Alpine ships first wireless CarPlay receiver

There are now two ways to get a wireless CarPlay system in your vehicle: purchase the 2017 BMW 5 Series sedan, or pick up the Alpine iLX-107 receiver. At $900 retail, the second option represents a significant cost savings and the unit can be installed in almost any vehicle. Alpine is the first to offer an aftermarket CarPlay solution with wireless support.

Despite the fact that Apple introduced CarPlay over Wi-Fi a couple of years ago, CarPlay receivers to date have depended on a Lightning connection to interact with the iPhone. With wireless CarPlay, the Alpine iLX-107 automatically recognizes the most frequently paired iPhone and connects. Of course, owners of the iLX-107 have the option to use a Lightning cable with the receiver.

Users can interact with CarPlay via the backlit 7-inch capacitive touch screen, or by invoking Siri with a dedicated hard button. Alpine highlights several features of the iLX-107 head unit:

- 50 Watts x 4
- 3 Pre-Outs (2V)
- Compatible with Alpine TuneIt App for iPhone
- 9-band parametric EQ
- 6-channel time correction set by Alpine TuneIt App
- MediaXpander
- Accessory Control Ready (KAC-001 Required)
- Keep factory controls with iDatalink Maestro Module
- Steering wheel remote control ready
- 1 camera (composite) input

Once installed, CarPlay can be used to navigate, make and receive phone calls, control music, dictate messages and more. Third-party apps including Pandora and Spotify are supported, as well as in-car accessories such as back-up cameras and lights. The Alpine iLX-107 requires iPhone 5 or later.