I recently got my M3 (and totally love it) and just saw that I have an update available. However, every wifi spot I find has a login/signon page, and the car says that is not supported. So, anybody know how I can get my update? Is there a way to download it on my home computer and then upload it in the car?
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Can I do a software update via flash drive?
- Thread starter JohnrMod3
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Tam
Well-Known Member
No, you cant do it that way. You can:
1. Join the car to your home internet (but you mention "every wifi spot I try has a sign on screen" so either you dont have home internet or its not available at your car.
2. Use your phone as a wifi hot spot and download the update that way.
3. Drive to a friends house (that has wifi that reaches to the parking spot) and ask them to let you connect your car to their internet to download an update for it.
4. Search through the forums to see if there is a technical walk through on updating through a captive portal (the sign on pages you are finding). I seem to remember someone posting about it somewhere on TMC, but was not interested in that so did not follow up on it.
Option 2 is the most viable.
Since I got my car in August 2019, every single firmware update (and map update) has been via my phone's hotspot. I almost always successfully DL on my drive either to or from work and install when I park.
Since you are new, here is how to do this. I suggest doing this at the beginning of a drive lasting at least 30 minutes or so. Since the car automatically turns off its WIFI when you put it into gear, there are a couple of specific steps
- When you are ready to drive, put your car into Drive, but do not start driving.
- Tap the Menu button in the lower left corner
- In the upper right corner of the Controls screen is the LTE icon. Tap that and turn on wifi
- On your phone, enable Personal Hotspot (on an iPhone, it is under Settings). I don't know if it is just my car, but it seems to connect better/quicker when I turn on Hotspot, so if yours is on and the car doesn't connect within a few seconds, turn off Hotpot and then back on. You can exit the Controls screen (just tap the Menu icon in the lower left corner)
- After a few seconds, there should be a wifi icon at the top of the screen. Shortly after that, the orange download button should turn green. You can monitor the progress on the app (shows actual percentage) or in the car (Menu > Software; scroll down)
Candleflame
Active Member
you can just share a hotspot from your phone - most phones these days support being connected to wifi and then hosting a hotspot at the same time
Thank you very much for this suggestion, however, I am one of the fifteen people who does not have cell phone service at all. I have an iPhone7 but no SIM card and connect through a proxy with very vigorous firewall. I can log on to Tesla.com with the app, but the data telling the app that I own a car never gets through to the app. I did one time connect to the app without the firewall and everything worked fine. I have been trying to find out the exact IP address that I would need to have my IT admin whitelist so that my car and the app will connect. Does anybody know what that is, or who I can contact at Tesla to get it?
While I don't know it as a fact, but the likelihood of getting this is most likely nil. You're just going to need to go park next to a Starbucks or other such place with WiFi (including a Service Center if you are near one - this would probably be faster and safer) and DL.
The problem with Starbucks (actually tried McDonald's and Citadel Outlets as they were close together) is that they have a login page and I get a message onscreen that says somethng like "This site is presenting a login page, which is not supported." I did drive to a service center on Sunday morning, only to be asked for the Tesla Guest password which I didn't have. I was able to get it, though, so possibly this Sunday I will be able to download. If anyone knows how to get through a login page, please let me know, as that is the problem with my normal wifi (provided by my work).
I have the same problem. Tesla sales just told me to make a service appointment where they plug car in rather than use their WiFi, which (as you say) requires login and won’t work. Libraries, same problem. I’ll try the service appointment route next month. Not good for Teslas off on long road trips!
Have you tried just connecting your car to your phone's hotspot? It is how I have done every single upgrade since I got my car. Most updates (besides maps) can be accomplished on my 22 mile (with some traffic) commute - MAYBE needing to finish on the next trip.
355rockit
Member
Not sure if this will work, but on my TIvo-to-go dongle, it didn't have a browser installed to login when at the hotel. I sideloaded a browser. When I opened the browser after trying to connect to hotel wifi, it allowed me to login and wifi worked fine. I wonder if you could do the same with the Tesla browser in the car. This is a longshot and may not work the same way.
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