I love my car but it's just old enough that it doesn't have built-in Bluetooth. I had been using a Bluetooth earpiece for several years but I find it annoying. I keep forgetting to take it with me and I even lost it once and had to buy another one. My wife's car has integrated Bluetooth and I had been looking at solutions that are compatible with my car. I'd seen a lot of speakers that hang off your sun visor but I don't think I like that design. I then found a small device from Belkin that plugs into your aux jack and mounts somewhere on your dashboard. It was $79.99 and had fairly decent reviews, but then I found this.
The Kinivo BTC450 looks very similar to the Belkin but is literally half the price. I figured for $39.99 I could take a chance and see if it worked, and if it didn't, it would be a lot easier to swallow than the $80 Belkin.
I have to tell you this is a great device. I have had no issues with it and works great. Since there are really no settings for this, everything has to be done through your phone, which in my case is an iPhone 4S. To use it, you need to plug the power adapter into the 12-volt socket and the aux cord into the aux input. In my case, they are in my center console under the armrest. Then you mount the device somewhere you have a nice flat surface, which in my case is on the panel near the gearshift. Now, turn on your car's power and pair it with your phone. It's easier to pair than any other device I've used. To use it, you need to select the auxiliary input on your stereo.
This device can be used for two things. First and foremost, it allows you to make handsfree calls. I've yet to actually make a call while driving, but I've received several calls and all you need to do is push the big button to answer and again to hang up. If you're listening to the radio or a CD, you'll first need to change the stereo's input to Auxilary so you can use it (if you don't the other person will be able to hear you as the microphone is built into the device, but you won't be able to hear them).
The second use is that it allows you to stream music wirelessly to this device. For years I've been plugging my phone (and before that, my MP3 player) into the aux jack using a 2 or 3-foot cord. Now I don't need to do that anymore. Less wear and tear on your headphone jack and you no longer need to use the phone's controls to change tracks. Instead, there are two buttons on the top of this device that allows you to skip to the next or previous track. Need to pause the song? Push the big button. If no music is playing and you push the button, it will start playing. The sound quality is indistinguishable from a wired connection. I recall in the past people had to use a wireless FM transmitter to play music from a portal CD player to a car stereo. I had trepidation at first regarding this device because of that past experience as those never worked well and this is light years beyond that technology.
What's really nice is that if you are listing to music and someone calls you, it will pause the music player, allow you to talk, and when you are done, it unpauses the music where it left off. Another great thing is that this unpairs from your phone when you turn off the car and re-pairs when you start it back up. You don't need to manually do this which is nice and you shouldn't have an issue when you leave your car and the Bluetooth is still activated.
Just a few caveats...first time I received a call with this unit, the ringer, which plays though your car speakers, blew me away. It was way too loud. I had to turn down the ringer volume on my phone. If you use your stereo's volume knob, then you'll have a hard time hearing to the person you're talking to, therefore you will need to find a happy medium. Also, I had to turn up the volume on the music player (which I believe has no effect on your battery unlike a wired connection) because when you skip tracks you hear a loud beep confirming the button press. If you don't adjust the volume on your phone, the beeps will be extremely loud and annoying. Luckily, I was able to find the correct volume levels. Also, if you turn up the volume on your phone, you won't need to turn the volume up so high on your car's stereo. When I first started using this device I heard a buzzing sound coming from my speakers. I saw that Amazon was selling a ground loop isolator that would supposedly fix this, but it turned out my car's stereo was turned up too high so adjusting the volume on the car and the phone took care of this problem.
I should also note that the 12-volt adapter has a USB input so you can charge your phone using a separate charging cable. This is a nice feature. It also comes with an extension cable for the aux wire if needed.
The wires coming out of this unit are very thin and I assume delicate. Since my unit is mounted near the gearshift in the center console and the cord runs along the top of the center console, I ran a risk of catching it on something and I am sure a good yank would damage it. So what I did was got a wire wrap from Home Depot, wrapped it around the cable, and then pushed it in the gap between the bottom of the center console and the floor. This way, very little of the wire is exposed and therefore it should be very safe from damage.
While not as nice or convenient than having Bluetooth built into your car, this is the best option I've seen and kills two birds with one stone -- I can use it for calls as well as listing to music and I don't need to worry about plugging anything in each time I enter the car. Definitely recommended!
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Kinivo is defined by reliability having served over 10 million customers in 60+ countries. Our customers buy our cables and accessories because they work well, and include US-based support. We are committed to providing innovative products for our customers.
We promise that you will never miss that favorite show, that you can stay connected with friends, and immerse yourself in your choice of entertainment wherever you may be.
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This Item  Kinivo BTC450 Bluetooth Car Kit (Hands-Free, AUX Bluetooth Adapter for Cars with Ground Loop Noise Isolator, 3.5mm Aux Input, Apt-X) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $39.99 | $21.99 | $27.99 | $29.99 | -26% $18.89 List: $25.69 | $29.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Bluetooth connectivity | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Voice Recognition | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Sold By | BlueRigger | ZGUKJ | Smof | Smof | Sanpyl | 1MiiDirect |
| power source | Corded Electric | DC | DC | DC | Corded Electric | Battery Powered,Corded Electric |
| connectivity tech | USB, Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Auxiliary, Bluetooth | USB, Bluetooth | USB, Auxiliary, Bluetooth | Auxiliary, Bluetooth |
| style | Simple | Modern | Modern | Modern | Modern | Modern |
| special feature | Built-In Microphone | Bluetooth 5 . 0,Bluetooth Receiver,Car Charger | Bluetooth 5 . 0,Bluetooth Receiver | Car Charger,Bluetooth 5 . 0,Bluetooth Receiver | Bluetooth 5 . 0 | Dual Link, Bluetooth 5.3, SBC/AAC, Built-in Mic, Free USB Car Charger, Auto-reconnection, Long Range |
Product Description
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NEVER LOOSE POWERCharge Your Phone / Device via USB Charging Port |
CONVENIENCE + SAFETYEasy to use Multi-Function button allows you to answer calls and control your music |
COMPATIBILITYThe BTC450 is compatible with all iPhones, MP3 Players, Android and all other Bluetooth enabled music players |
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EASY TO INSTALLStick BTC450 on the Adhesive Disc |
PLUG-IN AUXPlug in Aux cable to your Car Stereo |
POWER UPPower BTC450 via Car Cigarette Charger |
PAIR YOUR DEVICEPair BTC450 with your device via Bluetooth |
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Kinivo BTC480 Hands-Free Bluetooth Car Kit Setup & Test
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the buzzing is HORRIBLE!!!!
It was very difficult for me to give this item a star rating because there are a lot of great features but some pretty bad ones as well. So, I have broken down each of the Kinivo's major functions and given them individual star ratings.Ease of set up: FIVE stars. But you have to have both a cigarette lighter plug in and an aux. cord input. Overall, was incredibly easy to set up with my iPhone 6. Directions are very clear.Look of product: FOUR stars. There are cords that hang. The cords are black and thin, but they're annoying. However, I do love how small the actual device is. Once it's mounted it blends well, especially with our dash which is black.Sound quality: TWO stars. Here is where my ratings begin to decline. I wanted so badly for this to sound just like my phone when it is plugged directly into the aux. cord, or a CD, but it doesn't, even though other reviewer's said it does. Because of the bluetooth connection, there is a HORRIBLE high pitch buzzing in the background that gets louder as you turn up the volume in the car. I've learned to turn my phone's volume all the way up to minimize the buzzing, but if you want to listen to music louder than your phone plays, you'll need to adjust the volume in the car. The buzzing is just awful. It's drowned out when songs play, but if a song gets quiet, or when a song ends before the next one plays, it's there and so loud.Phone quality: ONE star. This is horrible. Because of the buzzing, talking on the phone using this device is absolutely impossible. After trialling many times, I've realized that the person on the other end of the phone can hear me just fine, but I can't hear them. In order for their voice to be loud enough for me to hear, I have to turn the volume WAY up, and that's when the buzzing just becomes unbearable. It sounds like the person I'm talking to is underwater, or at the end of a very long tunnel using a normal voice. Before when I plugged directly into aux. I had no issues with phone calls and made them frequently while driving so that I could be hands free. Now I don't even bother.Bluetooth connectivity: THREE stars. What is great about the Kinivo is that you can have multiple devices set to pair with it, but it can only play from one at a time. My boyfriend and I both have our iPhones paired with it but when we are in the car together, one of us has to shut it off so that the other can play their phone's music. This doesn't bother me at all. I also love how whenever I start the car, the Kinivo beeps and lets me know that it has successfully connected with my phone, without me having to do anything. That is great. BUT, here is what really bothers me--when I have to make a phone call, after the Kinivo has paired with my iPhone, I tell my phone to use speaker (because of the horrible sound quality) since it automatically defaults to the Kinivo while it's paired. Okay, this is no problem, my phone listens. But here is the problem...when I'm done with the phone call and put my phone back in Kinivo mode to listen to music, the sound doesn't play. It's just silent. The song is playing on my phone and my phone says it is paired with the Kinivo but absolutely NO sound is coming out....aside from the buzzing of course. So I'm left to un-pair, then re-pair which I don't like doing while I'm driving, so I usually just forget about it and don't listen to music for the rest of the ride.Overall, it's a great idea and SO much more convenient than dealing with a short aux. cord. But at this point, the buzzing is just SO BAD that I don't think it's worth it. I'm a music fanatic and appreciate great sound quality. This product falls very short in the sound category, which I believe is the most important one. I bought this because I had gone through four aux. cords in 13 months and was tired of paying for replacements. Now I'm thinking that is my best bet. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to return my Kinivo or not.Attached are some pictures of how the Kinivo looks in my 2011 Jeep Liberty.
Top reviews from the United States
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Top reviews from other countries
David Powell
Great to have Bluetooth in Land Rover Discovery 3
Reviewed in Australia on April 17, 2024Size: BTC450Verified Purchase
peter regan
then I made a call to test the audio quality in order to determine the best position to place the microphone/control unit
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2016Size: BTC450Verified Purchase
Raj
Best Bluetooth Handsfree Indeed.
Reviewed in India on August 9, 2015Size: BTC450Verified Purchase
