[Android Head-Units] axicos:
Hello,

I installed the FunRover Android 8.1 Intel Airmont eight-core 1.8GHz SC9853i (4GB RAM, 64GB flash) on my Skoda Octavia 2 FL RS (2010).

I would like to provide an intial feedback to all who might consider this headunit and ask some questions regarding setup of some Android headunit features.

Links to setup:

Headunit: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...ml?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.2.20b456d00mOBJe

DVR Camera: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/HD-...ml?spm=2114.12010108.1000023.7.35b11b8d1Fd2HV

1) Installation:

Pro:

- plug and play - no extra adapters needed

- direct integration with can for vehicle information like: door open, car sensors, steering wheel controls, AC info

- good fit

Cons:

- held in place only by the frame's plastic pins

- it provides a single USB, the second one has an AUX cable plug that is fit if you have the original oem usb cable, so make sure you have it or buy the proper aux to USB cable if you need two USB ports

2) Look and Feel:

Pro:

- good design

- pleasant touch feel

- somewhat responsive

Cons:

- the screen seems to be of less than high end quality: left side touchscreen buttons section seems slightly detached from the frame (1-2 mm) and moves when pressed

- the screen is not IPS... the seller added a note on the site that you need to ask specifically for IPS screen....

- glass protector and screen reflect strongly in daylight so it is not ideal

- the silver frame has a gold tint so it does not match the silver dashboard tint from the car perfectly

- touch buttons do not respond always - you find yourself having to push twice for a response

3) Hardware & related features:

Pro:

- specs seem enough for anything you may need

- built-in 4G modem

- good GPS signal

Cons:

- intel / platfrom heats like crazy - average CPU temp is 80C - screen gets hot because of this

- only one 4G antenna - but stil OK signal

- extremely poor WiFi signal (phone has full wifi from router and the headunit has maybe half or even losing signal)

- 4G modem has poor speed, maybe you get 300KB download speed over 4G

- hardware has poor screening for interference: radio has a "buzz"; even with all audio stopped you get a hum in the speakers

- sound is poor compared to a high / mid radio: I had the Skoda Bolero unit and the sound is twice as good; after some EQ tweaks I was able to get a decent sound quality, but you will need an external amp if you want mid/high sound quality

- screen is reflective; maybe if you ask for the IPS version it will be better

- bluetooth seems to disconnect when on a bumpy road... so I'm putting this on HW; must test more

4) Software:

Pro:

- stable up to now

- quick cold boot (compared to an Ownice500 I had)

- sleep option makes almost instant boot, but I am worried of battery drain so I turned it off as you can't configure a max sleep time before complete shutdown (as you can on other headunits)

- reverse supports steering direction via can (the lines move when turning the steering wheel); also standard OEM parking sensors are supported

- support for vehicle info

- you can update the DVR app to gain some virtual adas features

Cons:

- the worst UI I saw, heavily restricted regarding customization - however I noticed the same is on Joying Intel units

- limited OS options compared to other Android Headunits, but sufficient for non Android geeks

- Radio app does not scale when used in split screen

- widgets from newly installed apps only show up after restart

- no manuals or detailed OS / SW options explained. You have an operational instructions app, but the descriptions are basic.

- reverse cam is not instant - has a 5s delay for app up

- the screen brightness can be controlled from the headlights setting or "time" - but the time can't be configured and is not synchronized with the sunset information from google maps for example

- minimum screen brightness can be too high for some people

- volume control is not separate for notifications etc. it's just one volume slider; you can configure some sound ratios between media, navigation , bluetooth, but that's it.... compared to ownice where you could configure nav / bluetooth / etc volume on the fly

- does not integrate with the car bluetooth module for audio output... but I guess it's too much to ask

- major issue with sound volume: seems related to using the steering wheel volume up/down - results in volume going to max or min randomly and using any button (screen, physical or steering wheel) only slows it down, but it's like it keeps getting the command to do volume up or down in paralel to any additional input you may do. You gain control after 10-30s if you keep pushing the mute / volume up/down on the steering wheel, however it is DANGEROUS (especially when it goes to MAX volume) because it can blow your speakers or scare the hell out of you / maybe cause an accident when it happens during driving.

5) External accessories:

5.1) FunRover DVR cam:

Pro:

- good viewing angle (170)

- plug and play

- DVR app works out of the box; starts automatically on boot and records 2 min time loop while overwriting oldest files

Cons:

- extremely limited DVR app - basically NO options to configure

- no file management; can't access the MicroSD card files of the camera from the headunit file manager; only works in the DVR app but I can't find a way to move / share these over to a separate location - e.g. google drive

5.2) External MIC:

- non existent - even though the seller said they will send it as gift it was not in the package

5.3) Reverse camera:

- I did not install it yet; I will get another HD cam and make a comparison with the packaged one

Questions:

A) What UI/Launcher do you recommend for such platforms? Will it show the built in apps (e.g. radio) or will they have to be reinstalled?

B) How can I manage or move files from DVR to another location - e.g. on headunit storage? DVR has... Novatek chipset. Do you recommend another DVR app?

C) What widgets / apps do you recommend to use for displaying the CANBUS information? I will try realDash to see if it can take the canbus source...., however I was hoping to have something like a widget on the homescreen and not an app

D) Did anyone encounter the sound volume uncontrollable volume issue? I already disabled the "bluetooth absolute volume" with no change in behavior. Also none of the sound settings made a difference. It seems like somehow the signal from the steering wheel button is processed in a loop. From my current experience it seems to be a canbus decoder or HU software issue.

E) Did anyone manage to integrate such a headunit with the skoda bluetooth module for audio output?

You can ask me other questions about this headunit and I will answer / test.

Have fun!