Are you messing around with your car stereo harness trying to figure out where each wire should go? In this article, we will show you how to connect at least one wire – the remote wire. We will show you where the remote wire should go on your car stereo and how to connect it.
Before getting into more details, let’s discuss what a remote wire is.
What Is The Remote On Wire
The remote wire, remote on wire or amp turn-on wire, also referred to as an amplifier turn-on wire, turn-on cable or just REM is a part of the wire harness connected behind the head unit or stereo.
It instructs the amplifier to turn on each time the stereo is switched on (usually every time the vehicle is powered on).
The remote on wire is often blue with a white stripe on aftermarket stereos, but can come in another color on factory stereos.
When the car stereo is turned on, a signal from it through a remote wire is sent directly to an amplifier or power antenna and activated – just as when turned off it interrupts this path so they turn off as well. In essence, this remote wire acts like a switch controlling power flow to them.
Note that not all car stereos include remote wires; instead some may use power antenna wires as an alternate means of controlling power to amplifiers or antennae. Both wires serve a similar function: controlling how power flows to these components.
How To Wire The Remote Wire To A Car Stereo
Wiring the remote wire, also referred to as amplifier turn-on wire, is one of the key elements in installing a car stereo system. The remote wire works to turn on or off an amplifier every time your stereo turns on or off; we will go over how you can wire this in this guide with ease.
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Gather Tools and Materials
Before you start wiring the remote wire, you need to gather the necessary tools and materials. These include:
- Wire strippers
- Electrical tape
- Remote wire
- Car stereo manual
- Amplifier manual (if available)
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Identify the Remote Wire on the Car Stereo
Once located, the next step should be identifying a remote wire on your car stereo.
Typically this would be either blue wire that’s marked “remote” or “amp turn-on”, though depending on its manufacturer it might have another designation or color coding – therefore consulting your user manual could also help identify it as being part of this step.
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Prepare the Remote Wire
Once you’ve located and identified the remote wire on the car stereo, the next step should be preparing it for connection. With wire strippers in hand, remove half an inch of insulation from one end of the remote wire before connecting.
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Connect the Remote Wire to the Amplifier
As the remote wire controls turning on and off your amplifier, it must be attached to it for best results.
Look for its remote wire input (usually marked “remote” or “amp turn-on”) on the amplifier; use wire strippers to remove about half an inch of insulation at its end before connecting it securely using electrical tape.
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Connect the Amplifier to a Car Battery
In order to power an amplifier, it must first be connected to your car battery. Consult its manual in order to identify its positive and negative terminals before using a wire stripper on one power wire end to remove about half an inch of insulation before connecting that wire directly with its positive terminal on your battery.
In addition, connect its ground wire directly with its negative terminal using another wire stripper stripping process;
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Test Your Connection
Before assembling everything back together, it is necessary to test its connection in order to ensure everything works smoothly. Turn on the car stereo, and its amplifier should come on.
If everything works as it should be expected, turn off both components; they should then switch back off in tandem.
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Secure the Wires
Once your connection has been verified, use electrical tape to secure its wires firmly into place – this will stop them from coming loose later and causing issues down the line.
Conclusion
Conclusion In summary, the remote wire on a car stereo plays an essential part in turning on and off an amplifier when your car stereo turns on or off.
By properly connecting your remote wire to your amplifier you ensure your audio system functions optimally while producing the best possible sound quality. Understanding its purpose and connection are crucial aspects of car audio installation; following the steps outlined here should help facilitate successful installation.