HowTo: Install NavTool Smartphone Mirroring Interface (2011-2013 M)

[Ilya]

This HowTo is on how to install a NavTool Smartphone Mirroring Interface in a 2011-2013 Infiniti M37/M56 (may also apply to 2014+ Q70's).

After many years and discussions of how to accomplish getting Android Auto or other such technology into our cars, NavTool designed a module that allows us to mirror our phones to our cars. Other companies have similar modules but they seem to all require AUX inputs, etc. (update: this is also the case with this unit it turns out) which I don't believe Y51's have. Due to a discounted price due to Black Friday, I decided to pull the trigger and purchase the NAVSGF4.0-HDMI+NI4 kit from NavTool for like 50% off. To reiterate, this kit is for the 2011-2013 Infiniti M37 or M56. It *may* work for the 2014+ Q70 but they don't specify that. You'd have to cross reference the part numbers of the AV system in an 11-13 model to that of a 14+ model.

*Disclaimer* - I am not liable for anything you do to your car. This is just a basic walk through and the steps that I followed to get this connected. Additionally, this HowTo is only for making the physical connection of the NavTool unit to the car. I will not be covering how to set up phone mirroring, updating, etc. although I may invariably, due to my background in IT, provide unofficial support or tips (but don't expect that ). If you need support on how to use the NavTool unit, please contact their support team.

Task: Install the NavTool NAVSGF4.0-HDMI+NI4 kit on a 2011-2013 Infiniti M37/M56
Time: A couple of hours working cautiously
Prerequisite: You must remove your radio. If your radio is still in your dashboard, please follow this guide: Link
Tools/Supplies Needed:

• Wire strippers
• Electrical tape
• (optional) 16-18 gauge wire in red/black for running an external switch and connecting an in-line fuse holder for protection
• (optional) two terminal on/off toggle switch

Process:

1) First, we need to take the NavTool secondary harness (black plug with 7 wires coming out of it) and tape off the green, orange and gray wires like so:




2) Next, now that we have the radio out of the car, we need to find the 20-pin and 32-pin connectors that we will use to tap for various signals. The easiest way to do this is to look at the back of the radio and count the pins and then match it to whatever connector was in that spot. Here is a picture of the back of a 2011 Infiniti M56x (with Bose & Navigation) radio and where the 32-pin and 20-pin connectors go (note: if you don't have the same packages as me, you may have a slightly different radio unit).



3) Here is the pin out chart for these connectors from the Factory Service Manual and what wires we will be tapping into:




4) Here are the two factory connectors along with the wires we have to tap using our quick connect taps:






5) Here are the connections we need to make (disregard NavTools documentation in the PDF titled 'NI4', it is - I'm assuming - for a G35 and the pin numbers are incorrect although the locations are correct):

Note: main harness = harness with gray connector, secondary harness = harness with black connector that plugs into main harness

NavTool Main Harness White/Gray Wire --> Pin 7 on the 20-pin connector (purple or violet wire - ACC) (see next step on this though for more information of how I did it)
NavTool Secondary Harness Red Wire --> Pin 19 on 20-pin Connector (yellow wire - Battery)
NavTool Secondary Harness Black Wire --> Pin 20 on the 20-pin connector (black wire - Ground)
NavTool Secondary Harness White Wire --> Pin 74 on the 32-pin connector (pink wire - CAN-L)
NavTool Secondary Harness Yellow Wire --> Pin 90 on the 32-pin connector (blue wire - CAN-H)


6) Now, we need to take a look at that ACC wire. This wire needs to be 'switched' per NavTool, so I bought an on/off toggle switch from Walmart. I connected my ACC wire like so:

NavTool Main Harness White/Gray Wire --> toggle switch --> Pin 7 on the 20-pin connector

I made all of the wires long enough (using 16 gauge wire from Walmart) so I can store the toggle switch somewhere that isn't behind the radio lol. I have not decided on my permanent location for these yet.

7) Lastly, you need something like a Google Chromecast to mirror your phone to the NavTool. However, keep in mind the following caveats:

• You will not have audio when streaming - NavTool *may* have a solution for this but I removed the device before I was able to figure this out
• You will need a mobile hot spot in your car or to make sure you have hot spot tethering enabled on your phone to utilize the Chromecast while on the road

[JCesar]

Oh heck yeah! I can't wait for this!!!

[Ilya]

Okay, so good news...I was able to get this thing connected and mirroring my phone to my screen. However, and I've reached out to their support for this, there are a few issues that I'm hoping aren't limitations of the unit but my fault:

1) If I'm casting my phone to the Chromecast that is hidden in my car, I can see the video but I get no audio.
2) Sometimes when I switch back to the factory screen input, the screen is flickering
3) Also with the screen, the screen gets a bit of temporary image retention almost immediately. It's crazy. I work in IT so I've been using monitors and screens my entire adult life and I've never seen anything like it. After about a minute to a minute and a half, the image goes away but if you leave your phone sitting at your home screen for 30 seconds, you'll see some retention.
4) There doesn't seem to be a way to connect to the Chromecast without a wifi network being present but NavTool swore I could do it (so I could cast on the go and use Waze, etc.). I know there is the guest method but that is only for phones that weren't used to setup the Chromecast...maybe I'll try this when my wife is back in town from her phone and see if I can connect my phone as guest without needing my hotspot turned on - THIS IS THE DEAL BREAKER FOR ME

I'll update post #2 in the AM or later in the day depending on work and wait for their support to get back to me.

[paranoidjack]

Great job Ilya. You did such a good job writing it up, I might do it myself. I used to be a MECP installer, but that was a lifetime ago and I don't bend like I used to. This one doesn't look that bad, thanks for taking the time and looking forward to resolution.

[Ilya]

Great job Ilya. You did such a good job writing it up, I might do it myself. I used to be a MECP installer, but that was a lifetime ago and I don't bend like I used to. This one doesn't look that bad, thanks for taking the time and looking forward to resolution.

I'll update the post but the quick-taps were no go. They couldn't pierce the OEM wire which was too small. I had to go the OLD school way and just cut back some of the wire casing or whatever (it's nearly 2AM, I can't think of the word) and just loop the NavTool wire around it a bunch of times and electrical taped it.

Otherwise, yeah, the install was relatively simple. I spent more time looking at the FSM and figuring out what wires I needed because their instructions were for a G37 and not an M although the wire colors are the same, the pin #'s aren't.

I'm a little bummed but hopefully their support helps out. So far they've been less then stellar and seem to be foreign even though they are based in Staten Island. I'm a foreigner myself (born in Ukraine) but I get the 'outsourced' vibe from them.

[Ilya]

I have asked for an RMA and refund. This isn't an option for me personally. In order to get audio working, you need to have AUX in the car which we don't have (I have the top of the line package). This has been the issue with other companies and such modules, they all need AUX for some reason.

It sucks but we'll have to continue waiting...

Similar to how a couple of us were pioneers for installing the Grom Audio AUX/USB connection on our Y50's (which ended up being garbage) and then the community wound up with a much better USA Spec. unit (PA15-NIS or PA15-INFI) as an alternative, the same will eventually happen. Someone will learn from NavTools lack of features, etc. and make something better down the road. We just have to be patient. I know this though, my next car will absolutely have a requirement of having Android Auto.

[paranoidjack]

You could still go FM modulation for an "Aux" input. That's a real shame though.

[paranoidjack]

What about this? more money but seems to fit the bill.

[Ilya]

You could still go FM modulation for an "Aux" input. That's a real shame though.

That wouldn't work for my situation either. Because I have a Pixel 2 XL and they told me in order to mirror wirelessly I'd need to use a Chromecast (I initially ordered the wireless mirroring add-on but they removed it from the order and said it wouldn't work for me), when you cast in Android it sends Video & Audio to the Chromecast. So I can't open Google Play music on the phone and send that to the FM device and then output the video (Waze/Google Maps) to the NavTool input. It's everything or nothing.

For example, right now I can have my iPod playing and then the video coming from my phone. But if I switch my radio source to BT (like I usually do for streaming Google Play Music from my phone to my car), it doesn't play anything because all audio on my phone is being sent to the Chromecast and NavTool doesn't have any way to pass that audio on to the speakers from what I see.

Hopefully I explained that well enough...

Maybe one day Google will update the casting technology so you can pick if you want to cast video, cast audio or cast everything. I can't believe that isn't an option already. If that was too happen, this device would work.

Or, companies making these devices could just include an audio processor on the chip and then have their harness tie into the speaker wires, etc. That seems pretty straight forward as well from my limited electrical experience (so it may not be lol).

What about this? more money but seems to fit the bill.

I think you forgot the link :P

[BoZman]

You could still go FM modulation for an "Aux" input. That's a real shame though.

Jack, you obviously don't have a full understanding of FM modulation. I have forgotton more about FMM today than you have or will ever know about it. A properly installed HSCDM/RLGMCD (High Speed Cable Driver Modem with a Remote Loop Group Multiplexing Cable Driver) with FMM capabilities is by far the most efficient, reliable and highest quality way to achieve an "Aux" input. The only "shame" is that you presume to make qualified statements offered as legitimate advice on this forum when it is obvious that you are woefully underqualified to do so.

[Ilya]

You could still go FM modulation for an "Aux" input. That's a real shame though.

Jack, you obviously don't have a full understanding of FM modulation. I have forgotton more about FMM today than you have or will ever know about it. A properly installed HSCDM/RLGMCD (High Speed Cable Driver Modem with a Remote Loop Group Multiplexing Cable Driver) with FMM capabilities is by far the most efficient, reliable and highest quality way to achieve an "Aux" input. The only "shame" is that you presume to make qualified statements offered as legitimate advice on this forum when it is obvious that you are woefully underqualified to do so.

First off, welcome to the forum.

Second, make another post like this attacking someone OR someones knowledge (even if you disagree) right off the bat and you will be gone before you even warm your forum seat up (figuratively speaking). Got it? There was no reason for the tone you used in your post. Don't do it again.

[pedsemdoc]

HSCDM/RLGMCD (High Speed Cable Driver Modem with a Remote Loop Group Multiplexing Cable Driver) with FMM capabilities is by far the most efficient, reliable and highest quality way to achieve an "Aux" input.

whaaaatt??!!! obviously this person has some knowledge, but how easy is it to get one of the above item(s)? And can it sound that good compared to say a direct cable??? I obviously don't know what I'm talking about.

ParanoidJack is right, it is a shame that the Navtool is a bust. Sure would like a plug and play solution to this problem - you get spoiled when driving in a car that's got CarPlay or Android Auto. The new Grom product seems like it works in other manufacturers vehicles and some select Nissan/Infiniti, but their initial products for our cars pretty much sucked....so unless they went back to the drawing board and worked this new tech from the ground up - I'm skeptical until I see one of our members review it.

[Ilya]

Seriously. I can't believe none of these companies who produce these modules haven't taken a car with AndroidAuto which just uses a simple USB cable (my brothers 2017 Audi A6 for example) and just reverse engineered it. The Chinese do it for American tech all the time. Why do they need AUX inputs? Why do they need HDMI? Just build a wire harness that is plug'n'play that hijacks the signal for say audio and pipe in your video input via a switch like the NavTool. When I got the NavTool, I figured the harness would just be a Y...the factory harness connects at the 'bottom of the y' and then is split to the NavTool unit on one side and the radio on the other. Then, when you switch inputs, it just redirects the signal. Again, I'm probably over simplifying it but I can't imagine that someone who is an electrical engineer or whatever can't design something like that and bring it to life. Seems they are over complicating the issue.

That being said, I will check out the GROM. I guess they did come around a bit with some bluetooth stuff, so maybe after I tore em a new one on the M35 forum they got wind of it that people thought their product sucked and fixed it up.

EDIT: It seems like this is the GROM VLine product that fits our cars (it lists the M35/M45 2011-2013 as the years lol - they do list the 14-17 Q70 as well): https://gromaudio.com/store/vline/selec ... ystem.html

Bit steep. I've contacted GROM to see if I can be a (heavily discounted) guinea pig for them and see if their unit will fit our needs and throw some more sales their way.

[paranoidjack]

Jack, you obviously don't have a full understanding of FM modulation. I have forgotton more about FMM today than you have or will ever know about it. A properly installed HSCDM/RLGMCD (High Speed Cable Driver Modem with a Remote Loop Group Multiplexing Cable Driver) with FMM capabilities is by far the most efficient, reliable and highest quality way to achieve an "Aux" input. The only "shame" is that you presume to make qualified statements offered as legitimate advice on this forum when it is obvious that you are woefully underqualified to do so.

First off, welcome to the forum.

Second, make another post like this attacking someone OR someones knowledge (even if you disagree) right off the bat and you will be gone before you even warm your forum seat up (figuratively speaking). Got it? There was no reason for the tone you used in your post. Don't do it again.

LOL - Ilya, beware the troll! He's a DATSUN GUY that I know in real life, a good fishing buddy...I trolled him on one of his Datsun threads recently. I didn't think his old school brain could find us on the Infiniti floor. Hehe...says his '71 Datsun is faster than our M56's...sorry, back on topic...

Ilya, it's crazy that no one makes it. I see what you mean about the FM not working since you're on the other input for the android display. Surprising that for cars like ours this technology is beyond reach. I would expect it from a Datsun.

[Ilya]

Ahh okay, thanks for the background...he could have put an 'lol' or something at the end lol.

[mrnix]

Ahh okay, thanks for the background...he could have put an 'lol' or something at the end lol.

I saw it the same way you did, needlessly harsh out of the blue. Glad it wasn't.

Sucks that the screen mirroring didn't work out, I'd have been interested in trying it as well.

[Ilya]

Ahh okay, thanks for the background...he could have put an 'lol' or something at the end lol.

I saw it the same way you did, needlessly harsh out of the blue. Glad it wasn't.

Sucks that the screen mirroring didn't work out, I'd have been interested in trying it as well.

I'm waiting for my other device to arrive...stay tuned for an update on that.