AT&T began phasing out its 3G network here in the United States starting February 22, 2022. “But my phone uses 5G,” you say to your computer screen, “that doesn't affect me.”
Not quite.
Even if you do have one of the latest 5G phones, there are hundreds o…
Interesting, we are installing gps trackers that use 3g on 7k semi trailers this month since the 2g band is "full". So as cell phones move up other things come in to fill that space.
None of my cars are that nice.
We've nicely bracketed the 3g window with my wife's 2019 mazda6 and my 99 Miata and 95 F150. Which reminds me that both of my car's warranties have apparently expired...
In reply to thatsnowinnebago :
You know, we've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty....
On a serious note... this kind of thing is why the whole "internet of things" kind of infuriates me. Can you imagine the scenario where you bought your car, had to pay for a monthly subscription to be able to have heated seats or cruise control or adaptive headlights, and then something like this happens and now the car can't call home anymore to use those features? Stop the madness....
In reply to wae :
What I don't get is how automakers, who are usually 2 generations behind in tech compared to like home accessories, think anyone won't jailbreak their car to enable the features.
I don't know how any of it works with regards to cars, but I've seen enough virtual networks for calling home that never leave the local network to think that a Raspberry pi and a weekend would solve that "heated seats by subscription" problem.
Mndsm said:None of my cars are that nice.
I think you speak for most of us
Heck, my BMW has an analog phone.
Great I was looking at used Audis for the wife. She will not be happy if crap stops working.
More seriously, though - I think the Leaf community went through this once already with 2G. They had to pay $199 to upgrade the modem in 2018, and now they'll probably have to do it again. On top of this, I believe someone developed a better app than the official Nissan one - Tom probably knows more.
I've never been a fan of tying disposable consumer electronics to more durable machines like cars. My 2010 Dodge has iPod integration that involves a proprietary Dodge to Apple 30-pin connector cable, for example. They didn't start using a USB port until the next year. And my satellite radio won't work unless I pay for a subscription :)
All my cars are pre-2K.
I'm in the "got nuthin that nice," category.
Planned obsolescence. Buy your pre OBD cars now.
racerfink said:Planned obsolescence. Buy your pre OBD cars now.
Not on the automakers' part.
Keith Tanner said:My 2010 Dodge has iPod integration that involves a proprietary Dodge to Apple 30-pin connector cable, for example. They didn't start using a USB port until the next year. And my satellite radio won't work unless I pay for a subscription :)
It's right there in the name: Universal Serial Bus. Why car maker thought they could do better with a proprietary connector, I'll never know.
BAMF said:Keith Tanner said:My 2010 Dodge has iPod integration that involves a proprietary Dodge to Apple 30-pin connector cable, for example. They didn't start using a USB port until the next year. And my satellite radio won't work unless I pay for a subscription :)
It's right there in the name: Universal Serial Bus. Why car maker thought they could do better with a proprietary connector, I'll never know.
- Bryce
Because Apple thought they could do better with a proprietary thing - common Apple problem - in this case a connector. The car maker was just along for the ride.
I'm not affected by this and couldn't bring myself to pay for another cell phone plan just for my car anyway - the closest I've come to this would be adding a data logger telemetry system or installing an Android phone as an anti-theft devivce. I'm also not a fan of having things that will very quickly be obsolete permanently installed in bigger things that can be useful for much longer - this applies to car infotainment systems and smart TVs especially.
GameboyRMH said:BAMF said:Keith Tanner said:My 2010 Dodge has iPod integration that involves a proprietary Dodge to Apple 30-pin connector cable, for example. They didn't start using a USB port until the next year. And my satellite radio won't work unless I pay for a subscription :)
It's right there in the name: Universal Serial Bus. Why car maker thought they could do better with a proprietary connector, I'll never know.
- Bryce
Because Apple thought they could do better with a proprietary thing - common Apple problem - in this case a connector. The car maker was just along for the ride.
I'm not affected by this and couldn't bring myself to pay for another cell phone plan just for my car anyway - the closest I've come to this would be adding a data logger telemetry system or installing an Android phone as an anti-theft devivce. I'm also not a fan of having things that will very quickly be obsolete permanently installed in bigger things that can be useful for much longer - this applies to car infotainment systems and smart TVs especially.
The proprietary cable is 100% on the automaker, not Apple. Dodge chose to use a non-standard connector on the car, so you couldn't use one of the millions of standard USB-to-30 pin cables that existed and that actually came with every iPod sold.
There are many other "smart" things that use 3g , security cameras etc
and I think I read that a lot of ATMs were 3g
But everyone knew this was coming for years , so you wonder why everyone just kept kicking the can down the road !
And I have a box of 3g GPS trackers that I will never use ......
Keith Tanner said:Heck, my BMW has an analog phone.
Volvo had one with the original S80 from the 90's. The original plan, I was told, was that the car would be able to "phone home" and update while driving. Never happened. Had several angry customers when their phones were shut off, and they wanted Volvo to upgrade them. Good times.
car39 said:Keith Tanner said:Heck, my BMW has an analog phone.
Volvo had one with the original S80 from the 90's. The original plan, I was told, was that the car would be able to "phone home" and update while driving. Never happened. Had several angry customers when their phones were shut off, and they wanted Volvo to upgrade them. Good times.
My BMW reminds me every time that my BMW roadside assistance is turned off :)
Luckily, due to the networked nature of the car, I can install a Bluetooth interface that will take place of the phone. It even already has a hands free speaker. I've already replaced the (non-operational) CD changer with an iPod interface. So the interesting part of this story is not that things on a car are becoming obsolete (let's talk about leaded gas, for example), but if and how they can be upgraded to remain viable.
The stupid connector in my Dodge, maybe. It switched to USB the next year and if I can get a pinout I could wire it up myself. If my special cable and the spare ever gets damaged, I might do that.
Keith Tanner said:My BMW reminds me every time that my BMW roadside assistance is turned off :)
Luckily, due to the networked nature of the car, I can install a Bluetooth interface that will take place of the phone. It even already has a hands free speaker. I've already replaced the (non-operational) CD changer with an iPod interface. So the interesting part of this story is not that things on a car are becoming obsolete (let's talk about leaded gas, for example), but if and how they can be upgraded to remain viable.
The stupid connector in my Dodge, maybe. It switched to USB the next year and if I can get a pinout I could wire it up myself. If my special cable and the spare ever gets damaged, I might do that.
BMW definitely did us a favor by keeping certain interfaces the same for long enough. I did a bluetooth retrofit in my E38 and it works great.
In general, it kills me when manufacturers build in tech that's already a generator or 2 old just to save a couple bucks. Usually I want to see the latest standards used for things that aren't guaranteed long term backwards compatibility, as that should give a longer working life before the stuff is obsolete. Same goes for using hardware that it can be supported for longer with software updates if the demand is still there.
'15 e-golf used 3G for VW's horrendous "CarNet". The ONLY way you could configure charging (schedule, max charge, etc) was through the app. There was no interface in the car. There will be literally dozens of annoyed e-golf owners (they didn't really sell that many :)).
Pete. (l33t FS) said:racerfink said:Planned obsolescence. Buy your pre OBD cars now.
Not on the automakers' part.
So the automakers didn't have a choice about putting up to date tech in their cars, versus outdated tech that would be going away soon. The article states that some manufacturers were still putting 3G in their cars last year, knowing full well that it was going away as early as this month.
A friend of mine is a Bentley/Rolls mechanic. He's already gone through this about ten years ago, when customers started complaining that their new phones would no longer sync with the system in their car.
I see interesting times for the used car market in the coming years.
In reply to racerfink :
Automotive technology moves at a much slower pace than smartphone technology. It has to be hardened for a very electrically noisy environment and expected to last 10-15 years.
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