I brought the Carlinklife kit (which is indeed a rebranded K-Smart unit), however it seems like they forgot to ship the AUX to USB adapter with it, which means with Android I cannot get any audio (unless im doing this wrong). I've seen on Kremer Sino's Facebook page they now have firmware avaiable to exclusively use Bluetooth without having to use AUX. I've asked for the firmware, but has anyone got the latest version they are able to upload as keen to give it a try without having to hunt for an AUX adapter. Thanks!

 

How was the installation? I've also looked at the carlinklife as its much cheaper then the K-smart one if its identical. Interested to see how it works on a a-class in the UK.

 

The installation was ok, although the Carlinklife kit came with zero instructions but I followed the same instructions on the Ksmart YouTube channel. The most difficult part about the installation was removing the old cables as they are hard to get to but with some persistence you'll be fine. It is exactly the same as the Ksmart unit, it even says it when you boot it up. The display looks great, and the UI is pretty snappy, however at the moment I have no audio. The Carlinklife kit didn't come with an AUX to USB-C, they said it can all be done via Bluetooth but as soon as Android Auto connects there is no sound so I'm kind of stuck at the moment. Im in desperate need of the latest firmware as apparently this does enable audio via Bluetooth but struggling to get hold of it at the moment. My other option is to buy a very specific AUX to USB adapter from AliExpress for about £30.

 

ok maybe I'll purchase from calinklife instead. It works out just over £100 cheaper from them instead of via aliexpress. Will contact them just to ask about having the latest firmware before I purchase.

Does Android Auto appear stretched? I've seen some folks complain of this.

Don't suppose you could post some pics?

Thanks

 

can someone send me the firmware link for K-Smart unit?

they'v sent me the wrong one

 

I will DM you

 

Update about firmware.... i guess was my fault... instructions "misunderstanding" were says to "remove usb"

after the reboots, it prompts to new firmware, you press "OK" and then ou remove the USB when says "copy factory configuration file 3 successed 0 failed"

now I have from/rear parking sensors with "reverse condition" in "reverse state"

New video by Pedro Trancoso

also have USB sound with the AUX, but maintained the voice call with mbux

 

Yes instructions are not 100% clear but i believe you have to

Turn on car and wait for system to boot
Put in USB stick
It will ask if you want to upgrade configuration file, press OK
Then it will say "say that 3 files have been successful and ask to restart, press OK
Screen will go black for about 60 seconds and reboot
When it comes back on the same "upgrade configuration file" will appear, press OK
Then the same "3 files have been successful and ask to restart". Remove the USB stick first, then press OK.
System will restart again and take about 10 seconds
That should be it!

Also now you have done this upgrade you can ditch the AUX and just use Bluetooth, just make sure your phones Audio and Calls are connected to MBUX and not the Ksmart box, and makes sure Bluetooth is selected on the MBUX output.

The one downside to this is you can't use the touchpad swipe to change songs (although it still works to navigate around Android Auto)

 

Isn’t the audio quality worse with Bluetooth vs AUX?

 

Buenas a todos desde España, yo he instalado la caja ksmart increíble como se ve, pero tengo una pregunta, mi iPhone con la ultima versión iOS 17.3 da error al querer duplicar la pantalla con el interfas, a vosotros os pasa . Un saludo

 

Hello,

Thank you guys for this wonderful post, it took me a while to read everything and it’s really very interesting.
Your positive feedback on the K-Smart unit has encouraged me and I will also take this unit.
I just have one question, on other boxes I have seen that you can use the browser and also Youtube/Netflix for example, is this also the case on the K-Smart unit?

THANKS

 

Hi All, I bought the calinklife unit and installed it. Installing it was fairly straight forward once you manage to get under the steering wheel. I haven't tested too much but here is my experience:

• The screen looks great and very snappy
• Sound is good through bluetooth (for some apps).
• A major issue is that navigation applications( google maps, apple maps, waze) won't output the voice over bluetooth so I won't get any voice directions.
• When I get in the car with my wife and both our phones connect to the device it freezes
• I also had the screen blackout once. I could still switch to the original mercedes screen.

If I find a work around for the audio issues with google maps I will probably keep it otherwise ill send it back.

 

Hi All, I bought the calinklife unit and installed it. Installing it was fairly straight forward once you manage to get under the steering wheel. I haven't tested too much but here is my experience:

• The screen looks great and very snappy
• Sound is good through bluetooth (for some apps).
• A major issue is that navigation applications( google maps, apple maps, waze) won't output the voice over bluetooth so I won't get any voice directions.
• When I get in the car with my wife and both our phones connect to the device it freezes
• I also had the screen blackout once. I could still switch to the original mercedes screen.

If I find a work around for the audio issues with google maps I will probably keep it otherwise ill send it back.

Did you follow a specific YouTube video? Got a link by any chance? I know someone mentioned Ksmart on YouTube but wondering if there’s anything more recent out there.

Would it not pass through sound if you connected to the AUX instead of the Bluetooth? I had a Q60 before this and installed a very similar product and the audio quality for me was way worse Bluetooth vs Aux

 

Is this with an iPhone?

I've seen on another forum somewhere that there are some settings you need to change on your iPhone so everything comes out of the BT unit. I'll see if I can find the instructions

Also what version is your software on your unit, you may have a slightly older version, the latest version makes sure everything goes over BT.

 

Yes I am using an iPhone. I would really appreciate if you could find settings. I couldn’t find a solution although many people have similar issues. I have attached the system info. Not sure if this is the latest firmware.

Does it work well with Android?

 

I tried the Imanauto with an iphone and it's much much better than my one plus 10 pro. It looks like it's carplay native.

 

@MakaveLee17 can you please confirm that you connect your android phone through the MBUX bluetooth and not the Ksmart unit ? And is it wireless android auto or wired android auto ?

Thanks so much

 

Hey

Yes to both. All audio is via Bluetooth through MBUX and it's Wireless Android Auto.

 

Just had a good look at the ksmart module. Are people running the usb cable to the usbc connector under the dash? If so, how are you running it?

 

No need for the aux usb module/cable anymore. With their updated firmware version, Bluetooth Audio work perfectly via MBUX but there’s a setting you need to disable/uncheck:

“Settings-System Information-Factory Mode-Mobile phone interconnection settings-disable phone audio.”

 

No need for the aux usb module/cable anymore. With their updated firmware version, Bluetooth Audio work perfectly via MBUX but there’s a setting you need to disable/uncheck:

“Settings-System Information-Factory Mode-Mobile phone interconnection settings-disable phone audio.”

Did you get the newest update from Carlinklife or did you get it from KSmart and installed it on your version from Carlinklife?

I would love to buy it from Carlinklife because of the price, but the support from KSmart might by worth the extra money..

 

How's the carlinklife doing for everyone after a few weeks of use? Has it been stable and consistent? I haven't purchased yet but looking to do so very soon.

 

Mine has been pretty great, may be a handful of times my phone hasn't connnceted straight away but was just a case of choosing Android Auto on the screen again, so overall very happy.

 

I bought the carlinklife box and have a blank screen. Did anyone else face this issue when installing the box?

 

I just got my Ksmat unit installed and it look okay. The connection is laggy and manual, I hope a software update will fix that.
Can anyone share the latest version with me? Thanks!

 

-edit

 

Hello all, I've just installed the Carlinklife version inside my A class. Working except i'm struggling to get any audio when using Android Auto. I would've used the aux but it didn't come with the adapter so I need to use bluetooth but i'm struggling to connect the device to the car's bluetooth. Any ideas?
Also, The volume adjustment and climate control don't appear on the screen, I thought I read somewhere these still work. Am I wrong?

Many thanks for any help. Let me know if you need more clarification.

 

Actually just seen above I need the latest firmware. Is anyone able to share it please?

 

Can I get a copy as well?

 

is it easy to install the Carlinklife upgrade?

 

if I don’t have CarPlay already activated in my car, will this carlinkit still work?

 

CarPlay activation is separate from carlinkit. You will need to make sure you have it in the first place.

 

Correct.

 

Does anyone else find the text/icon size on android auto really small when using the carlinklife/ ksmart interface?

 

i guys!

for those who "lost" climate control info with android auto enable in the latest firmware here goes how to:

1. system - factory mode - factory advance setting - password 8818- find air condition option and select it
2. click sync and apply option
3. back to factory advance setting menu- find reboot and click
important note: do not allow to change other options inside advance setting menu, most of them are set for future functions, once change setting the software will goes to mix up and module stop to works. thanks