ARB is, arguably, one of the most recognizable and respected brands operating in the overland and 4WD travel sector. For years we have coveted ARB products, and we were excited to find that our current overland vehicle came equipped with a host of ARB gear, namely a bull bar, front and rear lockers, rear airbags, and an ARB Linx system. ARB touts the Linx as the dawn of a new generation of 4WD accessories, stating “Linx is a unique modern controller that declutters [sic] the dashboard and centralizes the command of vehicle accessories by replacing classic switches, gauges, and monitors with one sleek and smart driver interface. Built on an expandable platform, Linx will continue to evolve your on- and off-road driving experience both now and into the future.” I was excited to have so many important functions at my fingertips.
The concept is excellent. Instead of using many wired switches to control auxiliary equipment such as lights, air compressors, diff locks, dual batteries, etc., the Linx offers a single point of control (a generic Android-powered device) that communicates with a central control hub via Bluetooth. All accessory wiring terminates at the central control hub, and you are able to activate and control all accessories at the swipe of the mobile device. The central control hub may be located in a secure location either within the cab of the vehicle, under the hood, or in the case of the Nimbl camper, within a storage box at the front of the camper. The Linx interface also provides additional information such as level and pitch, road speed, state of charge, and altitude. Due to the nature of the design and its innate complexity, it is essential that a user takes time to understand the system and its functionality fully.
Primarily, we depend on the system to control the rear airbags that adjust for on- and off-road driving and leveling the vehicle when camped. When starting the vehicle (or turning the ignition on), the Linx system will automatically activate, featuring an animated Jeep ascending and descending across the screen. The compressor spools up, filling the onboard air tank. We would then adjust the pressure to the rear airbags, check the battery voltage, and select the functions to display while driving. It became a habit to scroll through the interface before setting off and then settle on the battery voltage and road speed screens. After inadvertently locking the rear locker while scrolling through the interface, I soon learned to swipe through all the functions to ensure that no accessory was activated (driving at highway speeds with lockers engaged could damage the vehicle, and turning at those speeds could be dangerous). When the system is connected, it works well, the functions are clear and intuitive, and you can configure the interface to your liking.
However, the problem with having all your eggs in one basket is that when the basket breaks, you lose all the eggs.
The one major fault of the Linx system is the reliance on Bluetooth connectivity with the central control unit, bearing in mind that there is no manual override. The first connectivity problem we suffered on the road stumped us completely. After careful study of the wiring system, we discovered that the 30 amp fuse protecting the central control unit had wiggled loose enough to disconnect after sustained driving on long corrugated roads. While the system was disconnected, we had no ability to control the accessories. A loose fuse cannot be blamed on the product itself, and we accepted that without question.
As full-time travelers, we consider ourselves the ultimate test of gear as we explore long distances over various terrain and use a product every day for months, even years at a time. After leaving the USA and exploring for nine months through Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, we found that the system became entirely unreliable, and, unfortunately, the solution was not as simple as attending to the 30 amp fuse; in fact, there was no solution to be found. That Jeep GIF rolling up and down across the screen eventually came to represent frustration as, time and again, the system only worked perfectly when not needed. At any moment, it could be connected and then enigmatically disconnect and not reconnect for days on end before mysteriously reconnecting.
Exploring remote areas with a 4WD vehicle requires confidence in the vehicle and its systems, and we soon found that, while the vehicle itself is robust and competent, and extremely well built, we had to think twice before choosing to drive the jungle track or head far onto that soft sand beach where we could escape the crowds, simply because we could not trust the Linx system. We were seldom able to level the vehicle while camping relying on the airbags alone, and often the vehicle would lower and sit on her haunches as the airbags failed to inflate. The last straw came when I made a rare mistake while driving (I have driven on five continents without an accident) and dropped the front left wheel into an obscured drainage ditch at the entrance to the parking lot of a secluded and unloved national park in Belize. Had I been able to lock the front and rear lockers, I would have been able to drive off the concrete structure on which the lower control arm rested, but the Dodge 4WD system instead sent all power to those wheels with the least traction. We connected the ARB Linx mobile device directly to the central control unit, but even that would not allow connectivity and access to the accessory menu. Instead, we had to use a bottle jack to raise the body and build a platform beneath the suspended tire using large rocks and traction boards, then drive off with a push to aid traction.
The ARB Linx attempts to bring convenience and “smart” aspects to managing your rig’s hardware but has fallen flat due to flaws regarding arguably the most crucial element, the software. The center stage of this product’s User Interface (UI) is a closed app restricted to a budget mobile device branded with the ARB logo and mounted via a magnetic back cover. Our main issue with the product is how awfully the concept was implemented; the accountants may have had too much say. There was clearly insufficient investment made into making the software of the phone custom to the Linx system or tightly integrated—It’s literally just an outdated Android phone with the app on it.
We would prefer to load this app on our own superior phone. The question that may answer itself is why ARB doesn’t have the app on the Google Play Store. ARB didn’t even remove the APK (Android Package, an .exe file for your mobile device) from the phone’s files before shipping it off to customers. It gets worse: the app is software locked to the sub-par mobile device, so even if you managed to install that APK file on your phone, it wouldn’t work.
Bluetooth is usually sufficient, but in this implementation, the fact that the Linx central control unit will usually be installed out of view within the vehicle means that the signal has to deal with way too much interference while attempting to communicate, which leads to issues. But what about the hub’s backup USB port that’s meant to be used when Bluetooth isn’t working? It has never worked for us. Replacing Bluetooth with a WiFi connection (802.11, for example) or a personal area connection would likely improve connectivity exponentially.
So, is Linx doomed? Perhaps not. A quantum shift is required in the business model for this product, trading the initial markup and profit from the sale of the Android device for the economies of scale of marketing a wildly popular and reliable product. The Linx system should be an integrated experience, not just a slow app running on a stock Android device. Physical “jumper” switches should be available as a manual override on the Linx central control unit for essential accessories such as lockers and air compressors so that users are not denied the full potential of their vehicle when the Linx software fails.
Potentially most vital to the “debugging” of this product could be an actual “smart” system and the Linx app available on the app stores. Or better yet, develop an experimental version of the app to be open source or community accessible. That will allow users to improve the software for themselves and those around them. ARB product developers and engineers can vet and add the best aspects to the official software, leading to community investment and virtually free app development. Last but not least, due to the potential for high interference, our last recommendation is moving away from Bluetooth and using another wireless technology that can actually deal with high levels of interference.
Would you believe it? The Linx refused to connect consistently while we explored Belize and Guatemala. Still, the other day I climbed into the vehicle, turned on the ignition, and was amazed to see that the Linx had decided to sort itself out and eventually connect (and has stayed connected reliably for the last month, touch wood).
$623+
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