BMW E46 Integrated Bluetooth and Voice Command for Less than $100 Pictorial DIY

I don't think the Parrot bluetooth is compatible with the Verizon iPhone 4. I've tried multiple time to sync my iPhone with it and...get....nothing

I got 90% through the install last night. Basically just have to get the car put back together. This thread was enormously helpful. My initial attempts to get the phone (Sprint Evo) paired and working didn't go well. I seemed to be able to get it paired (1234, etc.), and heard that British voice confirm (though it was too loud; distorted), but I didn't seem to get any further joy. Neither the red/green controller worked, nor did the steering wheel buttons.

I know I don't have a complete description of what was happening (it got late), but I'm hoping to get back at it after work tonight (can only drive another car for today, so I need to put mine back together) and wonder if anyone has thoughts on what I might do next.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by msa6

I got 90% through the install last night. Basically just have to get the car put back together. This thread was enormously helpful. My initial attempts to get the phone (Sprint Evo) paired and working didn't go well. I seemed to be able to get it paired (1234, etc.), and heard that British voice confirm (though it was too loud; distorted), but I didn't seem to get any further joy. Neither the red/green controller worked, nor did the steering wheel buttons.

I know I don't have a complete description of what was happening (it got late), but I'm hoping to get back at it after work tonight (can only drive another car for today, so I need to put mine back together) and wonder if anyone has thoughts on what I might do next.

Thanks!

Any update? Were you able to get things working?
I have not experienced the issue you are having, but I did have trouble pairing at one point. I reset the parot kit & started over.

If pairing doesn't complete properly, then the steering wheel buttons wont do anything but you should have been able to get into the parrot voice menu using the red/green controller.

Assuming you can get in, then you can adjust the volume of the parrot voice prompts.

Hey Steve. I did figure it out, most of the way. I had the Parrot controller connected into the cable incorrectly...doing these projects in daylight is a huge help. Now the controller works fine, but I don't seem to have any volume control on the steering wheel. Only way to control volume on a call is with the controller (which I kept in the glove box for access, at least for now). I understand that my phone (a Sprint Evo 4g, Android of course) won't do voice dial through bluetooth, but my assumption was that I should be able to control in call volume from the steering wheel controls (and not have to rely on the Parrot controller).

Any thoughts on this? BTW, clydesdale helped me out on making a patch cable with a resistor, using your instructions to him. It's not a beauty, but I think it's going to work. Thanks to both of you.

Originally Posted by msa6

... but I don't seem to have any volume control on the steering wheel.

Cool. I'm glad you got it working. Sorry I was MIA for so long. Yes, it was a much needed vacation.

You should be able to control the phone volume through the SW controls, but only when a call is in process. Sorry if that is an obvious statement, but I have found with my bb9700 that i can not even adjust the volume while it's ringing. I have to wait until the call is actually connected. Then pressing the volume on the SW should actually adjust your volume on your phone.

re: patch cable - too funny - "It's not a beauty" lol

Thanks Steve, got it.

Now I just have to get the microphone set. I don't see how I'd be able to thread it through to the factory location (there just doesn't seem to be any space to push it through). And I seem to have managed to have misplaced the "sticky foot" that came with the Parrot (anyone not using theirs?). Guess I'll use some double sided tape.

Okay one more...I don't have the "whining" noise that others have posted about, but I'm getting random "cracks" or "pops" when I listen to the radio. These are new since the Parrot was installed. Any thoughts on whether the Parrot might be the source, and what I might do about it?

Originally Posted by msa6

And I seem to have managed to have misplaced the "sticky foot" that came with the Parrot (anyone not using theirs?). Guess I'll use some double sided tape.

Yes I have one if you need it. It doesn't have the original double sided tape on it anymore but I have some stuff that is very similar. You can also trim the visor clip and esseniatlly make the same thing. Let me know if you would like me to send it to you.

re: taping it in place - I'm a big fan for having this mic exposed & in the clear. Meaning that if you flush mount it I think it cut the mic sensitivity too much. I have recently moved my mic to the top of my mirror & I had to adjust it's postition a few times to expose it enough. Too many variables.

Originally Posted by msa6

Okay one more...I don't have the "whining" noise that others have posted about, but I'm getting random "cracks" or "pops" when I listen to the radio. These are new since the Parrot was installed. Any thoughts on whether the Parrot might be the source, and what I might do about it?

Damn, that's not good. It's actually not the Parrot but the Connect2 interface. I am not using this exact setup so it's a little outside of my knowledge base. I know people have had noise issues when in a call that have been traced back to the Connect2.

Does anyone else have a better memory than me??

Originally Posted by steve.325i

I know people have had noise issues when in a call that have been traced back to the Connect2.

Again, Steve, thanks. It actually isn't noise while in a call. It's noise when I'm not in a call, but am just listening to the radio. I'm wondering whether introducing something new into the system could be the cause.

Originally Posted by msa6

Again, Steve, thanks. It actually isn't noise while in a call. It's noise when I'm not in a call, but am just listening to the radio. I'm wondering whether introducing something new into the system could be the cause.

Yup, I did understand. I just have brain2speech issues

The Connect2 interface sits in between the HU & the speakers, so it has the ability to inject noise during a call as well as when no call is active.

Again, I think this was discussed before. I will do a bit of searching.

No noise from the thing today...maybe I hit the right bump in the road on the way to work!

Originally Posted by msa6

No noise from the thing today...maybe I hit the right bump in the road on the way to work!

Good, because I have searched & I can't (easily) find any reference to what I was talking about.

Does anyone know if Android 2.2 or higher now supports Voice Dial? Will steering wheel Voice Dial work? I'm thinking about switching to an Evo Shift 4G and don't want to lose the Voice Dial functionality that I currently have with my HTC Touch Pro (WM 6.5).

Android 2.2 and up does support bluetooth voice dialing, but there is a pairing issue with Android devices and the CK3000 if you don't have the latest firmware on the CK3000, version 5.25C, you might not be able to connect and pair successfully. I recommend either upgrading your firmware or check to make sure you can pair and connect before you buy the Evo.

Congratulations! This is a brilliant post. It made me order the kit.

I have a question I hope somebody can help me with:

My e46 has the old telecoms kit already installed, which I don't want to use since I would have to use a Motorola V series, but since the OEM microphone is already there, I was wondering whether I could use it with the parrot setup. This would be ideal as I would not have to do any wiring and also from what I hear, the OEM mic is better than parrot's.
Does anyone know where the other end of the OEM mic wire is, and if it could be used with the Ck3000?

Many thanks.

What an awesome write-up! I did this a couple of months ago on my car and it was a piece of cake. It did take about 45 minutes. Shipping the connects2 from the UK took 2 weeks though. Parts off of eBay totaled to $125 with shipping. The hardest part was probably just moving some of the wiring to the center vent area. The removal of the center vent was somewhat easy though. I already knew that I needed to pull that sh!t really hard so I just wedged a flathead screwdriver underneath it then popped it out. Everything worked just fine with my AT&T iPhone 4 and VoiceControl is pretty cool too. And I kept the mic in the OEM location and everyone can hear me perfectly as long my AC is on low. Thanks again delmarco!

Installed couple weeks ago. Very good write up. The parrot is directional mic and I think it could sound better if its pointing directly towards the driver.

Actually, the Parrot comes with a cheap condenser mic that is faked out to be unidirectional with the plastic shrouding around it. True directional mic's cost a whole lot more and typically have some form of dsp power involved.

http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/microphones/condenser.html
http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/microphones/directional-characteristics.html

If you would like to increase the sensitivity of the mic in the oem position, you might want to try removing the mic from the plastic (as parrot ships it) and sitting it behind a thin piece of foam.

That said, I haven't done this. My new position for my mic is top-left of my rear view mirror.

Would this also work to play music through bluetooth? Like can you pair it and play your music from your iphone to the cars speakers

I did the install a few days ago, definitely worth it!

Originally Posted by exobrute

Would this also work to play music through bluetooth? Like can you pair it and play your music from your iphone to the cars speakers

Nope, just phone calls. I actually accidentally triggered a voice command to play an artist the other day, the Parrot kept the phone up long enough to figure out it wasn't a phone call and then disconnected.