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Connectivity: service plan/upgradability/speed
- Thread starter dsm363
- Start date
thanks! obviously it's not user servicable - but sim cards aren't designed to be permanently mounted. if there was a way to extract it then it could be put into a phone and the number retrieved. I'm in a cellular hole (a really bad one) so I'm in dire need of getting it to work with my at&t microcell.
Yes tesla is prohibited from giving out the numbers, but that doesn't prevent me from looking into it.
And one day when tesla starts charging for data it'll make sense to put in your own sim card. I'm on at&t's shared plan... my ipad 3g costs $10/month
I have a similar situation (although my car hasn't arrived yet), however, I'm banking on wifi enablement to address this problem, rather than adding the Tesla to my Microcell phone number list.
Well that totally stinks is once I'm near my house NOTHING works.... nav, slacker radio, etc.... wifi will partially fix it but there is still dead zone between what my wifi can reach and where the dead zone stops. It's just annoying. I have to drive away from home before I can punch in an address on the nav.
vcor
Tech Specialist
The phone vendor shouldn't matter if you're linking via a WiFi hot spot from your phone (other than having that option and good reception). Data plan keeps getting pushed out until a software release that has WiFi, supposedly v5.5 that's now in testing.
NigelM
Recovering Member
Please excuse my ignorance, I don't get my MS85 until the end of September so I am not quite sure what functionality the 3G connectivity provides other than the web browsing and the ability to see real-time traffic. Will the navigation system still work if I hypothetically did not want to pay for the anticipated Tesla 3G plan and wasn't tethered to my phone?
If you have the Tech package, the "Navigon" portion (on the instrument cluster behind the wheel) will work but the 17" (Google) will not.
If you don't have the Tech package, I'm not sure what happens when connectivity goes away. Maybe a "sucks to be you" alert or somesuch.
I do have the tech package...not having the entire 17" screen work would blow and from what I can see it would render the car unusable. It's the only way to open the pano, heat/cool the car, etc,, etc. I'd imagine it's still going to have to show car settings and such seeing as you can't control anything without it. Don't know why the navigation screen still wouldn't show on the "big screen" either? Again, it's just a little concerning as we were told that the 3G was free at the showroom.
Let me clarify, because apparently I left it ambiguous.
What you lose without connectivity is the data coming in. This means that the google mapping on the 17" won't work. It also means Slacker won't work. Stuff like that. Vehicle controls that are completely local remain fine. Sorry for the unintended confusion.
I'd be very surprised if you heard this from a Tesla employee. What you might have heard was one or more of the following:
- Firmware updates will be streamed over the air even if you don't have a 3G package for content. Tesla will make this happen via a dedicated lower bandwidth signal or somesuch.
- Signature vehicles come with a year included of connectivity. General production vehicle come with 3 months of slacker. All vehicles come with a week trial of XM.
- All vehicles in North America (and maybe elsewhere) currently have connectivity. Paid packages have not yet been finalized, so there are no fees for anyone yet.
Ah yes...I completely misunderstood. Thanks for the clarification. I could tether just fine with my iPhone...problem is that it will primarily be my wife's car and she still has an old Blackberry and refuses to get a new phone. I am hoping that all of the Tesla's functionality confuses and frustrates her to the point that she'll just swap cars with me....
Well.....SURPRISE! I heard none of the above. I was told it was free. Nothing more. Please...tell me more of what I might have heard.
NigelM
Recovering Member
Without connectivity you lose:
Web Browser
Google maps (incl traffic and satellite view)
Slacker
Tune-In
All app controls (Pre-heating/cooling, charge status, tracking etc.)
To what extent some of these would be available via WiFi connection, I don't know.
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Perfect...thanks Nigel.
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Touche....I should have dug deeper. Oh well...
Last edited by a moderator:
Do we know that? I would hope that you can cache the Google maps when you're in a WiFi. There has to be some use for that hard drive that apparently we can't store songs on.
