Anker ROAV - Viva Pro Alexa Enabled 2-Port USB Vehicle Charger - Black

I drive a 2007 Chevy Corvette C6 that's amazing, but lacks the all gadgets that come standard in today’s modern cars. My factory installed radio features a CD player, but not a cassette player and it does not have an aux input. The reason I point that out is because I have no way of piping my digital music through the car stereo system. Until now… The ROAV VIVA Pro provides not 1, but 4 different ways of connecting to an audio system! That’s great thinking by the engineers that designed this device. Depending on the capabilities of your audio system, you can connect through Bluetooth, USB, an Aux cable or for hobbled radios like mine – through the FM receiver. Connection was simpler than I prepared for, which was a relief! I’ve used FM transceivers before, and they were always temperamental and they never performed very well once connected. In fact I fully expected this unit to be no different, and made sure I kept the receipt and all materials for the inevitable ‘return’. But that didn’t happen! The VIVA Pro has a very unique way of connecting, it’s wicked smahht! As we say here in Boston... You download an app on your smart phone, and run it. Follow along with the set up instructions (I used the FM signal method). You’ll need to find an unoccupied area on your FM radio that doesn’t receive any radio stations. If you commute a long distance like I do take this into consideration because it can change based on your location. In the app adjust the slider to match the same frequency that your radio is set for. This will be the broadcast channel by which the VIVA will transmit. I stay in the lowest bands as I find those are rarely used in my locale. I was impressed by the signal strength, and the low interference. While the quality over FM will never be as good as Bluetooth or a hardwired connection, this is the best I’ve experienced. Essentially you are listening to an FM radio station, so expect a little bit of static. Technically the VIVO becomes a self-contained mini-FM-broadcaster. If your older car has the same limitations as mine, this is a very good solution. One thing I didn’t like about the VIVO is a problem that I’ve experienced with every 12v “cigarette lighter” adapter to USB that I’ve used. If I’m listening to a regular radio station (FM), and I plug-in the VIVO I will get interference with FM stations (the signal gets interfered with). I have had this problem with every USB charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter in my car. I have gotten into the habit of never leaving the VIVO (or any cigarette lighter converter) inserted unless I’m using it. I’d really hoped that this wasn’t going to be a problem on the VIVO, given it being a higher end device from a name brand company. But alas, it still interferes with FM radio stations when left plugged in. The ‘A’ word… Front and center of the features on the Vivo is Amazon’s Alexa, which keeps getting better and better. Almost all of the features of an Echo Dot are built-in, so you can make calls, ask Alexa questions, even get turn-by-turn directions. And like the new Echo device a blue ring around the Vivo top glows blue when its listening (and red when it’s not). Alexa isn’t a fully integrated car-device yet, so it has its limitations and quirks. I’m sure it too will get better as they update the app and firmware (Amazon and Qualcomm are now working together). Spotify is promised in the future, but wasn’t available for me to try. I’d also like to see them add Pandora. I suppose it all depends on how popular this device becomes before 3rd party companies update their apps. All in all, it’s still very cool to use in the car! The dual USB fast charging system does work well, and I have mostly praise for it. Except… They put the USB ports on the side not the top of the device. This creates a big problem for me and for anyone else whose cigarette lighter is in a tight spot to begin with. I can just barely fit the bulbous-headed Vivo in the cigarette port of my 2007 Corvette. It’s not possible at that point to also plug in any USB cable unless I buy an extension adapter. Fortunately there is another cigarette lighter under the middle arm rest of my car, but then you run into other issues. The point is, put the USB connectors on top! I also wish that they engineered in a micro-USB port on the unit somewhere so that I can power it up indoors. Why? Because then I could run it inside when it’s sub-zero outside and configure it. Also, if they could add WIFI capabilities I would be able to perform firmware updates on my house WIFI and not over my slow cellular DATA plan. Alternatively they could build in a small rechargeable battery with just enough juice to have it run for a short period of time indoors. Long enough to update the firmware. Just some product improvement ideas. Summary: for anyone with an older car, that doesn’t have Bluetooth, or navigation, or any other way to play the music on your smartphone – the VIVO makes perfect sense and is well executed as a product. I definitely recommend it. Making and holding calls in my Corvette is impossible when I'm driving because it’s so darn loud. But I can pull over, turn off the 8 cylinder monster and make a phone call now – which is the best way to do it anyhow. So YES! I like it, it’s a bargain at twice the price! Two thumbs up!

The Viva Pro by Roav is the first Alexa enabled car charger. It has 2 USB A slots that support up to 4.8 amps. There is a microphone output jack on the side, and it is equipped with Bluetooth technology. In order to use the charger, you plug into the 12v outlet like any other charger. Then you download the Roav app (supported in the Apple Store and Google Play), and set up your Roav account. In order to use the Alexa feature you need that app on your phone as well, and you will need to load any Skills that you wants to use with Alexa. The charger connects to your car stereo through an auxillary cord, Bluetooth, or FM. For my installation, I used the Bluetooth option. As far as using it as a charger, it charges fairly quickly. I charged my S8+ from ~50% to ~80% in about 40 minutes. That’s also while using the device and my phone testing the Alexa function. As far as the Alexa function goes, it works pretty well. Alexa has its own bundle of issues, and I’ll refrain from discussing those in this review. This is intended to be about the Viva Pro. To initiate the Alexa app it’s just like any other smart product with Alexa built-in. You say “Alexa”, and it listens to your voice for a few seconds. Also, as you’d expect, the microphone needs to hear you initiate the command so the noise volume in your car needs to be lower than your voice. Same as other smart products. The light ring – There is a blue light around the edge of the microphone end. It’s pretty bright, but I believe that it can be adjusted. (I haven’t tried to do this). The light will indicate any interaction that it is having with the phone. For example, if you say “Alexa”, the light will change color and move to indicate that it is listening. Or if someone calls you, the light will change to green and flash. It just indicates that it is communicating with the phone. There are a couple of cons to this product. First, it’s a little big. I had a little trouble getting the charger to fit in my 12v port because of the size and the product and the cover for the port in my car. This won’t be any issue for everyone. Second, and this was a huge disappointment, the product as of now does not support Spotify. This was the main thing that I wanted it to do, so my use for this greatly decreased. On the brightside, Roav intends to support Spotify as the packing in the box indicates. It is just not yet available. It does work well with Amazon Music. I don’t have the full Amazon Music service, so I just tried it with what comes with my Amazon Prime account. I could request songs, and if available, it would play them. This is a better than average car charger. If the support for Spotify gets established, this will be a great addition for anyone who wants to travel and be hands free for just about everything. Overall, it seems pretty solid.

It's usually assumed that if something like this has an FM Transmitter, then there is a LED readout on the device. I was surprised to find that this does indeed have the capability to transmit to an FM radio, and it is done through the app. What's more, the Alexa can do most of the things an Alexa on an Echo Dot can do. Unless you are a user of Google Play Music, or YouTube Music. You can still listen to it and any other audio through it, you just can't ask Alexa to do anything with those. Google always allows every other service to be compatible with their stuff for the most part. Which is why I go with Google as much as I can. I'm really upset with Anker too, because they made one of these that works with the Google assistant, but didn't put an FM Transmitter in it! The other downside to this device is that only one user at a time is allowed. Usually, every time I get in the car, it automatically connects. If someone else uses it, when I go to use it again, I have to go back into the app and reconnect it. Then, the other person that used it, will have to do the same thing when they go to use it. Not that big a deal, but I've come to expect more from Anker. Almost all of their products exceed expectations in a major way. Also, my Google phone charges at home by a whopping 18 watts, and trying to charge it with this is almost like not charging it.

When I first decided to have Alexa in my vehicle I purchased Alexa Auto from Amazon. It arrived and I quickly realized that I would have a power cord going to a 12VDC port in the dash (with no way to hide the cord), and I also had to find a place and method to attach it. It seemed like it would be a messy installation. I will say that Alexa Auto appeared to be a quality product and would have worked well. I looked for an alternative and found the ROAV Viv Pro device. it had good reviews so I purchased it from Best Buy. It was super easy to install and set up in my vehicle. The ROAV-Alexa functions perfectly and the first bonus is that the mounting/power is as easy as plugging the device into a power port, and I do not have any cords hanging on my dash. The second bonus is that I now have two USB charge ports. I am very satisfied with this product and have recommended it to several of my friends. Best Buy usually keeps these in stock.

I needed a new charger. Plain and simple. The old Rocketfish charger I had in my car that is not made any more was way outdated, to the point where my USB-C phones recognized it as a “slow charger”. Step in Anker. I did not get this for the bells and whistles. I had utilized my share of FM transmitter Bluetooth devices. They were always annoying to turn on and keep charged. The sound quality was subpar as well, typically. With my lack of success, I just assumed I would lay down big bucks and get a Bluetooth enabled radio at some point. The Anker changed my mind. First and foremost, it satisfied my charging needs with two ports that I assume are fast chargers, with the speed at which it charges. Secondly, the FM transmitter works pretty darn good. You’re never going to get high quality from an FM transmitter, but this one is admirable. The app could use for some equalizer additions (bass, mids, treble, loudness, etc). And for some reason the sound from the Anker is way quieter than my other inputs. But it does the job. It should be noted that when downloading the app for this device, make sure you download the correct one. I’m sure it said it somewhere in the limited directions, but there are I think three different Anker apps. Maybe it was just me…. I am a little disappointed in devices like this linking themselves to one smart application (ie. Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant). While I could still use Google Assistant, it would have been much nicer to use it as an integrated platform on this device. This is my first product from Anker. Although the device doesn’t have the finished/polished production that would reach 5 stars, I would continue to research the company again for other purchases.

Hooks up to 107.5 easily. Able to play playlists from phone great with music. However not the best with phone calls. Sounds like you are under water when using Bluetooth / hands free. The idea is great but the execution could use some improvement.

Works well, connects automatically, and is responsive. I haven’t had any issues with it not hearing me, even with the windows down. I chose this model to use the FM transmitter in an older vehicle, and I’ve had no issues with the signal. My biggest disappointment is the incompatibility with Spotify. Evidently this may be resolved in the future, but I’ve seen nothing confirming this.

Anker ROAV - Viva Pro 2-Port USB Vehicle Charger - Black.Great product.Little ,compact.