On almost all new-generation cars we find support for Android Audio and Apple Car Play, able to make driving much more modern and engaging also thanks to all the apps that we can activate and use with just the tip of the finger. Not all machines, however, have support for these smart systems, and sometimes these are complicated and limited.Instead of blindly buying many different (and often useless) devices, in this guide we will show you the best gadgets to make your car technological, so as not to have to buy a new vehicle and still get most of the innovative functions present on cars registered in recent years.The gadgets that we will advise you to buy are compatible with the vast majority of cars still in circulation, so that we can bring a bit of modernity during a long journey or when we go around the city for errands or to reach the workplace. All gadgets are available on Amazon, which offers the best value for money and a great guarantee on all products.
READ ALSO -> App to use your mobile phone in the car while driving
Mobile support
The first gadget to keep in any car is the mobile phone holder, to be attached by suction cup to the upper part of the dashboard or directly to the windshield. The first support that we advise you to evaluate is the 360 Degree Magnetic Car Phone Holder, available on Amazon for less than € 20.
With this support, we will have a powerful magnet with which to hold the phone in place, thanks to the use of a magnetic plate (to be integrated into the cover or on the back of the phone). Depending on the model, you can have a suction cup phone holder to hold the support arm in position even on the most undulating dashboards or attach it to the car’s air intakes.
If the car we own does not have a convenient dashboard for the suction cup we can bet on Ex-show Smartphone Holder for Cars, available on Amazon for less than € 15.
In this case, we will be able to hook the suction cup directly on the car windshield and place the phone on the support with retractable mechanical hooks, without using any magnetic hook (for many users still not safe to hold larger and heavier phones).
Bluetooth audio connection via FM
If the car stereo in our possession does not have a Bluetooth connection, we can quickly fix it by focusing on a Bluetooth FM adapter, compatible with any type of car and can be easily connected to the simple FM radio present on all cars (just tune the devices to a free FM frequency, but this is almost impossible in big cities). The first device of this type that we can evaluate is the ZeaLife Bluetooth FM Transmitter for less than € 20.
To use it, simply connect the device to the cigarette lighter socket (or 12V output) and, as soon as it is switched on, connect it to a free FM frequency (to be used also on the car radio). Once the radio connection is obtained, turn on the Bluetooth on the phone in our possession and connect to the adapter: now the phone’s audio will be reproduced from the car speakers with good quality (net of FM interference that we can pick up during the journey). With this device, we will also get two USB sockets for charging: a USB QuickCharge 3 socket and a USB Type-C socket with 18W fast charging.
If the cigarette lighter socket is in an awkward position we can focus on an FM adapter with a jointed neck such as the Bovon Bluetooth Auto, on sale for less than € 20.
The operation is very similar to the device seen previously, with the presence of an articulated neck between the cigarette lighter socket (which also houses the two fast-charging sockets) and the display, which can be oriented in any direction.
To learn more we can also read our guide How to add Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to every car.
Bluetooth audio connection via AUX
If our car has an AUX input for music playback, we can integrate Bluetooth technology with a special Bluetooth AUX adapter, thus avoiding the interference of the FM broadcast. The first device we can try is V5.0 Bluetooth Receiver for less than 15 €.
With this device it is possible to bring Bluetooth connectivity through the AUX input in a simple and fast way: we connect the plug, turn on the device and associate the Bluetooth of the phone to it, so as to be able to play music at the highest possible quality, even without wires ( thanks to the 12-hour internal battery); for continuous playback, all we have to do is connect the adapter to a USB port, so that we can use it non-stop.
If we are looking for a similar adapter to place in the glove box or to hide in the dashboard, we can focus on the Bluetooth receiver 5 from 30 Euros.
The operation is very similar to that seen for the previous adapter: connect the AUX cable to the socket of the same name, press the central button, and connect the phone via Bluetooth, so as to be able to listen to music wirelessly with the internal battery. 12 hours (also powered via USB cable, so as to keep listening for longer journeys).
Other car gadgets to try
The ones we have shown you above are the essential gadgets to make your car technological with a few years on your shoulders. Other very interesting ideas for modernizing the car we can find them in the following list:
- Amazon Echo Auto, to equip the machine with Alexa support, hands-free, and music streaming from the smartphone with Bluetooth connection.
- Smart rearview mirror: an intelligent mirror with different viewing modes, anti-glare mode, rear parking camera, and automatic accident recording system (in the event of a collision or sudden braking, it records everything that happened in front of the car).
- Rear parking kit: a kit to integrate a monitor, sensors, and various rear cameras, useful during parking maneuvers (requires the skills of an auto electrician for assembly).
- Bluetooth car speakerphone: excellent car speakerphone, to be interfaced with the phone to answer calls without taking your eyes off the road.
- Rear tablet holder: support to place any tablet on the headrest, so that the rear passenger can be delighted with a tablet (great for movies, TV series, cartoons, etc.).
- Front tablet holder: the best choice for placing the tablet in the front of the vehicle, as if it were a large screen for the onboard computer.
- Rear Seat Organizer: a practical organizer for the rear seats with a large number of pockets and a tablet holder. An ideal choice for those with small children.
- Speed sensor: a small GPS speedometer with sensor and maximum speed alert. To be installed by a qualified auto electrician.
Let’s choose the gadgets that inspire us and add them to our car, so as to make it ready for the future.
Conclusions
With the gadgets that we have shown you above we will certainly make our car more technological by spending very little and bringing with us all the streaming music or the most famous apps to use during a car trip (for example the apps for GPS navigation, like those seen in the guide GPS navigators with free offline maps for Android, alternatives to Google Maps). In addition to music, we also showed you some good gadgets to increase the interactivity of the car or to make travel more pleasant for travelers in the rear seats.
On the same topic, we can read our guide’s App to transform the mobile phone into the onboard computer of the car (Android) and How Android and iOS work in the car.