HIZPO touchscreen double DIN knockoff stereo and navigator, installing reverse camera and more

My work truck came with an aftermarket 2 DIN stereo installed. This is a Chinese knockoff unit called HIZPO. A link to an old Amazon page indicates that it should have the following:

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External Memory: Up to 32GB/SD Card

Features: SD/USB Support, Touch Screen, Games, Steering Wheel Control, RDS, iPod, GPS

Display Ratio: 16:9

Screen Size: 6.2 inch

Screen Resolution: 800 x 480

OSD Languages: English/Chinese/Russian/Turkish/French/German/Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Hebrew/Arabic/Polish/Thai

Media Type: JPG, DVD, MP3, MP4, WMA, VCD, CD+R/RW, CD-R/RW, CD, AVI, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW

Radio Response Bandwidth: AM: 522 KHz-1620 KHz;FM: 87.5 MHz-108 MHz

GPS Processor: ARM 11

GPS Card Slot: TF Card

Support Map: Kudos, IGO, Sygic

Amplifier Max Output Power / Channel Qty: 45 Watts x 4

General: 0

Type: GPS Navigator

Color: Black

Dimensions / WxLxH(mm): 178*102*160 Please check the Measurements before purchasing.

Net Weight(kg): 3

Warranty: 1 year

What's in the box: Cable set x 1, User's manual x 1, DVD host x 1, Power cable x 1, Stylus pen x 1, GPS antenna x 1

Year: All years

Make: Universal

System Voltage/Power: 12V

Features: Windows CE

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The device, much like everything else in the Nissan, came with no instructions, so we can take these at face value I guess.

I was initially going to replace the unit but as it a) seems to operate and b) was already there (i.e. cheap!) I have decided to keep it for the time being. This post is about some of the experiences in getting to understand how the unit works and doing minor upgrades.

Life with the Hizpo

For a cheap generic unit, the Hizpo works surprisingly well. The touchscreen is responsive, the buttons on the face plate work, radio reception is reasonably good, Bluetooth connectivity seems to work every time, and even the knockoff navigator seems to work (more on issues in updating this below).

Sound output is good and the equalizer controls work nicely. The only substantial gripe with the sound is that I have yet to discover a way to set volume separately for e.g. the radio and Bluetooth telephony. When changing sources from a low volume one like the phone to a high volume one like radio, the unit absolutely blasts immediately until you get to turn the volume down.

The unit comes with an integrated Windows CE navigation system that is installed onto a microSD card and needs to be in the slot for the nav card. There is also another slot for a media card, also a microSD. The max supported size is 32Gb but since navigating the folder structure of the card is slightly archaic, it may difficult to use cards that big. I have one ready to install but haven't gotten around to that yet. The media card is probably most useful in playing back videos, which works nicely, starts automatically and even plays in the background when using the navigator. The unit is sensitive to the video format though, and not all videos seem to play with sound and / or picture. There is no restriction as to video playback during driving.

The unit has some other connections as well. There is a USB connection on the front plate and another in the back plate. I find that connecting a USB cable and an old iPod Nano to the back USB port works nicely and the playlists come up in the Hizpo iPod app. DVD discs can also be used and there is also an AV connector that is taken up by the reverse camera, should you choose to install one.

The unit runs Windows CE 6.0, which is somewhat dated. Low memory or processor power can cause the unit to crash, especially if you try to run multiple programs at the same time (like playing a video file, running the navigator and then trying to do something else as well).

There are some other programs on the unit, but I haven't found use for them yet (e.g. Solitaire and calculator). The unit is said to be ready for internet connectivity but would require a dongle and sim card I suspect; not having found instructions this has been untested.

Navigation

The Hizpo comes with iGo navigation and maps preinstalled. GPS reception is pretty good, if you just make sure to install the separate GPS antenna in an optimal place. I had to move mine which was under the glove box. Installing the GPS antenna behind the radio underneath the dash makes a significant difference.

The maps in the iGo app are pretty extensive and you can get speed camera warnings and speed limit warnings to work as well. Multiple languages are supported.

Updating the maps is also possible, although not quite straightforward. The iGo map program suggests connecting to its own update address but as the Hizpo does not seem to be a supported unit, this route is a dead end. An alternative route is to source an updated map online. I managed to get a full package with a newer program version and up to date maps.

However, the new program and new maps consistently caused the Hizpo to freeze. Trying various different combinations I think I finally found the optimal solution:

• The nav program and maps are installed on a microSD card in a regular FAT format, so you can open the card in a computer and view the file structure.

• I then took the relevant map files from the new version and replaced them on the card with the old version.

• I found that installing the topography maps and 3D buildings caused instability so I left them out.

• I did install the files for speed camera warnings though.

• In the end, I have a microSD card with an older version of the program but with a newer version of the map and speed camera data. This has been stable so far.

Bluetooth use

The Hizpo supports Bluetooth connectivity and works fine with at least my iPhone 11. There is no external microphone though. Since I had to take much of the panels apart in the vehicle anyway, I also decided to install a mic on the a-pillar.

I ended up with a generic mic with a 3.5mm jack that cost under 3 euros. It is kept in place with the cable being tight under the a pillar panel and seems to pick up sound nicely.

Reverse camera

The Hizpo supports installing a reverse camera. It is simply connected to the cable marked as 12 in this unit and connecting the camera signal wire to cable 9. This wire had a big sticker saying "back detection" implying reverse, so no bigger problems there. Without the manual I opted out to order a Hizpo branded reverse camera for potentially better compatibility, although I suspect any generic reverse camera would have done the trick.

The reverse camera I sourced from Amazon cost some 10 euros so that was on the cheap side. It arrived without any instructions though (not surprisingly). Installing a basic analog reverse camera is fortunately straightforward. This page has a good explanation and wiring diagram of the install.

Basically you need to:

• Install the camera in the rear of the vehicle

• Connect the video feed from the camera to the back of unit

• Splice into your reverse light and route a wire from the positive into the camera

• Connect the positive from the reverse light into the reverse signal wire for the unit as well

• Connect negative leads to ground

This way the reverse camera is powered whenever your reverse light turns on and the unit gets the signal from the reverse wire, turning on the reverse view automatically and practically immediately. The view is pretty good, although you do not get any distance measurements this being done on the cheap.

I installed the camera in the space between the bed hatch and the bumper step where it is tucked in and out of the way. This may be too low for a passenger car but keep in mind this is from a lifted pickup truck so the bumper and license plate are quite a bit higher than in cars.

Being slightly tucked away the camera is also out of rain, although it was marketed as "weatherproof", i wouldn't want to test this by soaking it. This vehicle being a pickup I had to make the camera's connections underneath the bed where they are exposed to the elements. I taped up all connections and placed them inside an IP rated connection box that is bolted onto the underside of the bed. The wiring goes into the cabin through a rubber grommet behind the rear seat and then runs along the door sills to the dashboard.

By the way, you can change the boot logo to your car's logo from the cryptic settings menu by typing 88888 into the panel and choosing a logo from there.