Pulled the trigger on a JK1001 radio

[Timmy]

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.

[JeepLab]

WHOA! I love those dials. LOVE THEM.

[ljvsnyder]

Nice write up timmy. I have been looking at this head unit, but the price seems way to high for me. I have located the manufacturer of the head unit and it seems that Insane charges a large increase in price. What Apps come included? Anything that seems revolutionary about the included insane audio apps? Or are they just run of the mill apps off of the play store? I have a quote for 100 units at around $300 a piece from the manufacturer.

[Timmy]

Nice write up timmy. I have been looking at this head unit, but the price seems way to high for me. I have located the manufacturer of the head unit and it seems that Insane charges a large increase in price. What Apps come included? Anything that seems revolutionary about the included insane audio apps? Or are they just run of the mill apps off of the play store? I have a quote for 100 units at around $300 a piece from the manufacturer.

Hmm, very interesting. I do know that there are some knock-off units on eBay that I presume are the same thing. For me, I decided to go this direction because it is a US based company that is actively developing for the unit and is releasing upgrades. So on one side, I wanted to support a company like this, and on the other, I want to get future updates.

In terms of what comes with it. Insane did build their own custom Navigation app that they include called Insane Navi, plus they include the bluetooth OBDII dongle and an already paid-for version of Torque. They include a radio app that is possibly from the Play store, but at least I knew when I received it that it was at least tested to work with the steering wheel controls and general operations of the Jeep. I'm not sure how much more customization they did of the OS compared to a standard Android install, but I do know that they recently released an upgrade to bring it to version 4.4.4. As part of the release, one of the things they did highlight was a new multi-band EQ and a speaker balance section.

The unit you found, does it include the CanBus controller to receive information from the ECU?

[ljvsnyder]

All the specs on the one from the manufacturer are the same as insane's. It has integrated steering wheel controls and is CanBus capable. I am curious about their Navi though. How well does it work, and have you tried it offroad yet? I am trying to get the manufacturer to send me a head unit for testing if I do I will get detail photos and let you compare the two devices. Does Insane claim to manufacturer the head unit? Or are the simply retooling a head unit? Thanks for the write up Timmy.

[Timmy]

All the specs on the one from the manufacturer are the same as insane's. It has integrated steering wheel controls and is CanBus capable. I am curious about their Navi though. How well does it work, and have you tried it offroad yet? I am trying to get the manufacturer to send me a head unit for testing if I do I will get detail photos and let you compare the two devices. Does Insane claim to manufacturer the head unit? Or are the simply retooling a head unit? Thanks for the write up Timmy.

I have not used the Navi software for off-road because I prefer the MyTopo app since I can download topo maps to store locally. I prefer to navigate with topo maps as it makes it easier to figure out where I am and where I want to go. The Insane Navi app is suppose to have a fair amount of "off-road" roads labeled on the map, but I haven't had enough time with it to know if this is true or not. The area I was Jeeping in was private land owned by a logging company, but pretty well all their trails were on the Topo maps.

I'm certain they are just re-branding the same unit you are finding. I have little doubt you could buy the same unit and toss Android on it (or upgrade the burned in version) and have a similar experience. I do think that Insane Audio does some tweaks and work beyond what any of us has time for, but in the end, I wouldn't be surprised if the experience will be similar for much cheaper.

[ljvsnyder]

Thanks Timmy.

[Timmy]

Yesterday I went out Jeeping with a buddy. Decided to use my new JK1001 to record the router as a GPX file via the MyTrails app so I could look at it later. Since it's a GPX file, you can import it into lots of different mapping applications. I found an on-line one at http://caltopo.com that was easy to use and offered some nice features. Thought I'd upload two images of the track just 'cause it's kind of cool that I was able to do this via the radio.

[ljvsnyder]

nice are you using the free app or the paid version of My trails? I like the idea of being able to create gps files for others to use.

[Timmy]

nice are you using the free app or the paid version of My trails? I like the idea of being able to create gps files for others to use.

I started with the free app, but once that expired, rather than try to figure out what I lost I just ponied up the $2.38 and bought the Pro version (I mean at a price like that, I almost feel obligated to buy it to help support it!)