Which data plan for your SIM card?

[MMinehan]

Hi Ozzies and Kiwis,

I am about to take possession of a new MS in a few weeks and will be shipping it over to NZ (one of the about 30 in NZ).

It is important to note that there is no Tesla presence in NZ, i.e. no service center...yet. But they are coming as they haven taken order for the 3 from NZ'ers.

I have been asked to send over a NZ SIM card so they can install it before handing over the car. So I have a few questions which I can't seem to find answers to:

1) How much data does the MS use a month? I realize this will be dependent on usage etc but I need a ball park figure so that I get the right data plan (500MB, 3GB or 6GB).

2) Is it easy to set up WiFi when at home? Is WiFi setup quick and easy?

3) Do people tether their MS to a mobile phone for example?

4) Can the SIM card be changed? E.g. if you want to move to another carrier?

5) Can the car use it's own SIM for SMS (text messages)? E.g. display and send SMS's?

Many thanks, Marty.

 

[PJF000]

I presume NZ is the same as Oz, so on that basis Tesla connect you to 3G at their expense. You don't need your own unless you want to use your own Spotify account (as opposed to Tesla's) and you want to install things like Dash cams that have their own needs for viewing apps etc

 

[MMinehan]

I presume NZ is the same as Oz, so on that basis Tesla connect you to 3G at their expense. You don't need your own unless you want to use your own Spotify account (as opposed to Tesla's) and you want to install things like Dash cams that have their own needs for viewing apps etc

Thanks for the quick reply, but they don't connect NZ'ers at Tesla's expense. They specifically asked for a NZ SIM card (full sized) and I had to sign a SIM waiver. They want it sent over a week before I pick it up so that they can install it and set it up. That's why I am trying to work out which data package to get.

M

 

[Winston]

Not an owner, but I think I can answer some of these questions.

1) How much data does the MS use a month? I realize this will be dependent on usage etc but I need a ball park figure so that I get the right data plan (500MB, 3GB or 6GB).

Updates can and do roll out over 3G and vary in size. I think I remember reading that v7.0 was almost a gigabyte, but don't quote me on that.

4) Can the SIM card be changed? E.g. if you want to move to another carrier?

I'm quite sure that the SIM card can be changed with some difficulty. It's somewhere in the touchscreen. There's no guarantees it would work though without assistance from Tesla that I'm not sure they would provide.

5) Can the car use it's own SIM for SMS (text messages)? E.g. display and send SMS's?

No, the car doesn't do anything with SMS to my knowledge, not even from a Bluetooth-attached phone.

 

[AEdennis]

Not sure if home Internet prices in NZ are less expensive than over the mobile networks. If it is, then you can connect the car to Wi-Fi networks as well? If you install Wi-Fi where the car normally parks, then you have a good chance to minimize traffic over your mobile connection.

 

[MMinehan]

It costs about $50 NZD a month for a 3GB plan and $90 for a 6GB plan here. But the excess charges are pretty steep (30c per MB). I think I'll go with the 3GB plan.
The reason I asked about SMSs is to do with activating the card. I guess I can do this using an old phone that takes full sized SIM cards and then sending it to Tesla Australia.
And WiFi at home shouldn't be a problem. We have 3 Ubiquiti APs that cover the house and property with good coverage in the garage and an unlimited fiber broadband plan.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[AEdennis]

It costs about $50 NZD a month for a 3GB plan and $90 for a 6GB plan here. But the excess charges are pretty steep (30c per MB). I think I'll go with the 3GB plan.
The reason I asked about SMSs is to do with activating the card. I guess I can do this using an old phone that takes full sized SIM cards and then sending it to Tesla Australia.
And WiFi at home shouldn't be a problem. We have 3 Ubiquiti APs that cover the house and property with good coverage in the garage and an unlimited fiber broadband plan.
Thanks for the replies.

Ok. Wifi is a breeze, though it seems to work better with networks that are visible and WPA2, I had challenges with hidden networks using WEP.

I also have tethered the vehicle via a mi-fi as well as a hotspot on a cell phone.

No SMS that I'm aware off, then again, I'm in the US. You might want to check your wifi signal to your garage.

 

[tess1988]

i think the 3g in the car will just work there, how many years do tesla include in australia?, also does model S now have 4G?

 

[Drewflux]

@MMinehan If I were you, I would get a 3g 3Gig plan from Vodafone or Spark to be dafe. Updates done later on wifi. Just remember the AU vehicles do not have web browser in the center display. Radio frequency bands are the same, you will loose the advantage of soptify music unless you want to pay the data.

Au cars are on telstra network last i heard, my boss's ms is used on mobile hotspot from phone for spotify on rare occasions.

Technically you could change the sim.but it means removing the 17" and disassemble. Im not sure if a new one would recognise instantly or if the network details would have to be set.

An alternative option would be to sent a card now, and if you wanted to change networks later. Get a mobile hotspot with 12v charger.

 

[MMinehan]

@Drewflux Thanks for the advice. I'll get the 3GB plan. I can upgrade it to the 6GB if needed. I'll see if I can link it to my exisiting Spark (telco) account which has free Spotify included.
Bugger about the web broweser. That's a real pain. But it has something to do the Austrlian regulations. Wish they would allow it while parked. Would make things a bit easier.

@tess1988 I'm pretty sure it's just 3G. I asked Tesla AU about this and they said they don't have 4G/LTE in the cars. But looking the forums it seems the mobile network card (behind the screen) is a daughter board configuration meaning it could potentially be upgraded in the future.

 

[AEdennis]

@Drewflux Thanks for the advice. I'll get the 3GB plan. I can upgrade it to the 6GB if needed. I'll see if I can link it to my exisiting Spark (telco) account which has free Spotify included.
Bugger about the web broweser. That's a real pain. But it has something to do the Austrlian regulations. Wish they would allow it while parked. Would make things a bit easier.

@tess1988 I'm pretty sure it's just 3G. I asked Tesla AU about this and they said they don't have 4G/LTE in the cars. But looking the forums it seems the mobile network card (behind the screen) is a daughter board configuration meaning it could potentially be upgraded in the future.

Not sure about RHD cars delivered to Oz/NZ, but I remember seeing some new UK Model S drivers mention that they got LTE.

Being in California, I have a LHD older S that I had upgraded from 3G to LTE. Cost was a flat $500 USD (parts and labor included)

 

[Drewflux]

@MMinehan i would ask if the display can be reflashed for web browser since the vehicle will not be in AU.

The sim module is a daughter board, but tesla is currently saying soon to a LTE release last time i checked in April.

 

[MMinehan]

@AEdennis Did the LTE upgrade make much of a difference? Did maps load faster or anything? Bearing in mind we don't get the web browser in AU/NZ. It's just that I have 3 weeks until the car ships and I wonder if it is worth pressuring Tesla AU to look into a possible upgrade before I pick up the car.

 

[AEdennis]

@AEdennis Did the LTE upgrade make much of a difference? Did maps load faster or anything? Bearing in mind we don't get the web browser in AU/NZ. It's just that I have 3 weeks until the car ships and I wonder if it is worth pressuring Tesla AU to look into a possible upgrade before I pick up the car.

Songs and maps load faster...

Browser is pretty unworkable in 3G or LTE. It's a function of how they wrote S browser. Better off using an iPad in car to do browsing.

(Aussies aren't missing much with integrated browser in car). Closest thing to browsing I use is searching for businesses on NAV, and clicking for more info on it.

 

[MMinehan]

@Drewflux I did ask them that exact question. But they said that the cars going into NZ have to be compliant with AU regulations and as such they won't do it. They say AU and NZ have very similar compliance regulations and they did not want to break any laws.....grrrr.

 

[Drewflux]

Yeah i figured that. Every rental car i have driven in NZ has the hand brake on rule for media displays.

 

[MMinehan]

@AEdennis Ok. Thanks for the info. If I can't get 4G in the car I'll have to resort to tethering my phone if it becomes a problem. as Drewflux mentioned.

 

[pbkwee]

@MMinehan I'm hoping to get my MS shipped over in August. I was planning on sending over a skinny prepay sim. It'd be the same as my regular phone and coverage where I go is better than Vodafone. Remember you can pair your car with your phone if you want to reduce sim card data usage. And also maybe activate the sim and turn off global roaming before you ship it over so you don't end up with charges while its installed in AU. They should be able to do software updates etc without your SIM data.

 

[AEdennis]

@AEdennis Ok. Thanks for the info. If I can't get 4G in the car I'll have to resort to tethering my phone if it becomes a problem. as Drewflux mentioned.

I've done both... The car prefers to connect to known Wi-Fi networks first. So, I constantly turn-off Wi-Fi when I drive because I want to force it to use its own connection while I tether other devices while I drive. However, I've had a part of my drive last year (cross-USA) around St. Louis, MO where I mysteriously lost any mobile connectivity in a city, so, I resorted to tethering. I think a soft reset fixed it, I just prefer not to do soft-reset while driving. (I'm told by many that they've done it to no detriment, I'm just "old-school" and prefer to STOP before I reset anything.)

 

[MMinehan]

@pbkwee won't roaming be needed in order for them to test that it actually works? I would hate for the car to arrive in NZ only to find that the data doesn't work.