Why does the radio need internet access?

[smatthew]

So... I was traveling and the car doesn't have internet access so I can't stream songs, and my presets for the radio station don't work because... I'm not at home. So I click on radio, and the only option I'm given is direct tuning. No channel list. No scan button. No seek button. Am I supposed to just randomly type in station frequencies and hope I find one? Or type in every frequency from 88.0 to 106.0? All 180 possibilities?

I love this car, but that's a fail.

Tesla probably has a very detailed map of cellular service - which could easily be augmented with AT&T coverage maps. If my car is navigating to or through an area without service, it should proactively download resources it needs, like station listing, satellite maps, and even cache a few songs from whatever streaming service I'm using.

Or just add a scan/seek option.

 

[RayK]

Not to nitpick but... there's only 100 FM frequencies in the US from 88.1Mhz to 107.9. Channels are separated by 200kHz; so every "odd" decimal place is an active slot.

The last time I fooled around with the FM radio I thought there was a station listing. I'll have to go out to the car and see if it's still there. Whether or not the car populates a new list whenever it relocates to a new area, I'm not sure. The few times I've been out of the Bay Area (LA and Tahoe), I've had my music USB drive going.

edit: So a quick trip outside and there are seek buttons:

Push the arrow once for seek up/down. Couldn't figure out any scan function. But seek there is.

 

[smatthew]

Good point on stations always being odd. That saves me half the time! But if we're going to nitpick, technically there are 101 station slots. Thanks wikipedia!

I recall that those buttons disappear when you don't have internet access. If I'm wrong, and could have just pulled the screen down to get to scan buttons, I'll be disappointed in myself. I'm going to a no-service area again in a couple days. I'll double check.

And yes, there's a station listing. It disappears when you don't have internet access.

 

[C141medic]

You mention you’re unable to stream songs. To clarify, are you saying that the HD stations on the FM channels do not work when there’s no cellular/LTE connection or are you referring to the streaming services like slacker or Spotify which do need a cellular/LTE/WiFi connection in order to stream.

 

[smatthew]

Oh let met clarify. I mean, I'm in an area without cellular service so I can't stream songs. I completely understand that.

That's why I'm switching to FM radio. Yes, I could also switch to podcasts or music on my phone.

It seems to me that when you don't have cellular service the only ways to access FM radio stations are a)presets or b)Direct Tuning. The scan and station list functions stop working when cellular disappears.

I'll admit, I have driven vehicles without scan or seek radio functions. But that was a 1979 Mazda rx-7. And even it got a stereo upgrade that added scan/seek functions.

 

[Traior]

I had the same issue as well. Also does the radio HD have to be manually pressed everytime after switching stations?

 

[StellarRat]

I bet it's relying on the internet to provide station information. Like the call sign, etc... When it can't find it it just gives up on the whole operation. Probably a flaw with Telsa's software. You don't need to know that to tune the station on a scan. Also, most/all stations transmit basic information (call sign, current song, etc...) over the air, so the internet is not needed.