Ottocast Cabin Care Wireless CarPlay Adapter Review: Tiny Tracker

Because everything runs wirelessly via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, there’s no longer a cable to connect to. This is not an easy thing. It means there are no wires dangling out of reach for a sneaky kid.

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This is where the real test comes. In split-screen mode, the system displays CarPlay and the camera feed side-by-side, with CarPlay on the left for easy access. It’s a smart design in mind because you get the best of both worlds, but there are limitations. To match the camera feed, the CarPlay interface is shortened significantly. It still works, but it’s so small that I often catch the wrong sign, especially while driving, where accurate tapping isn’t really important. It’s not distracting, but you’ll notice it, especially if your fingers aren’t very smooth.

Switching to camera mode offers a full rear-seat view, but comes at the cost of CarPlay controls. Music still plays and calls don’t drop, but I can’t find inputs like “skip track” and “end call” buttons. If you rely heavily on the scroll wheel controls, the trade-off is noticeable, but I found myself stuck on screen splits most of the time.

Photo: Nicole Kinning

Another thing to note is that every time I tap on the window, Ottocast overlays the back arrow in the lower left corner and the camera icon (owl color) in the upper right corner. The issue is that CarPlay uses these corners for control keys: the back button in Spotify, the button to exit Google maps, the shortcut that plays. The Ottocast cover takes you to your faucet. It disappears after a few seconds, but if my next tap doesn’t go where I want it, the Ottocast images come back and forth again.

Overall, Ottocast Cabin Care works best when you treat it as a good replacement, rather than a good solution. It solves the problem of being able to watch your baby in the car without turning around, and it does so in a way that feels (mostly) quiet in everyday use.