Tesla Model S App and a Built in Router

[STxTesla]

I know that the Model S app has been talked about and is still in development. I was thinking that the app is going to be one of the most useful tools for Model S owners.

The ability to check on how your Model S charge is coming along from your cell phone while you're having lunch is very cool. Having the ability to cool down your car before you get ready to get back to your car and drive off to your next charge location is very useful. These useful functions of the Model S app are great...that is...if you have connectivity.

It might be a good idea for Tesla to install a router in the car to connect your car with your mobile phone so that you can always have connectivity with your car, even when internet or WiFi spots are not available. (Okay, I'll admit....this concept is probably tough for Californians to understand...I bet WiFi covers the whole state!) For those remote locations that do not have WiFi available....connectivity to your car would be nice. So if WiFi is not available...or internet connection is not available, you can at least monitor/control and communicate with your car remotely.

The thought of having an in-car router creates some other possibilities like tethering from your Model S. Being able to drive your own mobile WiFi hotspot would be a very cool feature.

 

[bint2k]

Good point, it would be nice not to have to rely on 3g but Tesla prolly won't go for it cause they won't like to range issues wifi creates

 

[wassenberg]

parking place app

Good point, it would be nice not to have to rely on 3g but Tesla prolly won't go for it cause they won't like to range issues wifi creates

does anyone know if there will be an app to find the car in a big parking place, so you not have to "find" the car ?

 

[Jason S]

does anyone know if there will be an app to find the car in a big parking place, so you not have to "find" the car ?

Look for the crowd of gawkers, at least for a few months. :wink:

Not sure tho. What kind of thing do you have in mind? Double GPS action where the car's mobile connection can be triangulated with your phone?

 

[wassenberg]

yes that is what i mean, the car has gps so it must be a possibilty to find it with your smartphone......i think

 

[spleen]

yes that is what i mean, the car has gps so it must be a possibilty to find it with your smartphone......i think

There are apps like that already though they work by marking a spot on a map with the GPS function of your phone and then leads you back to that spot later to find your car. Won't work of course in an underground or covered garage. What you're asking for is GPS transponder technology which Tesla has likely built in but uncertain if it'll allow owners or other parties access to that data since it brings up privacy concerns.

 

[calsailor]

I do think there will be a way to locate the car on the App. I recall seeing in a video many months ago where a Tesla Employee was demonstrating the app and you could see the Model S moving around on the map on the IPhone.

Tesla Model S Beta phone app - YouTube

Exclusive: Tesla Model S iPhone App [VIDEO] - Translogic

 

[Jeeps17]

I seem to recall from previous discussions that the smartphone app would use WhisperNet (or equivalent) to communicate with the car, removing the need for a connectivity package to use it.

I do not know if / how that would work when out in the boonies with no signal at all, though.

 

[AndyM]

I know that the Model S app has been talked about and is still in development. I was thinking that the app is going to be one of the most useful tools for Model S owners.

The ability to check on how your Model S charge is coming along from your cell phone while you're having lunch is very cool. Having the ability to cool down your car before you get ready to get back to your car and drive off to your next charge location is very useful. These useful functions of the Model S app are great...that is...if you have connectivity.

It might be a good idea for Tesla to install a router in the car to connect your car with your mobile phone so that you can always have connectivity with your car, even when internet or WiFi spots are not available. (Okay, I'll admit....this concept is probably tough for Californians to understand...I bet WiFi covers the whole state!) For those remote locations that do not have WiFi available....connectivity to your car would be nice. So if WiFi is not available...or internet connection is not available, you can at least monitor/control and communicate with your car remotely.

The thought of having an in-car router creates some other possibilities like tethering from your Model S. Being able to drive your own mobile WiFi hotspot would be a very cool feature.

What we've learned from a bunch of different reps, different phone calls, is that the car will have a 3G-based connectivity to communicate with Tesla only. This gives the car remote diagnostic and control to connect to it with the future smartphone app.

What remains unknown or unclear is how the display gets connectivity - for things like Google Maps, web browsing, and over-the-internet audio streaming. We expect two options to be available: a connectivity plan through the car's 3G, or the ability to join a WiFi hotspot, either fixed or a WiFi hotspot feature on your phone.

I used the think that I wanted my car to be me Internet hotspot... but, since I already use my phone for this for my other devices, and the Model S will have its low-level connectivity already (and we expect it to be only 3G, not LTE), I'm leaning toward not wanting my car to be my Internet source.

 

[Jason S]

I'd want the ability to use my car for internet source while on the road. Even a reasonable per-use fee would be ok, but I'd hope it to be free given the car is paying for a data connection already.

And, yes, I recall the phone app being able to show the car on a google map. Which is probably close enough to be able to find the car.

 

[Robert.Boston]

We've heard that the Model S will have GSM capability, regardless of whether you subscribe to a 3G/4G/LTE plan. The GSM is how smartphone apps will communicate with the car. Of course, that doesn't solve the problem of managing your Model S if you've parked in sub-level 4 of the underground garage, where there's probably no reception of any kind--but I'm not sure that a built-in router will help there.

 

[JAG]

Wow.. a built in wi-fi 802.11N router would be great! You could access music on multiple laptops using home sharing- or even remotely control a computers iTunes using the remote app on your phone.. or perhaps if the remote app were to become available for Tesla... right from the 17" screen