Initial experiences from a new Mach-E owner

[RyZt]

Definitely not the case. Both of my AP's were bought within the last few months.

Yeah. I didn't bother to type that up when I saw your original post because I figured it's possible but unlikely. But I felt obligatory when I saw the other post claiming the reverse.

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[Shayne]

Definitely not the case. Both of my AP's were bought within the last few months.

Tried both 5 and 2.4 ghz?

 

[CP-Mach-E]

Tried both 5 and 2.4 ghz?

Yes.

 

[Accord07]

In terms of Wi-Fi and Android Auto functionality, this is very disappointing and simply unacceptable. I hope it will be resolved soon!

To those speculating on WiFi specifications, i.e., bands, WiFi versions, WPA versions, etc, there is no acceptable excuse for it not to able to connect to OP's home access point. Android Auto utilizes the 5GHz WiFi band (BT, operating on the 2.4GHz band, is used for handshaking only, it does not provide sufficient throughput for the payload; 5GHz is chosen because the 2.4GHz is far more congested and in a small confined space the usual benefits of a longer wavelength matter little), and since the vehicle has to accommodate older/cheap devices on the 2.4GHz band that may utilize the onboard Wi-Fi hotspot, it is a given the vehicle's WiFi module supports both bands. So regardless of which band OP's access points are operating on, it should be able to connect. My access points are 802.11ax (WiFi 6) and 802.11ac (retroactively branded WiFi 5 by the WiFi Alliance), my devices range from ancient 802.11g (retroactively branded WiFi 3) to 802.11ax and they just work. My minivan is almost four years old now, while there are bugs with the infotainment system that still haven't been fixed, I never had any trouble with WiFi connectivity (its Murata WiFI module supports both bands) or wired Android Auto function, even on day one. These are not the type of issues new vehicles have to contend with, because they were sorted out years ago.

 

[SteveUk]

I think you need andriod 11 or above to utilise andriod auto.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

I think you need andriod 11 or above to utilise andriod auto.

perhaps for wireless but wired has been around forever... over six years
Android Auto - Wikipedia

 

[RyZt]

I think you need andriod 11 or above to utilise andriod auto.

OP uses Google Pixel 3. Most people with Google phones keep them up-to-date. Assuming OP does, the phone clearly meets the requirement in North America. It even meets the requirement in EU.

I don't think it's productive for us to make more guesses. Let's wait for OP to post back about what the Ford engineer finds out.

Quote Google Help page for wireless Android Auto requirement:

A compatible Android smartphone with an active data plan and the latest version of the Android Auto app:

• Any smartphone with Android 11.0 and 5GHz Wi-Fi.
  • In the EU, to use 5GHz Wi-Fi in the car, your smartphone must comply with additional regulatory requirements. On Google smartphones, Pixel 3 and newer models comply with this requirement.
• A Google or Samsung smartphone with Android 10.0.
• A Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, or Note 8, with Android 9.0.

 

[kdryden99]

Ok so from personal experience especially with laptops, often times there will be a handshake issue between a device and a router. All the devices currently connected will work but adding a new device wont. I would try resetting the router and see if it connects. Happens very often with Windows 10 and Apple laptops. You will get the unable to connect error when in reality its because the router is having a hard time assigning an ip address. Another way to do it is manually adding a static ip address with the cars mac address to the ip table of the router. These 2 should resolve your issue.

Edit* if your access points are acting as DHCP servers you should restart those as well just in case

 

[cab]

Wifi connect issues can sometimes be tied to the name of the network itself (i.e. too long or if it has non alphanumeric characters like punctuation, dashes, etc.). A simpler, shorter name sometimes does the trick. It's goofy and you usually see it with older devices, but...

 

[NotSoJon]

This thread went tech forum quick. I don't think it's worth speculating at this point. Dealer f'ed up. OP has the right people on the job. The car will not come back to OP in the same shape it left. OP will report back to us on what the issue was so we can all make sure to add that to the pickup checklist when our cars show up. I, for one, am very thankful for the original post as OP could have easily stewed over this and left us all out. I hope everyone feels the same sense of responsibility to post on both the good and the bad.

 

[ARK]

In terms of Wi-Fi and Android Auto functionality, this is very disappointing and simply unacceptable. I hope it will be resolved soon!

To those speculating on WiFi specifications, i.e., bands, WiFi versions, WPA versions, etc, there is no acceptable excuse for it not to able to connect to OP's home access point. Android Auto utilizes the 5GHz WiFi band (BT, operating on the 2.4GHz band, is used for handshaking only, it does not provide sufficient throughput for the payload; 5GHz is chosen because the 2.4GHz is far more congested and in a small confined space the usual benefits of a longer wavelength matter little), and since the vehicle has to accommodate older/cheap devices on the 2.4GHz band that may utilize the onboard Wi-Fi hotspot, it is a given the vehicle's WiFi module supports both bands. So regardless of which band OP's access points are operating on, it should be able to connect. My access points are 802.11ax (WiFi 6) and 802.11ac (retroactively branded WiFi 5 by the WiFi Alliance), my devices range from ancient 802.11g (retroactively branded WiFi 3) to 802.11ax and they just work. My minivan is almost four years old now, while there are bugs with the infotainment system that still haven't been fixed, I never had any trouble with WiFi connectivity (its Murata WiFI module supports both bands) or wired Android Auto function, even on day one. These are not the type of issues new vehicles have to contend with, because they were sorted out years ago.

Out of off topic curiosity, as we wait for OP to return, what 802.11g device do you still have in use?

 

[Shayne]

Yes.

You have wi-fi on your phone in the vehicle (how strong?). Tried different car positions? Is there a network search screen on the MME and does your network show up (any network)? Park it at home depot or a free wi-fi location to try a different network (to rule out yours). If no go can't stress bugs and it will be fixed. If you can not connect on multiple networks it may not be your house set up and not much in a work around. Will be good to know the fix get it from the techs if you can.

 

[CP-Mach-E]

You have wi-fi on your phone in the vehicle (how strong?). Tried different car positions? Is there a network search screen on the MME and does your network show up (any network)? Park it at home depot or a free wi-fi location to try a different network (to rule out yours). If no go can't stress bugs and it will be fixed. If you can not connect on multiple networks it may not be your house set up and not much in a work around. Will be good to know the fix get it from the techs if you can.

I can't try anything right now because Ford has my Mach-E to investigate the issues.

It is not a signal strength issue. I installed a Wi-Fi AP in my garage a while back, which was directly above my Mach-E while trying to connect.

I was able to connect the Mach-E to my phone when I turned on my phone's Wi-Fi hotspot, so there is no doubt that car is capable of connecting to Wi-Fi, and there is something unique about my home setup that the car does not like, but we have countless Wi-Fi devices in our house that are connected and functioning fine. We've never run into a compatibility issue before, so there no good reason that the car should not be able to connect.

I won't bother going through all of the troubleshooting steps that I performed, but suffice it to say there is little that has been suggested here that I didn't already try.

The issue is almost definitely a bug in the car's software, however I will say that my network setup is definitely more elaborate than your typical homeowner's, so there is a good chance that most people trying to connect to a basic Wi-Fi router will not run into it.

I suspect that the issue is actually with the DHCP server, and not with the Wi-Fi itself. I'm running a DHCP server on my Synology NAS. I've been using this setup for years, and it has always worked reliably. I suspect the DHCP server because I tried connecting the car to both of the Wi-Fi access points in the house, and they both failed. The only thing in common between the two is the DHCP server.

 

[generaltso]

ok that said I don't think I've seen this suggestion in the thread: turn on your access point on your phone (Internet sharing - whatever your phone calls it) and try to connect to that.

He's said several times that he's already done that and it connects to the phone's WiFi fine. He even confirmed it again in his post right before yours.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

He's said several times that he's already done that and it connects to the phone's WiFi fine. He even confirmed it again in his post right before yours.

I read his post before mine and saw nothing whatsoever about his phone. I just reread it even and didn't see it without searching for the word "phone" but then I did... bad morning I guess.

That said, that would mean that it's likely not the car at that point per se. But again it's really on the dealer to figure it out with Ford.

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