Taycan Wifi - can only connect our phones, not our laptops

[tutis]

There's a clear before dieselgate and after dieselgate where Porsche started skimping on the scope of what was included and reducing as much as possible the cost of whatever they had to include. And they've made absolutely everything an option; ACC, paint with colour, etc.

The LTE module that feeds the in-car WIFI falls into the "included" category so Porsche bought the absolute cheapest and worst LTE module they could get their hands on; it is unreliable, crashes frequently (online radio, live traffic etc. unavailable at least twice a month) and very slow when it connects (takes 5-10 seconds to launch google search, or start an online radio/spotify etc.). They've also paired it with a god-awful Android based PCM which is to save a few $ compared to Blackberry-based (IIRC) realtime OS for the other PCM (911, Cayenne, etc.). Avoiding another $50 in licence fees.

VAG including Porsche is run by a bunch of bean counters looking to save €20 on their LTE module for a production of 100k cars per year. Not the experience I am looking for when dropping $150k on a car.

Sponsored

 

[B61]

+bean counters also found the worst (rear) camera on the market.

 

[tutis]

+bean counters also found the worst (rear) camera on the market.

Forgot about that... Yup that's another $5 saved compared to a higher end unit.

 

[tutis]

Forgot about that... Yup that's another $5 saved compared to a higher end unit.

IMHO – this guy needs to be fired... he's the one responsible for the crappy infotainment

The All-new Porsche Infotainment (LINK)

 

[tigerbalm]

I can say that my Macbook does connect okay to the Taycan Wifi. I don't actually want it to – but because my iPhone knows the network and sync's this to iCloud – my laptop also knows the network and credentials.

Its pointless as it doesn't route to internet without the data package you've purchased, but it does connect with no issues.

 

[W1NGE]

There's a clear before dieselgate and after dieselgate where Porsche started skimping on the scope of what was included and reducing as much as possible the cost of whatever they had to include. And they've made absolutely everything an option; ACC, paint with colour, etc.

The LTE module that feeds the in-car WIFI falls into the "included" category so Porsche bought the absolute cheapest and worst LTE module they could get their hands on; it is unreliable, crashes frequently (online radio, live traffic etc. unavailable at least twice a month) and very slow when it connects (takes 5-10 seconds to launch google search, or start an online radio/spotify etc.). They've also paired it with a god-awful Android based PCM which is to save a few $ compared to Blackberry-based (IIRC) realtime OS for the other PCM (911, Cayenne, etc.). Avoiding another $50 in licence fees.

VAG including Porsche is run by a bunch of bean counters looking to save €20 on their LTE module for a production of 100k cars per year. Not the experience I am looking for when dropping $150k on a car.

My PCM has been perfect since Nov'20 as has my LTE module.

Gremlins have been software (App) related.

 

[Icey4s]

Haven't tried a laptop, but both my kid's iPads connect just fine to it. They love it for streaming or playing online games while we travel. Haven't had any issues.

 

[W1NGE]

There's no reason a laptop wouldn't connect other than incorrect credentials being supplied to authenticate.

 

[whitex]

There's a clear before dieselgate and after dieselgate where Porsche started skimping on the scope of what was included and reducing as much as possible the cost of whatever they had to include. And they've made absolutely everything an option; ACC, paint with colour, etc.

The LTE module that feeds the in-car WIFI falls into the "included" category so Porsche bought the absolute cheapest and worst LTE module they could get their hands on; it is unreliable, crashes frequently (online radio, live traffic etc. unavailable at least twice a month) and very slow when it connects (takes 5-10 seconds to launch google search, or start an online radio/spotify etc.). They've also paired it with a god-awful Android based PCM which is to save a few $ compared to Blackberry-based (IIRC) realtime OS for the other PCM (911, Cayenne, etc.). Avoiding another $50 in licence fees.

VAG including Porsche is run by a bunch of bean counters looking to save €20 on their LTE module for a production of 100k cars per year. Not the experience I am looking for when dropping $150k on a car.

Which manufacturer is not ran by bean-counters? I work with different automotive manufactures, €20 hardware cost per car is HUGE. I remember fighting for a $1.20 for a six digit priced car, IIRC it got escalated all the way to senior VP level, then declined. The math was multiplying the $1.20 times the number of cars expected to be made over the next 10 years, which translated to a lot of money, part of which we could spend writing software to deal with cheaper hardware. My point was that it's not just money, but primarily time cost and the fact that there was already a shortage of engineers on the project with still open positions for which we couldn't find engineers, but that argument didn't fly.

As a side note, $20 in cost would be about $80-$100 to customer, after adding all the costs and markup. You would think it's nothing for a $100K+ car, but it turns out customers do care even about an extra $100, especially if it's for something they cannot see. I remember working with another manufacturer who offered a more powerful internet gateway to customers of $100K+ cars. The upgrade was $1,000 MSRP IIRC. It really did offer way better firewall. higher performance, and more advanced security for the internet connected car, I don't remember if they sold more than a handful, so they discontinued it. My guess is if Porsche added a $100 option for an "improved LTE modem", almost no customer would check that box. After all, the standard model is supposed to work, right? I bet online reviews would point out the same thing - "oh look, no upgraded modem, works just fine".

 

[Poshfpg]

Think I said this elsewhere but the 2 big issues we have had with the data is
1. When you hit 7gb which we did in one day driving to France every connected part of the car is gone until the next monthly renewal as there is no top up available. Porsche Smart Mobility UK are currently talking to AG about this problem.
2. The wifi geolocates in Germany so when you’re in the Uk if you want to watch BBC iPlayer or BT Sport on a phone or iPad it tells you you can’t watch this in your region. Smart mobility are on this one with AG too.

The top up option needs to be fixed fast as that’s a ridiculous omission.

 

[whitex]

Think I said this elsewhere but the 2 big issues we have had with the data is
1. When you hit 7gb which we did in one day driving to France every connected part of the car is gone until the next monthly renewal as there is no top up available. Porsche Smart Mobility UK are currently talking to AG about this problem.
2. The wifi geolocates in Germany so when you’re in the Uk if you want to watch BBC iPlayer or BT Sport on a phone or iPad it tells you you can’t watch this in your region. Smart mobility are on this one with AG too.

The top up option needs to be fixed fast as that’s a ridiculous omission.

It sounds like nobody actually considered all the usecases for the service. Welcome to 21st century engineering - break things fast. The one problem is this strategy is supposed to be paired with continuous integration, i.e. frequent OTA updates.

 

[W1NGE]

Think I said this elsewhere but the 2 big issues we have had with the data is
1. When you hit 7gb which we did in one day driving to France every connected part of the car is gone until the next monthly renewal as there is no top up available. Porsche Smart Mobility UK are currently talking to AG about this problem.
2. The wifi geolocates in Germany so when you’re in the Uk if you want to watch BBC iPlayer or BT Sport on a phone or iPad it tells you you can’t watch this in your region. Smart mobility are on this one with AG too.

The top up option needs to be fixed fast as that’s a ridiculous omission.

Why not use the unlimited data on your phone rather than pay for a separate service?

Appreciate roaming may.not be as free as it was prior to Brexit.

 

[Poshfpg]

Why not use the unlimited data on your phone rather than pay for a separate service?

Appreciate roaming may.not be as free as it was prior to Brexit.

Simply because you need it for the rear seat entertainment, which I have, to work. I have unlimited European data on my phone which is increasing my frustration significantly.

There is some kind of Catch-22 here based on my pre Xmas experience. In order to cast a World Cup game to the PRSE I need to be on the same network but once I join it thinks I’m in Germany so iPlayer says region restricted. If I try to use my phone as a hotspot it seems to only be able to cast to one of the screens but then I can’t use Carplay as that uses wifi.

Porsche haven’t given this any thought it seems. If you are going to provide PRSE that is streaming only then you need to provide thé data to drive it and a set of systems that can handle it all.

 

[W1NGE]

Simply because you need it for the rear seat entertainment, which I have, to work. I have unlimited European data on my phone which is increasing my frustration significantly.

There is some kind of Catch-22 here based on my pre Xmas experience. In order to cast a World Cup game to the PRSE I need to be on the same network but once I join it thinks I’m in Germany so iPlayer says region restricted. If I try to use my phone as a hotspot it seems to only be able to cast to one of the screens but then I can’t use Carplay as that uses wifi.

Porsche haven’t given this any thought it seems. If you are going to provide PRSE that is streaming only then you need to provide thé data to drive it and a set of systems that can handle it all.

Ah ok, that is a pain then. I suspect they are getting back handers for the deliberate requirement to have the data service - clever if so.

I'm guessing you can't run a VPN then either?

 

[Poshfpg]

Ah ok, that is a pain then. I suspect they are getting back handers for the deliberate requirement to have the data service - clever if so.

I'm guessing you can't run a VPN then either?

We’ll see. Only had the car a week before the data ran out so need it back, happens Sunday, and then can resume testing and workarounds.

One definitive learning is not to do Teams video calls using the WLAN!

Sponsored