[apex72]

I know others have addressed this, but thought I would share my experience adding wireless CarPlay and an aftermarket wireless charging pad to my ‘22 RTL-E:

The OEM wireless charger never worked, I took it to the dealer recently and they replaced it but the new one didn’t work either, so I bought the one above from Amazon (about $22) that has been recommended by others on the forum. It works perfectly every time. I didn’t love that it had a white logo, so I tried to cover as much as I could with a Sharpie to make it less noticeable.

I removed the OEM charging coils (which seemed quite robust for being as crappy as it is) and used the wiring going to it to connect the Scosche USB adapter which the wireless pad plugs into. I bought the adapter directly from Scosche, it was about $25 delivered - there are cheaper things available on Amazon, but some reviews said they stopped working and in some cases even melted, so I thought it was worth spending a bit more on something that has been tested and reliable.

Finally, I purchased the Ottocast U2-X Pro for wireless CarPlay. I bought this one because it had some recommendations on this site and a good review video on YouTube. I liked that it supported multiple phones, and Android, and boots up quickly. I bought it directly from Ottocast, normally $149 but on sale for $109 delivered. One thing to note, if you add a wireless unit like this, you need to “forget” the truck in your phone’s Bluetooth settings, so the dongle and head unit don’t try to compete with one another.

After a few drives I am really pleased with how everything turned out.

 

[EastTX]

Did you just disconnect the oem wireless charger or take it out ? I had an idea to put a MagSafe charger in that spot by replacing the OEM pad with the factory plastic on lower trims but wasn’t sure how much of a pain it would be.

 

[nimajneb]

Did you just disconnect the oem wireless charger or take it out ? I had an idea to put a MagSafe charger in that spot by replacing the OEM pad with the factory plastic on lower trims but wasn’t sure how much of a pain it would be.

I've been thinking about double sided taping a Magsafe charger in my truck. LIke foam tape or such, I don't know what it's called.

 

[IMRIDGELINE]

I know others have addressed this, but thought I would share my experience adding wireless CarPlay and an aftermarket wireless charging pad to my ‘22 RTL-E:
View attachment 434151
View attachment 434154

The OEM wireless charger never worked, I took it to the dealer recently and they replaced it but the new one didn’t work either, so I bought the one above from Amazon (about $22) that has been recommended by others on the forum. It works perfectly every time. I didn’t love that it had a white logo, so I tried to cover as much as I could with a Sharpie to make it less noticeable.

I removed the OEM charging coils (which seemed quite robust for being as crappy as it is) and used the wiring going to it to connect the Scosche USB adapter which the wireless pad plugs into. I bought the adapter directly from Scosche, it was about $25 delivered - there are cheaper things available on Amazon, but some reviews said they stopped working and in some cases even melted, so I thought it was worth spending a bit more on something that has been tested and reliable.

Finally, I purchased the Ottocast U2-X Pro for wireless CarPlay. I bought this one because it had some recommendations on this site and a good review video on YouTube. I liked that it supported multiple phones, and Android, and boots up quickly. I bought it directly from Ottocast, normally $149 but on sale for $109 delivered. One thing to note, if you add a wireless unit like this, you need to “forget” the truck in your phone’s Bluetooth settings, so the dongle and head unit don’t try to compete with one another.

After a few drives I am really pleased with how everything turned out.

How difficult to access the wiring for wireless charger and did you have room to conceal all the supplied wire or did you have to shorten it? Also curious where you concealed the wireless CarPlay? Thx

 

[apex72]

Did you just disconnect the oem wireless charger or take it out ? I had an idea to put a MagSafe charger in that spot by replacing the OEM pad with the factory plastic on lower trims but wasn’t sure how much of a pain it would be.

I took out the actual charging unit, but kept the pad the phone sits on in place for aesthetic purposes. I could have left the charging coils in place too, but it made it a bit easier to fit the wire for the new pad with it out. Four screws allow you to remove the full charging unit, then there are four small screws holding the charging coils to the trim pad, then just re-affix the trim piece to the underside of the console.

 

[apex72]

How difficult to access the wiring for wireless charger and did you have room to conceal all the supplied wire or did you have to shorten it? Also curious where you concealed the wireless CarPlay? Thx

It is very easy. Open your retractable console, then get your fingers under the trim (just behind where the auto shut off and drive mode buttons are and pull up to release some clips. You do need to finesse it a bit as you’re releasing the clips at the front of the cupholder/shift selector console. Once it is released, flip it over. There is a flat 8 pin (I think) connector that plugs into the factory wireless charger. The purple wire is the accessory 12V and black is the ground. It is like a cavern underneath that console, so I just sort of stuffed the wires down and out of the way.
For the wireless CarPlay dongle, I pulled off the panel under the glove compartment (easy) and pulled back the panel that is by the passenger’s left foot (easy). I used strong mounting tape to attach the dongle to the backside of that panel (being careful it or the wire wouldn’t catch on anything). It was a little bit of a challenge getting the left-foot panel to snap back in - I had to reach in from where the cupholder console was removed and apply pressure from both sides to get the fasteners to catch.

 

[DanJ]

Is this applicable on the 2021 sport?

 

[DesertG]

I know others have addressed this, but thought I would share my experience adding wireless CarPlay and an aftermarket wireless charging pad to my ‘22 RTL-E:
View attachment 434151
View attachment 434154

The OEM wireless charger never worked, I took it to the dealer recently and they replaced it but the new one didn’t work either, so I bought the one above from Amazon (about $22) that has been recommended by others on the forum. It works perfectly every time. I didn’t love that it had a white logo, so I tried to cover as much as I could with a Sharpie to make it less noticeable.

I removed the OEM charging coils (which seemed quite robust for being as crappy as it is) and used the wiring going to it to connect the Scosche USB adapter which the wireless pad plugs into. I bought the adapter directly from Scosche, it was about $25 delivered - there are cheaper things available on Amazon, but some reviews said they stopped working and in some cases even melted, so I thought it was worth spending a bit more on something that has been tested and reliable.

Finally, I purchased the Ottocast U2-X Pro for wireless CarPlay. I bought this one because it had some recommendations on this site and a good review video on YouTube. I liked that it supported multiple phones, and Android, and boots up quickly. I bought it directly from Ottocast, normally $149 but on sale for $109 delivered. One thing to note, if you add a wireless unit like this, you need to “forget” the truck in your phone’s Bluetooth settings, so the dongle and head unit don’t try to compete with one another.

After a few drives I am really pleased with how everything turned out.

That is interesting. I have never heard anyone satisfied with the wireless CarPlay adapters. I would be curious how it works when navigating using Waze, and listening to Apple Music and then having a phone call come in.

 

[apex72]

Is this applicable on the 2021 sport?

My guess is the wiring would be there for the wireless charger, but if not you could get 12V elsewhere in the vicinity. I'm pretty certain the Sport’s stereo doesn’t support CarPlay. However, you would have a much easier time replacing your stereo in the Sport than in the RTL-E and Black Edition if you wanted to.

 

[apex72]

That is interesting. I have never heard anyone satisfied with the wireless CarPlay adapters. I would be curious how it works when navigating using Waze, and listening to Apple Music and then having a phone call come in.

I’m not sure on that, have never used Waze. Apple and Google Maps have worked, phone calls are fine, Sirius, Stitcher, Amazon Music all sound great, text message notifications pop up and can be listened to (which is humorous).

 

[rahtx]

That is interesting. I have never heard anyone satisfied with the wireless CarPlay adapters. I would be curious how it works when navigating using Waze, and listening to Apple Music and then having a phone call come in.

At least a few of us have had pretty good luck with the wireless adapter model mentioned in the first post of this thread:

Wireless CarPlay conversion and wireless charging under $120

Today I added wireless CarPlay with a clean installation and an adapter from Amazon, then added a wireless charger in the tray in the console. Clean easy install… no cutting no wiring just plug and tuck away a wire. I did have to link carphone to adapter and now it connects in under 30 seconds...

www.ridgelineownersclub.com

I use Waze and Spotify at the same time every day. Although I've answered and made a few calls and it's been fine, I prefer not to talk on the phone while driving, so can't really comment on that with too much authority.

I'm pretty certain the Sport’s stereo doesn’t support CarPlay.

CarPlay is standard, even for us Sport trim peasants

Vehicle Specifications | 2021 Honda Ridgeline | Honda Owners Site

Find detailed specifications and information for your 2021 Honda Ridgeline.

owners.honda.com

 

[BlackPenguin]

I recently hooked up an Ottocast U2-Air (CarPlay only) and disabled Bluetooth. It has been working fine also.
The boot up time is about 35 seconds, after pressing the engine start button. It comes up within 5 seconds after the Honda system finishes booting up.
As for the mounting, I used double-side velcro and mount it on the ceiling of the wireless charging space, leaving the wireless charging area still available.

 

[stanltod]

This is great info regarding the wireless charging pad. Mine has never worked well enough to make it worth the aggravation of trying to use it. My dealer offered to replace it but I declined because I know it won't be any better. Not right that we have to do this out of pocket but not much else to do except complain until Honda has a fix. This is one of only 4 complaints I have about my R. It's still a great vehicle and the perfect truck for my needs.

 

[securityguy]

That is interesting. I have never heard anyone satisfied with the wireless CarPlay adapters. I would be curious how it works when navigating using Waze, and listening to Apple Music and then having a phone call come in.

Then you haven't read many of the posts on the topic. The Autobox and Ottocast are the two top units that work best in these trucks. I used WAZE every day and never a hiccup with my Autobox. carlinkit and CarPlay2Air were the worst of the group. I tested them all and landed on the Autobox.

 

[securityguy]

Is this applicable on the 2021 sport?

Most likely you will have no wiring harness, but should be easy to install and steal power from another source as @apex72 stated above. Easy install!

 

[stanltod]

Does anyone have a pic of the underside of the OEM charging pad once removed? I have been wondering if the guts could be replaced with better electronics while still being able to use the factory pad. Charging pad electronics (tiny circuit board and charging coil) are readily available for less than $5 if it's possible to swap them out, even if it takes a little bit of modding.

 

[apex72]

Does anyone have a pic of the underside of the OEM charging pad once removed? I have been wondering if the guts could be replaced with better electronics while still being able to use the factory pad. Charging pad electronics (tiny circuit board and charging coil) are readily available for less than $5 if it's possible to swap them out, even if it takes a little bit of modding.

I’m guessing you’d like to see it still attached to the console, but here’s what I have. First photo is the underside, second is the top of the charging unit.

 

[AzNorthridge]

That is interesting that it has 3 charging coils and it still won't charge a cell phone!

 

[stanltod]

Perfect apex!! Thank you. That's great how easily the charging unit detaches. I went back earlier and re-read your how-to post and I thought it would be something like the pix from what you described. So, I can buy a cheap chinese charging coil for under $10 that charges better than a $200 OEM charging unit. Maybe it's Gauss' Law and Coulomb's Law in action and the induced current is cancelling or weakening itself with the 3 overlapping coils. Maybe they have TOO MANY coils working (if one is good, more is better?) 🤓🤷‍♀️. I dunno, didn't take those classes in school. At any rate, this is extremely helpful so I'm prepared for what I'll find lurking beneath.

 

[securityguy]

That is interesting that it has 3 charging coils and it still won't charge a cell phone!

My exact thoughts too!!!