Connect your smartphone to your car radio with the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter

iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter

Most newer cars have Bluetooth capability built right into the car so you can listen to audiobooks or music from your smartphone on your car radio and manage all of your phone calls hands free. Other cars don’t have Bluetooth but still offer a 3.5mm audio input for connecting your smartphone to the car stereo for listening to audiobooks or music.

But what do you do if your car has neither of these? You get yourself an iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter.

How the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter works

Here’s how it works. You plug the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter into a power adapter in your car. Then you use the plug the 3.5mm cable into the headphone jack of your smartphone.

On the front display of the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter, an FM frequency will appear. To listen to audio from your phone on your car radio, you’ll need to tune to the same frequency as listed on the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter’s display.

Find the right frequency

The first time you do this, you’ll need to experiment to find the best FM frequency to use. Usually, this is a frequency that does not broadcast any content from a local radio station. The mid-to-upper 80s seem to work best.

To change the frequency on the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter, you just use the frequency up and frequency down buttons located on either side of the frequency display. Just remember that every time you change the FM frequency on the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter, you’ll need to change your car radio to the matching frequency. There’s also an auto-scan feature you can use by pressing and holding the frequency up or frequency down buttons.

iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter instructions

I’ve had trouble with interference using FM transmitters in the past, but I was surprised at how clear the audio from my smartphone sounded when I tried the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter out for a few weeks. The only issue I had was that I needed to make sure my smartphone didn’t shift around while I was driving. When it did, I got a few pops on the audio, presumably from the 3.5mm connection to my headphone jack.

Recommendation

The iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter isn’t going to give you crystal clear sound. And it won’t be as good as a physically wired 3.5mm connection. But in a pinch when you don’t have Bluetooth or 3.5mm audio input options available, the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter works great.

And it’s affordable too. As of this writing, the iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter costs $24.99 on Amazon.

Note: The iClever HIMBOX FM Transmitter mentioned above was provided to me at no cost or a discounted cost in exchange for my unbiased review. Click here to purchase on Amazon.com.