Contents
The topicality
Nowadays, such devices have become very popular among motorists, because you can significantly extend the functionality of the audio player for little money. For example, if you have the most cheap and old player and the transmitter, you can listen to the music from the flash drive.
It works very simply. The transmitter is an independent small external device that is powered by a cigarette lighter socket. The gadget has a functional of a simple MP3 player with the possibility of playing the audio files from flash drives. It requires having the USB port or the slot for SD cards.
The difference between the simple player and this gadget is in the ability to broadcast the radio signal at a frequency that is understandable for any radio receiver.
You will only need to select the frequency in the gadget and set the same frequency on the player. You can control the music playback (change the song, pause, stop, play) on the transmitter.
This is certainly functional and comfortable, but the Bluetooth transmitter for Android will be better. This device will allow playing the music on the car stereo system directly from the phone, as if your player had the built-in Bluetooth. The FM modulator with Bluetooth for Android costs more than usual, but as a result, it is much cheaper than buying a new player with the same set of features.
The principle of connection
Next, we will show all the process of configuring the player, phone and modulator. These steps will serve as an introductory guide and may not match the specific model, since the configuration process may vary slightly on the devices of different manufacturers. In future, we advise to read the instruction, which is included with the transmitter.
- Connect the translator in your car's cigarette lighter socket.
- Turn it on and choose the Bluetooth mode (you can change the position of the switch on the device or choose the mode in the settings, depending on the model).
- Activate the Bluetooth on the phone and search for devices.
- Connect to the к FM translator by clicking its name in the list of found devices on the smartphone.
At this stage, your phone and the gadget are paired. You will see the headset icon in the notification bar of the smartphone. - Set the broadcasted frequency on the translator.
- Turn on your receiver (in the FM mode) and specify the same frequency.
At this stage, the setting is complete, and everything should be connected. Open any player on the smartphone, choose the desired song and play it. The playback control is performed on the phone’s player.
Results
Since we already have a general idea of such devices, let us describe pros and cons of such devices in comparison with the full-fledged multimedia systems in the car.
Pluses:
- The low cost.
- Versatility (it can be connected to any radio receiver).
- Compactness.
- Wide functionality (reading from flash drives, via AUX and Bluetooth).
- Portability (it fits in your pocket).
Minuses:
- Since the broadcast is performed via the radio, the sound will be the same as when listening to other radio stations. It cannot be compared with digital sound. However, on the inexpensive acoustics you will not feel much difference.
- The connection process takes more time, then if these functions were built in your player.
- The cigarette lighter socket will be occupied, because the translator will receive the power through it. You may have to purchase an additional splitter to the cigarette lighter.
- Your frequency can be caught by other drivers near you.
For whom this device is
Proceeding from all of the above, such a device can be useful for drivers that have a cheap acoustic system and player. For little money, such a device will add a functionality that is available in devices that are more expensive.
Drivers that have relatively expensive and qualitative dynamics will not be able to enjoy their opportunities using this transmitter, because the sound quality will be significantly worse, than when playing MP3 and other digital files directly.