derfA8L

There is a thread on the A6 Forum where folks who already have AT&T service have been able to successfully make the switch by purchasing an AT&T SIM card, and after a few minutes the car recognizes it. My thinking is that since I already have AT&T on my iPhone, why sign up with T-mobile when the Audi Connect trial period ends. From what I can see, all you have to do is go into an AT&T store and give them your car's IMEI info and they set up a regular size SIM card to replace the T-mobile card. I think it's an additional $10/month versus T-mobile's $450 upfront charge for, what is it, 18-months?

In my neck of the woods, the T-mobile service has been fine, so it's not a matter of deficient coverage that concerns me, but rather the principle of being held hostage by T-mobile.

Has anyone here looked into this?

jakematic

I've read some about this, and previously the problem was you'd be stuck at 2G all the time.
Has that changed with the 2015 ?

Why we don't have LTE on the flagship yet is beyond me...

RED HORSE

HELP

What is the IMEA data and where do I find it? I already have two iPhones on AT&T and can live with 2G.

derfA8L

The IMEI number can be found in the communications section in MMI.

Dr.Aronis

Add that to the list of A8 issues. Why on earth would they design a car system such as Internet access with In Car Wifi and marry it to technology which was available during the earliest days of the D4 design meetings. That system should have been designed from the get go to be MODULAR. Audi missed the boat on selling "UPGRADED" internet accesss kits to buyers of Second Hand Audi's as the Tech Marches on.


Add also that having the build in monitors on the back of the seats being a Factory Only option was also a missed opportunity to SELL stuff to buyers later on. How hard could it have been to have that very nice setup available 'aftermarket?'

Mike

jakematic

I'm hoping we get the tablet like the Q7 on the D5.
Upgradeable and modular components have been something Audi has discussed for a while, but then they bring it to the A3 first... sigh...

Hope they get it together for D5 but I can't wait that long to upgrade.

superswiss

There are several network technologies that are lumped under 3G. Previously, the MMI only supported the slower UMTS network on T-Mobile and 2G on AT&T. All current models and that includes the A8 support HSPA/HSPA+ or LTE. See last page of the Audi Connect brochure (http://www.audiusa.com/content/dam/a...visedCover.pdf). Real world speeds of HSPA+ and LTE are not as far off as you might think. HSPA/HSPA+ is commonly referred to as 3.5G and HSPA+ was touted as 4G by the carriers before they started to roll out LTE.

I've got my MMI unit replaced a couple of months ago with a redesigned unit and I have compared its performance to the MMI in an A3 loaner I had a few times. LTE makes very little difference if you have excellent HSPA coverage in your area. If it drops back to UMTS, then it's a different story, but in my own experience things like Google Searches, Google Earth Maps etc. are not any noticeably faster with LTE vs. the latest 3G MMI hardware.

The side effect of the MMI hardware now supporting HSPA/HSPA+ is that it also supports AT&T's frequencies. There have been several confirmations from owners that they get full 3G on AT&T by simply sticking an AT&T SIM in there. I haven't tried yet as I'm still riding out my 30 month T-Mobile subscription.

If you have an AT&T shared data plan, you can tell AT&T that you want to add your "tablet" to your plan and have them give you a SIM. Then simply use it for your car. At $10/month it's a little cheaper than the $450 30 months T-Mobile subscription.

RED HORSE

Great info. Thanks. As soon as my complimentary subscription ends I'll be off to the AT&T store.

RED HORSE

Thanks

jakematic

I see in the brochure that A8 does not support 4G/LTE.
There is no HSPA on the 2012, and coverage is abysmal here except for T-Mobile LTE.

My phone download speeds on LTE, also T-Mo, are typically 20Mbps+ where HSPA is lucky to get 2.
The A8, in a good spot, on 3G with full bars might get 1.4Mbps - the rest of the time is dialup speeds.

How much was the MMI control head replacement for your A8 ?
Can't recall now, but am pretty sure the cellular radio is a separate component.
Likely they both need to be replaced but I'm not sure if SVM would handle that...

I'll never go back to AT&T but hopefully the guys with the 2015 A8 can make it work

The big tech refresh is likely coming with D5 and the current facelift is minor upgrades.
The only reason I can think of for Audi putting LTE in the A3 is it's more of a kids car and they are catering to the audience with FaceTube etc, and it was a major refresh.