CarPCgarage.com CarPCgarage.com

Custom Installations

If you choose to get your components installed through a custom installation shop, you'll potentially save yourself a lot of time, and you'll hopefully avoid the risk of an installation that leads to fried components. However, you'll also face your share of challenges, first in finding a custom installer, and then in affording one.

Plus there are potential pitfalls along the way - will your custom installation shop warantee their work? What if a component is damaged during installation? How long will the installation take?

Locating a custom installer

We haven't yet found any reliable custom shop that will meet all of our needs at anywhere near a reasonable price. But your mileage may vary, and it's possible you have better support in your area than we've found in ours, but here are a few recommendations for locating a custom installation shop:

1. Local Car PC Enthusiast Groups

Try to find a local Car PC enthusiast group - they should be able to point you in the right direction regarding any local shops that can help. You may even find a member of one of these groups who is willing to install your components for a price. Or you may just find out that it's not that hard to do-it-yourself. But no matter what the outcome, this is always the first place to check.

2. Local Car Audio Installation Shop

In general, any shop that installs car audio equipment should have more than enough experience wiring cars in general to be able to handle a car PC. But in general, they won't accept responsibility for damaged components, and you have to be careful that they don't just use taps into existing wiring for your high power devices. Again, YMMV, but this should be the second place you check.

News

News Archive
  • JavaOne 2007

    We have submitted a technical session proposal to the 2007 JavaOne conference titled: "Rev Up Your Car PC with Java Technology". The purpose of the presentation is to show the role of Java technology in the Car PC environment. We also intend to perform a live demonstration of the open-source CarPCgarage.com software if accepted. Check back mid-to-late February for an update on our status!

    UPDATE: JavaOne presentation outline, sample slides and more details are now available HERE!

  • Status Icons

    Status Icons are now available! Any component can issue status messages to the status manager, and the CarPCgarage.com application will automatically notify the user using a status icon in the header of the application.

Coming Soon

  • Bandwidth Optimizer

    Does your Car PC (like most) only have limited internet connectivity? Need to optimize the bandwidth available to synchronize your latest MP3s and video content? Then you'll love the "Bandwidth Optimizer" feature, which allows you to prioritize your downloads on a component by component basis. Check back at the beginning of March for an update on this feature!

  • GPS Server

    Need multiple applications or components to share your single GPS receiver? The "GPS Server" feature will allow you read NMEA coordinates from your GPS module and then re-broadcast the messages in real-time to any interested applications, effectively allowing you to share GPS location information with a variety of simultaneously running applications. Check back mid-March for an update on this feature!

  • Bluetooth Calls

    Soon you'll be able to initiate phone calls from the Contacts component using your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. Check back mid-April for an update on this feature!