tablet to dash

[jgra1]

hi all, as some of you know, I am building a budget camper from a generic panel van, in this case a Sevel made Boxer II. Whilst I normally keep things standard, in this van I don't mind making useful additions (the whole van is a modification anyway lol)

I am not that tech savvy, and have never owned a tablet, but I get the impression really they are just a larger version of a smartphone?

Quite often I use my smartphone as a sat nav, or music store, or even as a hands free phone (in the X7) ..

is it possible for me to fit a tablet into the dash of the van, probably with a 'view' of the sky, so I can

A) add a sat-nav app and use it like I normally do

B) play a store of music through a headunit, via an aux in - got one or two of those lying about

C) access wifi if near enough a source, to update, download etc

D) be able to navigate with a blue tooth generic ODB port reader for general diagnostics

E) communicate with my Lexia cable/obd - on the move

F) be able to view a couple of old reversing cams I have lying around (Cable digital cameras from memory - using phono leads I suspect)

G) be able to communicate with a wireless camera

H) be able to be a hands free phone (presumably communicating with a smartphone)

I) be able to pick up digital tv with some DVT plug-in, and an ariel

J) be able to communicate with another tablet nearby, to read/write data between

K) be able to be voice activated ( I think my Samsung phone has this although never used it)


My present phone and last were both android, and I am happy with that..
if any of the above is possible, the tablet I guess needs :
Wifi connectivity
USB port(s)
a line-out
Bluetooth
a power supply from a usb socket etc

is that it? will it work?

thanks as always
J

[wurlycorner]

All things are possible, yes.
There are a couple of guys on my prelude forum that I recall doing similar things to what you are looking to do.

You can buy Android based head units for cars. I'm not familiar with them, but before getting to involved with your own setup, might be worth a look to see if they offer what you are looking for, straight out of the box?

[elma]

I am not that tech savvy, and have never owned a tablet, but I get the impression really they are just a larger version of a smartphone?
they are exactly that but with the massive advantage that people cannot ring them.
Quite often I use my smartphone as a sat nav, or music store, or even as a hands free phone (in the X7) ..

is it possible for me to fit a tablet into the dash of the van, probably with a 'view' of the sky, so I can

A) add a sat-nav app and use it like I normally do
yes but the tablet will need to be online for it to work properly, you can get Ones that take a sim card
B) play a store of music through a headunit, via an aux in - got one or two of those lying about
yes that bit is easy
C) access wifi if near enough a source, to update, download etc
yes, but if you want good satnav you'll have 3g or 4g anyway
D) be able to navigate with a blue tooth generic ODB port reader for general diagnostics
yes probably but tablets and Bluetooth hardware can be hit and miss
E) communicate with my Lexia cable/obd - on the move
not a chance
F) be able to view a couple of old reversing cams I have lying around (Cable digital cameras from memory - using phono leads I suspect)
if you're really lucky but I doubt it
G) be able to communicate with a wireless camera
same as above, possible but it probably won't work
H) be able to be a hands free phone (presumably communicating with a smartphone)
in theory yes but it doesn't work well, I tried this with a nexus 4 and a nexus 7. It didn't work at all with nexus 4 and hudl 2
I) be able to pick up digital tv with some DVT plug-in, and an ariel
I don't know
J) be able to communicate with another tablet nearby, to read/write data between
should do
K) be able to be voice activated ( I think my Samsung phone has this although never used it)
yes but it won't work well when driving, you'll find it very amusing or frustrating depending on your mood

My present phone and last were both android, and I am happy with that..
if any of the above is possible, the tablet I guess needs :
Wifi connectivity
USB port(s)
a line-out
Bluetooth
a power supply from a usb socket etc
a sim card

is that it? will it work?
much of it will, the biggest problems will be camera connectivity and poor music quality. Some tablets generate awful noise when plugged into USB and headphone lead at the same time as well
I would suggest you also look at a Bluetooth head unit with a screen and compare. Neither will do everything you want but both come close

thanks as always
J

[bobins]

For the practical purpose of sat-naving, I often use Google maps as it's about as up to date as you can get - both in base mapping terms and traffic navigation. To use Google maps you need an internet connection and you could do this by either getting a tablet with a 3G / 4G sim card slot, or by tethering with your mobile phone. Tethering is basically turning your phone into a wi-fi transmitter, and your tablet will pick up the wi-fi signal. Most modern phones have the ability to tether. The upside is that you don't need to buy a tablet with a sim card slot - so whatever you buy (especially if second hand) will be cheaper, the downside is that you need to have the mobile phone relatively nearby the tablet to be able to connect, and tethering uses more battery power on the phone. Obviously, using something like Google Maps will eat into your data allowance.
For basic Android mapping app I use OsmAnd - it doesn't need a mobile or wi-fi signal to work when out and about as you download the maps in advance. It's not brilliant at sat-naving, it's main use is to show you where you are in great detail and show you - for instance - where the shops, footpaths, roads, etc are around you. Maps are generally updated every two weeks and are based on Open Street Map.

[elma]

That's a good point, I hadn't thought if tethering as I don't need to with my stuff.

Google maps us good, I use it most of the time. I find Waze better in cities, it actively seek out odd routes that get you round the traffic.

[Stickyfinger]

Really, search EBAY for "old" Tom-Tom at this time of year.....just switch the battery for a new one if needed and you can even take it walking/cycling with you in the towns you visit.

[wurlycorner]

Another waze fan here. Google has got lost on me many a time.

[elma]

Android head unit is a good suggestion. When I looked about a year ago they were prohibitively expensive but that may have changed.

I would also consider a chromebit and a screen which would be significantly more capable. Intel's PC stick may even be able to run Lexia. There are a few versions. I think a Lilliput touchscreen and one of these would be my preferred route if I did another camper.

Chromebit
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Chromebit ... B01937CN64

Intel
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-c ... ArMz8P8HAQ

[jgra1]

thanks all.sorry should have mentioned I have been using navmii for years.. suits me perfectly..use for hiking too.. no data connection needed..

[elma]

You might have missed my last post, I was editing it while you posted. Have a look at USB computers and sesperate screens, there's a couple of links above.

[jgra1]

thanks James.. missed those links . will look when the nephew isn't hounding me

[mickeymoon]

I use TomTom's own Android Sat-Nav app on my Samsung S6. Years subscription for £7, good navigation and traffic, and all the maps can be downloaded for offline use.

Does the trick very well for me. Presume it would also work on an Android tablet with GPS.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

[jgra1]

thanks all.. had a few looks at android headunits, and today went into real shops! to talk to people but not sure they were totally up to speed

they do look good really.. and can do the main things I want I suspect.. need to research more and will post back if and when I get one..

the cheaper ones (< £200) need a fair few accessories and the pricey ones don't so much, I would like DAB and that can be an Ariel and a USB port used, for £ - if only I had a tablet I could actually see what I can do on it lol..

ODBII - like most things its not a deal breaker, I have a lappy and Lexia anyway... most stuff isn't really that important when I think about it, I still have to drive the thing after all!

will update soon.

John

[xantia_v6]

Another option for Android navigation is http://osmand.net . Offline maps and reasonably good navigation. I use both this and Tomtom's android apps, Tomtom has a slightly better routing algorithm and live traffic data, osm have more up to date and accurate maps.