[9inch] ATOTO A6 PF A6G209PF Double-DIN Android Car Stereo

 

I was looking for the perfect Android Head Unit for my 2009 Peugeot 207 and I definitely know I’ve found it. After much head scratching and consideration of the pros and cons of choosing a centre console 2DIN head unit versus a centre dashboard mounted option I decided to buy the ATOTO A6G2A7PF. Its not always easy to fit an aftermarket stereo particularly when the replacement fit needs to be as simple as unplugging the original unit and connecting its successor to the original harness. Add to that the fact that since 2009 when my car was built an awful lot of technology has evolved and I wanted to do my upmost to as easily as possible bring my old Peugeot up to date by adding all that new technology and having it all to hand in a single integrated stereo head unit. I wanted to be able to navigate safely without trying to look at my tiny smartphone screen or having to plug my trusty old plug-in sat nav into the lighter socket and stick it onto my windscreen. I wanted to be able to listen to all my music files without the bother of carrying a glove box full of CDs. I wanted to be able to watch a movie in the car while my wife spends countless hours shopping. I wanted to be able to make a phone call safely without having to pull over into a layby to do so. I wanted to have the versatility of having a smart phone to hand without the danger of having it in my hand while driving. Above all I wanted to do all this (and much more) available in a single device and that’s what I’ve now got in the ATOTO A6G2A7PF. It was simple to fit and even easier to connect up to the original harness. I was a little daunted at first but before I started the installation I contacted the ATOTO Customer care team to ask them a few basic questions about what additional harness I would need to buy to ensure everything would work exactly as it should. The team were great and Kiki who helped me at the start and afterwards with additional questions was fantastic. Kiki suggested which interface lead I should purchase before installing the ATOTO unit and so once I’d purchased and received that lead I set-to fitting the A6 in my Peugeot. It took me less than an hour to fit the A6 and connect up all the supplied leads and my interconnecting lead and from the moment I turned my ignition key the A6 came to life. It was easy to configure the head unit to my preferences and everything worked exactly in line with the user manual. It took me two attempts to get Android Auto working perfectly but I suspect that was down to my errors and not the A6.
The ATOTO A6G2A7PF is fast and responsive and its menu system is intuitive and its easy to use and if you’re anything like me and you can manage to use a smart phone at 64 then you will find the A6 an absolute breeze. The sound quality it delivers is superb and the screen is crystal clear. I’m enjoying using it and there’s so much I’ve yet to try. I’m going to add the ATOTO DVR camera to my installation next and as its a plug and play accessory I don’t think I’ll have any problems doing that. The connectivity options are considerable and I probably won’t need all the unit offers (but over time I’ll perhaps be adding a few more accessories). Give the ATOTO A6G2A7PF a go as I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

 

I am so pleased with this unit, it was well presented and had everything needed in the box less the vehicle ISO lead for my vehicle, cheaply purchased of the web. The install was simple and once connected up all seemed fine everything worked. The screen is clear and bright, it’s responsive.
I had one problem and this was with the steering wheel controls however this was resolved with help of the Atoto support team and some google searches, this is now sorted its all good.

I would also like to point out the installed Dab player is not great and is a little deaf and I struggled with it to tune to stations, this was quickly resolved by downloading Dab-z, once installed stations were pulled in no trouble, this maybe something Atoto techs need to look at.

If your looking for an Android header this is the unit to go for.

I would recommend this unit to family & friends.

 

I have an ageing (1997) Japanese import Toyota Granvia Campervan. When imported it came with a Japanese double din unit that was replaced by the previous owner with an Xtrans unit for the U.K. market as the Japanese unit didn’t work in the U.K. Sadly after a few years the Xtrans unit failed but I was never very satisfied with its performance as it was based on an out of date Android system. It was very slow and it hadn’t been installed correctly so only one of the door speakers worked.

I took a lot of time and research to find a replacement and settled for this Atoto A6PF system, as opposed to an U.K. unit; Pioneer, Kenwood etc. I haven’t been disappointed. I already had an ISO adapter for the previous unit which fitted the bill, but the unit came with two alternative ISO adapters as standard. I still had to re-wire the drivers door speaker into the system (not the fault of the adapter). The transformation was huge. Car Play, Android Auto, GPS for google maps, hands free telephone etc., what’s not to like. In addition it has a great amplifier that has made my speakers perform at their best, with good volume and audio adjustments included.

However, unlike some other Atoto systems this unit did not come with a remote control as standard but there is a remote that fits the bill (see my other review of that unit). I now have a unit correctly installed and with a remote unit that completes the installation. I like the fact that the Atoto unit allows you to connect via Bluetooth or wired connection and that additional Apps can be added to the system.

The supplied installation and user manuals are quite comprehensive and easy to follow making the upgrade relatively straightforward for a competent person. My camper is too old to make use of many of the other facilities of the unit – e.g. front & rear cameras, video input, connections to sub woofer, steering wheel controls, tyre pressure monitors etc., but that doesn’t mean the unit wasn’t worth the money I spent on it. I would consider it good value for money and it has enhanced my in car entertainment massively. Recommended.

 

I have tried to incorporate as much information as you may wonder when purchasing this unit.
I had a M series one of these as the radio was absolutely rubbish I was apprehensive about buying another but the radio although not DAB is superb .
It comes with a wifi ariel that when connecting to the house isnt really much better than earlier models but is adequate for downloading if you dont have an unlimited data plan on your mobile , I mounted my wifi ariel in the top left of the wind screen and the GPS ariel in the top right so they are as far apart as possible,
as i said, the wifi is marginally better than the none arieled version but not by much.
when paired with your phone though the wifi and bluetooth has a good connection and doesn’t tend to drop out like it did on earlier versions ( on the motorway or by traffic lights and you loose the wifi through interference)
You can download GPS/ Sat nav to use without wifi, you can use a segment of google maps or download an app, there are some ok apps that are ok as long ad you have post codes,
The voice commands are good so you can eg say “Hey Siri call Andrew W” and it will do, (it is actually your phone doing that but it transfers over to the head unit very well)
I havent set up all the interface properly yet so I will comment better later but its integration with Iphones is 10 times better than the units have been previously, oh I did buy the microphone for it because the Mic in the head unit is too far away to be effective.

Forward recording.
Again this feature is MUCH better than the earlier versions, I constantly had to re-boot the esrlier units over recording problems, wouldnt record, couldnt wipe the old recordings off, well this has all been sorted out now and the forward record is very reliable.

A nice feature also is that it has physical buttons on it, this makes operating it much easier while driving for the general features you need.
Bar phone calls and music The head unit operates very well independently of your mobile device, once paired you can just get in your car and the phone/ head unit does not require wifi / data usage to operate, it auto pairs with your phone via bluetooth so there is no need to pair it every time you get in like with earlier models, you do seem to need to make it pair for wifi though, this may be able to auto pair also I will update this in a week or so.

Generally you just get in your car start it up and drive off, once set up your phone connects, or if you are talking on the phone the change over from phone to car is relatively quick and smooth.

Fitting the unit.

In the pictures it is going in to a 2008 Golf plus.

What you need.

Facia kit, A double din metal cage, adaptor plugs, terminals for the reverse camera supply, an inline fuse or fuse box terminals to put in an ignition supply ( depending on model of car)
Trim pulling tools ( if you dont want to damage your dash)
And Patience, to out all the cameras, usb connections and ariels takes a LOT of time
I suggest doing the front camera, wifi, gps ariel and microphone one day … leaving the reverse camera wiring cable tied up somewhere and do the reverse camera another day
To fit the head unit in and tuck all the wiring away properly behind the air bags and such with take about 6 hours

doing the reverse camera will take about 4-6 hours depending a lot on which camera you are fitting and where youre mounting it.

Supplied with the kit is a very basic set of mounting brackets so you will need the appropriate facia and the adaptor plugs if you have a DAB ariel a double din kit with a booster would be helpful, I got the facia, the booster and plug adaptors for about 15.00 what I did need was a double din steel cage kit to use keys to remove the unit, however I didnt want it to be easy to steal so as you can see I screwed it together… in the pictures was me in the midst of making and measuring up before fastening the brackets to the facia properly

Decide what you are going to do IE fit forward recorder camera, reverse camera etc and put all the wiring in at once so you dont have to keep removing the unit,
It is quite straight forward to fit, but !

In a Volkswagen you do need to run in a separate wire on a fuse for an ignition supply, if you dont do this the head unit will tend to drain the battery much quicker

Having the correct terminals with being an auto electrician I took out the fuse box and put in my ignition fuse there but you could use an inline fuse.

NB test the reverse camera before instalation, test everything works then fasten it all back in to the dash, check it again and finally put all the trim back on.. on the car.
When working around air bags it is strongly advised to disconnect the battery as popping the trim back on ( although very unlikely) could set them off,
DO NOT TEAR OR DAMAGE THE AIR BAGS IN THE LINING, DO NOT RUN WIRING ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE AIR BAGS

WHEN DONE!
When done and you re-connect the battery you may see you have the steering wheel light on and the ESP light on saying there is a fault.
Start the car turn the steering wheel fully locked left then fully locked right! This should put the steering light out then drive the car for a bit and this should out the ESP light out.
for me I had the air bag light on as i diss connected the warning light in my dashboard, for this I had to use my diagnostic tool to switch the air bag warning light off.

Thank you for reading this I hope it will help if you should decide to instal it yourself.
I will update this ASAP