IOGear Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit GBHFK231 (Black)
- Enjoy hands-free talking with the solar-powered Bluetooth speakerphone
- Multi-point connection: Switch between two phones and answer the phone that rings
- One full charge provides up to 11-13 hours continuous talk time
- Superior echo cancellation and noise reduction
- Windshield and visor mounting bracket included
IOGear’s GBHFK231 enables you to wirelessly place and receive calls on your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone while keeping your eyes on the road and your hands on the steering wheel when driving. The kit’s integrated solar panel harnesses the solar ene
Rating: 
(out of 17 reviews)
List Price: $ 49.99
Price: $ 36.29
Review by Andy B for IOGear Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit GBHFK231 (Black)
Rating:
I was looking for a bluetooth speaker unit to replace an old Motorola headset. I was tired of always charging the headset and I rarely used it outside of the car, so when I found this car kit I thought it would be perfect. It uses a standard micro USB port to charge (the same as my phone) which is handy, and the solar panel idea made a lot of sense. I charged the unit initially using USB, and then stuck it on my windshield below the tinted area at the top, sort of behind my rear view mirror. It’s small enough that it is discreet; the controls are simple and easy to use.
Pairing my phone was very easy and it has had no problems connecting each time since then. Incoming sound quality is good and the speaker is plenty loud. People I talk to also report that I sound clear on their end, so I think the noise cancellation works well.
As far as the effectiveness of the solar charging, it seems to be working although it’s hard to say – I’ve only had it for two weeks. After the initial USB charge, I haven’t had to charge the unit again via USB in that time. We’ve only had a few sunny days lately, but it does seem like the unit must be getting some power from the solar panel; I always use Bluetooth for my daily commute and I have yet to receive a low battery warning. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on the amount of actual talking you do while in the car.
Overall, I’ve found this car kit to fit my needs extremely well.
Review by Amazon Addict for IOGear Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit GBHFK231 (Black)
Rating:
I purchased this to replace a Jabra bluetooth handsfree speaker that was being redeployed to another vehicle. This IOGear unit is smaller than the Jabra but the interface is very similar. One difference is that the Jabra will announce the phone # of the incoming call. This unit does not have that feature. Also the sound quality on the Jabra is a little clearer and louder. At the highest setting, the volume on this unit is adequate but you may need to turn the volume setting on your phone to it’s highest setting. I have an iPhone 3G and the highest setting was required to get a reasonable volume. I don’t think this would work well in a moving convertible with the top down.
This was easy to pair with two phones simultaneously which is nice if you have 2 drivers for the vehicle as I do for my SUV. This eliminates the need to pair the device with each driver’s phone when they use the car. You pair it once and just turn it on when in the car and either or both phones are paired automatically. You must read the instructions closely to make sure the multi-pairing setting is selected first.
The Visor clip does not work with a thick visor (Visors with lighted Mirrors built in are usually thicker). The suction mount is OK but not legal in all states. Check your state laws for compliance. Tech support said they do not offer a solution for clipping the unit to the thicker Visors. The suction cups is holding up so far but I am worried about the unit falling off as outside weather conditions and temperature change. IOGear does provide an extra set of suction cups and the unit seems robust enough to survive a fall but it might be better to remount it periodically.
So far the Solar charging seems to be working well. Also because of the compact size, the unit is easy to travel with.
The Volume and Visor clip issues prevent me from giving this 5 stars. Also, it would be nice if it announced the # of the incoming call as the Jabra does. If you don’t want to hassle with charging monthly (my Jabra lasted over a month on a charge in typical usage) then this is a nice solution. If you want the best voice quality and added features, I would recommend the Jabra for about $10 more as an alternative.
Review by Bartimus Max for IOGear Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit GBHFK231 (Black)
Rating:
I have tried several of these blue tooth hands free car kits/speaker kits (under $50) by several different manufacturers and all of them have been disappointing. THIS ONE IS NO EXCEPTION. After reading so many rave reviews, I took the chance and bought two of them at a great price. I agree with several other posts: unit is very light and small, but feels cheap like you could easily break it. It gets cool points for solar, which appears to keep it charged all by itself with minimal usage. The mounts are a problem. The slide in case with the suction cups easily loses the spongy grommets used to cushion the case between the window glass. The clip on case used for a visor has a small clip and would not clip onto the visor of my 09 Tacoma. After prying it open and praying it wouldn’t snap off the plastic, it awkwardly sits on the visor, BUT the position of the clip does not allow you to flip the visor down and let the sun charge the unit unless you take it out and flip it over and re-insert it into the holder so the panels are out. You then have to remember to re-insert face up before use, because the buttons and speaker would be up against the visor. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM is the most important. The speaker, LIKE ALL THE OTHERS sucks! The volume is way too low. I have tried it on the windshield and on the visor and my callers are a whisper at 65 MPH on the freeway, windows up, AC fan off, and no radio on. City streets are no better. This is with both units in both a pick-up truck and a small SUV. When speaking to people, the complaint is that you sound far away and “tinny”, the volume is TOO LOW on both ends with the volume on the unit at full. This was tested with a blackberry and a motorola cell phone on BOTH speakers I bought. Placing the unit on the visor and flipping the visor down so that it’s almost at mouth level makes it a little better, but then your vision is blocked by the visor. Completely disappointed. I am giving up on these type of systems, they just don’t have the volume and speaker capability we need. I am assuming the only true option is a built-in vehicle system. Maybe my next car….
Review by K. Urbaniak for IOGear Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit GBHFK231 (Black)
Rating:
This was very easy to use right out of the package! When I tried it out at first I was disappointed as I couldnt hear while the car air conditioner was running. And I remembered that someone else had said it was very low in sound. While quite by accident I found that the volume on my lotus was down to 2 and after adjusting the volume on the IOgear and on my phone it works wonderfully loud if I so choose! I did find that i have to check my phone volume when I get in the car because either from bumping around in my purse or in just normal use it tends to lower the volume by itself. If you check that out on yours too I think you will be as happy as I am with this product…Oh, I have to mention the voice recognition works better than most items I’ve tried. I will say call 123456 and as long as I don’t rush it, it always understands and makes the call!
Review by M. Kerby for IOGear Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit GBHFK231 (Black)
Rating:
Got this for my wife, I have similar product that I got for really cheap at a discount store. They work great. Easy to sync, easy to take and place calls. I prefer these over the headphone style. They’re just easier to deal with than a headset. So, we’ve had it for about a month and haven’t had to charge it other than the initial charge, so the solar panels work:) The only thing is that you have to talk loud when speaking…. so the person on the other end can hear you. Also the volume of the caller calling you could be higher too. But…They work, they’re easy and we won’t be getting a ticket.