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Old 05-11-2013, 11:07 PM   #1
deanesn
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Default Install Parrot Asteroid Smart + Unika in 2011 WRX

I've seen some fellow subys have installed the Parrot Asteroid Smart in their cars but I figured I will do a little write up on some of the frustrations I encountered during mine in hope that others won't have go through.

Let me start by saying the Parrot Asteroid Smart is a very nice unit. The unit has everything I needed and if it didn't have it out of the box I got it myself later one. A good example is the stock iGO maps just plain suck, but I have gotten myself Sygic navigation installed and I love it. Ok, let's moving on.

The install of the Parrot unit itself was very easy and I won't do any write up on that since anybody can figure that out. For my install I contacted SVXdc (David) and I got the 20-pin forward harness with 3 SWC cables for the steering wheel buttons. I want to thank SVXdc for making my life easier with his harness. Very nice guy, quick responses and fast shipping. Just awesome. Like I said the Parrot unit was a breeze to install and I got it up and running in less than an hour. Ones I got that working I used it for a couple days and I realized that I will definitely need the steering wheel media buttons to work. Since Parrot Asteroid Smart does not have any physical buttons other than the power button it is really annoying to control volume on the unit while driving. So I tried to get the Unika unit that is needed to get any steering wheel buttons to work with the Parrot Asteroid Smart. And no, Metra will not work so give up on that idea. Parrot are based in Europe so they have partnered up with Paser (manufacture of Unika) which are big company like PAC and Metra here in the US and Unika is the only device that will work with Parrot at least for now. I ordered my Unika unit from Amazon and few days later my order was canceled and my money returned because they didn't have it. Later I tried to get it through TigerDirect but called customer service before I bought it and I was told that 9 were left and again few days later my order was canceled and money returned. Finally called Crutchfield and asked if they have Unika and they did and I got it few days later. This where all my headaches began. The instructions with the Unika unit are worthless but I hope I can help here. I've found this diagram online that was created by Parrot or Paser and let me tell you that it was wrong, but I have corrected the diagrams and also made the right colors of cables that came with SVXdc's harness. EDIT: David pinged me by email and made these nice diagrams. I had originally screwed the position of the cables in my. Also he was nice enough to make one for those without BT buttons.


Do note that the diagram is looking from back of the our stock 20-pin connector. Also 2011 Subarus use resistive communication and not CAN so don't try to set the dip switches on Unika to CAN communications.
So, you need to take Unika V1 cable and connect with RED/BROWN(pin 4) cable, Unika GND goes to BLACK/GROWN(pin 14) cable and Unika AUX1 goes to BLUE/BROWN(pin 13). Also you need to hook up Unika with power so you will need to connect Unika to ACC and IGN power cables from your harness. The 4-pin small connector from Unika that goes in the back of Parrot has red cable that gets power from Parrot but the voltage is only 3.5V and it is not enough to power Unika.
I hope this is simple enough to understand. On the original diagram from Parrot/Paser it said use V1 and V2 and GND but that was wrong. V1 connected to the RED/BROWN cable will only give you 4 buttons which are VOL+, VOL-, FWD, RWD. Also let me say that the Modes A, B, C and D on Unika have nothing to do with the dip switches. The modes only mean how many buttons would get. We will only get 7 buttons out of all the 8 available. This is because Unika assigns Voice Command and Call Button to a single button. So when you are programming your buttons you will have to make a choice of which button will be the Call/Voice function. I assigned the Subaru Voice command button to be the Call/Voice button. The end call button functions as normal it end calls and it takes you to your home screen. The Unika will understand the resistive com from our Mode, Call, End Call and Voice through Unika's AUX1 cable. So you need to pair up AUX1 with BLUE/BROWN cable. Unika's GND cable pairs with our BLACK/BROWN. After connected just follow the instructions on how to program your buttons and you are all set.
Here are my cables connected from Unika to SVXdc's harness.

Here is how my dip switches are set.


This how I hooked up my AUX 3.5mm and USB. I actually reused the original Subaru media box that is in the center holder. I did buy aux adapter from Amazon and here is the link to http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003B01AHS/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I ended up reusing just a plain old USB extension cable with A Male to A Female. The USB extension fit perfectly in the media box ones I removed OEM Subaru USB and 3.5 AUX board. Here is what I did.



I have yet to decided if I want to widen the 3.5mm aux hole to shove iSimple Aux adapter all the way in but for right now it works perfectly. I have left some slack under my hand brake and I can pull the extension out if I needed and when done just shove it back in. It works for now but it's an eye sore. Well here are the final pics of how it looks in my car.



I hope this helps anybody that decides to buy the Parrot Asteroid Smart.
I am very happy with my Parrot even though it has a whole bunch of bugs. Like the biggest one is that when the unit completely goes off and when it is turned backs on again it will start playing your USB music from the begging. Parrot said they will fix this issue in the next update but I don't know when this will happen. I also have rooted mine and I have installed Google Play store and that is how I got Sygic Navigation. I also have installed ADW Launcher EX and Fuelio to keep track of my fuel consumption. I also have Google Maps but you will need to tether your phone's data in order for Google Maps to work.
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Last edited by deanesn; 06-20-2014 at 01:56 PM.
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Old 05-13-2013, 05:02 PM   #2
mdkflip
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This helps a lot! I have a Parrot being installed this weekend and I am sure I would have run into the same issues. Thanks for posting this.
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Old 05-15-2013, 09:21 AM   #3
deanesn
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Just as a side note. I was looking to buy the FujitsuTen unit for couple of months but there were no good deals on ebay. Also could not find the 28-pin connector and USB connector to make it work in my 2011 so I gave up on the FT idea and oh boy I am so glad. The Smart is much better unit than the FT. For those that are thinking about the FT I would recommend to just give up. Yes, the FT has CDs (oh no) HD radio and Sirius but other than that nothing else. The Smart has a lot more power and the stock speakers in my car sound much better now. If you can find FT for less than $300 go for it but it will likely cost more just to get it installed. I would recommend an aftermarket unit over it.
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Old 05-15-2013, 03:07 PM   #4
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Look here on retaining the factory armrest inputs - http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2379118. Thanks for the correct wiring diagram, swc's now working.
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Old 05-18-2013, 09:40 PM   #5
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I just got my Asteroid Smart installed as well. I love it so far, but I saw in your post that you installed Sygic. I was wondering how you went about doing that?
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Old 05-19-2013, 03:11 PM   #6
deanesn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdkflip View Post
I just got my Asteroid Smart installed as well. I love it so far, but I saw in your post that you installed Sygic. I was wondering how you went about doing that?
You have few options. Download sygic on your phone and copy the apk file on your pc then just copy it onto the smart sd card and install. The way i did it is by installing Google services and play store and i install it from there. There is a whole threat on xda-developers how to get play store on your unit. or Google parrot asteroid smart Google services.
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Old 06-18-2013, 01:19 PM   #7
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Just ordered my Asteroid Smart this morning along with the Axxess Metra, glad I read this because I was able to cancel the order before it shipped. Is this doable without the SVXdc harness?

Is this the device I am looking for?
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_333UNIKA/Parrot-UNIKA.html

Last edited by RR; 06-18-2013 at 02:17 PM. Reason: changed link
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Old 06-18-2013, 04:31 PM   #8
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Yes. I have the Smart in my 2011 WRX and it's a nice upgrade from stock. I want to put my 2011 base radio into a 2008 Impreza. Does someone know the correct part numbers for the armrest aux/usb (I tried a type C jack but the dealer gave me one with just aux) and for the harness that runs from the armrest to the radio? Dealer came up with one a foot long. Thanks.
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Old 06-18-2013, 05:31 PM   #9
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OK, Asteroid Smart, Unika, and Metra Radio Wiring Harness for Nissan 07-Up all should be here Thursday. That is all I should need to get this up and running correct?
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Old 06-18-2013, 06:27 PM   #10
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The Nissan harness (probably) won't have leads for your SWC. Some wont have a ground. Either get a harness from SVXdc or order a second harness and pull the pins from one to insert into the other.

The Nissan harness will lock into the Oem Subaru harness, but they don't give you all the leads that you will need.
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Old 06-19-2013, 09:51 AM   #11
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I'm looking for the stock parts and their numbers.
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Old 06-19-2013, 11:22 AM   #12
deanesn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RR View Post
Just ordered my Asteroid Smart this morning along with the Axxess Metra, glad I read this because I was able to cancel the order before it shipped. Is this doable without the SVXdc harness?

Is this the device I am looking for?
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_333UNIKA/Parrot -UNIKA.html
Yes that is the unit i got in my car and i got it from crutchfield also.

Yes it is doable SVXdc's harness but you will have to cut your stock harness which most of us don't want to do if we want to go back to stock radio. Essentially you solder parrot's leads to SVXdc's harnesses and that just plugs into your factory harness.

Last edited by deanesn; 06-19-2013 at 12:18 PM.
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Old 06-19-2013, 11:25 AM   #13
deanesn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RR View Post
OK, Asteroid Smart, Unika, and Metra Radio Wiring Harness for Nissan 07-Up all should be here Thursday. That is all I should need to get this up and running correct?
Yes. Not sure about how to wire nissan radio but wiring unika should be the same considering you figure out your leads.
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Old 06-19-2013, 11:53 AM   #14
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You can also get the UNIKA from Sonic Electronix. That's where I purchased mine. It's also 10 dollars cheaper than Crutchfield.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...rot-UNIKA.html
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Old 06-23-2013, 12:08 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrxeter View Post
The Nissan harness (probably) won't have leads for your SWC. Some wont have a ground. Either get a harness from SVXdc or order a second harness and pull the pins from one to insert into the other.

The Nissan harness will lock into the Oem Subaru harness, but they don't give you all the leads that you will need.
I've got it all wired up with Metra nissan harness (it does have a ground) but I have not connected the Unika yet because I don't have those leads.

I am thinking my best bet is to get a second Metra harness and pull the leads out that I need and connect them to my working harness. How can I gracefully pull them out, is there a trick to doing it and not damaging them?

Second question, coming out of the Parrot harness, there are two black grounds, one was wired into the ISO connector, the second has a barrel connector. I have connected the one that was going into the ISO to my subaru harness, do I need the second one or should I leave it unconnected?
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Old 06-23-2013, 05:14 PM   #16
deanesn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RR View Post

I've got it all wired up with Metra nissan harness (it does have a ground) but I have not connected the Unika yet because I don't have those leads.

I am thinking my best bet is to get a second Metra harness and pull the leads out that I need and connect them to my working harness. How can I gracefully pull them out, is there a trick to doing it and not damaging them?

Second question, coming out of the Parrot harness, there are two black grounds, one was wired into the ISO connector, the second has a barrel connector. I have connected the one that was going into the ISO to my subaru harness, do I need the second one or should I leave it unconnected?
I connected both grounds together.
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Old 06-23-2013, 05:38 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deanesn View Post

I connected both grounds together.
Did you connect the green parking brake wire to the two grounds as well?
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Old 06-23-2013, 11:45 PM   #18
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Quote:
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Did you connect the green parking brake wire to the two grounds as well?
No. I just ran that one to behind the shifter. There are 2 bolts i connected it to one of them.
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Old 06-24-2013, 12:49 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RR View Post
I've got it all wired up with Metra nissan harness (it does have a ground) but I have not connected the Unika yet because I don't have those [SWC] leads.

I am thinking my best bet is to get a second Metra harness and pull the leads out that I need and connect them to my working harness. How can I gracefully pull them out, is there a trick to doing it and not damaging them?
It is possible to extract the wires/terminals. You would need to find or make an extraction tool (the specifics depend on which style of plastic shell your Metra harness has -- there have been at least two flavors).

If you order something else from me, I may be able to supply wires with the proper terminals you can snap into the empty slots on your Metra harness. Contact me by e-mail (not PM) for details -- see my profile page.
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Old 06-24-2013, 12:50 AM   #20
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See my additional wiring notes in post #40, below.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RR View Post
Second question, coming out of the Parrot harness, there are two black grounds, one was wired into the ISO connector, the second has a barrel connector. I have connected the one that was going into the ISO to my subaru harness, do I need the second one or should I leave it unconnected?
Quote:
Originally Posted by RR View Post
Did you connect the green parking brake wire to the two grounds as well?
The black wire that goes into the ISO connector is the only one you need for the HU.

The second wire (terminated with a female bullet connector) has a smaller-gauge wire. Parrot's wiring diagram (in their Quick Start Guide) shows that not connected to anything. However, you might notice that the HU's green parking brake lead conveniently has a male bullet connector. Hmmm...

Last edited by SVXdc; 08-06-2013 at 04:47 AM.
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Old 06-24-2013, 12:47 PM   #21
RR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SVXdc View Post
The black wire that goes into the ISO connector is the only one you need for the HU.

The second wire (terminated with a female bullet connector) has a smaller-gauge wire. Parrot's wiring diagram (in their Quick Start Guide) shows that not connected to anything. However, you might notice that the HU's green parking brake lead conveniently has a male bullet connector. Hmmm...
haha, i completely missed that. I snipped them both and grounded them, oh well. I installed it last night, it looks terrible because of the gaps, I ordered the bezel today.

Initial observations, radio reception is miserable and iGO voice navigation is obnoxious however this is only based on my 20 minute ride into work this morning.
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Old 06-24-2013, 02:40 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RR View Post

haha, i completely missed that. I snipped them both and grounded them, oh well. I installed it last night, it looks terrible because of the gaps, I ordered the bezel today.

Initial observations, radio reception is miserable and iGO voice navigation is obnoxious however this is only based on my 20 minute ride into work this morning.
Radio reception could be better but seems everyone has this issue. As far as the igo maps they are ugly and worthless. I tried sygic and copilot and ended up buying copilot because it was only $8.
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Old 06-24-2013, 03:47 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deanesn View Post
Radio reception could be better but seems everyone has this issue. As far as the igo maps they are ugly and worthless. I tried sygic and copilot and ended up buying copilot because it was only $8.
Radio reception may end up being a deal breaker for me. I'll give it a week or so but may try to return it.
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Old 06-24-2013, 05:07 PM   #24
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Radio reception comes and goes, it's a crapshoot some days. I usually use the usb for listening.

Does someone have the part numbers for the stock harness that runs from the 2011 factory radio to the armrest usb/aux port? Also the part number for the type c jack that has the usb and aux ports.
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Old 06-24-2013, 07:55 PM   #25
RR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RR View Post

Radio reception may end up being a deal breaker for me. I'll give it a week or so but may try to return it.
Update: I just connected the blue parrot wire to the blue and white metra wire, radio works much better now.
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