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Adding BT speaker..

Expedition JT

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Hey guys I just picked up one of the Jeep Bluetooth speakers. Jeep does sell the dock for charging it. I was just curious if anyone knows if there is already wiring hidden behind the panel to install? Thanks!
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bolingde

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Hey guys I just picked up one of the Jeep Bluetooth speakers. Jeep does sell the dock for charging it. I was just curious if anyone knows if there is already wiring hidden behind the panel to install? Thanks!
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Expedition JT

Expedition JT

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I went to the dealer and you can purchase the docking station for almost 500$. He said he could do 360 since I bought the Jeep there.
 

bolingde

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I went to the dealer and you can purchase the docking station for almost 500$. He said he could do 360 since I bought the Jeep there.
Thanks, I don't know if I'd get that much use out of it, but it's good to know
 

pughboy2

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I ordered the speaker and doc. I Pulled the panel and there is no wiring back there that I can tell. I have the circuit for the charger and it has a fuse (according to the fuse-box).

The doc also gets a + and - from the amp but according to people who actually have the speaker it does not play through the radio even when docked so i have no idea why they wired it to the stereo.

The four wires leading to the doc are (1) switched 12-Volt (2) ground, and (3 & 4) the two from the amp. They may be all in the main harness that is right behind the speaker but without a plug it's pretty useless to try and strip them out especially since the + and - don't do anything. It will be super easy to wire the cradle to charge the speaker but i haven't decided if i'm going to keep the unit or send it back in favor of a much cheaper (albeit not "factory") setup.
 

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SwampNut

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The speaker IS part of the sound system. It even says so in the documentation (that nobody bothers to read). I just tested it again to be doubly sure. About two seconds after pushing it in, with the radio playing, you can hear it start to play also.
 

bheath-atx

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The speaker IS part of the sound system. It even says so in the documentation (that nobody bothers to read). I just tested it again to be doubly sure. About two seconds after pushing it in, with the radio playing, you can hear it start to play also.
I was told you cannot even pair it with the stereo in the JT, only with your phone. Can you take it out of the Jeep and then play XM over it?
 

pughboy2

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I did a poor job of phrasing my original question. I was asking if the radio played through it when it was docked. The manual says it does, the wiring harness says it does. I ended up installing it and just jumping the charge part.

I read somewhere that the CanBus can get screwy if you tap an existing speaker lead because the ohms would change with two leads pulling the same line.

The speaker appears to be charging because I’m listening to it and it’s not dying (Lol!) but there’s no charge light on it when it’s docked so I’m guessing.

I’ve got to get into the head unit for my trail camera install and I may use the actual BT + and - from the head unit and run those back there to complete the install but I’m not missing much without the speaker playing the radio behind a seat.
 

cbl1

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The speaker does play along when docked (I didn't think it did because mine locks up a lot and needs reset - doesn't play along then). However, it playing along or not is not much of a big deal as it doesn't add a lot of output and its right behind the seat. I personally wouldn't bother wiring to it from the amp - but hey if you have everything out.

Car stereo's are not a Bluetooth source (they receive Bluetooth to play from your phone … not the opposite way - they don't output Bluetooth). So no you can't play wirelessly from the car stereo to the speaker. If you want XM on it when away from car and using speaker - - the XM app is for that on your phone.
 

bheath-atx

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The speaker does play along when docked (I didn't think it did because mine locks up a lot and needs reset - doesn't play along then). However, it playing along or not is not much of a big deal as it doesn't add a lot of output and its right behind the seat. I personally wouldn't bother wiring to it from the amp - but hey if you have everything out.

Car stereo's are not a Bluetooth source (they receive Bluetooth to play from your phone … not the opposite way - they don't output Bluetooth). So no you can't play wirelessly from the car stereo to the speaker. If you want XM on it when away from car and using speaker - - the XM app is for that on your phone.
That's what I thought and why Swampnut's comments confused me.
 

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pughboy2

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Thanks everyone for your help and input. The speaker and doc were expensive but, so far, I don't regret the install. The speaker sounds very good compared to the old Bose i have and being able to yank it out (fully charged) and take it in the yard while working is nice.

While I was in the back wall anyway I added a couple of USB charging ports and switched the whole setup. I may move the power wire from the ignition to the constant so that i can charge while stopped (which was the reason to switch it). I've not decided yet. Again, appreciate everyone's feedback.
 

SwampNut

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I was told you cannot even pair it with the stereo in the JT, only with your phone. Can you take it out of the Jeep and then play XM over it?
No. BT devices have a client and host relationship. So your phone can play audio TO another device, but can't act as a speaker to another device. The stereo system and the BT speaker are devices you use to play to, but they can't pair to each other.

When docked, the speaker plays whatever the stereo is playing though a WIRED connection. The connector on the speaker, and the dock, has a bunch of pins on it.
 

bheath-atx

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No. BT devices have a client and host relationship. So your phone can play audio TO another device, but can't act as a speaker to another device. The stereo system and the BT speaker are devices you use to play to, but they can't pair to each other.

When docked, the speaker plays whatever the stereo is playing though a WIRED connection. The connector on the speaker, and the dock, has a bunch of pins on it.
Got it, your post makes sense now. It was not clear you were talking about a wired connection, my bad.
 

thetridoc

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Does anyone know of the wiring for the bluetooth cradle? I removed it from my JT to put it into my JTR ,but did not check the outputs prior to removal. Would love to just know the power and ground wires for the bluetooth speaker.
 

SwampNut

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Does anyone know of the wiring for the bluetooth cradle? I removed it from my JT to put it into my JTR ,but did not check the outputs prior to removal. Would love to just know the power and ground wires for the bluetooth speaker.
It's more complicated than that. I don't think anyone knows whether you can just supply power and ground via the dock connector, which does much more.
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