10-10-2020, 06:07 AM | #1 |
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G05 GSM modem
Does anyone know what kind of GSM modem the G05 is using in Europe? My dealer says the car has a "3G SIM", but he doesn't know about the modem itself. The Finnish GSM operators are shutting down their 3G networks in the next few years and if the car is unable to use 4G networks, the connection will drop to 2G which will be totally unusable.
It's hard to believe that BMW would be using 3G modems in the 2020's but I guess you can still find 3G modems and save a dollar per car... |
10-10-2020, 08:15 AM | #5 |
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"3G" has become synonymous with "cellular" or "mobile" for some people that learned about it during the 3G era. It's LTE :-).
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G05 X5 x40i (04/2019 mfg, Canada) on S18A-19-11-540
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10-10-2020, 09:12 AM | #6 |
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just a question. about the onboard wifi connection, how does it work ?
do we pay a subsciption fee ? i will be receiving my car in 2 weeks, but have no clue about it. |
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10-10-2020, 10:07 AM | #7 | |
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I would not take it because mobile is just cheaper. |
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10-10-2020, 10:13 AM | #8 |
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10-10-2020, 10:25 AM | #9 | |
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You can activate the trial in the connected drive app. In menu hub and then chose wifihotspot. It will direct you to the website to register and 1 month free is available. It is on the SIM of the car. However it is very expensive. Just having a larger data contract on your phone and making a hotspot for the iPad of your children is cheaper. For your own phone you don't need it at all. Now that you can use your data bundle across Europe you don't really need it anymore. |
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10-10-2020, 11:09 AM | #10 | |
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a secondary sim card (or atleast make BMW's sim removable) slot would have gotten rid of the hassle of waiting for a connection. |
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10-10-2020, 11:28 AM | #11 | ||
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And if I do I just connect them to my phone. If we go on holidays I let them put the movies on their iPads and don't stream. I think they wills survive offline. |
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10-10-2020, 12:36 PM | #12 |
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I think in rural areas you might benefit from a better antenna. The small antenna inside a mobile phone inside a Faraday's cage (a.k.a a car) doesn't really work so well in some areas..
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10-10-2020, 01:02 PM | #13 | |
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10-10-2020, 01:56 PM | #15 | |
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like spotify ? no hot spot needed ? |
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10-10-2020, 02:31 PM | #16 | ||
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I compared the rates and the hotspot service is much more expensive than just getting a larger (unlimited) data bundle with our Belgian providers. I am still looking for confirmation but I think a smart phone connected with the car uses the shark fin external antenna. I don't use Spotify, don't know if you use Spotify in idrive it uses the cars data? Edit: see picture below. It uses the cars data. |
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10-10-2020, 05:07 PM | #17 | |||
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10-10-2020, 07:13 PM | #18 |
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At least in my X5, when you put your phone in the designated spot, there's an amplifier that couples its signal to the roof antenna. In the USA, the user's manual tells you how to register that amp/coupler with your service provider. No idea how that works in other countries.
FWIW, the info in my manual, which I used to register it with my cellular provider, was different than what the car reported! It helps on things like emergency response if you called...the built-in capability is different, and relies on the vehicle's information, not your phone's. |
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10-11-2020, 12:28 AM | #19 | |
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10-11-2020, 12:59 AM | #20 | ||
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It is not clear if you need to put it in the charging tray to have it working like this. |
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11-01-2020, 10:59 AM | #21 | |
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My dealer says that a 3-year Internet access was included in the car price, but I have no idea how to activate it. |
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11-01-2020, 02:25 PM | #22 | ||
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