How to create a wireless Android Auto dongle for your car using Raspberry Pi

Some cars support Android Auto by default , but require a wired connection. Therefore, many people find it difficult to use. Wireless Android Auto dongles are very expensive. Not to mention, most of them come from unreliable manufacturers. So, here's how to set up wireless Android Auto using a Raspberry Pi .

 

Thanks to the WirelessAndroidAutoDongle project on GitHub (https://github.com/nisargjhaveri/WirelessAndroidAutoDongle), you can switch your in-car Android Auto experience from wired to wireless.

Setup required

First, you'll need a Raspberry Pi board that supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Specifically, these RPi boards are supported right out of the box.

1. Raspberry Pi Zero W
2. Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
3. Raspberry Pi 3A+
4. Raspberry Pi 4

You will also need an SD card; any size is fine. It only takes up 32MB of space. The car's media player must support wired Android Auto and must have a screen.

The necessary downloads

Now, download the image file from GitHub to flash onto your Raspberry Pi. Depending on your RPi board, download the image file. The file size is only about 32 MB.

1. raspberrypi0w – Raspberry Pi Zero W
2. raspberrypizero2w – Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
3. raspberrypi3a – Raspberry Pi 3A+
4. raspberrypi4 – Raspberry Pi 4

 

Next, download BalenaEtcher (free) and install it on your computer. This will allow you to flash images to your SD card.

Create a wireless Android Auto dongle with Raspberry Pi.

1. After you have downloaded all the files, connect the SD card to your PC via an SD card reader or USB adapter.
2. Next, launch BalenaEtcher and select the "Flash from File" option . Choose the downloaded image file.
3. Next, click on "Select target" and choose the SD card.
4. Now, click "Flash!" in BalenaEtcher. It will start installing the image to the SD card.
5. Click "Yes" if prompted. The process will finish after one minute.

 

1. After the flashing process is complete, remove the SD card and insert it into your Raspberry Pi board. Almost done!

Connecting a Raspberry Pi-based Android Auto dongle to a car.

Now that your Raspberry Pi board is ready, it's time to plug it into your car and test it out:

1. Connect your Android phone to your car's head unit using a wired USB cable. Ensure that Android Auto is set up on your car's display screen.
2. Now, disconnect your Android phone from your car's head unit.
3. Next, connect the Raspberry Pi to the car's head unit using a USB cable. Make sure the flashed SD card is inserted into the RPi board.

 

1. Wait 30 to 40 seconds and the green LED will light up on the circuit board.
2. Now, on your Android phone, open the Bluetooth settings page and look for "AndroidAuto-Dongle" or "AA Wireless Dongle".
3. Tap the Bluetooth device and pair it with your phone. Grant the necessary permissions.
4. Now, open the Wi-Fi settings page on your phone and search for "AAWirelessDongle". Tap on it and enter the password ConnectAAWirelessDongle.

1. After connecting to Wi-Fi, Android Auto will appear on your car's screen. That's it! Now you can use Android Auto wirelessly.

1. If it doesn't work the first time, turn the car off and then back on.
2. Now, connect to Wi-Fi from your phone, and Android Auto will work wirelessly.

Here's how you can create a wireless Android Auto dongle using a Raspberry Pi. It works perfectly on the Raspberry Pi Zero W and supports all Android Auto features, including calls, Google Maps navigation, Google Assistant, music control, etc. Furthermore, it only costs $15 and boots up in 40 seconds.

If you want to  set up Pi-hole on your Raspberry Pi to block ads and trackers on your network, follow these detailed instructions.