Comments. Most new cars come with features that can make driving more enjoyable and possibly safer. These features include a touchscreen display that allows you to interact with the vehicle efficiently; Android Auto and Apple Carplay, which mimic your phone’s features like music and touchscreen navigation; as well as a backup camera that helps prevent your actions. DVRs to prevent reversing and record traffic accidents for legal or insurance purposes. But you’re out of luck with old cars. You can always add an aftermarket stereo, but it’s expensive and complicated. But now, thanks to the Aoedi 10.3-inch Smart Dash Cam Screen, you can get all these features and more for just $100! Honestly, this is a very good deal. And the best part is that it actually does all of this very well and is easy to install and configure.
This is an aftermarket touchscreen that is mounted on top of the dash (not inside the dash). It includes a front-facing dash cam, an external camera that can be used as a front or backup camera, a dash cam for continuous recording from those cameras, and a touchscreen display with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. Lots of stuff packed into a small box!
It even has a built-in battery so I can turn it on without connecting anything. This is interesting because there is no mention of a built-in battery in either the documentation or the web page. There are speakers and a microphone built into the screen, but you won’t want to use them. It’s designed to deliver audio to your car’s system via an auxiliary port (including a 3.5mm headphone jack) or selectable FM frequencies, making it a great addition if your car is too old to have an auxiliary input port.
There is an application (RoadCam) for downloading files from Seicane DVRs. It connects via the smart screen’s Wi-Fi signal and downloads files quickly. From there, you can share them via your phone just like any other video.
Installing and setting up the Aoedi dash cam is actually quite simple, but don’t expect to get much help from the manual. Fortunately, this is intuitive. You can connect it to the included power adapter or to any USB port you have in your car. However, the first time you set up Android Auto, you’ll need to use the included power adapter, as it also has a USB-A port that you need to plug your phone into (wireless Android Auto requires a wired connection first). When it comes to streaming audio from your screen to your stereo, you have two options. You can use FM frequencies or use the Aux output. One important thing to note (not mentioned in the manual): the 3.5mm jack on the back of the screen is not for an Aux cable, but for an optional GPS device. The Aux output is on the power line. For my setup, I used a simple USB-A to USB-C cable for power and an FM transmitter, avoiding additional wires and a bulky power adapter.
The auxiliary camera can be installed anywhere – as a rear view camera, a front parking camera, or even a camera under rocks when driving off-road. If you install it as a rear view camera, you can connect it to the reversing lights so that it automatically appears on the screen when the car is moving in reverse – convenient!
Once you have all the wires positioned and connected, simply peel off a large piece of 3M adhesive at the bottom and stick it somewhere on the dash!
Once the physical installation is complete, you just need to connect your phone. But first you need to tell the device what type of connection you want – Apple Carplay, Android Auto, or even just Apple Airplay, which simulates your phone’s entire screen. The instructions will not help in solving this problem, but this can be done using the “Move Links” button in the settings menu. Once selected, you simply connect your phone as if you were using a new car stereo.
For $100 this is truly amazing. I have a 23 year old Jeep Wrangler that clearly doesn’t have modern infotainment features.
Adding this smart screen, which costs $100, provides more functionality than my 2019 truck with a larger touchscreen. The camera resolution is not very good, especially the rear view cameras. Unfortunately, it is impossible to read license plates on the videos of these cameras. The front camera could really use some electronic stabilization to smooth out the image. Here is an example video:
The real power, however, is the ability to install Android Auto or Apple Carplay on the big screen of any car with a cigarette lighter and FM radio. Music, maps, applications – everything is at your fingertips. The microphone in the device is great for making and receiving calls via Android Auto or Apple Carplay. I’m very impressed. The screen is bright, touch-sensitive, and can be clearly seen in bright sunlight. It doesn’t dim automatically at night, but changing the brightness is very easy. In short, the Android Auto experience on this $100 screen is comparable to the experience of the built-in screen in my new truck.
If your older car doesn’t have the latest and greatest infotainment system, the Seicane Smart Screen is a quick and very cheap way to add some useful tools to your car in one package without having to disassemble its dashboard. The fact that these tools are effective at this price point is even better.
This is a big question! Unfortunately, the program does not have the ability to flip the image. I checked to see if I could somehow flip the mount, but it was impossible. sorry!
Danny, great review! I’d love to see a video of you using the touchscreen to see how responsive it is to Android Auto and CarPlay. Thank you!
There are several videos on YouTube where the screen is very responsive. There is a slight lag or lag, but from the videos I’ve seen, it doesn’t really affect the performance of the device. I ordered a copy based on videos and reviews I watched, but it hasn’t arrived yet.
Hi Danny, thanks for such a nice review! Do you have photos showing this unit installed in your TJ?
Andrew, I don’t have it on my Jeep anymore. This would have been a great option, but I installed it in our daughter’s VW Tiguan because it was needed more for navigation and more everyday things. My jeep is really just a toy and doesn’t require much technology. She uses it regularly and it still works great! I’m still impressed by how little it costs.
What is the actual screen diagonal? I checked, they all seem to be 9.3 inches.
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Post time: Jan-03-2024