"Budget" car 2 DIN audio/radio/GPS/reverse camera head units

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › "Budget" car 2 DIN audio/radio/GPS/reverse camera head units

57 posts

Master Geek

#236179 22-May-2018 08:44

There were a few old threads on this topic so hopefully ok to start a new one as I am sure things have changed in the last few years.

I am looking for double DIN head unit and I see there are

a) $160 From eBay with Camera, Bluetooth Radio and GPS

b) $200 from TradeMe with Camera, Bluetooth Radio and GPS

c) $500+ from the big brands

Are these cheap ones any good? They are not the Android versions which I am guessing are really slow. (I tried to use a gen 1 Nexus 7 tablet in the car and was just unusable)

The main thing is the start up time to reverse camera display and bluetooth connect.

I am not to worried about the navigation feature am intrigued as to how easy they are to update.

Thanks

Handsomedan

5963 posts

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#2020270 22-May-2018 11:48

I got a Nakimichi DDIN unit that has a large decent screen and integrates with reverse camera etc and has a proprietary OS.

Whilst it's great when up and running, it takes a good minute or so after turning on the ignition before it finishes booting up...which means you can't just start the car, whack it in reverse and use the camera...

Also, it's also quite slow to connect to bluetooth, but has a good solid connection when it does.

It's about 3 years old now, so has likely been superseded by faster and better units, but at the time it cost me about $400 fitted.

EDIT: here's the blurb I wrote back when I got it: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=162&topicid=175741

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jpoc

1043 posts

Uber Geek

#2020285 22-May-2018 12:17

I have one of the cheap hundred dollar android units off aliX.

It is not perfect but it is pretty good for the money.

It does not reboot every time that you start the engine so it generally is ready to go as soon as you are.

I cannot give a link because that model is no longer shipping but there are loads on the site.

elbrownos

109 posts

Master Geek

#2021247 23-May-2018 16:56

I have an "American Hi-Fi AHF930" from The Warehouse.

Double DIN, Bluetooth, supports rear camera.

It's exceeded my expectations and was only $150 with 3 year warranty.

Normally I buy stuff from Aliexpress but I figured this was just as cheap and comes with a decent warranty as opposed to zero warranty.

It looks like that model might have been replaced with the AHF960 which is $229 and has GPS.

https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/american-hi-fi-960-double-din-tuner-with-navigation/R2080971.html

57 posts

Master Geek

#2021471 23-May-2018 21:20

Thanks for the replies.

It does look like the devices haven't really changed much in the last few years.

This one https://www.wavetech.co.nz/NVS-DV-2020BT/ looks reasonable from a NZ retailer (They have firmware updates for it) for the same price as a "big name" Bluetooth single DIN unit

jpoc

1043 posts

Uber Geek

#2021520 23-May-2018 23:50

ad:

Thanks for the replies.

It does look like the devices haven't really changed much in the last few years.

This one https://www.wavetech.co.nz/NVS-DV-2020BT/ looks reasonable from a NZ retailer (They have firmware updates for it) for the same price as a "big name" Bluetooth single DIN unit

But:

No WIFI

No cellular radio

No ODB2 support

No app store

You can get all of that for less money with one of the Android units.

kryptonjohn

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#2021582 24-May-2018 09:04

elbrownos:

I have an "American Hi-Fi AHF930" from The Warehouse.

Double DIN, Bluetooth, supports rear camera.

It's exceeded my expectations and was only $150 with 3 year warranty.

Normally I buy stuff from Aliexpress but I figured this was just as cheap and comes with a decent warranty as opposed to zero warranty.

It looks like that model might have been replaced with the AHF960 which is $229 and has GPS.

https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/american-hi-fi-960-double-din-tuner-with-navigation/R2080971.html

I'd definitely want to have one that can accept a sim card or cellular dongle, and run google maps. The data usage is minimal so you can run it on the cheapest possible monthly pre-pay and google driving with traffic offers exceptionally good traffic info and routing...