Man. I've got a long way to go before I can be counted as one of Craig's coolest friends. :)

Heck, Bob, you've forgotten more about IT than I'll ever know! :-)

Craig,

I think I know whats up with the WEP issue. I had the same issue but with my home system. I could see the network but would not get an IP or connected with WEP on. If you are using a DLINK router, there is a WEP option for Shared KEY or Open System. Select Shared Key then reboot everything.

Good Luck!

Quick Question for ya. I lost my OmniFi wiring guide. Can you list what the 4 wires are supposed to be connected to. I know 1 Power, 1 Ground, 1 Dimmer but dont know 4th or what color coordinates

Jarrod, it's as follows:

Black = Ground
Red = Switched Power +12V DC
Orange = Dimmer
Yellow = Battery +12V DC

Hey, maybe you can help me out. Thank you for the article on the DMP1 install. I just installed this yesterday (also from Woot), but I had a few questions.

1. Mine didn't come with any mounting screws...where did you get screws from to mount it in your DIN slot?

2. I like to install my stereos so they can turn on without having the ignition in the "acc" position but with this zany dmp1, when I did that, it turns out ok except for the fact that the HD unit NEVER SHUTS OFF, even when I turn off the head unit part and remove the faceplate. Is this normal?

Thanks for any help that you can provide.

Did you need an Ai-NET cable to hook the Omnifi up to the back of the headunit?

Brian, yes, I believe Mitch used the Ai-NET cable to enable the input on his Alpine HU.

cheeba - I just dug around until I found something that would work with my Alpine double DIN bracket. Nothing special really.

Brian - The DMP1's RCA outs hook to two Rat Shack gender benders which then hook to a PIE Ai-NET adapter and that goes to the Ai-Net cable which goes on to the head unit.

Mitch! I just purchased the DMP1 and have been pondering the best install. I have SAME head unit as you (Alpine CDA-7894) except I do not have the AUX input connector and am not sure where to get it! I really like the Alpine head unit as it looks great in my Sebring dash and has a ton of great features (although the MP3 player wont be of much use after I get the DMP1 installed). Do you have any suggestions of where I might get an AUX input adapter for the 7894?

Gaines, this is the part you need:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JftEETeb0Z3/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=234650&I=500KCA121B&search=ai%2Dnet

DO YOU HAVE TO USE THE SOFTWARE THAT COMES WITH THIS UNIT OR CAN YOU JUST DRAG & DROP FILES TO THE HARDRIVE.
ABOUT TO BUY THIS UNIT OR ONE LIKE IT.
THANKS,
GREG

If you use the standard DMP1 firmware, then yes, you have to use SimpleCenter to install music (you CANNOT just drag-and-drop files onto it). However, there is a replacement, open-source firmware available for the DMP1 that permits much more flexible music management -- check it out at http://openfi.sourceforge.net/

Craig, I've got a WRX and an Alpine unit (in fact, I think I have the same model) - how the heck did you mount the DMP1 in there? The holes in the angled brackets that came with the DMP1 don't line up with the holes in the DIN brackets!

Eric, I've no idea -- my buddy Mitch has the WRX (forget what year...is a bug-eye) and wrote the above install experience. I'll ping him and see if he can post some info. In my STi, I just had a stereo shop do the install -- looks great, was cheap ($75), and I didn't even break a sweat. ;-)

i'm having problems getting simple center to even detect that the hard drive is connected.i'm at my wits end, don't know what else to try. i would be indebted to you for your help

Scott, try a different USB cable, preferably a shorter one. The one that comes with the DMP1 is out of spec and causes bad connectivity issues (SC won't recognize that the HD is connected).

I've never done any wiring before...I had a friend suggest using a terminal block to connect the wires up to the existing head unit's harness...but I also have an amplifier. I suspect it would be a little tricky to run 3 things off it but I am hoping this device, since it only sends an audio signal and doesn't amplify, doesn't use much power. Am I on the right track?

I bought the OmniFi dmp1 for my Audi TT, after talking to a few people about installation, I realized that you need another radio/head unit in order to integrate the omnifi with a car stereo. I wanted to replace my factory head unit with the omnifi, as there is no room for two head units (and I don't want to tamper with the audi design). Does anyone know of a preamp that can be placed behind the unit in order to achieve volume control without another head unit?

Tyler, why don't you just get an RF modulator installed and tune in the DMP1 through your factory head unit's FM tuner? Would be easier, cheaper, and probably just as good (assuming you have no inputs to your factory amp) since you'd also need some way to switch between the two sources (not something an amp can do).

Blake, I have no idea...sorry. Don't know much about wiring myself.

Hey Craig, thanks for the idea, but A) radio quality sucks which is why I am looking for options other than the ipod FM option. b) I still would need two head units. I want to eliminate my factory head unit (or find something else small enough to tuck somewhere). I only want to see the dmp1, not two faceplates.
Thanks again, keep em coming :)

Same here!
I also dont want two faceplates, i expected DMP1 to work by itself, plus i have space for one system only,but since its a faceplate,i might stick it to somewhere!
Can I simply plug it to an amplifier with those RCA cables or something?

MY OMNIFI DMP1 just arrived yesterday but Windows XP detects it, but gives an error that the device could not be installed.It detects it as a mass storage device but not as the Toshiba Hard Disk.What should i do?
I think there is something wrong with the hard disk! When i turn it on,the yellow and red light turn on and then the red shuts off while the yellow stays on.
Should i sent it back to warranty and expect a change? I live in Pakistan!!!!

Mad!: Get a shorter USB cable...the one in the box is out of spec and doesn't work right. Go visit http://groups.yahoo.com/omnifi/ for more info.

Thanks for replying Craig! But lemme tell you the real story!
In the USA, u guys have 120V AC Input, while here in Asia we have 220V AC!
I actually powered the hard disk with its supplied ac adapter, the hard disk ran for about 30 seconds then turned off by itself.
I discovered my foolishness when i read the label on the ac adapter and knew i'd bloew the thing out!
With some last hope, i found an ac adapter with an input of 220V AC and the required output of 5V DC.Luckily, the hard disk turned on, with the lights working the way i told you earlier.
i then plugged it into my pc through the usb cable,windows xp detected it first as a storage adapter, then as a mass storage device, then it gave an error that a problem had occured (error 10 - the device stopped) and the device would not work properly.
I have swicthed everything from pcs to usb cables and different operating systems but nothing seems to work for me!
What should i do now? i've lost all hope, just three days it had arrived and now i've just a nice polyethene wrapped junk for myself.
Is there any hope? Sending the product back to the USA, from where it came, would be as expensive as the product itself ($250) and OMNIFI would find out really quick that i've burned the damn thing.So its something i have to do by myself.SO plz plz plz, guys if you can help?

good service

Just FYI, openfi isn't a replacement firmware as mentioned by kalgwl on 07/23/05
openfi.sf.net has all the info you need, it's definately the way to go if you have a DMP1

I managed to connect the DMP1 with minimum effort.

I bought a cigarette lighter with cable from Fry's and connected the Red & Black cable to it.

I found a point near the fuse box which was giving me a constant 12V with the car off so I pulled a wire from there and connected it to the Yellow cable.

All of it goes into my center console which has a cigarette lighter socket too inside it.
The FM transmitter also gets power from the same socket using a splitter again from Fry's.
The only cables coming out of the center console is the DIN cable and the wire pulled from the constant 12V source.

I have not connected anything to the dimmer Orange cable as it is optional.

The DIN goes on the dashboard at a conveniet location and is stuck with a velcro strip which I got from a dollar shop where you get 6 strips for a buck.

That's it and happy tunes.....

Hi Craig. I'm really thinking about buying one of these. Just a simple question and i think i know the answer but does this unit have a video output. I have a Panasonic cqvd7001v dvd player and it would be great to store videos and play them on it. Well if not that should be the next step. thanks for any info. Allen

Allen, no, the DMP1 has no video output -- it's a music/audio player only.

I would like to know it the wiring controller unit can be directly connected to an amplifier? Two RCA Jacks out to the RCA inputs on the Amp!

Craig--> yes but that would be the only radio in your car.

Allen-->look for the omnifi dmp2 coming late this year with a 60gb and support for most common video codecs

I don;t have the supplied AC adapter for the DMP1 when synching directly with the computer. C\I read in this column that is is 5VDC, but can anyone tell me the plug polarity, and any other details?

Thanks!

thanks for all the helpful advice on this site. you guys are great.