# Axxess ASWC Steering Wheel Control. No more programming and no more resistors!



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Copy & pasted from my build thread...

The PAC SWI-PS piece I bought for my civic was apparently a POS. After over a month of dealing with it off and on, trying to get it to work, and even replacing my friggin clockspring  , I realized that my car was fine... it was the pac piece that was messed up. It would randomly power up and shut down on it's own. I couldn't tell because it was in the dash. This weekend I did some troubleshooting and realized what was wrong.

I was talking to my friend on Monday night about it and he asked if I had tried the steering wheel interface from Axxess called the ASWC. He said he saw his friend (Jeff Smith) installing it in someone's car and said it looked pretty sweet.
It's a universal piece that will work with nearly any car and works with any aftermarket headunit that's capable of SWI. No need to mess with resistors, etc as it comes PRE-PROGRAMMED! 

You can read about it here:
 Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface | Sonic Electronix Blog

More info from the company:
http://assets.sonicelectronix.com/manuals/metra/aswc.pdf

Well, I got it installed today. Took me a few minutes to solder the wires up. Put the headunit in, turned the key and the aswc did it's thing. All my swi issues are now resolved.


This ASWC is pretty badass. I didn't have to do a thing except for connect three wires (comm, power, ground) and hook the 3.5mm jack to the pioneer. It took care of everything else by itself. No resistors, no nothing. 4 wires total and I'm done.

Cool that is that it works with any headunit and can be updated if I switch to another brand later on. No need for a brand specific swi. :thumbsup:

Now!!! I can move on to something more fun like installing gear in my wife's car. Yea! 

(in the picture below, the pac is hanging under the dash piece so that I could verify it's LED stayed on. that's not the permanent location ).




















+1 for this bad boy. At $50 on e-bay, it's easily worth the price. :thumbsup:


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

So you have to have a steering wheel remote ready head unit? It will or won't work with IR remotes?


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## mrstop (Dec 15, 2009)

I feel your pain. I installed the SWI-Jack to control a new Alpine unit in my wife's Odyssey. She's not really happy with the lag in the buttons and getting kind of angry that I messed with it.

The one thing I can say for PAC is that they do have great customer service. Mine wasn't functioning when I installed it, and they walked me through how to test for the right resistor. My biggest complaint is that it still does not have that "factory feel." I'm hoping I can tweak the resistors some more to improve it. That said, I wish it was more plug and play.
*
Do you have the lag issues with the Axxess unit?*


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

^ X2 on the lag.

I as about to buy a PAC but I am ordering one or two of these.
Awesome thanks a lot, appreciate the review.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Notloudenuf said:


> So you have to have a steering wheel remote ready head unit? It will or won't work with IR remotes?


I have the z110bt from pioneer. It has the 3.5mm input for hardwired remote (steering wheel controls). 

The headunit did not come with an IR sensor, as most of the other top level pioneer navi units as of late do not. I bought an add-on IR adapter but wound up reverting back to trying to get the swi to work. I pulled my IR sensor and remote. Put them up for sale here, actually. 



mrstop said:


> I'm hoping I can tweak the resistors some more to improve it. That said, I wish it was more plug and play.
> *
> Do you have the lag issues with the Axxess unit?*


When I did have my pac piece working (rarely) it wasn’t too bad. But there was some lag. The one complaint I hear from a lot of people who are complaining about it is that after about a year or so it quits performing well. 

This unit does not have ANY lag. At least not with my setup.



AAAAAAA said:


> ^ X2 on the lag.
> 
> I as about to buy a PAC but I am ordering one or two of these.
> Awesome thanks a lot, appreciate the review.


Let us know how yours works out for you. It’s a pretty sweet little setup. I like that you don’t have to fiddle with calculating resistance ladders and trying to figure out resistance values, much less program it. Wire up, plug in, done.


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Can't wait to get mine!


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

wanted to mention, that you can also program this if you want. If you add extra buttons, or whatever, you can program those, too.

This piece makes it much simpler than the PAC piece did.


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## mkellypc (Mar 15, 2010)

I just installed one about 2 weeks ago and it works AWESOME. 09 Silverado and Pioneer HU. Was skeptical but worked perfectly first time.


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## CodeMan (Oct 31, 2007)

Thanks for the review! This sounds promising and I didn't know it existed until now. I was just about to order the SWI-JACK too. Spending less, doing less work, and getting a better end result... nice.


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## aV8ter (Sep 4, 2009)

So I should be good to go with this unit in my S2000 with my 9887 or 9855 radio?


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

read one of the links I gave. Go to the axxess site and enter your car in. it'll tell you.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

I am so happy to have discovered this. I've had the PAC unit and the DXZ785USB sitting in a box for like a year... it's time to pick up one of these and get busy.

I'll sell the PAC unit


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## tinctorus (Oct 5, 2009)

I got a question about this unit, My car doesnt have steering wheel controls BUT I have a buttload of valet switched from alarms and was going to mount them under my center console armest.

Doe you think if I put a different ohm resistor on each button and wired it to the steering wheel input wire of the adapter that I could make each button perform a different function??

I mean all the steering wheel controls are is a main wire and each button has a different resistance when you push it so I think in theory it SHOULD work but would like to know if anyone knew for sure


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## TREETOP (Feb 11, 2009)

tinctorus said:


> I got a question about this unit, My car doesnt have steering wheel controls BUT I have a buttload of valet switched from alarms and was going to mount them under my center console armest.
> 
> Doe you think if I put a different ohm resistor on each button and wired it to the steering wheel input wire of the adapter that I could make each button perform a different function??
> 
> I mean all the steering wheel controls are is a main wire and each button has a different resistance when you push it so I think in theory it SHOULD work but would like to know if anyone knew for sure


Yep I've done something similar before- I used the existing faceplate buttons on a factory radio, through resistors, to control an aftermarket head unit tucked away in the glovebox. I used a PAC piece (it was before the Axxess ones were on the market), but the Axxess one should be no different since it can learn manually as well as autolearn.


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## tinctorus (Oct 5, 2009)

TREETOP said:


> Yep I've done something similar before- I used the existing faceplate buttons on a factory radio, through resistors, to control an aftermarket head unit tucked away in the glovebox. I used a PAC piece (it was before the Axxess ones were on the market), but the Axxess one should be no different since it can learn manually as well as autolearn.


Sweet I am gonna order one at work tommorow then because I think it would be sweet to have some push buttons right at my fingertips to control some of the settings on my radio


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Well, I've finally got to put a couple of these in...and it's AWESOME!
I did a Lincoln Aviator w/ Alpine W505. All I did was turn on the car and then turn on the radio and Bam! done. And it worked perfectly.

I rewired a set of cruise control buttons in my last car (it didn't have cruise) and used the PAC piece to integrate and had no problems, except that the response was a little slow.

But this is way better.

Jay


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## Thunderplains (Sep 6, 2009)

I don't mean to bring up an OLD post, but I have to say I installed this in my Wife's SUV the other day and this thing is awesome.. Easy as Pie..

And like Bikin said, FAST.. I got rid of my SWI on my car cause of the painful delay.. This one is JUST like factory..

Great find Bikin.. Thanks


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## MaXaZoR (Apr 1, 2007)

Well this is annoying, I bought a SWI off of Don a few months back, but held off installing it. When if finally came time to install it Bikin wrote up this review. I told Don I wanted the Axxess kit instead of the SWI, but he swore up and down that it was the same kit by the same maker. I have the delay and hate it wish I just picked up the Axxess kit like I wanted.


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## jimnolimit (May 19, 2010)

i talked to nismos14 before i started ordering all the parts for my install (2010 altima) and he suggested the axxess to integrate my steering wheel controls . after i did the install , it took a whole 20 seconds to "set it up" . i highly recommend the axxess aswc .


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

I still need to buy one of these. That should prompt me to get the wiring harness all soldered-up.


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## coronamike (Apr 23, 2009)

I have the PAC and it has lag too. Wanna get one of these but wondering if I can program the bluetooth sterring wheel button from my car (2005 Acura TL) to the bluetooth on my Pioneer HU. Has anybody tried this yet?


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

I went ahead and ordered one. It'll be on its way as soon as Amazon decides to send it. They always put a big rush on those free shipping orders! </sarcasm>


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## Salami (Oct 10, 2007)

*HOT DEAL?*

Sonix has the unit for sale for $45 shipped. 

Axxess ASWC Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Has anybody hooked this up with a Clarion DXZ785USB and a 2006 Scion xB?

*edit* I have the wires all separated and bunched for the harness; I just gotta figure out how to connect it to the in-dash harness for the steering wheel controls. The ASWC manual says something about the plug style of the harness - would it be possible to get the male/female of this plug?


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

HondAudio said:


> Has anybody hooked this up with a Clarion DXZ785USB and a 2006 Scion xB?
> 
> *edit* I have the wires all separated and bunched for the harness; I just gotta figure out how to connect it to the in-dash harness for the steering wheel controls. The ASWC manual says something about the plug style of the harness - would it be possible to get the male/female of this plug?


I guess I should have posted this... weeks ago... but I finally got the Clarion and the ASWC installed. Once I had triple-checked which wires I had to connect to in the harness in the Scion dash, I hooked up the 2 control wires from the ASWC using tap splices.

I powered it all on, it did its thing to recognize the Scion and the Clarion, and... GREAT SUCCESS! 

I'm just using it for the OEM wheel controls right now, but I could always reprogram it in the future if I was so inclined.


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

I wanted to add in case some don't know but in my car removing the stock HU I also lost use of the button that scrolled through KM's temperature, mileage ect. The ASWC restores that button to.

Great unit!


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## draft6969 (Aug 4, 2009)

Yea this thing is so easy to install. if you are thinking about getting it, dont wait!!


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## cobb2819 (Jan 13, 2011)

as long as the quality stays problem free, i honestly feel this is the best SWC i've ever used / installed. i will continue to use this and only this only to replace it when it gets upgraded. the only time i don't use this is if i am using a Connects2 interface with the SWC control built in.


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## Greg S (Oct 21, 2009)

I recently installed two of these, one in my Odyssey and the other in my xB. Coming from the old school days of having to use various PAC pieces I've got to say that these pieces were an absolute delight to install. Just connect a wire or two, plug everything in, and turn on the key and it actually works.


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## tRidiot (Jun 29, 2006)

I ordered one from SonicElectronix the other day. May be in pretty soon. Can't wait to get my steering wheel controls back.


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## astrochex (Aug 7, 2009)

tRidiot said:


> I ordered one from SonicElectronix the other day. May be in pretty soon. Can't wait to get my steering wheel controls back.


Did the controls come back?


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## ProjectGSX (May 2, 2011)

I just installed one of these in my 2011 Evolution GSR along with the JVC 840 7" DVD deck. Im really happy with the steering wheel integration. The Axxess unit was super easy to install and it auto-detected everything. No lag at all when pressing the steering wheel buttons. I had a PAC-SWI in my S2000 and the lag was really annoying, not to mention the mute button didnt work. (there was some relay thing you had to wire up to make it function)

My only minor gripes would be that their website listed the ASWC as not being compatible with my car (it is) and their tech support wasnt very polite (but they were knowledgeable).


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## tonesmith (Sep 8, 2011)

Was about to review this product when I found this thread. 

Great product, not super easy to install as a lot of people make it out to be, but it is a very elegant product that works.

People kept asking about lag on this thread. There is no lag in my 2007 Honda Accord with my Kenwood X995 or Pioneer 910bt.

Im assuming this is the new standard for all DIYers.


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

This is a very good product. I have installed a few of them and they work as promised.....IMO a lot better than the competition


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

This unit is as close to OEM as possible, would use it twice over.


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## timaishu (Dec 14, 2008)

I had the swi-jack in my altima before. It was a piece of crap. It worked yes, but the lag was retarded. I couldnt just flip up the volume/change track/change source. I had to really press the button, it was really slow and I hated having to mash the buttons down for it to register.

The axxess is absolutely better in every way. There is no reason at all the ever consider the pac unit. None, dont bother. Axxess blows it away.

Mine has zero lag. Responds just as fast and just like my factory unit did the the steering wheel controls. I can quickly flip through stations or quickly change the volume. It us lag free and easy to install.


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