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Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars
- tyingq 10y agoI don't get it, though. The article makes it seem like the primary use case is to connect your phones to the car via WiFi, so they can all use the car's 4g connection. But don't most people that can afford this already have unlimited (or close to it) data direct from the phone? Or is the data connection used by the car in some other way?
- beamatronic 10y agoI think having an always-connected car would be really useful. On certain cell phone networks, such as Verizon's in the US, you cannot make a phone call and use data at the same time. I often take calls while in the car and find that I need access to critical data at the same time. I've considered adding a hot spot semi-permanently to the car just as a work around for this issue. Also keep in mind there are passengers who do have tablets, but don't have cell phones ( such as kids ). Finally, how cool would it be to put some always on devices in your car such as a Nest Cam / Dropcam!
- tyingq 10y agoI suppose, but if I needed that, I would want a portable hotspot that wasn't bolted into the car.
- nradov 10y agoHasn't that limitation been removed with LTE, or is Verizon still unable to do simultaneous voice and data for some other reason? The Sprint 3G network had the same problem, which is one of the reasons I dropped them.
- beamatronic 10y agoHuh, you may be right, for the iPhone 6 at least [1] [1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2468927,00.asp http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2468927,00.asp "Verizon Enables Simultaneous Voice and Data for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus", September 2014
- sparky_ 10y agoYes Verizon supports simultaneous voice and data. In actuality, they route all their audio connections as VOIP over the data connection (VoLTE). Which has the same effect. Sprint still drops data connections during voice calls.
- myowncrapulence 10y agoA lot of people can't afford their cars and buy with credit. Something you can't really do on phone plans. Also, this way you can add another middle man that makes money data-mining your browsing habits.
- h4waii 10y agoHuh? Most people in North America (who can't afford phones) lease-to-own their phones. They pay for it in a monthly rolled up price, and at the end of their contract they own the device outright, obviously with all caveats surrounding leasing any asset.
- myowncrapulence 10y agoI'm talking about the monthly data, not the phone.
- pjc50 10y agoThis makes no sense - you have X monthly cost of the data and monthly repayments of Y, and if X > Y your outstanding loan will only grow. You can't sensibly pay for a recurring expense on credit.
- myowncrapulence 10y agoEXACTLY. READ MY ORIGINAL COMMENT.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- fictioncircle 10y ago> Or is the data connection used by the car in some other way? They probably will be collecting diagnostic data like Tesla does and it'll be written in the fine print. That is likely the real reason for the 4G modem installed in the car and the rest is just PR spin to encourage people to buy the always-connected vehicles. I fully expect this "free feature" to be paid for by these cars recording which parking lots you visit for Big Box store analytics as well as LEO per-request-fees. They probably have some navigation stuff, radio, etc. built into the car that would use it as well for the dashboard. The $20 a month, I suspect, covers Chevrolet's network costs so they can be paid on both ends.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- lojack 10y ago> I don't get it, though. The article makes it seem like the primary use case is to connect your phones to the car via WiFi, so they can all use the car's 4g connection. Not sure where you got that idea, the article didn't even mention phones. My thought would be more towards using the car's wifi for iPads and laptops. Makes total sense when I look at how my nieces and nephews use technology. They're obsessed with iPads, and thats the primary way they consume media. Also, up until recently, one of the most expensive phone plans you could get (Verizon) didn't even offer unlimited data, and the rates are only 1/4th the price of my car lease. Even without kids, $20/mo for data usage in my car would actually make it so I could downgrade my plan and save money (lots of podcasts on my drive in to work).
- jonknee 10y agoI agree that it is pointless. Much more useful would be the other way around (your car getting data access from your phone). But that doesn't make anyone extra money. I removed the SIM in my car as soon as the free trial ran out.
- nissimk 10y agoIt says you can connect 10 devices to the car's AP via wifi. So all 5 passengers including the driver can have one wifi device in each hand!
- TYPE_FASTER 10y agoI have two kids with Fire tablets who would really appreciate a connection. I think I will be switching to Verizon's new unlimited plan with some amount of hotspot access because of this.
- oculusthrift 10y agoi think that's a flawed assumption. many don't have close to an unlimited data plan. it would be great to drive while one's kids can play on their ipad in the back. (with the wifi)
- lotharbot 10y agoI have a prepaid phone, because I don't want to spend $hundreds/month on an unlimited data plan that I'm only rarely going to use. But $20/month for unlimited data in my car? That would be worth it just for the 3-4 road trips I take each year. My kid could sit in the back watching numberphile videos the whole time? Yes plz.
- empath75 10y agoMost people in the US do not have unlimited 4G. I went on a cross country trip recently and used my entire dataplan in 10 days.
- bonestamp2 10y agoIt's not for the owner as much as it's for their kids. That said, it can be used by the owner for internet radio embedded in the head unit.
- URSpider94 10y agoI think the main use case is for other devices, like tablets and laptops, that don't have their own radios. Even though most people can in theory tether to their phones, most people also either don't know how to do that, or have data plans that make it difficult or impossible. With an in-car hotspot, my kids could bring their tablets with them and stream movies, even when I'm not in the car to set up a hotspot on my phone. I'd also think this would be a big hit for road warriors - the kind of people who live out of their car, and today tend to post up at Starbucks in between meetings to grab some free WiFi. Now, they can just sit in their comfy cars with their favorite music, use the car's hands-free for calls, and work from their laptops. (Incidentally, one of the things I love about EV's and hybrids is the ability to leave the climate control and entertainment on when parked indefinitely without having to run the engine)
- jameskilton 10y agoI recently picked up a Volt which includes this OnStar 4G setup and have to say I'm extremely concerned at how quickly this "my car is on the internet" feature set is spreading. Everything is managed by OnStar through their device that's factory installed into every new Chevy vehicle. They have had security breaches and had to fix white-hat reported vulnerabilities in the past[1]. This system isn't just "4G wifi as a hotspot", it has almost full access to every system in the car. Chevy offers this mobile app called MyLink which lets you remote-start, lock, unlock your car using this same connection. History shows that car manufacturers have not given near enough thought to the security of access to a vehicle. I'm afraid that it's only a matter of time before we have a bot net either using cars, a bot-net that attacks and takes over cars, or both, with the potential of lots of damage and loss of life. As such I immediately told OnStar to disable service to my car and will be finding and disconnecting the OnStar box (as it still phones home periodically) as I just have no reason to trust such a thing at this time. [1] https://www.wired.com/2015/09/gm-took-5-years-fix-full-takeover-hack-millions-onstar-cars/ https://www.wired.com/2015/09/gm-took-5-years-fix-full-takeo...
- chrisper 10y agoStuff like this has been around forever. I once drove a 2007 BMW 7 series which let me unlock/lock my car from my phone. I also got weather data etc. on my dash. Now it is finally making it to normal cars. My 2014 Passat has it as well. However, I didn't activate it since it is tracking my location. On the other hand, stuff like Onstar can save lives. http://www.mercurynews.com/2014/10/14/san-jose-mount-hamilton-road-rescue-frees-woman-who-spent-18-hours-in-ravine/ http://www.mercurynews.com/2014/10/14/san-jose-mount-hamilto...
- _audakel 10y agotl;dr of mercurynews: A 28-year-old Campbell woman who spent the night at the bottom of a 500-foot ravine after veering off Mount Hamilton Road was rescued Tuesday morning and flown to a hospital to be treated for her injuries. The General Motors’ OnStar system and Apple’s Find My iPhone service determined users’ location.
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- jandrese 10y agoI have to wonder how useful this unlimited data plan will be in 10-15 years when you're still driving the vehicle. What are the chances Chevy is going to even have an option to upgrade the radio when the one built into the car is obsolete?
- vollmond 10y agoMy coworker's <10yo Nissan Leaf has a now-useless remote access radio, because it depends on the 2G network that AT&T shut down. $300 for an upgraded radio, which is a lot to drop on something that didn't break.
- p49k 10y agoIf they had offered it 10 years ago when 3G was available in most places, it would still be pretty useful today. 3G is good enough for 95% of what I use mobile data for.
- mti27 10y agoDefinitely feels like you're getting locked in. Sort of like buying a combo stereo unit with radio/phono/8 track in to one box instead of buying separate components that could be swapped out.
- mr337 10y agoGood points, ATT is planning on sunsetting 3G next 3-5 years and move everything to 4G. So it wouldn't surprise me if 4G gets dropped within the car lifespan.
- davis 10y agoThey are putting a consumer spin on this but I am willing to bet that this is more important for their future self-driving car and the accompanying logistics. Smart.
- nradov 10y agoSo can you just leave your car's electrical system turned on in your garage and use that to provide unlimited Internet service for the whole house when you're not driving?
- brandon272 10y agoUntil your battery dies.
- jonknee 10y agoJust get a Chevy Volt and it will take quite a while!
- choward 10y agoJust sit in your car in the garage with door closed with your laptop plugged into the charger and your car running. Disclaimer: Don't do this. You will die.
- userbinator 10y agoDon't do this. You will die. ...Unless it's an EV.
- in_the_sticks 10y agoSure. I suspect the expense of new car batteries and the inconvenience of having them run down twice a day or so might make it a less optimal choice than just buying internet service.
- nradov 10y agoThe picture in the article shows a Volt. If it's in your garage then it's plugged in.
- lotharbot 10y agoeven a Volt that's not plugged in is going to be able to run its electronics for a long, long time on a single charge. Wifi routers consume on average about 6 watts. The new Volt has an 18.4 kWh battery, which could run such a wifi router for about 4 months. Or, put another way, running a wifi router all day would use about 0.005% of the Volt's battery capacity. Obviously a lot of other support systems would be powered on as well, but still, the point is, you're not really going to notice the battery drain from a little wifi transmitter relative to the battery capacity needed to move a 3500 lb automobile 50+ miles.
- massysett 10y agoDo their cars come with decent in-car entertainment that can actually use the Internet? When I got my new 2016 Honda Accord I was looking forward to some good streaming music in the car. I read that the built-in stereo comes with Pandora. I also knew that the built-in stereo can also access the Internet. "Cool," I thought. "I can fire up the hotspot on my phone, connect the car to the Internet, then the Pandora will connect and do its thing." Nope. Turns out that the stereo can connect to the Internet. It's got Android. But the most useful thing I can do is browse the Web on my car stereo screen. Something I have never, ever wanted to do. Apparently it also connects to some useless thing called Aha Radio, which hasn't been updated in years. The Pandora can't even use the Internet connection! It only works through Bluetooth or, apparently, though hooking up my phone via a cable. So the stereo's Internet connection is practically useless, and my only streaming options work through the phone, which is generally a glitchy experience. Though I must say, the Pandora built in to the car is generally better than Apple CarPlay, which has been a huge disappointment. So hopefully Chevy has something decent in their car other than an Android web browser on the car screen, and hopefully it's not just Apple CarPlay or Android Auto or anything like them, because in my experience the phone makers are all about stripping away hardware buttons. When I'm driving the hardware buttons are far superior to finicky on-screen buttons.
- mti27 10y agoGot a 2014 Honda and had the same experience, hate to hear they have not improved. It had the same Pandora and aHa radio "features" and the in-car system was terrible in general. It interrupted the music with voice prompts, and randomly wouldn't let you do certain things while the car was in motion. It's like a UX designer threw up... and then that throw up designed a car stereo.
- js2 10y agoThe infotainment system in my new Volt beats the pants off the system in my new Mazda. Those are the only two I have direct experience with, but based on a bunch of reviews I read, Ford and GM appear to have the best infotainment systems, at least for the US market, Tesla excluded most likely. It is however touch screen based. And I'm thankful for CarPlay since Mazda doesn't support CarPlay nor Android Auto and Mazda's UI is awful.
- 6stringmerc 10y agoSounds like a total gift to folks like ADAC - the German group that publicized their ability to use an available device to breach and make off with 24 cars tested out of a field of <50. Article: https://www.wired.com/2016/03/study-finds-24-car-models-open-unlocking-ignition-hack/ https://www.wired.com/2016/03/study-finds-24-car-models-open... Another point of entry? Eeek. At least it keeps fiction writers like me busy, because, let's face it, creativity is what theorizes holes in systems, then followed by skill to test if they're really there.
- phkahler 10y agoObigatory: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/01/15/police-spying-on-car-conversations-location-siriusxm-gm-chevrolet-toyota-privacy/#622376182ef8 https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/01/15/polic... The TLAs use things like OnStar to spy on people.
- MorePowerToYou 10y agoWhat's the best way to have the OnStar, Car-net, etc hardware removed from the vehicle? I don't want my car connected to the fucking internet. I'm tempted to just pry out the hardware myself, but am curious if the dealer or mechanics will do it for you.
- Shivetya 10y agoSorry but I don't need a $20 monthly bill on top of my cell bell and everything else. I am curious if this is addition to Onstar costs beyond the first three months? That can be 19.95 on its own (Safe and Sound). Just make it simple to let my car use my phone's data connection. Volt support Apple Carplay and Android Auto so that shouldn't be all that difficult.
- matt_wulfeck 10y agoFor times when I'm away from my car, a long-range, local 802.11ah network (more than a mile range) would be great. That would allow it sync when parked on the street and connect when you're in the parking lot looking for it.