snagitseven

If you have a myAudi account you should be able to add a plan online.
Or try (877) 505-2834 and select option 1

cschmelz

Can you put in a SIM number for any T-Mobile SIM in their setup page? I no longer have the Audi Connect original SIM..Doh

snagitseven

You will get a new sim when you sign up for an Audi Connect plan. Use that until you get your modem upgraded than, as I wrote, afterward you can replace the sim from another applicable plan/provider. Take some time to read through this thread. It will answer many of your questions.

KickAss

I have been toying with the idea of buying one of the LTE tmobile hotspots and see if I can use that instead. Has anyone tried this out? I understand I lose some of the connectivity features on the car if I do this, but in my case, if it works, the plan would be more useful.

snagitseven

What car? What year? What location? Need more info to answer your question.

schalliol

I'm not sure those details matter if he found the right forum.

You can do a hotspot that's not integrated with the car, sure. You'll miss the Google search, satellite view and send to car features of the car, but many don't care. Could it be hacked? Perhaps, but it would take a lot of work.

KickAss

Yeah, I'm not looking to integrate it into the car's electronics system at all. Just a standalone hotspot possibly powered at ignition just through the standard 12V port. MMI would be a completely disconnected system.

schalliol

This is a bit off topic here, but I understand why you put it here. Any of the 12V direct wire systems for radar detectors might work. Many of those have batteries, but a direct wire non-switched might be a better way to go as long as the Audi power management can kill it if needed. I have an iPhone w/o cellular plan in the trunk for tracking that gets charged when the car is on. It works okay, but not great because it can only connect when the car is on.

I'd agree the MiFi would be a better value if you just want a hotspot for passengers, and especially so if you have a 15 or older model.

Perhaps carry this forward in another thread.

1st Time Audi

From my experience, Audi Connect states service won't work until you get the upgrade, so you might not need to sign up until you get the hardware. Audi Connect and the dealer can connect for authorization.

snagitseven

Nevertheless, T-Mo states in their letter you must have an AC/T-Mo plan at the time of the modem update no matter who does the sign up. The point is only sign up for a month if you want to use a third party provider like US Mobile after the update.