Get yer' Prepaid Audi Connect!
07-23-2012, 08:22 AM
#101
AudiWorld Member
I believe about a 40-50 mile radius is cached. With the Tru SIM and no data connection, when I display the Earth maps I can drive to/from work routinely with the full Earth display. The MMI does ask me if I want the data connection to update the Google Earth map and I say no. I work about 40 miles away and the GE maps work in both directions. The other day I drove about 58 miles away and at about the 40 mile mark the GE maps went "blurry" - no specific map contours, buildings, grasslands, etc. The last time I cached the GE maps (a few weeks back) with the data connection on was on full zoom (30 yds) like another thread mentioned. So it's my experience that about 45 miles of GE maps will display correctly with no data connection. Anyone else try it?
08-12-2012, 09:54 AM
#102
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This is a great thread. Thanks for figuring out this prepaid solution. I have a new 2012 A7 and I really could care less about google earth images if its going to cost me approximately $1500 over the life of the car, assuming I change cars in 5 years. $300 a year for Audi Connect is ridiculous!
I can live without wifi hot spot, my iphone has its own data and most of my friends that ride with me have their own way to connect also. Google earth images are cool, but not essential.
What *IS* essential is POI data, which is woefully awful on the built in NAV database. I tried to look up a local UPS store that I know has been in business for years and I could not find it in the car's NAV database, but of course google maps found it. So google maps for looking up POI's is absolutely neccessary. But $300 a year to do that is a joke.
I will try this tru map prepaid. Sounds like it will provide a must cheaper solution as long as I remember to keep wifi and google earth map off.
Audi should really update the software to allow tethering to our iphones via BT or wifi because in a few years time everyone will have 4G phones in their pocket. At the very least, the car should be able to sit in my garage and connect to a wifi router in my house. Frankly it ought to be able to download massive amounts of google earth data that way and cache it all and it should be able to turn off automatic downloading of new google earth data, etc.. the list goes on. Honestly, I'm quite dissapointed with the poor design here by Audi. They are so good about everything else in terms of design, but in this case they did not think it through and they cornered us into needing both a $30/month T-mobile plan and $4/month sirius plan in order to have the same nav experience that I get for FREE from my Garmin Nuvi. The Garmin Nuvi cost $300 for the device and I have lifetime map updates for $80. It almost always has the business I'm looking for it its database and it gets traffic updates from the FM radio for free.
Maybe Audi's finance dept took over here and tried to find a way to bate and switch us into $400/year for a nav system, or maybe its just oversight in design, either way, I'm disappointed. Still love the car though.
I can live without wifi hot spot, my iphone has its own data and most of my friends that ride with me have their own way to connect also. Google earth images are cool, but not essential.
What *IS* essential is POI data, which is woefully awful on the built in NAV database. I tried to look up a local UPS store that I know has been in business for years and I could not find it in the car's NAV database, but of course google maps found it. So google maps for looking up POI's is absolutely neccessary. But $300 a year to do that is a joke.
I will try this tru map prepaid. Sounds like it will provide a must cheaper solution as long as I remember to keep wifi and google earth map off.
Audi should really update the software to allow tethering to our iphones via BT or wifi because in a few years time everyone will have 4G phones in their pocket. At the very least, the car should be able to sit in my garage and connect to a wifi router in my house. Frankly it ought to be able to download massive amounts of google earth data that way and cache it all and it should be able to turn off automatic downloading of new google earth data, etc.. the list goes on. Honestly, I'm quite dissapointed with the poor design here by Audi. They are so good about everything else in terms of design, but in this case they did not think it through and they cornered us into needing both a $30/month T-mobile plan and $4/month sirius plan in order to have the same nav experience that I get for FREE from my Garmin Nuvi. The Garmin Nuvi cost $300 for the device and I have lifetime map updates for $80. It almost always has the business I'm looking for it its database and it gets traffic updates from the FM radio for free.
Maybe Audi's finance dept took over here and tried to find a way to bate and switch us into $400/year for a nav system, or maybe its just oversight in design, either way, I'm disappointed. Still love the car though.
08-13-2012, 05:11 AM
#103
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Audi should really update the software to allow tethering to our iphones via BT or wifi because in a few years time everyone will have 4G phones in their pocket. At the very least, the car should be able to sit in my garage and connect to a wifi router in my house. Frankly it ought to be able to download massive amounts of google earth data that way and cache it all and it should be able to turn off automatic downloading of new google earth data, etc.. the list goes on. Honestly, I'm quite dissapointed with the poor design here by Audi.
Maybe Audi's finance dept took over here and tried to find a way to bate and switch us into $400/year for a nav system, or maybe its just oversight in design, either way, I'm disappointed. Still love the car though.
Maybe Audi's finance dept took over here and tried to find a way to bate and switch us into $400/year for a nav system, or maybe its just oversight in design, either way, I'm disappointed. Still love the car though.
08-13-2012, 05:13 AM
#104
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08-13-2012, 06:33 AM
#105
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[QUOTE=dewdman42;24334538
Maybe Audi's finance dept took over here and tried to find a way to bate and switch us into $400/year for a nav system, or maybe its just oversight in design, either way, I'm disappointed. Still love the car though.[/QUOTE]
I couldn't agree more. I get very unhappy very quickly when I begin to feel as though the business I am working with is thinking "This guys rich, he will pay for it because he wants to be an early adopter". I may be a bit that way but Audi has crossed a line with me.
And, this NAV package should have been so much more than it is. I know it is considered the best but come on, we have the technology. Great idea to have it be able to use the home wi-fi to download maps.
With all of that said, this also shows how fantastic this car is to me because I bought it any way.
Maybe Audi's finance dept took over here and tried to find a way to bate and switch us into $400/year for a nav system, or maybe its just oversight in design, either way, I'm disappointed. Still love the car though.[/QUOTE]
I couldn't agree more. I get very unhappy very quickly when I begin to feel as though the business I am working with is thinking "This guys rich, he will pay for it because he wants to be an early adopter". I may be a bit that way but Audi has crossed a line with me.
And, this NAV package should have been so much more than it is. I know it is considered the best but come on, we have the technology. Great idea to have it be able to use the home wi-fi to download maps.
With all of that said, this also shows how fantastic this car is to me because I bought it any way.
08-16-2012, 08:16 PM
#106
By the way Verizon and AT&T came with data shared planes for smartphones, ipads etc so I really doubt you can use the verizons sim card because it is a complete different tecnology vs Tmobile and AT&T but if you have AT&T you can ask them to share your plan with your "ipad" and use that sim card (at 2g) with your car for 10 dlls per month vs 30 dlls tmobile audi connect 3g service, and the google maps will not kill you with overage, just a thought
08-31-2012, 05:53 PM
#107
AudiWorld Junior Member
I orrdered the Truphone sim card and am having trouble getting it to work with my A6. I changed the APN like I read but it still didn't work. Can somebody please help???
09-04-2012, 08:15 AM
#108
AudiWorld Member
09-04-2012, 08:21 AM
#109
AudiWorld Senior Member
Only in Europe can you use your Phone SIM as a link to the Car for Internet.
You can use the Car internet for your phone, but not the other way around in the U.S. (at least as of now).
You can use the Car internet for your phone, but not the other way around in the U.S. (at least as of now).
09-04-2012, 09:36 AM
#110
AudiWorld Senior Member
