The car has some form of AT&T GSM connectivity. I recently discovered a WiFi hot spot setting and it’s a paid service provided by AT&T. I am able to schedule service appointments via the car, and it has an SOS button and an “Info” button that primarily is for roadside assistance. I’d prefer to be able to disable it. I was gonna say I thought Subaru was a bit better. Buttttt it looks like I’m wrong.
Yeah, pretty much all new cars have some amount of cellular connectivity. Usually you can’t actually use it without paying some subscription, but the manufacturers use it to push updates.
I mean, I don’t like my car updating but I’d rather things get fixed than not. Software recalls are a huge headache in the auto industry, and being able to just download an update that fixes something is way easier than going to a dealership and having them use very specific tools and software to update the car/modules.
It’s also used for anti-theft features for a lot of newer cars, if your car is stolen it can be remotely disabled entirely. That’s really what’s more scary in my opinion.
In over 32 years of driving and having owned dozens of cars I’ve only ever had one stolen.
It was 29 years ago and was actually my (now ex) girlfriend’s car and even that one only got stolen because I had a spare key to it in my glovebox and forgot to lock my truck’s doors that night.
Which is interesting to say the least given that most cars from the past few years use LTE radios which will eventually work about as well as cars from the early 2000s with OnStar.
How does this update even happen? Are owners connecting their car to internet?
The car has some form of AT&T GSM connectivity. I recently discovered a WiFi hot spot setting and it’s a paid service provided by AT&T. I am able to schedule service appointments via the car, and it has an SOS button and an “Info” button that primarily is for roadside assistance. I’d prefer to be able to disable it. I was gonna say I thought Subaru was a bit better. Buttttt it looks like I’m wrong.
Check your brand here.
I’d like to know this as well…
If not, are they using some always on GSM data connection or something?
Doesn’t sound like something I’d want unless there’s somehow an actual significant Value Add proposition that I’m just not seeing.
Yeah, pretty much all new cars have some amount of cellular connectivity. Usually you can’t actually use it without paying some subscription, but the manufacturers use it to push updates.
Sounds like some shit I’d want to remove or disable as soon as the car is paid for.
I mean, I don’t like my car updating but I’d rather things get fixed than not. Software recalls are a huge headache in the auto industry, and being able to just download an update that fixes something is way easier than going to a dealership and having them use very specific tools and software to update the car/modules.
It’s also used for anti-theft features for a lot of newer cars, if your car is stolen it can be remotely disabled entirely. That’s really what’s more scary in my opinion.
Not interested in any of that here.
In over 32 years of driving and having owned dozens of cars I’ve only ever had one stolen.
It was 29 years ago and was actually my (now ex) girlfriend’s car and even that one only got stolen because I had a spare key to it in my glovebox and forgot to lock my truck’s doors that night.
Yikes, do you get a new car every single year?
I’m more of a “buy something reliable and drive it 'til it breaks” type.
Which is interesting to say the least given that most cars from the past few years use LTE radios which will eventually work about as well as cars from the early 2000s with OnStar.
See what happened to all the Hyundais and Kias with 3g.