Didn't know this until now. It supports a USB hub. From the manual...

 

Amazing how much information can be found in the owner's manual just by looking. And it's even indexed to make things easy to find.

 

Thanks! I’ll give it a try!
Wasn’t sure if there was a USB in the back of the head unit that naturally they wouldn’t talk about in the manual?

 

Wasn’t sure if there was a USB in the back of the head unit that naturally they wouldn’t talk about in the manual?

First rule of secret USB service port: don't ever talk about secret USB port. 🤣

If you're looking at the bare metal box for the head unit, there's probably a way to plug into the connection that would lead to the "normal" USB port.

 

What do you mean by normal?

The left most port is a data port, the firmware in the car only uses the first two things enumerated and not any more. That is by design. I plug my CarLinkiT into that port. The others only have power and hence are charge ports only.

Data ports usually only supply 500ma and that is why it says some things may not charge. The charge current is part of the negotiation handshake that occurs when you plug something in.

There may be a way somehow (in the back, or on board) to get an HID connection to get a console if that is what you refer to.

There is a good chance you may be able to boot to a console if you load a program via the data port and plus a keyboard in. I see reference to a keyboard in one of the menus which I have forgotten. Part of the boot process is to look for updates or programs to load so the above is normal for Linux.

There is no magic, if you have the right tools, even if we think the head unit is brain dead or is mystical in some ways. It is all by design (or lack of.)

 

By "normal", I mean the only USB port in the dashboard that connects to the head unit, the one you're describing.

There has to be a wire bundle leading from it to the head unit box, so if you have the box removed from the car, there's probably a way to plug in a USB port to where the normal USB port would otherwise plug in. Just guessing, though. I doubt there's an extra port on the box itself just in case someone happens to find it.

 

Any extra ports are likely on board or they JTAG in to do development work.

Likely, though, you can boot linux from the front panel USB data port, if you were so inclined to poke around.

Our Yaris can have all sorts of things changed in UI by doing the above.

 

The information above is in the Highlander NAV & Multimedia Manual. It also goes into detail about the ceiling mounted video system and BD disc player which I believe have been discontinued in favor of headrest systems ...probably because of incompatibility with the panoramic sunroof feature. So maybe that manual needs to be updated in some areas including use of the one networked USB port.

I do not show separate USB1 USB2 choices in the Source 12" screen even when a populated non powered hub is connected. If two USB drives are in the hub the USB will default to the first and ignore the second drive.....if the first drive is removed and only the second drive remains connected, it will recognize the second.....but it will not provide a touch button selection/ steering wheel button selection between both drives connected in the hub, nor will it recognize both flash drives at the same time.. Ditto for the 8" screen Nav/Multimedia system in my Rav4.

Maybe section refers to connecting both a cell phone and a flash drive to the hub. But I doubt it and no desire to screw with it since I would never use it that way. I never connect the phone with a cord to the networked USB port for AA.....connects fine through Bluetooth with built in maps in the Nav leaving the one networked port free for music albums stored on the flash drive. Nice clean look with no stinking cords.....cell phone in my pocket or stored out of sight in the inductive console charger, flash drive with music in the network port. The 32G flash drive is so small the USB door closes and it's out of view.

Door open with drive installed:

Door closed with drive installed:

 

I never connect the phone with a cord to the networked USB port for AA.....connects fine through Bluetooth with built in maps in the Nav leaving the one networked port free for music albums stored on the flash drive.

So you do not use AA then? You do not use any apps like maps or anything else on your phone. Just make calls. Do not get texts read to you. Do not dictate text messages. Do not use any audio functions on the phone. That right?

 

The OP saw it on the 8" screen. Maybe the 12" can't do this?

 

USB Splitter

 

I think people get used to a certain map app such as Google Maps and that's all they want to use. There's a bit of a learning curve for the built-in nav or any other nav app, and change is difficult.

Even though younger people have grown up surrounded by tech, for the most part they still learn to use it the same way everyone else has learned things for ages. People learn how do to something one way, and then they want to stick with that way as much as possible. If you use a phone a lot more than the screen in the car, you learn to use things on the phone, and that's how you get things done.

I've read tons of posts about how awful Entune nav is. While I would agree that some aspects of it, such as entering a destination by address, could be easier (with a lot more computing power, by the way), for the most part it works just fine. The real problem is not that it's horrible - it's just different than something else you're used to. And again - not being sarcastic - change is difficult.

 

People learn how do to something one way, and then they want to stick with that way as much as possible.

Myself I love change, but then I spent an entire career in IT which is nothing more than continual change of one sort or another.

My wife, however, is the exact opposite and would rather things stay as they are forever. It's to the point where she's actually afraid to get a new car because of all the new stuff she will have to learn and would much rather keep her current ride going as long as possible even though it makes no economic sense to do so at this point.

Her reluctance to learn new things permeates her entire life. As we all know, with any computer system there are multiple ways of accomplishing a given task. She doesn't want to know about more than one - show her how to do something and then suggest there's another way and she'll shut you down so fast you'll think the speed of light can be exceeded.

 

I drive multiple vehicles. Phone comes with me. This is easiest for me.

Also, nobody (me) ever suggested one is better than the other. I just was trying to understand the reason for not plugging the phone in. I do not plug my phone in either. I use a wireless adapter or aftermarket head units that have wireless interfaces to allow AA or CP.

Works for me, no need to go all counter culture.....

 

Ya’d think 2 would be enough, eh?

 

Yes! You are driving a vehicle. How many USB devices does one need to interface into the vehicle's limited network. It is not as if your networked into a server cruising the dark web while your driving.

Seriously why would you need more than 2 devices networked into the vehicles?

 

It does have a hidden communications system!!!

Just because you can not fathom why anybody would want more does not mean there could not be a legitimate reason.

Point is the car has many things we may or may not know or understand and people will always find ways to use (abuse?) in ways we did not think of.

That is pretty cool to me!

 

I can fathom it. The entire system is can bus it has to have an internal communication system.

They can also include other telematic system that can be hacked. I was with GM before telematic was nothing more than a concept and watched them come online.

What I understand and what I need in a car are 2 entirely different things. I was writing code probably before you were born since I starting writing code in 1982.

I also have my own pretty snazzy electronic testing and repair bench since I am into ham radio electronics as a hobby. I am not new to oscilloscopes, ESR, Logic Probes, micro controllers. None of that negates anything I said from a consumer level.

Show me a single Toyota head unit with unused USB port on the back of the unit? Every port on the unit will be used and will have a proprietary connector.

Show me a single system internal to the car that is open to anyone but someone willing to hack the car's system? That is not consumer level. None of that will be mentioned in the owners manaul.

The OP clearly mentioned "Not listed in the owners manual" there is a lot not listed in the owners manual because it is not consider consumer level. You clearly do not know how many separate black boxes are in most car's today and none of them are listed in the owners manual. They are not consumer level.

 

Well OM, it is mighty presumptuous of you to think I am so young (a compliment ?) but my coding started in 1979 when we could print out the whole arpanet (internet) on one letter sized page. I have written 10s of thousands of lines of code for deeply embedded real time systems including the 2 wire differential pair based CANbus. I think I kind of understand how this stuff works.

Our cars have a whole lot of shaking going on in them, as you know. Sometimes there are use cases we just never thought about. Or things that never made it into the test plans even though all requirements were tested for. In other words our cars may be used for things that were never dreamed of. That is cool.

We have a comms system the mothership can use to do untold things with our cars. Many people do not realize the cars have this secret capability and is what I referred to above.

While I gave up old radio restoration decades ago, I do have a degree in electrical engineering which has served me well to understand, design, build, code, test and field systems a lot like we have in our cars. Not very technical detail is available to users so that is why some hang bus analyzers on the CANbus to see what is going on. Somewhere I saw a list of common Toyota commands and addresses published. That is cool too.

So ya, there is a lot, as users, we are not aware of. Frankly, I do NOT wish to be an expert on everything I own. I am happy to be an “appliance operator“ and just drive the car. I am glad there are others who are tasked to do the work. It allows me to spend time with important things. Business, family and playing with my toys.

73

 

Maybe I'm missing something here but there is only one networked USB port, if a hub is connected you can connect two USB devices, but only one can be active at any time. Two devices can be recognized by the audio head simultaneously only if one device (phone) is connected by Bluetooth and the other plugged into the single networked USB connector in the dash.

There is no USB1`/USB2 selection tabs in either of my 8" or 12" Nav audio heads so no way for the audio screen to switch between two devices plugged into the hub plugged into the networked port......because the audio head will recognize only one of the two in the hub. A switched hub will permit you to use the switches in the hub to select either one or the other, but not both at the same time.

My Silverado has USB1 and USB2 because it has two separate networked ports and can simultaneously access both as in a computer. My Highlander has only 1 selectable USB input far as I can determine. So bottom line is I'd like to know from anyone where and how to located these separate USB1 and USB2 Tabs in the NAV/audio head under Source as discovered by the OP and if they really do exist in the Highlander.

 

The Navigation and Audio manual mentions that you won't have AA/CP and access to a USB stick at the same time. It's not so much a problem as an undesirable feature.

You're correct about the timeline around 2020. Right now, most Toyota models have an infotainment system called "Entune 3.0". It first appeared in 2018, and was available on most models by 2020. The previous infotainment system, "Entune 2.0", didn't support AA/CP. Entune 3.0 supports wired AA/CP. The new infotainment system, called "Toyota Audio Multimedia", is out on just a couple of models and it finally supports wireless AA/CP.

 

The Navigation and Audio manual mentions that you won't have AA/CP and access to a USB stick at the same time. It's not so much a problem as an undesirable feature.

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You're correct about the timeline around 2020. Right now, most Toyota models have an infotainment system called "Entune 3.0". It first appeared in 2018, and was available on most models by 2020. The previous infotainment system, "Entune 2.0", didn't support AA/CP. Entune 3.0 supports wired AA/CP. The new infotainment system, called "Toyota Audio Multimedia", is out on just a couple of models and it finally supports wireless AA/CP.

I am trying to get a copy of said manual. Will appreciate a PDF version of it.

Do you happen to know if it's possible to transition from Entune 3.0 to TAM with a firmware update?

 

I really, really doubt it. You couldn't upgrade from Entune 2.0 to Entune 3.0 - it was different hardware. I'm willing to bet that TAM is different hardware as well.

Manuals are on Toyota's Web site here.

 

Yeah which is why I would consider an aftermarket unit if it was different hardware altogether.

Thanks for the manual links. It seems to be only for US trims. Mine doesn't even have a TPMS!