ATT in truck

[Blue1005]

FordPass is AT&T dependent and if you remove that AT&T connection, you will lose FordPass functionality. There is nothing to debate on that front as Ford isn't paying another carrier for a connection.

If you are paying for the Wi-Fi hotspot in your truck, we are all suggesting you stop because it is a waste a money because it is more economical and flexible to just get a hotspot from the carrier of your choice or use the one already built into your phone. That's isn't a rejection of right to repair; that is a rejection of using pointless features.

Disagree. It's not a useless feature. It's actually quite useful if it was a decent phone carrier like Verizon where you can get service everywhere because when the family goes somewhere it's nice for them all to have Wi-Fi provided through the truck it's just AT&T is absolutely the worst carrier available

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[Syntax Error]

I think Henry Ford said once "you can have any carrier that you want, as long as it's AT&T".

 

[Blue1005]

I think Henry Ford said once "you can have any carrier that you want, as long as it's AT&T".

seems like it, and to lose fordpass just cause i dont want to pay 20 a month for less them 1mb speed is BS

 

[commadorebob]

Disagree. It's not a useless feature. It's actually quite useful if it was a decent phone carrier like Verizon where you can get service everywhere because when the family goes somewhere it's nice for them all to have Wi-Fi provided through the truck it's just AT&T is absolutely the worst carrier available

Your position on AT&T is irrelevant as I know plenty of people who could say the exact same thing about [insert carrier]. AT&T sucks at my parents house but at my in-laws, Verizon is useless. They all suck depending on use case.

Our position is there is no reason to use the built-in hotspot at all. Every smartphone is a hotspot. My AT&T plan gives me 40GB per month of hotspot data per mobile device. FordPass hotspot is limited to 22GB per month total. So even from AT&T, using the FordPass hotspot is not worth it.

seems like it, and to lose fordpass just cause i dont want to pay 20 a month for less them 1mb speed is BS

FordPass is free.

 

[Blue1005]

Your position on AT&T is irrelevant as I know plenty of people who could say the exact same thing about [insert carrier]. AT&T sucks at my parents house but at my in-laws, Verizon is useless. They all suck depending on use case.

Our position is there is no reason to use the built-in hotspot at all. Every smartphone is a hotspot. My AT&T plan gives me 40GB per month of hotspot data per mobile device. FordPass hotspot is limited to 22GB per month total. So even from AT&T, using the FordPass hotspot is not worth it.



FordPass is free.

not free if you have to pay for a data plan for it.... And yes where I LIVE ATT IS SHYTE for hours in each direction. It woud be better engineered to work with a sim card swap in the glove box or something that lets you choose carrier, and not everyone has a ton of hotspot attached to their phone.

 

[OleFordGuy]

Ford, GM, Dodge all use AT&T, far as I know none of them are designed to use a different carrier, like what’s already been mentioned, use your phone or your preferred carriers hotspot adapter, simple as that. No need to make a mountain out of a mole hill

 

[cneth]

FordPass is AT&T dependent and if you remove that AT&T connection, you will lose FordPass functionality. There is nothing to debate on that front as Ford isn't paying another carrier for a connection.

It's not just paying - I am sure the entire thing has been built with dependencies/assumptions based on AT&T's network such that it just plain wouldn't work on another carrier without technical work.

I.e. I'd guess that the 'servers' that Ford runs for Fordpass (I'm generalizing here) aren't even accessible on any other carriers network - key parts of the service are likely embedded in the 'edge' of the AT&T network.

This is pretty typical for large IOT fleets - they make a deal with a carrier and built part of the service into that carrier's network. Your traffic gets picked off close to the cell tower and routed back to your 'home base' servers directly without going 'the long way' through the carriers network or the public internet.

So even if you did/could put a different carrier's SIM in the Fordpass modem, it likely wouldn't do you any good, because the thing it wants to talk to isn't reachable from another carrier's network.

 

[crgator]

not free if you have to pay for a data plan for it.... And yes where I LIVE ATT IS SHYTE for hours in each direction. It woud be better engineered to work with a sim card swap in the glove box or something that lets you choose carrier, and not everyone has a ton of hotspot attached to their phone.

My phone has unlimited data, so FordPass is free. Same as any other app I use.

 

[Rolmav]

https://www.ford.com/support/how-tos/search/How much does the FordPass App cost/

https://www.ford.com/support/category/fordpass/fordpass-connect-wifi-hotspot/

 

[commadorebob]

It's not just paying - I am sure the entire thing has been built with dependencies/assumptions based on AT&T's network such that it just plain wouldn't work on another carrier without technical work.

I.e. I'd guess that the 'servers' that Ford runs for Fordpass (I'm generalizing here) aren't even accessible on any other carriers network - key parts of the service are likely embedded in the 'edge' of the AT&T network.

This is pretty typical for large IOT fleets - they make a deal with a carrier and built part of the service into that carrier's network. Your traffic gets picked off close to the cell tower and routed back to your 'home base' servers directly without going 'the long way' through the carriers network or the public internet.

So even if you did/could put a different carrier's SIM in the Fordpass modem, it likely wouldn't do you any good, because the thing it wants to talk to isn't reachable from another carrier's network.

Fair point. AT&T could be the cloud provider for FordPass. If so, then that carrier lock would be part of the contract.

 

[ejouie]

Maybe we need a thread about repurposing the rooftop antennae into a cell signal booster?

Anyone done that yet?

 

[Hrntfixr]

I think that was for WIFI, which Ford removed for 2023.

This is true, my 2023 does not have that.

 

[jsus]

not free if you have to pay for a data plan for it.... And yes where I LIVE ATT IS SHYTE for hours in each direction. It woud be better engineered to work with a sim card swap in the glove box or something that lets you choose carrier, and not everyone has a ton of hotspot attached to their phone.

Hopefully, you don't have to wait long before receiving that Verizon Mi-Fi you ordered for your vehicle.

... you didn't order one? You're just here to complain? Oh, cool.

A Mi-Fi is relatively inexpensive. If you really needed a portable hotspot, you'd order one and move on from this thread...

 

[OleFordGuy]

This is true, my 2023 does not have that.

Pretty sure any maverick built after Aug 22, 2022 Ford deleted the wi-fi hotspot feature functionality and like a $20 credit was given, not available at all on my23 builds

 

[Blue1005]

Maybe we need a thread about repurposing the rooftop antennae into a cell signal booster?

Anyone done that yet?

that would be a nice use of it, or somehow make it for XM

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