WiFi Plan

[b1nuzz]

Hi all.
Had the car for about 6 months now, but only just got around to investigating the Wifi in the car.
It asks me to register with the service provider and then buy a data package.
Is this usual? There’s no way to use your phone data plan with in the care WiFi?
Has anyone purchased a data plan, and if so, is it worth it?
Thanks!

 

[DaveW]

To use your phone data, you need a phone with a RSAP bluetooth profile, this allows the car to use the SIM card directly for data and calls. The phone apps can still use data by connecting back to the car via the wi-fi connection.

It's mainly Android handsets that support this, especially Samsung devices.

 

[elan2s]

It would seem, for reason that Audi only considers WiFi in the approach of the car being the hot spot and passengers connecting to and not the car connecting to an existing wifi hotspot from a phone. My wife's Golf works in the latter way for all aspects of connectivity so it is not as if it is a VAG policy. If you want to continue using the eSIM built into the car for other aspects of connectivity then your only option to make the car a hotspot is to buy additional data from Audi via MyAudi. Far better to simply use your phone as a hotspot for those requiring access to data

 

[Candell]

My 2016 B9 A4 allowed me to use wifi for data i.e. either parked outside the house connected to my home wifi or using my phone as a hotspot. It seems that they removed this from newer versions. The connection to my phone was much better than the integrated sim in my A6, I often reach places where the satellite maps don't load properly.

FYI, I use routines on my phone (Samsung S8)

IF I connect to the car bluetooth, turn on hotspot on my phone

and also

when bluetooth disconnects from the car, turn off hotspot on my phone.

My passengers (wife and daughter) can seamlessly use my phone for data on journeys.

If my wife is looking at her phone, it keeps her from looking at the speedo haha.

 

[cuke2u]

I can't use wifi with my late 2016 A4 either. In the early days of the A4 options were added they then quickly took away, some cars even had SOS and you could specify a heated windscreen, that never happened...

 

[Scottk]

I think there is an option to fit an extra sim into the car. The provider they are using is pretty expensive for what they offer but apparently the updates don’t use the data you purchase but, if you use another sim, all the data usage goes through it. It’s poor when most people either have plenty data or an upgrade cheaply on their own phones.

 

[Longstride83]

The sim slot is under the front arm rest