WiFi in car

[shane_c]

I've recently started listening to Songza and would love to be able to listen to it in the car but it goes through too much data. Is there something I can do to get WiFi in my car? Or has a way been created yet to download/save a set amount of WiFi data from my home network and take it with me on the road?

[Aleks]

Not really. Have to use your mobile data, or if you're OK with spotty service and you're a shaw customer you can use shaw open in the city. This is what's frustrating in Canada, my jeep has a 4g modem, and built in WiFi, but the service is only available in the US...but it does exactly what you're asking for, broadcasts a hotspot in the vehicle to use while travelling

[Flames89]

Get more data

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by Flames89

Get more data

The Koodo rep told me that I can't change my plan without paying off my tab. It doesn't make much sense to me since I'm wanting to get a plan that would see me giving them more money. Someday I'll call them back and see about switching again but would prefer if I could keep my same plan and just stream on WiFi.

Update: talked to another rep and I can bump up my data without paying off my tab. I just can't get the special rates for new customers.

[MotoRacer]

Spotify and others have cache songs ability

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by Aleks

Not really. Have to use your mobile data, or if you're OK with spotty service and you're a shaw customer you can use shaw open in the city. This is what's frustrating in Canada, my jeep has a 4g modem, and built in WiFi, but the service is only available in the US...but it does exactly what you're asking for, broadcasts a hotspot in the vehicle to use while travelling

You would still need to pay a mobile carrier a monthly fee for data for your car. It makes more sense to have all the data available on your phone and then pair it to your car.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Unless I just don't understand this "car WiFi", I really don't see the point of it. As Ktrain mentioned, you still need a mobile data plan.

What's the appeal?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Unless I just don't understand this "car WiFi", I really don't see the point of it. As Ktrain mentioned, you still need a mobile data plan.

What's the appeal?

I think car wifi is a misnomer. If i understand it correctly, it is no different than creating a wifi hot spot in your car with yourphone mobile data plan.

You'd probably just want some unlimited data plan like those Mobilicity or Wind so your family can all stream different stuff on Netflix while you're stuck on Deerfoot or Crowchild for an hour.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I think car wifi is a misnomer.

Lol, that's gonna confuse the hell out of a lot of people.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by shane_c

I've recently started listening to Songza and would love to be able to listen to it in the car but it goes through too much data. Is there something I can do to get WiFi in my car?

Park in range of a WiFi hotspot.

You're welcome.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Unless I just don't understand this "car WiFi", I really don't see the point of it. As Ktrain mentioned, you still need a mobile data plan.

What's the appeal?

The OP is just not understanding the concept. There's no such thing as car WiFi or "saving WiFi".

WiFi is just a wireless protocol just like 3G, LTE, etc. are also wireless protocols.

It's just cheaper in your house because you are connected to a land line and you aren't moving out of range of your WiFi access point.

In your car, you are moving around and therefore you can only get internet from cellphone towers or in some lucky advanced cities, there are enough access points to cover everything.

Downloading from your home network to use in your mobile device is called caching. The app has to support caching otherwise why don't you just save the songs?

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

Park in range of a WiFi hotspot.

You're welcome.

That's what I do when i get to work early. There are a few parking spots where I'm able to pick up the signal from the building.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

WiFi is just a wireless protocol just like 3G, LTE, etc. are also wireless protocols.

Oh I understand WiFi, but I could have sworn I saw an ad for a new car that had WiFi and I couldn't figure out what the hell they were getting at or what the point was.

Seems like they are misleading the public on that one and are going to get tons of confused customers that don't understand why their laptops or tablets aren't working.

"But but....my car has the WiFi's!!"

[nfotiu]

The cars that do have built in wifi hotspots, you still have to buy the data. The cars have a cellular chip that allows you to broadcast to the car using wifi. It isn't really any cheaper or different than having a Verizon mifi in your car. Nor is likely to be any cheaper to pay for your car data plan than it is to pay for your phone data plan.

Spotify has a pretty easy to use caching feature that downloads all the playlists that you tell it to. That would probably be your best bet.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

The cars that do have built in wifi hotspots, you still have to buy the data. The cars have a cellular chip that allows you to broadcast to the car using wifi. It isn't really any cheaper or different than having a Verizon mifi in your car. Nor is likely to be any cheaper to pay for your car data plan than it is to pay for your phone data plan.

Spotify has a pretty easy to use caching feature that downloads all the playlists that you tell it to. That would probably be your best bet.

Yeah, it's silly. It's no different than turning on the mobile hotspot feature of your phone while you are in the car. Hey look, WiFi is now in my car! You are still using the data on your phone!

[Hack&Lube]

I tried out Sirius XM for the $50 year promo they had. I actually think it does the job and I have physical buttons I can push on my dash intead of fumbling with my phone and pairing bluetooth, etc. etc.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Yeah, it's silly. It's no different than turning on the mobile hotspot feature of your phone while you are in the car. Hey look, WiFi is now in my car! You are still using the data on your phone!

Well not sure if silly is the right word; it is marketing for those who don't know how to chance their ringtone, nevermind setting up a wifi hotspot on their phone for others in the car to use. It's also a revenue source, that's bundled with OnStar (in GM's case).

Though, I think they do have different carriers, and can handoff, so when out of the range of one network (Rogers, if in Alberta), can pick up Bell/Telus etc.

Speaking in GM terms, where most of the lineup has wifi, it's just now having that hotspot capability, as the data/connected function has been part of Onstar for 10+ years. I've had a handful of GM cars with Onstar, all of them had their own phone number, and had to buy minutes to use them. Now of course, the data connection is added on top of that, for a monthly fee....again, for those who don't want/unable to fool around with phone connectivity, or, draining their phone battery etc etc.

Having that network capability allows things such as remote functionality (through an app and otherwise) to be connected to the car to do basic functions (start, unlock doors etc) and diagnose issues remotely.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Spotify has a pretty easy to use caching feature that downloads all the playlists that you tell it to. That would probably be your best bet.

Signed up for Spotify Premium. Seems pretty good. They had a promo on where it works out to only about $10 more/year for Spotify then it would to bump up my data to 500mb which likely still wouldn't be enough.

[MotoRacer]

Been playing slacker cache and now spotify cache

Spotify has better kb/s quality

Still need to be caching usa VPN to get full play lists

F U CRTC

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by MotoRacer

F U CRTC

Not the CRTC's fault (same with Netflix, etc.). We get the watered down versions of media services (or nothing at all) because of licensing issues, not regulatory issues. We're still getting the shaft, it is just a different shaft.

I'm one of the fortunate people to have a 6 gig data plan, and I basically stream everything. TuneIn Radio, Songza, even my podcasts I just stream instead of downloading. I haven't tried Spotify but I think that Rogers/Fido have a promo on right now where a year is either free or cheap, so I really should give it a whirl.