Car Wifi Signal

[greg249]

Hi,

I just got my tesla model 3 performance recently, and the wifi antenna seems really weak.
Does anyone know how it should be?

For example if I go into the car and go on my phone and look at the wifi networks my phone sees, I can see 7/8 wifi networks of varying strength, some full strength, some just 1 bar.

In my car it sees none of these wifi networks. Sometimes one will pop up with 1 bar signal but then disappear 5 seconds later. If I set my phone as a hotspot in the car then it sees that, but does this seem broken?

Has anyone else sat in their car and does there car see the same wifi networks that their phone picks up?

Thanks

 

[Dilly]

Hi,

I just got my tesla model 3 performance recently, and the wifi antenna seems really weak.
Does anyone know how it should be?

For example if I go into the car and go on my phone and look at the wifi networks my phone sees, I can see 7/8 wifi networks of varying strength, some full strength, some just 1 bar.

In my car it sees none of these wifi networks. Sometimes one will pop up with 1 bar signal but then disappear 5 seconds later. If I set my phone as a hotspot in the car then it sees that, but does this seem broken?

Has anyone else sat in their car and does there car see the same wifi networks that their phone picks up?

Thanks

The car wifi antenna is pretty poor.
i put a wireless AP in the garage rafters above the passenger mirror. It sees that OK
might be worth a mobile Ranger visit though

 

[greg249]

Thanks, I might get it serviced by tesla,
If anyone is able to sit in their car with their phone and compare what wifi networks the phone detects vs the car, and let me know, then I'll know if something is major wrong with mine

 

[Burley]

The car wifi sensitivity is notoriously poor. Your phone will pick up more services than M3 will. Your phone inside the car will likely have a better signal than the car does for your home wifi, even though the antenna is outside (it’s in the passenger wing mirror)..

 

[SR-Plus]

Yes the same with poor wifi. I simply tether off my phone and the car downloads software updates as I drive. Usually takes 10-20 mins to do this depending on area.

 

[Brian G]

Yep, WiFi on my MY sucks. On my drive at my front door, direct line of sight to my router through my glass paned front door and it struggled to get 1 bar if connected at all. I've now added an extra mesh node at the closest window to the car and it gets a decent signal. Still a bar down from my phone though so the antenna must be rubbish.

 

[Irata]

Thanks, I might get it serviced by tesla,
If anyone is able to sit in their car with their phone and compare what wifi networks the phone detects vs the car, and let me know, then I'll know if something is major wrong with mine

Exactly the same here.

It has been talked about on these forums for a couple of years now. It's perfectly normal unfortunately.

So long as it works for your WiFi, that's what matters. Although I only get "1 bar" WiFi, whatever that means as there is no display standard, it does actually connect at the highest physical rate for the WiFi 4 standard (which is all it supports). So Tesla's definition of what each bar means is very different to an iPhone.

 

[Silicon Desert]

The car wifi sensitivity is notoriously poor. Your phone will pick up more services than M3 will. Your phone inside the car will likely have a better signal than the car does for your home wifi, even though the antenna is outside (it’s in the passenger wing mirror)..

yes this ^^^^ and not just the M3. All models have a less sensitive mirror antenna. I have a mesh wifi network and put one of the mesh units in the laundry room near the garage which gets me 5 bars on the Tesla as well as coverage to other rooms on the far side of the house.

 

[greg249]

It also seems to keep randomly finding one of the WiFi networks and it shows 2/3 bars but then 5 seconds later it just disappears then reappears again after some time for a few more seconds then disappears again.

But I don't see how it keeps disappearing if it is showing 2/3 bars signal in the car

 

[Silicon Desert]

It also seems to keep randomly finding one of the WiFi networks and it shows 2/3 bars but then 5 seconds later it just disappears then reappears again after some time for a few more seconds then disappears again.

But I don't see how it keeps disappearing if it is showing 2/3 bars signal in the car

Even my latop and cell phone both do that from time to time.

 

[candida]

It’s so frustrating but an old story I’m afraid

Thread

I never did report it. Couldnt be arsed

 

[MrBadger]

Crap wifi reception is within spec I am afraid.

 

[Jason71]

I wonder if they have started fitting EU spec chips yet? My 2019 M3 could not detect channels 13 and 14 because they don't use them in the US so if the router was on auto select and selected one of those two then you lost connectivity completely.

For anyone with a Samsung galaxy S phone remember you can use it as a wifi range extender / wifi-wifi hotspot. So if you need to temporarily improve connectivity at the car for an update just use that. I have used it a couple of times to download updates at a house without off street parking where I could not get the car close enough to the house to pick up the wifi.
I don't think any other phones have that functionality but feel free to correct me. iPhones definitely don't.

 

[candida]

I don't think any other phones have that functionality but feel free to correct me. iPhones definitely don't.

I think it’s relatively common on android. I had an honor 10 which had what it called Wi-Fi bridge which was the same. Perhaps Tesla should fit Starlink…

 

[Buzzliteyear]

Hi,

I just got my tesla model 3 performance recently, and the wifi antenna seems really weak.
Does anyone know how it should be?

For example if I go into the car and go on my phone and look at the wifi networks my phone sees, I can see 7/8 wifi networks of varying strength, some full strength, some just 1 bar.

In my car it sees none of these wifi networks. Sometimes one will pop up with 1 bar signal but then disappear 5 seconds later. If I set my phone as a hotspot in the car then it sees that, but does this seem broken?

Has anyone else sat in their car and does there car see the same wifi networks that their phone picks up?

Thanks

I set up a second access point in bridged mode and placed it by the window with a clear view of the car, no more than 10 foot away. then with all the neighbours wifi, it still sometimes drops out.

 

[greg249]

If you have premium connectivity , is the only thing WiFi is needed for is software updates? Otherwise there is no need for WiFi.

I will just use the WiFi hotspot method on my phone I guess

 

[Buzzliteyear]

That's right software is a WIFI thing due to the size of the updates and your not driving

 

[Jason71]

I think it’s relatively common on android. I had an honor 10 which had what it called Wi-Fi bridge which was the same. Perhaps Tesla should fit Starlink…

Direct-to-satellite Starlink coming to Tesla vehicles, but not in the way you'd expect

At a joint event between SpaceX and T-Mobile, the two companies announced that they will be launching a direct-to-phone connection...

electrek.co

 

[mnobleuk]

I wonder if they have started fitting EU spec chips yet? My 2019 M3 could not detect channels 13 and 14 because they don't use them in the US so if the router was on auto select and selected one of those two then you lost connectivity completely.

For anyone with a Samsung galaxy S phone remember you can use it as a wifi range extender / wifi-wifi hotspot. So if you need to temporarily improve connectivity at the car for an update just use that. I have used it a couple of times to download updates at a house without off street parking where I could not get the car close enough to the house to pick up the wifi.
I don't think any other phones have that functionality but feel free to correct me. iPhones definitely don't.

In most wifi devices the channels can be set through software as part of the "localisation" process - when you're setting up you're usually asked which "region" you live in. This leads me to believe that the chipsets are global (makes no sense to produce multiple devices doing a very similar thing) and gives me faith that this is (you guessed it ) fixable by software. I would raise it as a bug - they may not even be aware of this.

 

[Jason71]

In most wifi devices the channels can be set through software as part of the "localisation" process - when you're setting up you're usually asked which "region" you live in. This leads me to believe that the chipsets are global (makes no sense to produce multiple devices doing a very similar thing) and gives me faith that this is (you guessed it ) fixable by software. I would raise it as a bug - they may not even be aware of this.

This was 3 years ago. I imagine they are aware by now and, if you are right, then maybe it has been fixed. I got a new router with the option to auto select but exclude channels 13 and 14 so its not been an issue since.