Apple CarPlay dongle question

[CapeCodRich]

Hey all, I have a 2016.5 CX5 GT (favorite car I've ever owned). I bought a Carplay dongle device. It shows up in the USB selector as "Apple Device" but every time I try to connect to it I get "Authentication failure." Was wondering if anyone knew a fix for this?

 

[PaulZooms]

Were you able to enter the dongle’s WiFi password from your phone settings WiFi connection dialog?

 

[CapeCodRich]

I think I did, but will give it another try

 

[CTt3P5]

Seeing that you have a 2016.5 and bought the dongle, I'm guessing you are going for a wireless connection. I do have to ask if you had the USB hub upgraded as the 2016.5 CX-5s were not AA/ACP compatible from the factory. I had the dealer do this for my 2016 Miata and my wife's former 2020 CX-5 which were not AA/ACP ready. Next to the USB port there should be a picture of a phone with an arrow pointing to the port. If you have not, then the dongle will not work until you do the upgrade.

If you have done the upgrade, I'd try resetting the system by - holding the back + nav + mute buttons for 10 seconds and then turning off the car and open the door.

If that doesn't work, then I'd try deleting the dongle from the car and phone and the phone from the car and then re-pairing them. Also double check your phone settings to ensure you have the correct ACP settings set.

 

[CapeCodRich]

Thanks so much. I will try that after i look up to figure out what all those letters mean. I do know that I have not done any upgrades through the dealer on the infotainment system. Both USB ports will recognize the phone when I plug in through there, and the Blutooth works fine for connectivity as well. I just figured airplay would be nice, but i'm not going to shell out $400 to the dealer to do it for a car that has over 250K miles on it. Within the next six months she will be our No. 2 driver, and I will be upgrading to a newer version (sticking with the CX5 because it is my favorite car I've ever owned).

 

[Davidiot]

I'm guessing you are going for a wireless connection. I do have to ask if you had the USB hub upgraded as the 2016.5 CX-5s were not AA/ACP compatible from the factory. I had the dealer do this for … my wife's former 2020 CX-5 which were not AA/ACP ready.

So I can upgrade my 2020 CX-5 for wireless CarPlay? How does that work? Is it dealer only or are there aftermarket parts available? What’s the dealer cost? Dongle (WiFi?) still required? Thanks!

 

[RedBaron]

So I can upgrade my 2020 CX-5 for wireless CarPlay? How does that work? Is it dealer only or are there aftermarket parts available? What’s the dealer cost? Dongle (WiFi?) still required? Thanks!

Yes. I added dongles I got off Amazon for both my wife and my daughter's 2019's. They are cheap, often less than $20, and small and just plug into the USB port under the armrest.

Examples: https://www.amazon.com (commissions earned)

 

[CTt3P5]

Thanks so much. I will try that after i look up to figure out what all those letters mean. I do know that I have not done any upgrades through the dealer on the infotainment system. Both USB ports will recognize the phone when I plug in through there, and the Blutooth works fine for connectivity as well. I just figured airplay would be nice, but i'm not going to shell out $400 to the dealer to do it for a car that has over 250K miles on it. Within the next six months she will be our No. 2 driver, and I will be upgrading to a newer version (sticking with the CX5 because it is my favorite car I've ever owned).

Welcome and apologies, AA = Android Auto and ACP = Apple CarPlay. Ok, so then you will not be able to use the dongle with your current CX-5. Depending on what year/trim you get for your newer CX-5, wired AA/ACP should be standard and wireless could be an option/standard. If wireless isn't, then you can keep or repurchase the dongle down the road to get the wireless capabilities then.

So I can upgrade my 2020 CX-5 for wireless CarPlay? How does that work? Is it dealer only or are there aftermarket parts available? What’s the dealer cost? Dongle (WiFi?) still required? Thanks!

Yes you can. I had the dealer do it and IIRC it was around $325 but this will vary dealer to dealer. Another local dealer was going to charge me over $400. There are aftermarket USB hubs available, you'll just need to make sure that they are compatible with your make/model and that your Mazda Connect firmware meets/exceeds the requirements. Also whether or not this is within your scope of DIY work or if you'll be paying a shop to install which will add to the cost.

A quick search showed that there are wireless USB hubs out there but a lot of comments say that they simply have a third party wireless dongle housed inside. If it were me, I'd stick with upgrading the USB hub and purchasing a dongle to hardwire into.

For reference, here's a pic of the AA Wireless Two dongle in my Miata to show how discrete they can be.

 

[RedBaron]

Yes you can. I had the dealer do it and IIRC it was around $325 but this will vary dealer to dealer. Another local dealer was going to charge me over $400. There are aftermarket USB hubs available, you'll just need to make sure that they are compatible with your make/model and that your Mazda Connect firmware meets/exceeds the requirements. Also whether or not this is within your scope of DIY work or if you'll be paying a shop to install which will add to the cost.

He has a 2020 MY car. He already has the wired hub built in. He just needs the wireless dongle (as I said in the post above yours).

 

[CTt3P5]

He has a 2020 MY car. He already has the wired hub built in. He just needs the wireless dongle (as I said in the post above yours).

Apologies, wasn't aware that the 2020 GT came with the wired hub. Our 2020 was a Sport and we had to have it installed. I was thinking the wired started in 2021. Thanks!