Having a car is great. But what fun is it if you own a car with nothing to spice things up inside it? Let’s say you own an old car and it does not offer the bleeding-edge tech that new cars do nowadays. Do you buy a new car, or get some gadgets to help turn your car into a smart car? Not just the infotainment system, you can’t pump anything up inside your car with a ton of modern gadgets.
Let’s say you found a great deal on a used car on CarIndigo. But it’s an old model with no modern infotainment system. Or, you might own a modern car but still miss out on some nifty features. Consider fitting some of these incredible 10 gadgets inside your car:
Pioneer AVIC-W8500NEX
The AVIC-W8500NEX is an incredible head unit that replaces the entire old and crappy infotainment system of your car. It offers every modern infotainment feature you can ask for – from wired or wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM Radio, HD Radio, Bluetooth, Siri Eyes Free, Amazon Alexa, etc. It can also access YouTube and play FLAC audio files. It’s an incredible upgrade for almost any car.
Hudly
The Hudly is a portable heads-up display that can easily be installed in the dashboard, in front of the steering wheel. This cute little projector works very well as a HUD, displaying all the necessary information such as navigation directions, speed, etc near your windshield. This is very helpful if you do not want to take your eyes off the road for directions.
Garmin Speak Plus w/ Amazon Alexa
You must have already heard of Garmin if you have ever searched about GPS devices in cars. The Speak Plus is another one of their GPS devices, but it can do a lot more. For starters, it is a voice-only navigation device that will let you know when it’s time to take turns.
But it can do a lot more. Everything that an Amazon Echo can do, you can ask Alexa in this small device to do that as well, including playing the radio, songs, asking a question, etc. It also comes with a dashcam that can record incidents. Pretty cool.
Owl Car Cam
Similar to the Garmin Plus, the Owl Car Cam is also a dashcam, but it’s a “dedicated” dashcam. This can be really helpful if you want to record your drive. Just stick it on the windshield and off you go. It records everything, both outside and inside.
It’s got a 4G LTE connection, so your phone can easily access all the videos it records. Dashcams are extremely useful in the case of an accident, where you can show real video footage of the incident. This tiny little cam also offers two-way audio, for a great overall dashcam experience.
Viper SmartStart Pro
The SmartStart Pro is an incredible tool to install in your car. Once it is installed, you can use their app from your phone, from anywhere in the world, and get information about your car. It can do a lot of things – from telling the location of your car, to even unlocking and locking doors.
It can also warn you when you cross a certain speed limit if your car is not where it’s supposed to be, whether your car has a low battery and it can also enable Security Alarm and perform a ton of other stuff. But you need some professionals to install it for you.
Lanmodo Vast
This is one of those devices you could probably skip, but it can be very helpful for certain people. If you struggle with lesser than average eyesight, then installing this cam on your dashboard will provide a high-resolution image of the road ahead.
No matter how poor the visibility is up ahead, it will do its best to offer you a clear image of the road ahead. It also has a night vision for navigating in the dark, which is a big plus in our books. Also, you can get a rear-vision camera if you pay extra. It’s especially helpful for older drivers.
Cooluli Cooler & Warmer
Now, you might own one of those luxury cars that have in-built refrigerators. But that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying cool drinks (or hot) regardless of the car you drive. The Cooluli Electric Cooler and Warmer is a sweet device that is like a mini-fridge inside your car.
You can put cans or small bottles or glasses inside that are filled with your favorite beverage. It can both warm it or cool it, depending upon your choice. You can also put food inside it. It easily fits on top of the center armrest.
Aluratek Cassette Bluetooth Adapter
Your phone is surely not from the 1990s, but your car might be. In cars so old that do not even offer an auxiliary jack, the super cool gadget called Aluratek cassette Bluetooth adapter kicks in.
This is a Bluetooth adapter in the body of a good old cassette. All you need to do is simply plug it into the ancient car player and you can stream your favorite songs via Bluetooth! It is wireless, so you need to charge it, but it can also be directly plugged into the outlet while running. Pretty cool if you do not want to let go of your old car.
Nighthawk LTE Mobile Hotspot Router (AT&T)
Your car might be fairly new, but lots of new cars also skimp on the LTE mobile hotspot. Fear not, for you have a solution for that too. There are a lot of mobile hotspots out there, but one of the best is Netgear’s Nighthawk Mobile Hotspot Router.
It is for AT&T, and you have to look for other routers for other services. But this little thing works pretty well. Just put it in your car and it turns into a small hub for easy internet access. Now all your devices can connect via a single router inside your car. Pretty convenient.
Audiovox Headrest DVD Player
Another feature only luxury cars have to offer is the inclusion of entertainment systems, or screens, for the rear passengers. But nothing is quite like Audiovox’s product. It’s a 7” DVD Player (yes, DVD in 2021) that is integrated completely into the headrest.
It basically becomes a part of the seat. It takes DVD as input and offers a decent quality screen for viewing your passenger’s favorite movies, assuming you can find a DVD. It also works with headphones. Another cool device to evade boredom.
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