Aftermarket Tesla CarPlay and Android Auto Devices

[EMEV]

Yes, for about ten seconds or so.

This happened to me on two occasions for specific reasons - Once because I was driving on an area that had weak/no Cellular coverage for a long period of time. The other occasion was when I had another Bluetooth device connected to my iPhone that was creating an interference with the T2C, once I disconnected the offending devices the problem was solved.

 

[yvr_bbq]

Where do you keep the T2C? I keep mine in the center console.

I’ve mounted mine on the plastic trim beside my right knee attached to a usb switch and with charging cable router under the trim of the centre console to the rear usb-c port. Gives me easy access to switch on and off when needed

 

[jerome8283]

I’ve mounted mine on the plastic trim beside my right knee attached to a usb switch and with charging cable router under the trim of the centre console to the rear usb-c port. Gives me easy access to switch on and off when needed

I may mount mine in the same manner. I think that keeping it in the console might impede communications. I haven’t used my on/off switch in a while and have not had any issues.

 

[jerome8283]

This happened to me on two occasions for specific reasons - Once because I was driving on an area that had weak/no Cellular coverage for a long period of time. The other occasion was when I had another Bluetooth device connected to my iPhone that was creating an interference with the T2C, once I disconnected the offending devices the problem was solved.

Thanks. I thought it could be cellular coverage. It recovers very well.

 

[Mikecm1]

I’ve noticed lately than when using T2C, my phones internet speeds become abysmal. Using speed test app, my ping goes from 20ms to 250ms, and my download speeds from 70-80Mbps to 0-2 Mbps. Anyone else have this issue? It’s like the T2C is sucking up ALL my bandwidth, even when I’m not using it. It’s gotten so bad that I can’t even use the tesla in-car navigation because the internet connection between the car and the T2C/my phone hotspot is too slow, even if I’m not using any CarPlay apps.

A direct hotspot from my car to my phone works fine, so it’s not my cellular. The T2C also works fine, so it’s own internet connection appears to be unaffected.

I’ve factory reset the T2C and it didn’t help. What might be happening here?

 

[EMEV]

I’ve noticed lately than when using T2C, my phones internet speeds become abysmal. Using speed test app, my ping goes from 20ms to 250ms, and my download speeds from 70-80Mbps to 0-2 Mbps. Anyone else have this issue? It’s like the T2C is sucking up ALL my bandwidth, even when I’m not using it. It’s gotten so bad that I can’t even use the tesla in-car navigation because the internet connection between the car and the T2C/my phone hotspot is too slow, even if I’m not using any CarPlay apps.

A direct hotspot from my car to my phone works fine, so it’s not my cellular. The T2C also works fine, so it’s own internet connection appears to be unaffected.

I’ve factory reset the T2C and it didn’t help. What might be happening here?

I believe when you use the T2C with the iPhone Bluetooth hotspot setting then you will have a hit on the throughput given the multiple loads on the iPhone - Cellular, WiFi (CarPlay), Bluetooth (hotspot, Tesla, etc...) connections. Nevertheless, the hit you are taking is very high. If you do have a SIM I would test the T2C with a SIM to see if it improves.

 

[jerome8283]

I haven’t noticed internet speed issues. I wondered though and asked a few threads back if the hotspot integration with the T2C changed along the way. Or, with the two versions available are there differences in how they are configured. I see this Bluetooth connection on my phone when connected and don’t recall seeing it when I first started using the T2C.

When connected to the T2 does everyone see this connection on their iPhone?

 

[Mikecm1]

I haven’t noticed internet speed issues. I wondered though and asked a few threads back if the hotspot integration with the T2C changed along the way. Or, with the two versions available are there differences in how they are configured. I see this Bluetooth connection on my phone when connected and don’t recall seeing it when I first started using the T2C.

When connected to the T2 does everyone see this connection on their iPhone?

Yes I see that. Would be interesting if people here could post their fast.com results on their phone while it’s connected to CarPlay and using Bluetooth hotspot.

 

[EMEV]

Yes I see that. Would be interesting if people here could post their fast.com results on their phone while it’s connected to CarPlay and using Bluetooth hotspot.

I am not sure a pure cellular internet speed comparison between different members will do given that cellular coverage between individuals will vary drastically. A better comparison would be with the same individual doing a test at the same time (since a person can get different cellular speeds at different times) being connected to the T2C while using the internet (such as with Waze running or/and streaming Music) and comparing to not being connected to the T2C (disconnect to both CarPlay/WiFi and Bluetooth) with the same use of the internet (Waze running or/and streaming Music). I just did such test and the speed was very similar with only a max 10% difference. So in my experience the use of T2C Bluetooth Hotspot although creates a small impact on cellular speed is not creating any significant load on the cellular speed.

 

[jerome8283]

I am not sure a pure cellular internet speed comparison between different members will do given that cellular coverage between individuals will vary drastically. A better comparison would be with the same individual doing a test at the same time (since a person can get different cellular speeds at different times) being connected to the T2C while using the internet (such as with Waze running or/and streaming Music) and comparing to not being connected to the T2C (disconnect to both CarPlay/WiFi and Bluetooth) with the same use of the internet (Waze running or/and streaming Music). I just did such test and the speed was very similar with only a max 10% difference. So in my experience the use of T2C Bluetooth Hotspot although creates a small impact on cellular speed is not creating any significant load on the cellular speed.

I agree. There will be a lot of variation for speed tests. I tested and connect to different servers, sometimes not even close to where I live. I did not see the variation you see. I’m also seeing between 5%-10% difference.

 

[ElectricAnt54]

…snip… That being said, using the phone to provide the entertainment suite in the car is still the best idea ever, and should not be left to die. Rivian, Tesla and GM have all decided to get rid of CarPlay/AA, not a good thing especially if this sickness spreads.

Ironically, lucid just added CarPlay.

 

[ElectricAnt54]

It virtually never terminates the bluetooth connection between the phone and the T2C. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason for when it actually does (i.e. sometimes it terminates the bluetooth connection, but it's not because CarPlay started or the hotspot connected).

As for the second point, sorry, should've added that note to the bullet addressed above - the phone does stay connected to the car. It does not transfer. Upon first Bluetooth connection, I am prompted for: PIN/pairing, contacts/favorites sync, and then eventually CarPlay-enable. (but again, CarPlay doesn't actually start)

@sbtz , In your iPhone, erase all Bluetooth entries related to T2C. In phone wifi, erase all entries related to T2C. In phone CarPlay menu erase all entries related to T2C. Turn off all other CarPlay entries. Power down phone and T2C. power up phone and wait 1 hour before trying to pair with t2c.

your lag coukd have been due to vehicle wifi antenna. Some tesla models have wifi which doesn’t reach interior of car well. In tesla android Reddit community there are people who have replaced tesla wifi antenna to eliminate lag. Supposedly this is not hard to do yourself. Seems 2018-2020 model 3 is in this situation. My pals 2019 exhibited extreme lag when my tesla android was under his center arm rest but it is fine in my 2022 model y. Others report the same. older model X has same experience.

good luck.

 

[sbtz]

@sbtz , In your iPhone, erase all Bluetooth entries related to T2C. In phone wifi, erase all entries related to T2C. In phone CarPlay menu erase all entries related to T2C. Turn off all other CarPlay entries. Power down phone and T2C. power up phone and wait 1 hour before trying to pair with t2c.

your lag coukd have been due to vehicle wifi antenna. Some tesla models have wifi which doesn’t reach interior of car well. In tesla android Reddit community there are people who have replaced tesla wifi antenna to eliminate lag. Supposedly this is not hard to do yourself. Seems 2018-2020 model 3 is in this situation. My pals 2019 exhibited extreme lag when my tesla android was under his center arm rest but it is fine in my 2022 model y. Others report the same. older model X has same experience.

good luck.

Thanks - I was just about to post, asking what people's setups were, that don't have lag. I went for a drive today, and counted 30-35 seconds between updates (I'd skip a song, and be waiting 30-35s before the screen updated, including the map.) I'll need to look into making this change on my 2018 model 3. I did try changing channels, moving between 2.4/5ghz, and moving the unit around closer to the car's wifi antenna location.

 

[ElectricAnt54]

Thanks - I was just about to post, asking what people's setups were, that don't have lag. I went for a drive today, and counted 30-35 seconds between updates (I'd skip a song, and be waiting 30-35s before the screen updated, including the map.) I'll need to look into making this change on my 2018 model 3. I did try changing channels, moving between 2.4/5ghz, and moving the unit around closer to the car's wifi antenna location.

Ohhh you have a 2018 model 3……yup that is why you have insane lag. Experienced same in my pals 2019 model 3 when he used my spare “tesla android” setup (he still bought it from me). I’ll work with him to update his Wi-Fi antenna when he has time & will blog about it. Here is a comment in the tesla android thread about updating Tesla Wi-Fi antenna. Although the original poster has an older model x , another person commented about what to do for model 3.
My pal had decent speeds if the tesla android was directly in-front of infotainment screen. I brought an extra long usb-c cable by chance so we could experiment with placement. We had windows down as a covid precaution. Try that position and roll down windows. Your Wi-Fi antenna is probably in right passenger side mirror so rolling down window can help signal enter car cabin. Not ideal but maybe you can see decent speeds for a bit & play around with the T2C better.

 

[sbtz]

This thing is still finicky as heck for me. 90% of the time it flat out doesn't work when I get in the car. Lately, it's been the car not being able to join the T2C unit's wifi, either saying that it couldn't obtain an IP address or flat out prompting me for the password (again and again), but never actually connecting. Perhaps it's due to these wifi issues, but my car doesn't seem to auto-join the T2C SSID (perhaps because I can't manually join anyway). What's everyone's flow for getting in the car and having it work? I've tried leaving it on, turning it on, connecting the phone to the unit via bluetooth manually, etc. There's no rhyme or reason to it - except the latest thing, where it will not work for 99% of the drive, but will suddenly pop into action as I pull into my freakin neighborhood.

 

[Mandingo]

This thing is still finicky as heck for me. 90% of the time it flat out doesn't work when I get in the car. Lately, it's been the car not being able to join the T2C unit's wifi, either saying that it couldn't obtain an IP address or flat out prompting me for the password (again and again), but never actually connecting. Perhaps it's due to these wifi issues, but my car doesn't seem to auto-join the T2C SSID (perhaps because I can't manually join anyway). What's everyone's flow for getting in the car and having it work? I've tried leaving it on, turning it on, connecting the phone to the unit via bluetooth manually, etc. There's no rhyme or reason to it - except the latest thing, where it will not work for 99% of the drive, but will suddenly pop into action as I pull into my freakin neighborhood.

1) I sit in the car and my T2C boots up - takes ~45 secs.
2) Bluetooth on my phone connects to the car first.
3) Then CarPlay on my iPhone starts up (iPhone splash screen).
4a) Then the AutoKit SSID becomes visible and the car joins it automatically and page loads.
4b) Sometimes I'll have to select the teshpush bookmark to load the CarPlay view.

Tips:
The "can't obtain IP address" can be due to the hotspot not starting up properly, make sure that is enabled ok.
Also try to delete the AutoKit wifi connection between T2C and car and rejoin again, remembering to set "allow wifi when driving" for the connection.
I have found it simplest to have AutoKit as the only wifi network the car knows so it won't get confused.
The Tesla will switch off wifi if it can't find a network to join before you start driving - make sure wifi is switched back on as you drive.
If the wifi has connected ok you may need to reload/refresh the browser for the https://tespush.com url.
To get the sequence reliable it helps to just wait until CarPlay has started before putting the car into Drive.

If it is still funky then delete the CarPlay connection (bluetooth and wifi) and re-pair the bluetooth connection to AutoKit.

Let me know if any of this helps.

 

[timeshifter]

I’ve noticed lately than when using T2C, my phones internet speeds become abysmal. Using speed test app, my ping goes from 20ms to 250ms, and my download speeds from 70-80Mbps to 0-2 Mbps. Anyone else have this issue? It’s like the T2C is sucking up ALL my bandwidth, even when I’m not using it. It’s gotten so bad that I can’t even use the tesla in-car navigation because the internet connection between the car and the T2C/my phone hotspot is too slow, even if I’m not using any CarPlay apps.

A direct hotspot from my car to my phone works fine, so it’s not my cellular. The T2C also works fine, so it’s own internet connection appears to be unaffected.

I’ve factory reset the T2C and it didn’t help. What might be happening here?

It could be due to your carrier throttling the speed of your hotspot. In the US carriers advertise "unlimited" data. But that's misleading. You could probably consume as much data as you want but they reserve the right to slow you down when you hit some limit. 22GB for my AT&T phone. But if I'm using my phone as a hotspot that limit is 10GB (forget the actual number). So you may be going slower when the hotspot is active because you've hit a cap.

 

[Mikecm1]

It could be due to your carrier throttling the speed of your hotspot. In the US carriers advertise "unlimited" data. But that's misleading. You could probably consume as much data as you want but they reserve the right to slow you down when you hit some limit. 22GB for my AT&T phone. But if I'm using my phone as a hotspot that limit is 10GB (forget the actual number). So you may be going slower when the hotspot is active because you've hit a cap.

I thought that too, but I just looked at my data usage and my account recently refreshed for the month and I’ve only used 3gb total

 

[timeshifter]

Great point. Did a "Erase All Content and Settings" reset this morning and am here to report the results - will update this as I go:

1) Performed a reset
2) Did NOT do a restore - so this was essentially a fresh phone.
3) Tested the T2C w/o SIM - CarPlay success!
4) Tested the T2C w/ SIM - CarPlay success!

So as almost everyone expected, there was something going on specific to my phone. Now I wonder what it was, and why/how it even worked for a while a couple of days ago (and why it stopped working). Now on to restore from a backup to see if it continues to work...

EDIT: I am happy to report that post-restore, everything is still working as expected. For for those who search for this in the future, these are the lengths you may have to go to (factory reset) to get nagging issues to go away. Now let's see if it stays working and whether it's worth the trouble. (Frankly, now that I've experienced CarPlay, I wasn't missing out on much for my personal use-case, but I really just wanted to get it to work.) Thanks everyone, for your suggestions and motivation to just get this done.

Did you try resetting network settings before you did a full wipe?

See step 7 here If your iPhone or iPad won't connect to a Wi-Fi network

If not I wonder if that may have been enough to get the positive result you had.

 

[timeshifter]

I thought that too, but I just looked at my data usage and my account recently refreshed for the month and I’ve only used 3gb total

Maybe test with your laptop connected to your phone's hotspot, rather than the Tesla. Might ID if it's a phone or a T2C / Tesla issue.

Although, may not be a pure test. I'm using my iPhone as the hotspot for my laptop right now. If I look at settings it doesn't have an "Ethernet" entry like it does while my phone is acting as the hotspot for my T2C.