Audi connect and other data services

OK, so what data comes from where changes from model year to model year, so remember this stuff is for a 2014 Audi.

It took a while to put this all in one place.

First, the data services:

1. Sirius radio, bunch of radio channels
2. Sirius data for overlay of traffic data on maps (google maps or the in-built NAV maps?)
3. cellular data, for audi connect app, also can be Wi-Fi hotspot

Now the features:

1. sirius radio, satellite radio - needs sirius radio subscription
2. nav maps built in - but will need updating through Audi
3. Online destinations - uses Google search to find places, as opposed to built in maps database
4. traffic overlay on map - from Sirius data subscription, different from Sirius radio
5. google Earth maps - needs broadband data via sim with a data plan - otherwise free - again this is a graphic overlay on the internal map database, but you get satellite view
6. Wi-Fi hotspot - for Internet connection, you need a sim with a data plan
7. Audi connect - you can connect to the car (MMI Connect) without a broadband connection,
8. Send destination to car - you can set up google to send destinations to the car, you need the "phone number" of the car's sim, and you will need your pin when receiving

Other services:

There is a smartphone app, calleed MMI Connect. It wants to work from the car wifi apparently.

my Audi: www.audiusa/myaudi 

You can set up a few things wiht a My Audi account, but you need an audi connect account to get everything, but you can get 90% of everything with a 3rd party sim instead of the AT&T account they try to sell you, which is about $30 a month.

I haven't done this myself and I'm not familiar with the changes in the latest MMI, but to the best of my knowledge this is how you are supposed to deal with multiple users. First off both your wife and you need separate myAudi accounts and each one needs to create a PIN. Then each of you pairs their phone with the MMI. Then with your phone connected to the MMI, you login to Audi Connect with your PIN. Then with your wife's phone connected you login to Audi Connect with her PIN. That should setup multiple users and the user profiles switch based on whose phone is connected via Bluetooth.

Data Connection

OK, bought a Truphone prepaid sim. Came in just a few days, great telephone support. Called and activated the sim, plugged it in, and configured it in the car, ASN: truphone.com (all lower case), left the username and password blank.

So google maps came up. Also using "Online Destination" worked.

I need to list up what can be done

Connection to external devices

There is a connector in the arm rest, and you can buy many cables for it, I need to research the part numbers and what they connect to

Is it working?

ok, look at the mmi display: List of the displays from the BOTTOM RIGHT hand corner, and work LEFT.

• bar graph of signal strength for your 2G/3G radio. Up to 5 bars max signal
• above the bar graph you want to see 2 horizontal half arrows pointing left and right - these mean the data connection is working
• Left of that you will see 2G or 3G.. (hopefully3G)
• left of that is the word Google, if it is grayed, you are not "connected" to google maps, if it is bright white, that indicates that Google Earth maps is initialized and successfully receiving the satellite images. As the connection starts and progresses, the letters go from gray to white left to right.
• left of that is another signal strength meter, I believe that is gps signal... 5 bars again
• left of that is the bluetooth "B", and if there are little curvy lines coming from the right side, they serve as a signal meter

Firmware

My car came with firmware s/w version HN+R_US_AU_P0715   (3G plus)

Map data

For Google maps, the system caches the data in about a 20 mile radius from your location. As you move to a new area, you will see your data usage go up. So on a long trip you will data useage spike, but if you have a good data plan it's still not a lot.