# Trouble with bluetooth phone with my alpine kce400bt



## jabes88 (Jul 17, 2010)

Hello everyone,

I've just installed the Alpine KCE400BT adapter on my Alpine iDA-X305 (recently removed from their online store). I am able to pair my iPhone 3G with the unit but it only works the first time. I've set "INT MUTE" and "AUX+" to off and set bluetooth in to "adapter". The first time I paired my device I was able to use the menu dialing system but once I shut the ignition off and power up I get the "no unit" message. I am able to access the bluetooth settings menu and even play bluetooth audio, hell I can even make a phone call with my phone and the headunit will pick it up and work over the mic/speakers but for some reason i cant access the bluetooth phone menu. Also I'm not sure if this is normal but in the bluetooth settings menu the "paired devices" option says "no support". I would be very grateful if someone could shed some light on my issue. 

Thanks


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## HiNeems (Aug 4, 2010)

I got the same issues. I called in tech support and they are aware of the issue but who knows when/if they can fix it. 

Here's my equipment:
Alpine IDA-X305s Head Unit with Pandora
Alpine KCE-400BT Bluetooth Adapter Firmware 311
Apple Iphone 4 OS 4.01

Alright so I pair the phone to the head unit via the bt adapter. Pairs fine, go to the setup, paired devices and it says "Not Supported", however I have my Dialed, Missed, Phonebook when I click the telephone button on my head unit. So it works well upon first pairing. 

HOWEVER, when you turn off the car and turn it back on. Click on telephone button on head unit you get "NO UNIT". The BT still is paired so you can receive and dial calls using the phone, but you can't dial off the head unit, since when you click on the telephone button you get "NO UNIT". 

Okay that being said I spoke to tech support today 8/4/10 and they said they are aware of this "glitch" and they are working on figuring out why it's doing this and how they can fix it. Kinda annoying, since I paid close to 700 dollars for all of this and it doesn't work properly. Hopefully, they'll fix the firmware and I'll be up and running again. :worried:

Furthermore, I tried my dad's 3G iphone and when I pair his up his name comes up under paired devises (on my iphone 4 it says "not supported"). However the "NO UNIT" problem occurs with his phone as well once you turn the care off and on again. :mean:

Another annoying issue is launching the pandora app on your phone.
1. it's not multitasking capable so if you're listing to pandora, you can't check your email, view maps anything while listening to pandora. So they need to make it multitask.

2. Lets say I'm listening to Pandora and a phone call comes in. It doesn't go back to Pandora. When I switch source Pandora is playing however no audio comes in. So I have to unplug USB, then plug back in. Then it launches USB audio, then I have to switch source back to Pandora. That is way too much stuff! So hopefully they fix that somehow too. They might be able to do that by upgrading the APP to multitask. 

Hope this helps other people who are having same issues


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## Vestax (Aug 16, 2005)

Wow that was really helpful. Thanks for posting that.


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## MFMauceri (Aug 16, 2010)

The KCE-400BT is clearly bug ridden.

Mine exhibits all the symptoms described in this thread. Alpine Tech Support support; useless. Some won't acknowledge the issue at all. Additionally, my unit switches on its own volition to bluetooth audio mode when it has a separate USB connection.

The phone works sporadically and there's no way to lock in the optimal volume in which to take a call (when it works).

Bad product experience all around... So do I rip all of the equipment out of the dashboard to return it?

Here's my equipment:
Alpine CDA-117 Head Unit 
Alpine KCE-400BT Bluetooth Adapter Firmware 311
Apple Iphone 3g OS 3.01


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## Terrence N. Phillip (Aug 19, 2010)

Same problems here. KCE-400BT, ida-x100, iphone 4

Had the same problem with a Samsung phone.

Phone pairs initially but will not reinitiate after shut off the car.

If the ipod interface is connected when i start the car, the music comes on but shuts off around 10 seconds later. i need to unplug and replug the connector to get it to play again.

when its paired properly it works great. just a pain to get it paired.


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## musictoo (Aug 19, 2010)

I had the same issue initially with my 117 and 4G but after the initial pairing it straightened itself out. If I receive a call while listening to the 4G the music will not resume unless I remove and reconnect the usb cable.


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## MFMauceri (Aug 16, 2010)

I don't think it's acceptable that an incoming phone call on a bluetooth device requires you to reach over and unplug, then reconnect a device while driving... Nor is Alpine's Tech support staff denial that a problem exists.

Apply some pressure to have them fast track a firmware update that solves the problem with a $600+ equipment set-up stamped with a "works with iphone" logo.

Perhaps, "occasionally work with iphone" is more accurate.

review here: Alpine KCE-400BT Bluetooth Adapter user ratings and Cell phone and smart phone accessory user reviews and reviews - CNET Reviews


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## Ohms1 (Jan 31, 2011)

I have the INA-W900 with the KCE-400BT. I have the same problem described here as well. What a joke . . . still no fix from Alpine. My KCE-400 BT has firmware 311 and this still appears to be the most up to date firmware version.

I heard from the Alpine Support about 6 months ago that they don't even make the Parrot and put there name on it. 

I can answer calls through the head unit. I have to initiate voice dial thru my iPhone 4. I can also dial thru my iPhone 4. 

When I had my iPhone 3G, I could turn the Bluetooth on and off and then access the phone menu on the Alpine head unit. That being said the phone interface on the head unit is quite poorly done. It is very slow to look thru your phone book making it too cumbersome to use anyways.

If anyone figures out a fix please post it!


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## SSSnake (Mar 8, 2007)

Any updates on this issue? I just installed a CDA-117 with KCE-400bt and I have the "no unit" issues...


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## SSSnake (Mar 8, 2007)

Nevermind. I just got off of the phone with Alpine Tech Support. No fixes yet.


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## Bass911 (Jan 13, 2009)

Ohms1 said:


> I have the INA-W900 with the KCE-400BT. I have the same problem described here as well. What a joke . . . still no fix from Alpine. My KCE-400 BT has firmware 311 and this still appears to be the most up to date firmware version.
> 
> I heard from the Alpine Support about 6 months ago that they don't even make the Parrot and put there name on it.
> 
> ...


My setup is the same as yours, except I have the Samsung Galaxy Vibrant. My phone will not connect at all. It says initiating pairing, now connecting, then FAILED. It let me put in "0000" and still FAILED to connect! I love Alpine, but I'm thinking about selling all of it for a different brand that works. I can deal with a drop in SQ of another brand if everything works right. I really need the Bluetooth function, and the remote wire output is weak. I had to run ACC wire to get my amps to come on. The rest of the functions work perfect. Alpine should be ashamed because there too many people having this same problem!


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## Bass911 (Jan 13, 2009)

UPDATE!!!!! This may help some of you. It took me forever to get this thing to pair, but I finally got it working. BT Audio and Cell sounds clear.

I had to disconnect the pink/black wire, disconnect 400bt input wire, reset the radio, and delete kce-400bt from my Samsung Vibrant. All of the bluetooth settings will stay the same on the ina-w900. Turn radio on, make phone visible, search for devices from radio menu, select device on radio screen, enter 4 digit code, press enter. Your cell will also ask you to enter 0000. It should start and complete the pairing process. *Let the radio find your phone, do not scan for devices from the cell phone.* I'm assuming this is the only way to pair it with a Samsung smart phone running droid?


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## kustomkaraudio (Jun 20, 2009)

Double check that int/mute is set to off, aux+ does not matter. make sure bluetooth in set set to " adapter " hold the back button for 2 seconds to get out of those menus. Take the faceplate off and reset the deck when it comes back on , cycle the ignition switch twice. Should bring the 400bt "online" and then pair your phone up. Sounds strange , but it works.


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## pdxlawyer (Jan 5, 2011)

Bass911 said:


> UPDATE!!!!! This may help some of you. It took me forever to get this thing to pair, but I finally got it working. BT Audio and Cell sounds clear.
> 
> I had to disconnect the pink/black wire, disconnect 400bt input wire, reset the radio, and delete kce-400bt from my Samsung Vibrant. All of the bluetooth settings will stay the same on the ina-w900. Turn radio on, make phone visible, search for devices from radio menu, select device on radio screen, enter 4 digit code, press enter. Your cell will also ask you to enter 0000. It should start and complete the pairing process. *Let the radio find your phone, do not scan for devices from the cell phone.* I'm assuming this is the only way to pair it with a Samsung smart phone running droid?


Did you reconnect pink/black?


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## adrasys (Apr 21, 2011)

I'm having a similar problem. Running IDA-x305s w/PXA-100 and the KCE-400bt which i just bought today. Everything is connected , mute is off, aux+ off. Pink wire connected. Bluetooth set to Adapter i removed faceplate and reset then turned car on and off twice. When i go to my iphone iOS 4.2.8 i can find the kce in my bluetooth list. however when i go back to the menu and go into bluetooth i am unable to select anything other than "adaptor" and "off". Thoughts?


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## Mirage_Man (Jun 29, 2007)

On the off chance someone has a W505 and the 400bt that knows how to pair with an HTC thunderbolt I sure could use the help. I've tried everything I've either found online or what Alpine tech support has told me.

The problem I have is when the radio comes on my phone is getting a request to pair from a Ck505 or something similar which according to Alpine tech support is the name of the chipset in the 400bt. They say what the phone should see is "400bt". Anyway, if I enter "1234" when it's asking to pair it will pair. Then after a few seconds it will disconnect>connect>disconnect>connect and on and on. There is no BT functionality whatsoever while in the endless disconnect/connect cycle. The only way to stop it is turn off BT on my phone. 

I have no idea of know which FW the unit has as the W505 doesn't have that option. 

Anyone have any ideas?


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## Mirage_Man (Jun 29, 2007)

Mirage_Man said:


> On the off chance someone has a W505 and the 400bt that knows how to pair with an HTC thunderbolt I sure could use the help. I've tried everything I've either found online or what Alpine tech support has told me.
> 
> The problem I have is when the radio comes on my phone is getting a request to pair from a Ck505 or something similar which according to Alpine tech support is the name of the chipset in the 400bt. They say what the phone should see is "400bt". Anyway, if I enter "1234" when it's asking to pair it will pair. Then after a few seconds it will disconnect>connect>disconnect>connect and on and on. There is no BT functionality whatsoever while in the endless disconnect/connect cycle. The only way to stop it is turn off BT on my phone.
> 
> ...


Turns out the shop that installed the unit hooked it up wrong and fried it. I tried another one and it worked perfectly.


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## MFMauceri (Aug 16, 2010)

I had similar problems with the 3G that went away when I upgraded to the iphone 3GS. Try pairing the system with a borrowed later version of the iphone to see if it works? It's supposed to be 3G compatible, but I found it IS NOT.


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## ascender (Aug 8, 2011)

Had similar problems with this setup over the weekend, called Alpine and they gave me details of a workaround. The problem doesn't happen if you have more than one phone paired to the head unit via BT. So just use another phone, go through the pairing process and you should be good to go.

Apparently its a bug when you just have one slot in the BT devices section in-use. I've tried the workaround this morning and seems to have fixed it.


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## Aerotec (Aug 15, 2011)

Ascender!

Many thanks! I just spent a day fitting new kit to my system and removing my old Nokia BT carkit and fitting a 400bt. I was going mad with the constant No Unit error and many google searches showed no solution. I am still waiting to hear back from my email to Alpine UK and then I found your post. I was sceptical but paired a friends android handset to my 400BT and sure enough it now repairs to my own HTC Android handset after a few moments. Brilliant!

There is a bug but this work around is easy to do. I will post to some other forums that have no solution so they can get it working too.

Thanks!


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## brianbd (Nov 27, 2011)

Hello,

My first post, but I wanted to give my fix.

Stupid, but I had swapped the yellow and red wires incorrectly, which gave the same symtoms as listed in this thread. Where the pairing would go away after stopping and starting the car.

I went through all suggested fixes, adding another phone, etc... As a last option I pulled out the voltmeter and tested, sure enough I had the acc wire and batt wire swapped.

Brian


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## vfrjim (Jan 12, 2012)

I've installed the KCE400BT with a CDA-117 and using a MyTouch 4G (AKA Glacier), I am able to connect reliably as long as I turn back on my BT(on the phone) after the stereo is on(I can deal with that) but I get random drops of audio when streaming internet radio(slacker or pandora), it does not lose a connection, just get audio drops which are annoying. Anyone have any ideas?


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## acgriggs (Feb 12, 2012)

All,
Good thread here and I am new to this forum but not to the problems with KCE 400BT. I will offer the following since I have seen and had to overcome most of the problems here. My setup is the BT400 with the iDA-x001. 

Pairing problems
I had my setup working for months but then had to unplug the battery to perform some maintenance and all the headaches of pairing reappeared. I knew I had initial problems but once it is setup the glitches, are minimal but I will address those in a second. I knew all wiring was proper. I also reset the menu settings (adapter and int audio). All was correct in the world but the BT400 would not go into pairing mode. It took many variations of unit off, unit on, fast ignition turn off versus a quick ignition turn off. Nothing seemed to work. However, after a night’s sleep, I tried again and it seemed that if my head unit was in radio mode the pairing worked flawlessly. I actually paired up three phones (all iPhones, 4G and even the old 2G). That solved the pairing issue.

No unit
When my unit was paired up with my iPhone 4G for those many months I would also get the no unit error. Even with a no unit error, it would still allow me to talk and receive calls through the BT400. The No Unit error seemed to be limited only to accessibility of the iPhone phone logs (inbound, outbound, recents, etc.). This wasn't too big a deal but the workaround for the iPhone was simply to go into settings, general, Bluetooth...then turn Bluetooth off and turn back on. It will automatically re-pair itself. I usually would always get my phone log after that step.

Sound quality
I read in the posts that many liked the Bluetooth audio since it gave functionality on the phone itself. I can vouch that the sound quality is far superior with the high-speed cable. An earlier poster hit it on the head when he mentioned the D & A converters. I cannot explain what they are but there is a noticeable difference in sound clarity and volume. But I have also experienced some difference between the low-speed audio cable and the high speed cable. The low speed cable allows for album art to pass on my head unit where the high speed does not. There is also a difference in sound volume when I plug up the high-speed cable. This is based on nothing but a connection without me ever hitting or adjusting any volume. The low speed cable also seemed to have a certain amount of glitches, some mp3s would play and others seemed to skip (like a scratched record...go figure). Yet with the high-speed cable, there was no issue even on the same song. The low speed cable seemed to have a better functionality when navigating the menus on the head unit; noticeably you could use the "back" feature more easily. With the high-speed cable, you must navigate from the beginning of the menu all the way back down to a playlist. Once you play a song in that playlist, you are stuck in that playlist. To go to another playlist you must start at the beginning menu. With the low-speed, I could simply hit "back."

So there it is...hopefully that made sense and helps some folks. Because my Head Unit is older, I do not have the ability to do any firmware upgrades to my BT400. Therefore, I do not know if that would clear any of these issues. Overall, once set up the units do pretty well. Sound is great and I like the clarity of the hands-free BT. These are just glitches. 95% of the time it works as advertised and is error free. 

Since we are in a forum setting I would like a quick answer or redirect on an issue with my speaker/amplifier. I have an older Memphis belle amplifier. Here is the symptom, my front left speaker plays but almost at a few notches lower in volume that the right. However, if I crank the volume way up I hear a few crackles and pops and then it is a loud as it should be. At the upper volume, the speaker works beautifully. When I eventually turn it down it will fade after a bit. 

What is the issue? I have swapped RCA cables from the head unit from left to right, no change volume still low. I am thinking connection, speaker, or the amplifier for that channel has issues.

AG


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## Totoro (Apr 19, 2017)

HI MY setup is kce400bt + DA-X305. It was working for a few weeks. I changed my phone.paired the new with no problem for a few days. then it stopped working. The settings show the 2 phone names. but they will not work anymore and won't show up in the iphone bluetoooth search. I wanted to do a reset but the CLEAR DEVICE option does not work (YES /NO options) wouldn't work. Any advice?


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## Burningfeetman (Aug 25, 2018)

acgriggs said:


> ...
> 
> Nothing seemed to work. However, after a night’s sleep, *I tried again and it seemed that if my head unit was in radio mode the pairing worked flawlessly. * I actually paired up three phones (all iPhones, 4G and even the old 2G). That solved the pairing issue.
> 
> AG


OMG, I picked up a new Sandisk Sports Clip with bluetooth and unfortunately my Alpine CDE-123 won't accept its bluetooth Audio output. In messing about with the Bluetooth settings, I got completely lost, ending up breaking my phone bluetooth connection too. A couple of hours, all hope was lost, and then I found your post - and yup, that was it. All the bluetooth settings for the Alpine deck are found when in Radio mode... but if you're in Bluetooth mode (where mine displays "No Unit") you can't actually configure/flush the bluetooth devices. 

Anyway, my iPhone8 is handsfree again (thank f$%k), and interesting I can see the Sandisk Sports Clip registered under bluetooth device 3, however - the two attempt to connect but they timeout. Which sucks, cause the Sports clip works absolutely flawlessly with the Uboom, and the alpine works with iPhone handsfree... gah! Just no Sports Clip and Alpine bluetoothy goodness.


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## Silviu97 (Jun 2, 2020)

Hei, i have the same problem. My pack is IVA-W502R with ALPINE-400BT. My phone is a samsung note 9. When i enter in source setting on my alpine and i select bluetooth then pair or search device it s not working. He show me "fail". My phone find the 400 bt and ask me for key, i enter 0000 or 1234 and he doesn t work. Please help me) i don t know what to do!


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