", it seems to do it upon reset. Day setting 1 is still a lot brighter than the night setting 1, so they seem to be on a different scale.

The last pages of the manual specify what USB flash drive formats are supported: Filesystem: Fat32; Audio: WAV, MP3; Video: AVI, MKV, WMV; Picture: JPG, PNG, BMP. Not sure if anyone has mentioned, you can change the background photo to one on your flash drive.

Edit: Got the reverse light trigger set up, it will bypass the splash screen and go right to the reverse camera. Nice!

You're right about the brightness of day and night being different (was originally thinking that the slight change I saw was the difference in gamma settings). Strange. Yeah, the reverse camera works decently. By some of the comments on YouTube some people don't like the attenuation feature. Guess it's a safety feature so if you're backing into a spot and somebody yells you could hear them. Should be defeatible IMO.

1

RyanL

Feb 7, 2021

6,338 Posts

Joined Feb 2008

Feb 7, 2021

RyanL

Feb 7, 2021

6,338 Posts

Quote from QkTreasures

:

Anyone know what version of android this is?

This isn't an android head unit. Don't think it has much of an OS at all, it's basically just a slave for a phone connected via USB for phone calls, music, and nav (either Android or Apple phone). It does have the ability to play media off a flash drive but it's rather slow and clunky so I really wouldn't bother with that unless you really want to watch movies on it (don't think there's a way via Android auto or car play to do that). What this does have is a really nice large capacitive touch screen good for navigation and backup camera usage (usually not found on cheaper head units like this), Apple carplay and Android auto, and good call quality. Some audio function bells and whistles are missing but it's very liveable. It's a good deal if you can get it at this price.

1

Boss Audio BE10ACP Car Stereo -Android CarPlay Digital Multimedia Receiver - $229 at Autozone B&M only, $329 everywhere else

$229

$330

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