P. Prime Advanced has Cellular Connection, Right?

correct. after the freebie runs out, there's a monthly fee.

 

After 3 years, there is a $139 a year fee for Safety Connect which will allow you to use the Prime apps on your phone anywhere you have a wifi or data connection.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

That is correct!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

The Prius Prime Advanced has extra functions on the Entune App that will allow you to control your battery charge status, climate control with front and rear defrost controls, locate the Prime's location (nice if it was to ever get stolen or teenage driving tracking), look where charging stations are located, and Economy comparison app for comparison to other Advanced drivers mpg and driving scores. I use it alot!!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

The "cellular" data connection is the connection between the car and your cellphone. Not the type of "cellular" data connection that Tesla uses. The SOS function on advanced apparently uses satellite connection.

 

I don't know which specific communication method is used for the Prime Advanced. But I do know the app works with the car beyond the Bluetooth range.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Once I turned off my cellphone mobile data then the car didn't know how to search the internet. Then I turned on the mobile data but turned off the cellphone bluetooth. Still the car is in oblivion. You need both cellphone data plan and bluetooth to make it work. The handbook interpretation is: if your cellphone has signal then the car can use the cellphone to search the internet via the bluetooth connection between them.

I then called in the SOS center, can't remember the name. The receptionist told me the SOS function is regardless of cellphone signal so it has to be satellite based.

 

Actually it is cellular and is provided by Verizon. When I was having issues with the Prime apps the support person I was speaking with said he was talking to Verizon to check if my car had a reasonable signal where I was. My phone service is AT&T so he wasn't check my phone.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

The car does have a cellular data connection for emergency situations and stuff that requires only minuscule amounts of data. It will use your cell phone for data intensive stuff like internet browsing/searching, music streaming. It will use its own connection to send remote A/C control operation, vehicle location, etc.

 

this makes sense^^^

 

Speaking for the original PiP Advanced, but I am sure that the Prime Advanced works the same way: The cell phone built into the car is only for the SOS voice and automatic emergency reporting in case of an accident and low-data-rate telematics (for example, the Advanced apps such as charge management and climate control and car location). Part of the "Safety Connect" fee is used to pay for the cellular service. Not sure what is going to happen when Verizon shuts off their legacy CDMA network in a couple of years, as that is what these systems use. OTOH, the Entune "media" apps, such as Pandora, use the data link on your smart phone to talk to the Internet. Not sure where the real-time traffic info that is overlaid on the map comes from. On at least the early PiP models, such as mine, this data came over satellite radio, but I think that they changed that.

Tesla does it differently; it has a built-in LTE phone that is used for all the Internet connectivity, and is not dependent on a separate smart phone. Tesla also uses this connectivity to push all manner of software updates to the car, including for the car control software.

 

Hello,

Is there a SIM card inserted into the car which connects to Verizon cellular network ? If yes, where is this SIM card located ?
Can we insert a SIM card from another operator ( not US based ) ?