Wifi

[20ducks]

I contacted ATT to get a 90 day connection courtesy of Ford. It expired a few days ago. I haven't noticed any difference in any audio options: USB (jump drive), Sirius, FM HD, as well as anything playing through Android Auto. Should I have lost some features?? Anyone use the ATT option, or anything similar?

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[cactus_kid]

Unless I'm wrong, that is so that a passenger can use the car as a hotspot while riding. Sirius/XM is sat based. To me it is useless. I simply use my phone as my hotspot if need be.

 

[20ducks]

The only passenger in my car is my wife and that is infrequent. I am going to check out what I can get that is not sat-based, i.e. Sirius.

 

[Michael_vroomvroom]

It's also used for the FordPass app, to check the status of some things in the car (tire pressure, location, lock/unlock the car via the app, etc.), but strangely enough all of those work even without a data subscription, at least here in Europe. Not sure if that's the same in USA, but I'd guess so.

I'm thinking Ford got some deal in return for carrier exclusivity (e.g., Vodafone in most of Europe), so those features, which probably use minimal data only, can be used without a paid for data subscription too. That afaik leaves the wifi hotspot feature mentioned by the others as the only thing you lose.

 

[Vlad Soare]

It's just for internet access. If you have a good mobile data plan on your mobile phone, you won't see any difference. The phone will use its own mobile data connection instead of the wi-fi in the car.
The only thing you'll actually lose will be the remote connection to the car via FordPass, as Michael pointed out. If you don't care for that, you'll be fine.

There is actually one more thing. I've noticed that in areas with poor cellular connectivity the in-car modem is noticeably better than the mobile phone. I use to listen to Apple Music on my phone streamed via BT, and there are places in the country where my phone always loses signal and I temporarily lose the music, whereas in the Mustang it never happens, even though both the in-car modem and the phone use the same carrier. The shark fin antenna, as hideous as it may be to look at, does seem to be quite good technically.

 

[cactus_kid]

A lot depends on where inside the car the phone is. The phone's antenna is usually not in the most optimum location, where as the vehicle antenna is external and placed fro maximum reception. There is a reason the multiple antenna on a police vehicle are placed as such. OP, as Valad stated, ATT has the gig with Ford. Verizon has GM. It is simply which carrier provides the greatest amount of kickback.

 

[sdsteele2]

I did not renew the AT&T service in my 2020 GT after the trial. All of the FordPass features still work, remote start, remote lock, vehicle status, etc.

 

[cactus_kid]

They are not tied to the AT&T trial. AT&T service simply provides a hot spot in car service. Same thing your phone will do.

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