Once connected you mirror your device (using the built in function in IOS and Android). So, how does it work? Well once installed (and you do need to have a multimedia adaptor already installed) it generates a wifi network in your car that you connect to with your phone. With this unit it can now be displayed on your iDrive screen. Let’s say you have an app on your phone that shows 0-60 times or braking force or even OBDII data such as oil temp, pressure, turbo boost, etc. Besides showing Facebook, twitter, texts, internet browsing there are other cool aspects. One of my favorite features is the ability to mirror apps. It’s much nicer to watch on your iDrive screen then holding your phone in your hand for a while! And yes, if you have video in motion enabled your passenger can watch while you drive NBC allows mirroring) or even a video you have downloaded. Now, for those that have kids (or have to wait for a significant other while you are in the car) you can stream live TV (e.g. Even those with NBT units the album art doesn’t always work passed the first song. Now I can play my music through the car, see it on the iDrive screen and get the album art. With the CIC units I can’t (unless I use the USB) but I like to see it from streaming sources such as Spotify, Pandora and Amazon Prime. I also like to use alternatives such as Waze. Now your navigation comes up on your iDrive. Once connected (which I’ll go over) you just grab your phone, find the location and then mirror. So, by using SmartView I can do just that. Also, when searching for something on my phone it easy to click directions and then the navigation process begins. Additionally, since I have a CIC unit the “send to car” feature is no longer available (no more 2G) and now I have to type things in manually instead of ending from Google. Well, I have navigation so you might ask what more I could do with this unit? First, while the BMW navigation is good I do prefer google maps. I don’t like phone mounts so this is a much more integrated approach that looks totally factory when you are using it. Being able to have your phone navigation (with sound) play through your iDrive screen and car audio is great. Now the most common use for this is mirroring navigation software (Waze, Google Maps, etc.) If you have a non-navigation vehicle this is a huge plus. The only limitation is content that is DRM protected like Netflix and YouTube (although there are YouTube alternatives that work) won’t mirror. So, what does this basically do? For those that don’t know the device lets you mirror whatever is on your Android or IOS device to your iDrive screen. I wanted to take some time to work with the unit before I posted and I would now like to highlight the features of this unit. This is a new UPDATED unit called the SmartView Pro with 5GHz WiFi. I recently installed the BimmerTech Smartview unit my 2011 F25 X3. BimmerTech SmartView Pro Review - New updated unit - 5ghz WiFi
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