In the automotive industry, car entertainment systems have been developed significantly for the last few decades. Car head units are an important component for controlling various multimedia features in a car. Along with technological advancement, car head units also offer more advanced features including smartphone connectivity, GPS navigation, and music and video streaming. In general, car head units use Bluetooth and Wifi for the connectivity to the smartphones.
In this article we will discuss all about car head units and its DJID certification requirements in Indonesia.
What is car head units?
Car head unit is a car parts with functions to control entertainment and information systems in the car. This device is usually located on the dashboard and offers various features such as radio AM/FM, GPS navigation, Bluetooth, and smartphone connectivity. Most of car head units are usually equipped with the following modern features:
- Radio and media player: AM/FM/DAB, CD/DVD, USB, Bluetooth audio
- Navigation system: GPS with map display
- Connectivity: smartphone integrated with Wifi and Bluetooth
- Touchscreen and voice control: offers modern user interface and smart assistant
How does car head units work?
In terms of communication method, car head units will operate as receiver and transmitter. Therefore, the connectivity process of a car head unit can also be distinguished based on its communication method.
Car head units will act as a receiver (signal recipient) during the operation of radio broadcast FM/AM. Meanwhile, for Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity, car head units will involve for both signal reception and transmission.
Modern car head units enable to build connection to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Here are the steps to connect a smartphone to a car head unit via Bluetooth:
- Make sure the car head unit to be connected supports the Bluetooth feature.
- Activate the car head unit before making a Bluetooth connection.
- Turn on the Bluetooth on the smartphone and make sure the smartphone’s Bluetooth is visible to other devices.
- Select the name of the car head unit Bluetooth and wait until it is connected.
- To ensure that the smartphone is connected to the head unit via Bluetooth, users can play music from their smartphones.
Types of car head units
In general, there are two types of car head units that are widely used, which are single din and double din. These types of head units have differences in size and functionality.
- Single din: the most common type of car head unit used in cars with smaller dashboards. Its size only covers one standard slot, usually suitable for cars with limited space.
- Double din: a type of car head unit with size twice larger than a single din. This type of head unit is suitable to be installed in cars with wider dashboards.
Functions of car head units
Car head units have various functions that very useful for their users. Here are some of the main functions of car head units, especially in modern cars.
Entertainment system
Car head units provide a variety of entertainment options from AM/FM radio, C/DVD playback, to Bluetooth connectivity for streaming music. This function makes driving more enjoyable and provides more entertainment options while driving.
Vehicle system integration
In today’s modern cars, a car head unit is not only for entertainment, but also become the control center for various other vehicle systems. For example, the sound control system, temperature control, and parking camera are all controlled directly on the car head unit screen.
Navigation and maps
Most head units in modern cars are equipped with a GPS navigation system that makes it easier for drivers to find routes to their destinations. In addition, the navigation system on the car head unit is also integrated with the real-time traffic updates feature.
Smartphone connectivity
The head unit in modern cars allows drivers to connect to smartphones via Bluetooth or Wifi connectivity so that driving is more practical. By smartphone connectivity, drivers can access various applications such as music, phone calls, text messages, and navigation maps directly from the head unit screen.
DJID certification for car head units
As mentioned earlier that a car head unit can do Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity. And because of these functions, car head units can be categorized as telecommunication devices.
Every telecommunication device marketed in Indonesia have to meet applicable technical standards, including car head units. The process of fulfilling these technical standards is carried out through DJID certification process.
By processing DJID certification, it indicates that car head units with Bluetooth and Wifi features has complied with applicable standards and can be marketed legally in Indonesia. Ownership of DJID certificates guarantees that car head units with Bluetooth and Wifi features works on the permitted frequency so that they are not to causing any interference.
Before processing the DJID certification, it is necessary to perform RF and EMC tests for car head units. The RF and EMC test reports will be required during application submission process.
RF test for car head units
Bluetooth feature is a type of wireless feature that commonly used in car head units. The testing of Bluetooth is conducted based on the technical regulation of KEPMEN KOMINFO No. 260 year 2024 and below are the required testing parameters.
| Frequency band | Output power | Spurious emission | Testing method |
| 2400 – 2483.5 MHz | < 20 dBm EIRP | EN 300 328 | EN 300 328 |
In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, some car head units also support Wifi connectivity used to access the internet network. In general, most car head units with Wifi feature can operate in frequency bands of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The testing of Wifi is conducted based on the technical regulation of KEPMEN KOMDIGI No. 12 year 2025 and below are the required testing parameters.
| Frequency range | Classification of use | Output power | Channel bandwidth | Spurious emission |
| 2400 – 2483.5 MHZ | Access type 1 | < 27 dBm EIRP (500 mWatt) | < 40 MHz | ETSI EN 300 328 (min version 1.8.1) |
| 5150 – 5250 MHz | Access type 1 | < 23 dBm EIRP (200 mWatt) | < 80 MHz, < 160 MHz | ETSI EN 301 893 (min version 1.7.1) |
| 5250 – 5350 MHz | Access type 1 | < 23 dBm EIRP (200 mWatt) | < 80 MHz, < 160 MHz | ETSI EN 301 893 (min version 1.7.1) |
| 5725 – 5825 MHz | Access type 1 | < 23 dBm EIRP (200 mWatt) | < 80 MHz | ETSI EN 300 440 |
Usually, cellular connection such as GSM, WCDMA, and LTE are also supported in sophisticated types of car head units. The testing of cellular is conducted based on the technical regulation of PERDIR SDPPI No. 5 year 2019 and KEPMEN KOMINFO No. 352 year 2024.
EMC test for car head units
Since most of car head units are supplied by DC power from car’s battery, then the required EMC parameters to be tested are EMC radiated and conducted emissions. The EMC testing process will be based on the international EMC standard of CISPR 32.
The testing of EMC radiated emission for car head units is carried out in the frequency range of 30 – 1000 MHz and 1000 – 6000 MHz. Meanwhile, the testing of EMC conducted emission is carried out at main terminal power of car head units and in the frequency range of 150 kHz – 30 MHz.
If you have any question related to DJID certification, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending enquiry to info@narmadi.com.
