Droid X Compatablity w/ Alpine KCE-400BT

[ngraeve]

Does anyone have this module to go along with their Alpine headunit? I would like to know how well this integrates with our Droid Xs. Alpine support wasn't very helpful as they just gave me some 'should's and 'I don't know's and their phone compatability chart is terribly outdated. Some things I would like to know are:

Can we import our phone book to the module and if so, is it done automatically whenever you get in the car?

How well does the head unit mimic the phone's functions?
- Can I dial numbers from the headunit?
- Can I answer and end calls from the headunit?
- Can I ignore incoming calls?
- Does the headunit show who is calling me along with a picture perhaps (I have an INA-W900)?

Does streaming Pandora to the headunit work very well?
- Does the song information show up on screen?
- Can I control music playback from the phone?

If anybody could give me feedback on some or all of these questions that would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[IIGood]

I can't speak specifically for the Alpine units, but I can say that I've noticed a couple threads on the forum here stating some issues with Alpine.

I can shed maybe a little light on the phone book sync, as I had a similar issue with my Kenwood unit. When I first paired the phone to the unit, it synced everything except the phone book. I was disappointed at first because after a few tries it still wouldn't sync.

Then someone on here said that upon initial pairing, the phone will display a prompt asking to allow Phone Book access to the device. I allowed the access and now the head unit gets my phone book every time.

 

[Inkog]

I know this isn't exactly what you were looking for, but I just picked up a mid-range Sony BT3800U and my Droid X works great with it. I can coment on how the X handles being paired with a head unit.

The X supports A2DP and AVRCP so as long as that unit does also, you can at least get basic forward, back and pause when streaming audio from your phone. This works great, even in Pandora.

Contact sync isn't really needed with the X's voice dialing. I can however initate voice dialing from the receiver. At least for me, my pairing for both phone and audio has been rock solid. The one time audio didn't pair by itself, the sony has a 1 button reconnect that worked perfectly.

I have the X in a car dock for navigation, so track names & pictures already show on the device. showing them on the unit isn't needed. I don't think the bluetooth spec supports this anyway.

Hope this helps.

MEX-BT3800U | Xplōd™ Bluetooth® CD Receiver | Sony | Sony Style USA

Cheers,

 

[PDred]

Hey there, just found your post, but I posted something in another forum on this topic. I answered some of your questions below but here is my post from the other. Maybe someone has some idea on this.

Hey stereo gurus!
I'm having a little issue with my bluetooth system. I have the alpine cda-9886 head unit hooked up with the kce-400bt bluetooth adapter and the special cable (forget what it is. think it's the kce-460e???).

Anyhow, I had an HTC Droid Eris phone and the bluetooth on it worked great. I could send/receive calls and stream audio just fine with it. Recently, I upgraded my phone to the DroidX. I can always seem to pair up the unit. Both the head unit and the phone see each other fine. The first time I connect the phone everything works great. It installs the phone book and I can make/receive calls and stream audio.

Then, if they become disconnected for any reason, like turning off the car or moving too far away, I cannot get them to work right. Well, really, work at all. They can still see each other but most of the time, they will not connect.

If I force a connection, sometimes it will, but it cannot access the phone book, or receive calls, or stream audio. If i turn off the car, remove the connection from the droidx, unplug the bluetooth adapter, and then start over from scratch, I can get it to work. But again, as soon as I lose the connection the first time, that is all she wrote. Anybody have any ideas?

Can we import our phone book to the module and if so, is it done automatically whenever you get in the car? YES but see issues above

How well does the head unit mimic the phone's functions?
- Can I dial numbers from the headunit? Haven't figure out how to dial numbers except by voice dailing
- Can I answer and end calls from the headunit? YES
- Can I ignore incoming calls? YES, well, just set it to not autoanswer
- Does the headunit show who is calling me along with a picture perhaps (I have an INA-W900)? Just text from the address book so far

Does streaming Pandora to the headunit work very well? YES
- Does the song information show up on screen? NO
- Can I control music playback from the phone? YES (and track up/track down from the head unit

 

[ngraeve]

Hey PDred, thanks for the info. I remember seeing on some forum that somebody had an issue connecting their DX to this bluetooth module too, but then they put the phone at the top of the connection list and that seemed to fix the issue. Do you still have your old Eris in your bluetooth module, and if so is it at the top of the list instead of the DX?

 

[PDred]

Hmmm, yeah, I actually went through that too, the remove function on this head unit is confusing. I removed both from the list but there were still there until i turned of the head unit and back on. Then I paired them again.
The issue was still there even though the dx was recognized.
It didn't work again for me until i reset the power to the bluetooth adapter.

 

[joyceala]

Does anyone have this module to go along with their Alpine headunit? I would like to know how well this integrates with our Droid Xs. Alpine support wasn't very helpful as they just gave me some 'should's and 'I don't know's and their phone compatability chart is terribly outdated. Some things I would like to know are:

Can we import our phone book to the module and if so, is it done automatically whenever you get in the car?

How well does the head unit mimic the phone's functions?
- Can I dial numbers from the headunit?
- Can I answer and end calls from the headunit?
- Can I ignore incoming calls?
- Does the headunit show who is calling me along with a picture perhaps (I have an INA-W900)?

Does streaming Pandora to the headunit work very well?
- Does the song information show up on screen?
- Can I control music playback from the phone?

If anybody could give me feedback on some or all of these questions that would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I have the same problem. The people that can help you with this is Speakerworks in Orange County California. Ask for Eric or Rob. 714-997-9880. They work wonders.

 

[joyceala]

Help is on the way!

Does anyone have this module to go along with their Alpine headunit? I would like to know how well this integrates with our Droid Xs. Alpine support wasn't very helpful as they just gave me some 'should's and 'I don't know's and their phone compatability chart is terribly outdated. Some things I would like to know are:

Can we import our phone book to the module and if so, is it done automatically whenever you get in the car?

How well does the head unit mimic the phone's functions?
- Can I dial numbers from the headunit?
- Can I answer and end calls from the headunit?
- Can I ignore incoming calls?
- Does the headunit show who is calling me along with a picture perhaps (I have an INA-W900)?

Does streaming Pandora to the headunit work very well?
- Does the song information show up on screen?
- Can I control music playback from the phone?

If anybody could give me feedback on some or all of these questions that would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Contact Speakerworks in Orange California. Ask for Eric or Rob. 714-997-9880. They helped me with the same issue.

 

[lehman]

Hey there, just found your post, but I posted something in another forum on this topic. I answered some of your questions below but here is my post from the other. Maybe someone has some idea on this.

Hey stereo gurus!
I'm having a little issue with my bluetooth system. I have the alpine cda-9886 head unit hooked up with the kce-400bt bluetooth adapter and the special cable (forget what it is. think it's the kce-460e???).

Anyhow, I had an HTC Droid Eris phone and the bluetooth on it worked great. I could send/receive calls and stream audio just fine with it. Recently, I upgraded my phone to the DroidX. I can always seem to pair up the unit. Both the head unit and the phone see each other fine. The first time I connect the phone everything works great. It installs the phone book and I can make/receive calls and stream audio.

Then, if they become disconnected for any reason, like turning off the car or moving too far away, I cannot get them to work right. Well, really, work at all. They can still see each other but most of the time, they will not connect.

If I force a connection, sometimes it will, but it cannot access the phone book, or receive calls, or stream audio. If i turn off the car, remove the connection from the droidx, unplug the bluetooth adapter, and then start over from scratch, I can get it to work. But again, as soon as I lose the connection the first time, that is all she wrote. Anybody have any ideas?

Can we import our phone book to the module and if so, is it done automatically whenever you get in the car? YES but see issues above

How well does the head unit mimic the phone's functions?
- Can I dial numbers from the headunit? Haven't figure out how to dial numbers except by voice dailing
- Can I answer and end calls from the headunit? YES
- Can I ignore incoming calls? YES, well, just set it to not autoanswer
- Does the headunit show who is calling me along with a picture perhaps (I have an INA-W900)? Just text from the address book so far

Does streaming Pandora to the headunit work very well? YES
- Does the song information show up on screen? NO
- Can I control music playback from the phone? YES (and track up/track down from the head unit

Hey pDred Got my dx about a week ago lovin it. I just picked up the Kce-400bt blue tooth interface module i'll be installing it tomorrow. I was doing some research on it and i found this page about an interrupt setting. Not sure if it will help with the problem your having. Here is the link Alpine KCE-400BT Bluetooth Adapter Cell phone and smart phone accessory reviews - CNET Reviews. It doesn't tell you how to change the setting it just mentions the potential problem it's located in the performance paragraph of the reveiw. Hope this helps.

After doing a little more research i don't think this is the problem. I hope I don't have the same problem when i hook mine up. I have the same exact setup.

 

[PDred]

Thanks lehman,
Please keep us updated to your experience with this. I have tried two seperate DroidXs with my setup and both do the same thing. Had no issues with my HTC Eris prior to the DX.
I'm still hoping that froyo will fix this issue. As of now, I cannot get my damn laptop to pair correctly with the 400bt so I can update the firmware...grrrrrrrrr.

So I'm stuck with a toggle switch hooked up to the yellow constant power lead. If I really need to use bluetooth in the car, I'll reset the 400bt by using the switch and then I have to repair my phone to the unit.......everytime.

 

[lehman]

I tore out the hu its the cda-9886 hooked up the wire harness for the kce-400bt but when i went to plug in the supplied interface cable i realized it doesn't fit :-( i need the kwe-460e cable which i have to order online. If i go through all this and i have the pairing problem im gonna be pissed. Im thinking bout returning the unit and getting the kca-121b or the kce-236b. Id rather plug one wire in than have to manually repair the bluetooth every time. I wont have hands free but i got the car doc for the dx so its not a big deal. Not sure what to do ill post again when i decide.

 

[seanmcd]

Hey there, just found your post, but I posted something in another forum on this topic. I answered some of your questions below but here is my post from the other. Maybe someone has some idea on this.

Hey stereo gurus!
I'm having a little issue with my bluetooth system. I have the alpine cda-9886 head unit hooked up with the kce-400bt bluetooth adapter and the special cable (forget what it is. think it's the kce-460e???).

Anyhow, I had an HTC Droid Eris phone and the bluetooth on it worked great. I could send/receive calls and stream audio just fine with it. Recently, I upgraded my phone to the DroidX. I can always seem to pair up the unit. Both the head unit and the phone see each other fine. The first time I connect the phone everything works great. It installs the phone book and I can make/receive calls and stream audio.

Then, if they become disconnected for any reason, like turning off the car or moving too far away, I cannot get them to work right. Well, really, work at all. They can still see each other but most of the time, they will not connect.

If I force a connection, sometimes it will, but it cannot access the phone book, or receive calls, or stream audio. If i turn off the car, remove the connection from the droidx, unplug the bluetooth adapter, and then start over from scratch, I can get it to work. But again, as soon as I lose the connection the first time, that is all she wrote. Anybody have any ideas?

I have the same problem with a Droid Incredible and my KCE-400BT (CDA-105 head unit).

I too had the Eris and it worked PERFECT. I had an HTC Touch before and it worked perfect. The Incred. will pair but like stated, If I turn off the car (stop and get out) I can only initiate a call from the phone. I can toggle the bluetooth of the PHONE off/on to make it pair correctly - but this is NOT how it should be. I'm on Firmware 2.51 of the KCE-400bt. Doesn't make a difference. I've also had the car radio shut off on me when talking to the Incredible AND actually had the Incredible shutdown and sort of lock up mysteriously when attempting to start a call (these are rare occurrences but it's happened twice). My phone is rooted and I've tried all sorts of Roms and they all work the same. I am leaning towards the phone being at fault but not quite sure. Alpine needs to update their firmware - definitely call them up and talk to support so they know more Android users are looking for official support and an updated firmware!

 

[joyceala]

Hey there, just found your post, but I posted something in another forum on this topic. I answered some of your questions below but here is my post from the other. Maybe someone has some idea on this.

Hey stereo gurus!
I'm having a little issue with my bluetooth system. I have the alpine cda-9886 head unit hooked up with the kce-400bt bluetooth adapter and the special cable (forget what it is. think it's the kce-460e???).

Anyhow, I had an HTC Droid Eris phone and the bluetooth on it worked great. I could send/receive calls and stream audio just fine with it. Recently, I upgraded my phone to the DroidX. I can always seem to pair up the unit. Both the head unit and the phone see each other fine. The first time I connect the phone everything works great. It installs the phone book and I can make/receive calls and stream audio.

Then, if they become disconnected for any reason, like turning off the car or moving too far away, I cannot get them to work right. Well, really, work at all. They can still see each other but most of the time, they will not connect.

If I force a connection, sometimes it will, but it cannot access the phone book, or receive calls, or stream audio. If i turn off the car, remove the connection from the droidx, unplug the bluetooth adapter, and then start over from scratch, I can get it to work. But again, as soon as I lose the connection the first time, that is all she wrote. Anybody have any ideas?

I have the same problem with a Droid Incredible and my KCE-400BT (CDA-105 head unit).

I too had the Eris and it worked PERFECT. I had an HTC Touch before and it worked perfect. The Incred. will pair but like stated, If I turn off the car (stop and get out) I can only initiate a call from the phone. I can toggle the bluetooth of the PHONE off/on to make it pair correctly - but this is NOT how it should be. I'm on Firmware 2.51 of the KCE-400bt. Doesn't make a difference. I've also had the car radio shut off on me when talking to the Incredible AND actually had the Incredible shutdown and sort of lock up mysteriously when attempting to start a call (these are rare occurrences but it's happened twice). My phone is rooted and I've tried all sorts of Roms and they all work the same. I am leaning towards the phone being at fault but not quite sure. Alpine needs to update their firmware - definitely call them up and talk to support so they know more Android users are looking for official support and an updated firmware!

I had the same problem. Do not keep trying to use this with the same Alpine Bluetooth it will not work. I did the same thing. Alpine blames the phone. It's not the phone. I started out with the 400BT but i'm not sure of the version. It worked fine but I could only see numbers and not names in the phone book. So I had it changed to the next upgrade with new firmware did exactly what you said. So there was a chance that a newer unit with the correct firmware would work and it was put in, did the same thing as you said yours did. Went back to the store and they put in my first 400BT and again it works but I cannot read the names in the phone book. If you want the version that I have contacts Speakerworks and ask for Rob 714-997-9880. The people at Speakerworks are great and they did everything they could to make it work and they didn't charge me a dime!

 

[seanmcd]

I doubt speakerworks is going to help a random person with a BT problem.

I have no issues with phone books, names, etc. The issue is that when using my Droid Incredible, BT has to be toggled off/on on the phone to pair correctly. Once this is done, it works fine. There most likely isn't an issue with the BT module as it worked perfect with my previous Android phone which was the HTC Eris.

I've tried Firmware 2.0 and 2.51. I have not tried going back to 1.60 but may try that this weekend.

 

[seanmcd]

FYI !
I finally fixed my issue by updating the KCE-400BT to the original v160 firmware.


I was previously running v251. Now I can pair the phone initially (Droid Incredible), and no matter how many times I turn off the car it will pair automatically like it's supposed to! No more having to cycle BT on the phone!! dancedroid