Back in 2024, I reviewed the OttoCast A2 Air Pro. At the time, it felt like a genuinely useful upgrade, particularly on my Honda NT1100, because it finally eliminated the need to keep my phone permanently tethered to the bike with a USB cable, just so that I could use Android Auto.
The OttoCast wasn’t perfect, but at the time it was one of the best devices available, worked well and quickly became one of those accessories you fitted and tried to forget about.
Fast forward a couple of years and things have moved on considerably.
The latest wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay adapter is from Portuguese company 3DMP.PT – the Explorer 1 Gen 2 – does exactly the same job as the OttoCast, but in a package so small it almost disappears completely.
And it is half the price.
Good Things, Small Packages
The first thing you notice when you take the Explorer 1 adapter out of the box is just how tiny it is.
The OttoCast was – for its day – compact enough, but I needed to hide the 6cm square unit under the fairings and leave a USB cable suspiciously hanging out of the socket on the bike.
The updated Explorer 1 adapter takes a completely different approach.
It plugs directly into the USB port, with no cable or separate box. On my NT1100, it sits neatly behind the USB port’s weather seal, and once fitted, you genuinely wouldn’t know it was there.
No cables. No Velcro. No trying to find somewhere secure to mount it, and most importantly, no stripping half the bike down to fit it.
Just plug it in and – as they say in New York Gangster movies – “forget about it”. And perhaps that is the biggest compliment I can give it.
Technology Advancement
The original wave of wireless Android Auto adapters solved a problem.
Manufacturers gave us Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but in many cases they still expected us to physically connect our phones every time we rode, which defeated the whole benefit.
Either I ride around with a cable running into my jacket, or my phone is on a mount, out where I can see it.
And if I can see my phone, why do I need Android Auto or Apple CarPlay? My phone is right in front of me, and I don’t need extra cables.
Adapters like the OttoCast bridged that gap. They worked, but they always felt like an additional layer between your phone and the bike, rather than something built in.
By today’s standards, they were slow to connect, and every once in a while they would spit the dummy, and I’d begin the long dance of “WTF is wrong?” while trying to get my phone and the OttoCast to communicate again.
And of course this would always happen in the middle of nowhere.
Explorer 1 – 3DMP.PT
The original 3DMP Explorer 1 was the same size as the new Gen2 version, and was a big step forward from the OttoCast. The Gen 2 model is a further step forward.
Turn the ignition on and within moments Android Auto appears on the screen. Navigation loads quickly, music picks up where it left off, and everything feels smoother.
It’s difficult to quantify until you’ve used both systems back-to-back, but the overall experience feels more polished and far more natural. Closer to that factory experience I want.
It Is the Little Things
Waffling on about chipsets, 5 GHz Wi-Fi, and the latest version of Bluetooth is great for geeks (like me!), but in the real world, those details only matter if they improve the experience.
What I’ve noticed most about the second-generation Explorer 1adapter is how boring it is. For the first few rides, I was waiting for something to go wrong, but that soon faded.
Then I started wondering if it was still working. Not every ride needs navigation and music, so I started using Google Maps to get to a shop two miles away, and playing music on every ride.
When that became too much, I went back to using it with Kurviger when I wanted to follow a route, and to listen to music on long motorway sections.
It got to the point where I needed to remind myself I needed to write about it. When something works, there is a tendency just to use it and not notice.
We all remember the times our bike didn’t start, but the thousands of times it did – we never think about those.
Plug and Play
There’s very little setup required, very little to configure and very little to go wrong.
It does one job, and it does it exceptionally well.
Typically, any problems can be traced back to your phone being connected to both your intercom and the bike, creating a three-way fight over who does what and who is in charge.
The path to peace and happy relationships is to start by deleting any Bluetooth connectivity between your intercom and your phone. Next, ensure the bike doesn’t know about your phone – clear and delete any connections.
Now connect the intercom to the bike (and only the bike), BEFORE installing the 3DMP Explorer 1.
With the bike and your intercom connected, install the Explorer 1 and connect it to your phone, nothing else.
And now go through the normal Android Auto/Apple CarPlay set-up. Remember that you may have to enable the Android/CarPlay feature on the bike. It is a tick box in the menus.
There is one exception to this: Apple CarPlay insists you have a headset connected for CarPlay to work. Android Auto does not.
It is possible to use the Explorer 1 without an intercom if you are an Android user, but Apple decided that a headset (earbuds will do) is an absolute. I guess that is a hangover from car installations.
The VAT Man
Bringing goods in from overseas can be a hassle. The VAT Man comes calling, and the Agent who “imported” it for you also wants to dip into your wallet. Well, here is the good news – None of that applies.
As the Explorer 1 from 3DMP.PT is £58, that means ordering directly from Portugal is straightforward, with no unpleasant surprises appearing when the parcel arrives.
At the time of writing, products valued at less than £135 can be imported into the UK without the buyer being hit with additional customs duties or import VAT on delivery.
Here is the link to the government website for the naysayers. Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad: Tax and duty – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Now I don’t want to hear of any of you splitting orders with a combined total over £135 into separate parts to stay below the threshold. That is wrong, and I can’t condone such actions … Honest.
It’s Cheaper From China
Correct – you can buy an adapter that looks the same and claims the same functionality cheaper from AliExpress. And by all means go right ahead.
I did, and guess what? I then had to get one that worked, didn’t drop out or report the contents of my phone to the Chinese High Command, from 3DMP in Portugal.
That is why it is more expensive: all the certifications, compatibility testing, and regulatory statements.
Making one is easy. Making one that works … different story.
Bottom Line
Looking back at the OttoCast A2 Air Pro, it’s remarkable how quickly this technology has evolved.
Just a couple of years ago, I had wireless Android Auto, but it felt like an aftermarket workaround. Today, with the Explorer 1, it feels like a factory feature.
The 3DMP.PT adapter is tiny, unobtrusive and incredibly easy to live with. More importantly, it delivers a wireless Android Auto experience that feels seamless enough to forget it’s even there.
The best motorcycle accessories aren’t always the most exciting. They’re the ones that quietly improve every ride without demanding any attention. The 3DMP.PT adapter does exactly that.
Now, can they develop one that stops me wandering off track and getting lost?
