Premium Connectivity Vs. Connectivity to WiFi/HotSpot on phone

[rpiotro]

Minimum wage in California (where I live) is either $15 or $16 per hour. Just like everywhere else in the US, minimum wage is not actually a living wage. The only way someone making minimum wage could afford a new tesla (any of them) would be to be living somewhere where they had no other expenses other than the car payment, and someone else paid for housing, food, etc.

The person making minimum wage in CA is still making $8 per 30 minutes, gross (before taxes).

As I said, its not even the price of a single fast food lunch per month. Now, if one wants to argue they dont see the value of a fast food meal a month in what they get from it, thats a different discussion. Not having to "futz around" with it is worth that to me, but for others that might be different, and I respect that.

Thats a different discussion than people saying its expensive, though.

Minimum wage jobs are entry level jobs. A place for mostly young people to introduce themselves to the workforce. They are not intended to be livable wage. If you are 40 years old and still working the counter at McDonalds...

Also, $15 does not go as far in CA as it would in say Mississippi or Iowa. Not a fair comparison.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

$10 per month for a device is actually fairly cheap for a data plan in the US, so I doubt Tesla is making a significant marginal profit, if any, on that service alone. As for including it into the price of the car simply because the car makes a decent margin, that is not how the market works. For example, BMW makes a larger margin than a lot of brands, but they charge monthly for a lot of features that are included in the price of other cars (I believe there is an extra monthly charge for the phone app features even that Tesla includes for free).

Yeah, we've had a couple of vehicles (DD/RT then a Wrangler 4xe) that have uConnect, which is pretty solid, and you get a year of free connectivity. However, once that expires, it's over $200/year for the premium app based service, which is more or less just a couple of basic remote features. Did not re-sub in either vehicle after that first year, the "value" isn't even close to the cost.

Thanks everyone. I think I'll let the trial lapse and see if the wife screams if she notices anything. The only thing she might notice is the missing traffic visualization. We haven't touched or used any of the other stuff.

I did this for myself back in June, my first year ran out, and I tried without ...


I lasted 2 days


I actually activated it while we were at a movie (The Thing, 1982 Fathom event, very cool ...), because I had turned on Sentry, and couldn't access the cams (funny enough, remote view still had to be turned [back] on in the car anyway).

FWIW, I'm in the tech sector, I'm used to tethering, have unlimited data/5G, etc., so I had as good of an experience as I could without premium connectivity, but it's still so much easier and better just to have it - and I went with the yearly plan so it's ~$8.33 a month.

 

[Lindenwood]

I am always using the satellite map to find stuff while driving around on trips. “In 500 ft, turn right” doesn’t always work when there are non-connected turn-offs every 20-40 feet in some areas!

 

[cat7]

And really, $99 per year? What fraction of the price you paid for the car is that? To get full functionality?

But it's $99 for stuff that I never really use. Sure I can afford it, but if I said that for everything I have no use for then I'd have no money left!

 

[CheapBastid]

Data point: I got a month of free Premium and did not sign up to pay for it, as I don't feel it's worth it.

 

[Cal1]

My expired a few days ago. Nothing worth $10 a month to me. I absolutely hate subscription models an really try to not support them. At some point one has to decide where they chose to spend their $ and subscriptions are not for me. Most people never actually total those subscription costs because "It's only $10/month" They add up. I'm still on MS Office 2018 and refuse to change to Office 360. Kept QuickBooks 2012 until I shut my business down in 2018. But enough whining. You get to spend your $ where you want.

Now on to the hotspot issue. Haven't tried to connect the car to my phone yet. Maybe that's the way to get rid of the ad. Curious what will come back. Will the traffic live update come back or only the browser? Will the rear display games still work for the granddaughter? Will the hotspot connection bring it back if it's gone? Will Slacker come back with a hotspot? The radio still seems to function.

 

[CheapBastid]

Will the traffic live update come back or only the browser?

That one I can answer: Without subscription service you will not get live traffic. I can use the browser when I connect my 2022 M3LR to my phone's hotspot, and with that functionality I can leverage the TeslAA app on my Pixel 3 and use Android Auto's live traffic (which I prefer anyway).

 

[Theone8181]

That one I can answer: Without subscription service you will not get live traffic. I can use the browser when I connect my 2022 M3LR to my phone's hotspot, and with that functionality I can leverage the TeslAA app on my Pixel 3 and use Android Auto's live traffic (which I prefer anyway).

I thought it still made use of it while planning a route, it just doesn't show up on the screen?

 

[rpiotro]

"I absolutely hate subscription models...."

And yet you have a cell phone. Home internet? How about streaming video service? Should I go on?

 

[Theone8181]

"I absolutely hate subscription models...."

And yet you have a cell phone. Home internet? How about streaming video service? Should I go on?

I'd argue that modern life is unmanageable without Internet or a mobile phone.

 

[Cal1]

"I absolutely hate subscription models...."

And yet you have a cell phone. Home internet? How about streaming video service? Should I go on?

I choose which ones I pay for and don’t just agree to everything. Just because I do have to pay for these doesn’t mean I like or agree with them. There are tons I don’t pay for e.g. stupid online Precor exercise videos. Tesla’s connectivity is not something I can’t live without or work around. Kind of like QB’s and Office. But only because I bought them before they went full subscription. I‘m sure if I started another business and needed them today I’d be screwed and have to pony up. I just wouldn’t like it. And would be searching for a non subscription alternative.

 

[JimShaw]

I pay monthly $9.99

I have read where a number of members $99 yearly. I cannot find where to pay yearly. I've looked in my Tesla account, the cars screen and my cell phone and have not discovered how to pay yearly. Am I overlooking something?

Maybe why I can't find it is because it's no longer available yearly?????????

 

[DickiJ]

If tesla upped the bitrate on the built in spotify I'd subscribe. It's the only thing really stopping me from getting premium connectivity. For now it's just bluetooth audio and hotspot on the rare occasion I want to stream something.

 

[DrJFoster]

I thought it still made use of it while planning a route, it just doesn't show up on the screen?

Correct (almost)

Nav uses a different traffic feed regardless of premium, on the maps with premium its just rendering the Google traffic overlay which the car otherwise ignores. Of course most of the time the two sets of traffic information are likely to be the same but you do get exceptions.

One advantage for using your phone as a hotspot, some of the audio streaming services, especially Tidal if that's available in your area, allow for higher bitrate streaming over wifi and the sound is said to be significantly better as a result.

 

[rpiotro]

I'd argue that modern life is unmanageable without Internet or a mobile phone.

Sure, but those are subscription services. Cal1 made a blanket statement that " I absolutely hate subscription models..." without any qualification. It sounded pretty absolute to me.

 

[ODWms]

I pay monthly $9.99

I have read where a number of members $99 yearly. I cannot find where to pay yearly. I've looked in my Tesla account, the cars screen and my cell phone and have not discovered how to pay yearly. Am I overlooking something?

Maybe why I can't find it is because it's no longer available yearly?????????

I subscribed at the $99 rate, through the on screen menu.

 

[ay221]

I paid for one year. I will decide when its up whether to renew or cancel. I use my phone for directions, and I use bluetooth to stream spotify. You get better quality that way. Only thing is visual traffic and maybe an occasional sentry mode camera.

 

[JimShaw]

I subscribed at the $99 rate, through the on screen menu.

Darn

I must have missed it. I'll go back in and look around

When you say "one screen menu", do you mean the car's or the cell phone's?

Thanks

 

[father_of_6]

I thought it still made use of it while planning a route, it just doesn't show up on the screen?

This is true. I no longer subscribe to premium connectivity. A few days ago the nav tried to route us through back roads, skipping two thruway entrances before finally getting on the thruway. I thought it bizarre and took my own way, getting on the nearest entrance. Sure enough, the nav was right... the thruway traffic was majorly jammed up to the originally suggested entrance.

 

[JimShaw]

I subscribed at the $99 rate, through the on screen menu.

Went back in and found it

Thanks for your info. It was a big help