I finally pulled the trigger on a JK1001 radio (amongst the upgrades I've been working on.)




For those that hadn't seen the original thread a while back, this is an Android powered head. I was pretty geeked about this as I can see a head unit running Android Auto, iOS or Windows Embedded for Auto as being far superior to the stuff we see today.

The radio is a little hit and miss for me. There are lots of things I like about it, and there are some things that I don't care for. Given that this is the first real Android powered head for the Jeeps it's not bad, but I sure look forward to either future revisions of this unit or new competitors to hit the scene.

The goods:

  • I can install any Google Play app on the head unit.
  • Sounds good.
  • Functions fairly well.
  • Has built in WiFi so you can pair it with your phone and have Internet on it (good for Google maps, searching things up, speed cameras, etc.)
  • Comes with a bluetooth OBD II connector to grab metrics and toss it to the include Torque app, all at no charge.
  • Has a MicroSD slot so you can load up tons of music easily from your PC.
  • Can change the lighting color of the unit to match whatever theme you have going for your Jeep.
  • It's pretty snappy. I've never seen a radio change stations so fast, granted I run Pandora or Spotify on it anyway.
  • Has a nice "ahh" factor to it when people ride with you as they flip through all the screens.


The bads:

  • Hard to see the screen in direct sunlight.
  • Takes forever to boot (about 30 seconds)
  • Steering mounted buttons: left "up" button cycles down through radio stations, and "down" cycles up! What the...!
  • I was REALLY hoping that an Automatic Volume Control app would work with the unit (ie. speed controlled volume) but no joy. I put in a feature request with Insane Audio for this as it would be a killer feature when the top is off.



I went Jeeping this weekend and I had downloaded a great app (MyTrails) that displays topo maps and uses your GPS. I then download a section of the topos of where I was going so they would be available off-line, and did this all from the unit via WiFi while in my garage. The application worked awesome and gave me a number of maps that I could cycle through (Mapquest, Bing, Google, OpenStreetMap) and I was able to record my travel as a gpx file that I could import into a different map application. I also downloaded a GeoCache app and used that a bit on the trip (since I was already out and close to some.)

I really like having WiFi onboard so I can have the unit connected to the Internet via my phone. I don't think it's possible to provide Internet via Bluetooth, but I wish it was as that consumes less power and I can have it turned on my phone 24/7 ready to go whereas the WiFi tethering I have to manually turn on each time.

I think it's really cool that you could do things like hookup a WiFi GoPro cam to make yourself a dashcam complete with a dashcam recording app to record 24/7 (or wherever you want to place the GoPro.) The reality is, since this is running Android, has WiFi and Bluetooth, you can imagine that pretty well any app in the Play store is fair game, though I am finding that this is a slightly tweaked version so some things don't work (like anything related to audio controls.)

If I had to do it again I'm not 100% sure I would buy it again given the price but I'm probably about 85% sure I would. I think it has enough positive features and flexibility that makes me feel like if I didn't have it now I would be missing it. The MyTrails topo map program was just amazing to use while Jeeping and now I can't imagine not having it. Could I have used an Android powered tablet to do the same thing? Sure, but then I'd have to either mount it or mess with holding it while driving whereas having it on the radio made it very convenient. That's probably why I say I'm about 85% sure I would purchase again, because about 15% of me thinks that maybe I would just find a nice size tablet and mount that instead and use these same apps. Granted it wouldn't be integrated with the steering wheel buttons, audio system or the backup camera, and I'd have to find a way to power it on/off with engine on/off, and securely mount it so it wouldn't get stolen, but there are some other benefits such as a larger screen and ability to remove it so you can work on it in your house.

I'm planning on selling my old 430N radio, but in typical Chrysler style, shocker, it broke just before I received my JK1001 so now I have to get the Jeep dealership to swap it out with a working unit before I can sell it. Worst part is, I have to re-install it in the Jeep first before I go to the dealership before they'll work on it. I asked them if I could just hand them the unit and they could RMA it to Chrysler (remember, it has a serial number on it linked to my vehicle for proof it's mine) but they said they wouldn't do that, even though I showed them that the NAVI on it had failed (comes up and says Can't Unlock Maps.) Ugh, never buy a Jeep for the electronics, they always fail. In fact, they'll be working on my HVAC unit a second time when I have them swap the 430N, because the HVAC is on the brink again.

If any of you are considering the JK1001, please feel free to hit me up with any questions.