OVMS - 2G being turned off in US by AT & T

[wiztecy]

^ excellent point and note that the 1.5's didn't come with any mobile connectivity and monitoring by Tesla, this came in the 2.0 era. Tesla should at least mail owners notifying them that the car will be going off line whenever the service is cut out. I don't seeing Tesla doing any upgrading or support of these legacy systems.

 

[Botbldr45]

Wow..... I know 992 is getting old in car years, but ........obsolete systems!

Bummer!

 

[markwj]

We've been talking to a MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) called Hologram, and have had some very good initial test results in Hong Kong. You can find them at:

http://www.hologram.io/

It is most likely that OVMS v3 will come with Hologram.IO SIMs and we will use these as our default cellular provider, worldwide.

Zone 1 pricing (including USA) for a 3MB plan is U$1.99/month, and the 5MB plan is US$2.99/month - that amount of data should be fine for normal OVMS usage. Overage is US$1/MB. Alternatively, you can pay-as-you go at US$0.40/month for the SIM connection, then US$0.60/MB.

This is really designed for data usage, but SMS is available at a price. Incoming SMS is free, and outgoing is US$0.19/message. If you want a fixed USA number, it is another US$1/month.

To migrate an existing OVMS module to this, you SMS "GPRS hologram" to the module while it is still connected to the network using your old SIM. When the acknowledgement comes back, turn off the module, switch in the Hologram SIM, turn on and enjoy. The SIM will seamlessly switch to whatever cellular network it supports. It can even roam (although Canada and Mexico are zone 2 so you would need to pay the higher rates).

If your existing OVMS is offline, you can provision it using the Hologram web console. There is a facility there to send an SMS message to the module, and view the reply messages online.

If anybody wants to try this out, please let me know and I'll make the necessary arrangements.

 

[slcasner]

If anybody wants to try this out, please let me know and I'll make the necessary arrangements.

We're all anxiously awaiting OVMS v3, new SIM or not!

 

[DrComputer]

H20 sim still seems to be running fine in the Los Angeles area. I guess AT&T hasn't shut down the 2G network in LA yet. Still waiting for OVMS3 too.

 

[markwj]

We're all anxiously awaiting OVMS v3, new SIM or not!

Yeah, me too! The pressing issue is the AT&T sunset at the end of this year. Just not sure OVMS v3 will be ready by then, so the hologram SIM can be used to buy us some time with T-Mobile, etc. The added benefit is that this is the same system we will likely be using with OVMS v3 so migration should be smooth.

 

[AEdennis]

Yeah, me too! The pressing issue is the AT&T sunset at the end of this year. Just not sure OVMS v3 will be ready by then, so the hologram SIM can be used to buy us some time with T-Mobile, etc. The added benefit is that this is the same system we will likely be using with OVMS v3 so migration should be smooth.

Does Hologram run on T-Mobile in the US? If their roaming agreement is with AT&T, same problem, right?

 

[markwj]

Does Hologram run on T-Mobile in the US? If their roaming agreement is with AT&T, same problem, right?

Hologram uses a bunch of providers, and the SIM/modem chooses which to connect to automatically.

For example, here in Hong Kong we have at least four providers that it works with, so connectivity tends to switch between them depending where you are around town.

 

[AEdennis]

Hologram uses a bunch of providers, and the SIM/modem chooses which to connect to automatically.

For example, here in Hong Kong we have at least four providers that it works with, so connectivity tends to switch between them depending where you are around town.

Understood. However, there are only 2 GSM 2G providers in the US and so, Hologram's agreements will need to include T-Mobile 2G to work.

 

[markwj]

Understood. However, there are only 2 GSM 2G providers in the US and so, Hologram's agreements will need to include T-Mobile 2G to work.

They definitely include T-Mobile. One user has stepped forward in USA to help with testing there, and we are arranging a SIM for him to try it out.

 

[AEdennis]

They definitely include T-Mobile. One user has stepped forward in USA to help with testing there, and we are arranging a SIM for him to try it out.

Excellent. Then assuming that it works, sign me up!

 

[supersnoop]

@markwj, I just ordered a SIM. Other than the GPRS command, is there anything I need to do to make it work? Happy to help figure it all out.

 

[Curt]

If anybody wants to try this out, please let me know and I'll make the necessary arrangements.

Mark - I'd be happy to help. Just let me know what you need.

 

[Msjulie]

For those that don't yet have OVMS at all, would you recommend waiting for V3 or going for V2 and trying Hologram?

 

[slcasner]

I have been using the GeoSIM all along, as was recommended earlier for OVMS. I observe that it, too, can connect to T-Mobile as well as AT&T.

 

[markwj]

Excellent. Then assuming that it works, sign me up!

Mark - I'd be happy to help. Just let me know what you need.

We've got a few users already volunteered to try Hologram.IO. Probably best to see how it works for them. We should know in 1 to 2 weeks, and will post results here.

@markwj, I just ordered a SIM. Other than the GPRS command, is there anything I need to do to make it work? Happy to help figure it all out.

Some notes:

• Create an account on hologram.io and put some money on it. Perhaps US$10 or so to start.
• When your SIM arrives, activated it on hologram.io in your account. I suggest you use zone #1 if you are in USA, and choose the 3MB or 5MB plan to start with.
• While still using your old sim, SMS "GPRS hologram - -" to the module and wait for the confirmation. Then power down, swap SIMs, and power up. You should see the connection pretty quickly. LED blink codes are as you would normally expect.
• If you only use SMS for setup, then leave it like that.
• You can send an SMS to the device from the hologram.io system. When you do it, it lets you enter the 'from' number in the interface. You can put in your own phone number (+1.... format), and SMS replies will go to that number. The device itself will have a randomly assigned telephone number, that you can continue to use for a conversation, but it may not be in USA so you may have to pay international rates to SMS to the module. If you don't enter a 'from' number, replies will go back to hologram.io and you can see them on the hologram dashboard (you can also setup eMail forwarding rules, which is pretty cool).
• You can purchase a USA number if you want. You do that from hologram.io interface and the cost is US$1/month. You would only need that if you use SMS a lot.

Please feedback here how your experience goes.

For those that don't yet have OVMS at all, would you recommend waiting for V3 or going for V2 and trying Hologram?

Depends how desperate you are. v2 with Hologram (or t-mobile) will continue to work for some time, but eventually 2G will go away for all networks. v3 is more advanced and is the future.

I have been using the GeoSIM all along, as was recommended earlier for OVMS. I observe that it, too, can connect to T-Mobile as well as AT&T.

GeoSIM is pretty cool, but data rates just seemed too expensive for most. The SMS arrangement was not as clean as Hologram.IO (in particular the free incoming SMS Hologram.IO offers will be amazing for us in the future, as a low-power option).

 

[Msjulie]

Depends how desperate you are. v2 with Hologram (or t-mobile) will continue to work for some time, but eventually 2G will go away for all networks. v3 is more advanced and is the future.

Thanks - guess I'll just keep anticipating the v3!

 

[markwj]

I can confirm that Hologram.IO works on both T-mobile and AT&T in USA, both 2G and 3G. 2G will obviously go for AT&T, market-by-market, as we approach the end of this year.

 

[markwj]

Tom has an excellent write up of his experiences with Hologram.IO here:

Open Vehicle Monitoring System

 

[markwj]

Can OVMS be configured to require the password (which can be changed periodically)? The forwarding is good, as it provides a record of any failed break-in attempts, assuming a valid command from a wrong phone number would be forwarded too.

Yes, you would need to know both the registered phone number as well as the vehicle module phone number. Also, the replies from the vehicle would go back to the registered phone number so the owner would instantly see the issue. Lock/Unlock requires a separate PIN as well, so impact is limited.

If you consider this a threat, the simplest is to change the registered phone number to another secret. Doesn't even have to be a phone number.