Motorola BLNC IHF1000 Bluetooth Car Kit Portfolio Hands-Free Car Kit

Motorola IHF 100 Bluetooth

By J  Dec 5, 2006 | 2 out of 2 found this Motorola BLNC IHF1000 Bluetooth Car Kit Portfolio review helpful

Pros: Great features, easy support to multiple phones, great documentation

Cons: More variety of cables/harnesses for different cars would be nice; professional installation suggested/required

The Motorola IHF1000 is a Bluetooth hands-free system to integrate your Bluetooth-capable phone into you car. A sleek control pad is all that's visible, and the small main unit can be concealed under the dash or in the trunk. Voice commands make the system easy to use, and the system can integrate with car steros that support an external 'mute' function, for a totally integrated system.

The small backlit control pad has volume up/down buttons; answer & hangup buttons; and a main button that allows you to activate the voice-controlled functions of the system. Once the volume is set, really all you need is the main 'talk' button. A simple set of voice-commands allows you to move betwen menus, program up to 20 numbers with a voice name, or modify the configuration. The system also has the ability to use the Voice Tags for numbers stored on your cell phone - so once it's in your cell phone, it's available.

I installed it myself into my 2000 Audi A6 4.2. The car had an integrated OEM analog phone, so all the wiring was already installed and available in a single connector in the trunk. I did have to cut the wires from the unit and connect them to a DB25 connector, but the documentation included with the system clearly identified the color-coded wires. I was able to find all the information I needed on the Audi DB25 connector to make the proper connections. Connecting the correct wires to a DB25 connector (bought at Radio Shack) was easy, and I installed the system in the trunk. Reception is great, and it has never failed to 'find' my phone. I did have to remove the Audi OEM microphone, since it didn't work with the IHF100, but this was fairly straightforward.

I can understand why they recommend professional installation, but if you're comfortable with basic wiring, and you can find all the information you need on your vehicle, then there's no reason you cannot do it yourself. Since I had to cut wires and make a connector, it took a little more time than I had planned - but really there was nothing complicated about it.

I bought a second unit for my 2007 Mountaineer, but have yet to install it. I was able to find a Cellsite wiring harness for late-model Ford/Mercury vehicles, so I should be able to connect it relatively easy without having to cut any wires. Stay tuned.