Linkswell GenII T-Style Radio...Don't waste your time

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

dnewman9

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Posts
204
Reaction score
35
Location
Lone Tree, CO.
I just finished removing my Linkswell Gen II Tesla style radio from my 2016 Plaptor. I have heard many people suggest Phoenix Android Radios have poor customer service, I can tell you that my experience with Linkswell has been lackluster at best. I think this unit is poorly executed junk and would recommend you save your money for a different solution.

Here is the rundown of why I took mine out and will be listing it on Ebay (Linkswell refuses to standby their product)

1. If you use polarized sunglasses the screen is black during the day. Let me be clear, not opaque, or slightly dim, BLACK! Using this system is by far more dangerous than texting and driving IMHO as everything you need to do is done via the GUI. I called this out to Linkswell and their response is the owner of the company can't see his iPhone and Apple isn't doing anything about that either? I tested my sunglasses (Maui Jim, Oakley and Ray Ban) on my iPhone, iPad, and a buddies Samsung and for some reason with any orientation I can see their screens as well as the factory deck just fine. With the Linkswell product you have to either remove your sunglasses every time you do something, or tilt your head to 45 degrees or shift around in the seat. At night the unit works fine. I think this is also made worse because they use a white on black theme fwiw. I know people will say their computer screen or phone or tablet does this however most of those you do not need to simply change a radio station or adjust the HVAC. And most of those have a slight filter that while the screen brightness is not great you can still see. VERY disappointing.

2. At the time I removed my unit HVAC controls were a mess, I had no heat on the drivers side at all, when I put the unit on HI or LO for heat or AC the fan would not spin up to the highest speed, the passenger cooled seat would turn on randomly and heated steering wheel would not work. I almost thought my blend door motor went bad but upon reinstalling the factory Ford APIM everything works fine again.

3. The radio reception with same antenna is horrible and channels that have worked fine cut in and out to other channels. Now full disclaimer, my antenna is not mounted to my Fiberwerx fenders, its under the hood, however with the factory system it works great with solid HD radio reception.

4. Random pop-ups. I have probably gone through 80% of the unit and randomly when pressing something like search in the radio or other actions, the Nav pops up. I am not sure how many different ways I can trigger this but I stopped trying to find it.

5. For you Ford guys out here I love seeing the screen icon for backup sensors or door ajar showing a Dodge truck. I understand this unit works in a multitude of vehicles but come on, I do not want to see a Dodge...

6. Customer support, while Walt and Jonathan were very helpful through the presales side of our short relationship, Linkswell is essentially telling me to pound sand on the polarization issue. I have emailed the other issues, ( I probably could email them daily with the new issues that pop up) and have not yet heard or of or received a fix. This was supposed to be why you paid a premium over Phoenix Android, I would not waste the money.

7. USB ports, they only way to us CarPlay is via a USB adapter they provide. This can only connect to their USB cable which you have to pull through your glove box or route some alternate way. The trucks factory USB does not work. From what I could tell, I could not charge my phone either via this connection. In addition, while CarPlay is active you can not hear the Radio, its one or the other. In fact many activities when you switch screens end the Radio, forcing you to go back and re-enable your Radio.

8. The menu system is overly complex and cumbersome. Full featured yes, they have a link to just about anything you want to do but it is very complex to use and navigate.

9. Voice commands, I could not simply hit the voice command button and say "call home"or as with carplay "Text John" from the main screen.
In order to do that you have to;
a. remove your sunglasses
b navigate to CarPlay
c. wait for CarPlay to launch.
d. say the command
e. return to the radio to have the music return.

Should you be corresponding with someone via text using the voice commands on the factory deck, I can press a button with my thumb, speak, send, revise and listen to music all the while keeping focus on driving. The contorted process via links well is again cumbersome and dangerous.

I am sure there are a dozen more things I found I could ding, overall other than the monochromatic color scheme the unit is well built with reasonable boot time, (about 2x as long as the factory deck) but still very reasonable. The software is VERY buggy in my opinion and I keep harping on this, the polarization of the screen is a huge issue that I truly think is dangerous. This is a small outfit, I would guess over time they will fix the defects however I would suggest avoiding this radio. I think the best part of the unit is the newfound appreciation I have for my factory deck!

I am happy to answer any questions, I had my unit in for 7-10 days with ˜2 hours of commuting and driving time per day.
Dennis
 

romeoz

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Posts
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Las Vegas
thanks for that review. I am expecting mine to be delivered Friday, I think I will refuse shipment and get my money back. I was worried about things you mentioned. thanks for the write up.
 
Top