In this review, I look at the CarlinKit FireDrive Link, a dedicated CarPlay HDMI adapter for the Amazon Fire TV stick. You can buy this adapter for 50%-off via their IndieGoGo campaign for $49.99 here – https://bit.ly/firedrivelink.
TLDR: The CarlinKit FireDrive Link is an adapter that lets you use an Amazon Fire TV Stick with your car’s CarPlay display. It’s easy to set up – just slide the Fire TV Stick into the adapter and connect the power/data cables. Once connected, you can use the Fire TV Stick on your CarPlay screen, allowing you to watch videos, play games, etc. all while in your car. The adapter works well, but has some limitations like no touch-through support and potential compatibility issues with certain car systems. Overall, it’s a niche product that fills a specific need, but could be improved with features like wireless CarPlay and Android Auto platform support.
The CarlinKit Fire Drive Link has been designed exclusively for Amazon’s Fire TV stick. It seamlessly converts your wired Apple CarPlay into an HDMI streaming platform so you can enjoy all your favourite video content on your car display.
In the box, you get a paper instruction manual, the FireDrive Link adapter, a dual power and data connecting cable, a USB-C to Mini USB bridge connector, and a USB-A to USB-C adapter for modern CarPlay USB ports.
Features & Design
The FireDrive Link acts like a slipper for your Amazon Fire TV Stick. At the top end is a female HDMI port and a flat, platform surface for the Fire TV Stick to slide into. There’s also a USB-C port to connect its power cable to. On the side of the Link adapter is another USB-C port that daisy-chains the FireDrive Link power to the side power port of the FireTV Stick.
Getting the FireDrive Link up and running is very easy. First, you slide the FireTV stick along the top platform of the Link adapter and insert its HDMI into the top end of the Link adapter. Then, you connect the power bridge adapter to both ports of the Link and Fire TV Stick. Next, you connect the USB-C end of the supplied power cable to the Link and the labelled data end to your vehicle’s CarPlay port (using the supplied adapter if needed). Finally, you connect the power end of the cable to a spare USB port or 12v adapter in the centre compartment of the car to power both Link and Fire TV Stick. In under 10 seconds, the adapter will boot up, followed by the Fire TV Stick main menu after a total of under 36 seconds.
Earlier Model & Boot-Up
If you’re a regular viewer/reader, you’ll know this isn’t CarlinKit’s first HDMI to CarPlay product. The FireDrive Link is really no different to its more universal HDMI adapter that I reviewed last month. The FireDrive Link simplifies the connecting cables and the need for the Fire TV Stick power cables, yet you will still need to provide power to both devices from this dual cable by connecting the correct power socket into a second power port in the car.
Once connected and powered, the FireDrive Link boots up in under 10 seconds and displays its main menu interface on the CarPlay display. From here, you can select to return to your car system or enter into a rather lightweight settings menu, which also allows over-the-air updates via a Wi-Fi connection.
Before you know it though, the connected Amazon FireTV stick will soon kick in and display on your CarPlay display. From here on out, everything can be interacted with via the FireTV Stick remote control (or a connected Bluetooth controller). Sadly, there’s no touch passthrough support on this adapter.
Fire TV on CarPlay Display
At this point, the user experience is just like using the FireTV Stick from the comfort of home, except you’re now sitting in a less comfortable car seat. This setup is ideal for cars such as EVs (Electric Vehicles) while waiting for its battery to top up, or for anyone sitting in their car for long periods, waiting for the kids, partners, clients, pets, friends and family.
The FireTV Stick’s display fills the CarPlay screen on this adapter. I have yet to see how this adapter adapts to more portrait displays, though. However, like their previous HDMI adapter, it also does not have fixed ratio/zoom or exit gestures. I found these features very handy on the similar Ottocast TV Mate adapter. But this adapter also suffered from a reduced ‘boxed’ display on my VW system display.
If this adapter borrows the majority of components and software from its earlier adapter, I would expect a similar limited CarPlay system compatibility list too. The adapter works with my VW Golf 7 MIB 2.5 system. Still, I hear many other brand systems have struggled to get their earlier HDMI to CarPlay adapter to work on their newer vehicles, so I’d expect a similar experience and advise caution with this adapter too. Buy from Amazon for easy returns should this adapter also not work out for you.
Omissions & Future
Once again, it’s a shame this adapter doesn’t bundle wireless CarPlay support alongside its HDMI functionality. It also doesn’t work off an Android Auto platform, which could improve the latency of its slight video/audio sync.
But if you’re looking to watch video services and game from an Amazon Fire TV Stick onto your CarPlay display, then there are few options out there right now to achieve this. However, the FireDrive Link does this well (if it works with your CarPlay system) and at a very cheap price too. It serves a very niche use case in the car, so I do worry about its long-term support. However, I do hear updates are underway for what is a pre-production and crowdfunded product. However, I do feel that putting more effort into a revised HDMI to CarPlay “Pro” adapter with wireless CarPlay, Android Auto platform support, and ratio/fullscreen/exit toggles, all would have been a better use of CarlinKit’s resources.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:34 – Unboxing
0:58 – Features & design
1:42 – Installing Fire TV Stick
3:37 – Alternative & compatibility
4:26 – In-Car demo
5:40 – YouTube sync test
6:50 – Netflix sync test
7:18 – Screen ratio
8:43 – Android gaming test
9:54 – Luna cloud gaming with a controller
11:53 – My Impressions
