George B

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up about the G-Net video adapter. I ordered the unit, PNP harness, and wired remote (to switch sources, adjust the picture w/o accessing the unit, etc). The problem is the cable for the remote is only 8 feet long, not enough to reach from the Nav unit in the trunk to the drivers seat area. I contacted them and received a "that's your problem" type of response, and they suggested I get some CAT-5 cable and cut and splice it to make it reach. I finally got them to agree to send another regular length cable so I would only have to make one set of splices instead of two, but this still isn't the solution I was looking for. Also, they expected me to pay for shipping for the band-aid to their inadequate part, or wait two weeks for regular mail from Canada.

I know everyone on here uses Dom's unit, and with customer service like G-Net's I can see why. That'll teach me to do business with Canadians.

brianp6621

To be fair though, dom's is the same way. You have to extend the source switch yourself, however the source switch is simply 2 wires so it may be simpler to do.

George B

Yeah, the G-Net is 7 wires and it's a shielded cable. It's not a deal breaker, but I wasn't thrilled with their response.

davidrousseau

My original harness from G-Net had pins that were slightly skewed. They overnighted a replacement. I also bought the 8 foot remote, and they are willing to send a second cable to run inline with the first, but the 8 foot cable looks like it will reach the back of the center console. They respond to calls and emails right away. Is the video quality OK.... I'm installing this wekend

George B

Update-

Well, things aren't getting any better. With the unit installed, it seems to function but I get all kinds of vehicle problems:

VSC warning light stays on
ABS warning light stays on
Brake warning light stays on
Speedo doesn't work
Tach doesn't work
A/C compressor doesn't come on (strange, I know)

Needless to say, I plugged the nav unit back in normally, and all the issues disappeared. I'm awaiting a response from G-Net.

BrandonClaps

get dom's

KJSmitty

OK, that is quite disturbing...... One would not think plugging something into the nav unit could remotely effect all of those systems.. And I repeat - "one would not think"....

davidrousseau

You may want to check the switches, and make sure the wiring harness didn't bend any pins, etc. Barring that, you may have a bad unit. Gotta admit, it took some guts to install after reading about lights that shouldn't be on. Dom has bad units and wiring harnesses also. Does he answer question Saturday ? Personally, I like the G-Net because they post their entire users guide / Installation Manual on the Web.

You won't getr a response from G-Net until Monday morning, but I always get Shaun at G-Net on the first ring. If you don't mind, can you guys with the problems popst the names of who you are talking to at G-Net, and when you are calling. I told Shaun about these issues, and he said he would try to get them resolved if someone called him.

davidrousseau

The rear view cam worked, and I could watch video 2, but when I did a thorough check of the Nav, even though I got the spash screen, I could not hit the OK button and get nav functions. Hmmmmm.... gonna check connections tomorrow, but I'm thing the display quality isn't that good on the nav screen. I may go with an LCD mirror to get around potential nav warranty issues. Works fine plugged in as stock. This is strange. Just when things were looking good. Also, I could not turn on XM. It was as if the controls going to the nav were not working.

davidrousseau

Re-wired this AM.... everything working

George B

Shawn and I agreed that it sounded like a harness problem, so he's overnighting a new harness which should be here today (Monday). Meanwhile I dissected the original harness and found that the heat shrink on the pins had melted though in two places causing short circuits. Luckily nothing was permenantly damaged, and after repairing the shorts the unit worked properly.

Also, dip switch number two needed to be switched on for the remote to function properly which was not mentioned in the install guide. Another quirk of the remote is that shifting through reverse (park to drive or vice versa) switches the screen back to the nav display, where as a physical toggle switch would cause the unit to return to the video input after it sees the reverse trigger. Not a big deal, just FYI.

The picture quality isn't great, but that could quite possibly be the fault of the screen and not the interface.

I'm not trying to bash anyone unjustly, and I've never used or even seen Dom's or any other RGB interface to compare, but I just wanted to let you guys know what I've run into so you can make informed purchases.

George B

Just curious, what sort of re-wiring was needed?

George B

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I installed a remote start at the same time and I was definitely stressing out wondering what I did wrong.

davidrousseau

I just took a page out of what to do when motherboards on PCs don't work. Disconnect and re-connect everything. What I do know, is that I was using bullet connectors, and switched to a terminal block with screws on each side so I could experiment with wiring. Now that everything is working, I'll probably solder and heat shrink. If you're wondering, I did disconnect and re-connect the Y harness. Interesting notes about the harness issue. I have a spare with some bent pins, and I think I mentioned that Shaun seemed to be pretty responsive. The guys at the stereo shop saw it today and said they may switch from Nav-TV to G-Net.

I can't believe how tight the trim near the top of the radio/nav screen was. It was really tough to get out. I put in a USA spec at the same time, and ran female to female RCA's into the center console. Now my iPod video plays well on the nav screen, but I agree, the picture isn't stunning, but it is acceptable. I'll have to try a DVD. I would be interested in other people's display quality.

Maybe the LCD is somewhat low resolution. It doesn't need to be that good for the nav. Most aftermarket units (Pioneer ?) seem much better. When I get the time and energy, I'll post some pics of the best picture I can come up with. The iPod video may not be the best source. I'll just plug in a DVD player in the garage and see.

davidrousseau

Wish I knew about the #2 switch, but it seems a bit buggy. I have a switch near the VSC to toggle reverse (as well as the automatic backup light toggle) and a switch near the iPod for Video 2.