DELETED MEMBER mikeippo
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Hi All!
Can anyone in the Forum help explain the wireless networks in the Mach-E? I may be an engineer, but I’m not a Software/EE or Wireless Comms engineer, and it makes no sense to me. If this has been covered somewhere, I haven’t seen it – please point me to the thread? Thanks!
I have FordPass v3.26.0 running on my iPhone XR (iOS 14.7.1, Verizon Wireless) and I’ve gotten the dealer-installed PAAK update.
WiFi Connections:
I have the AT&T wireless in-car hotspot, so when parked in my driveway I have 3 wireless networks my iPhone can connect to:
If I then try to connect the phone to either HomeWiFi or HotspotABCD, I get a dialog saying “Disconnect CarPlay with SYNC4? Joining the network “xxxxx” will end CarPlay” – which indeed it does – except within a few seconds PROJ123456 takes back the WiFi connection, CarPlay resumes, and my phone reverts back to LTE Cellular.
Can anyone explain? Why does connecting to WiFi (external = internet access) break a Bluetooth connection (BigRed/SYNC) and disconnect CarPlay? CarPlay needs both Bluetooth and WiFi? Plus, the phone shows BigRed/SYNC4 is not connected while CarPlay is active. Is that a fluke of iOS?
Is PROJ12345 WiFi the actual link to CarPlay on the Mach-E? Is using both Bluetooth and WiFI the only way to do this interface, or just the easiest way to engineer it?
Are there settings on the phone or MME that I need to configure so my phone can do CarPlay and external WiFi simultaneously? Or is the phone actually using the AT&T Hotspot WiFi through CarPlay without indicating a WiFi connection?
I could probably mess around for a while and figure this all out, but I’m hoping some of the experts out there can save us confused Mach-E owners from hours of frustration.
THANKS!
If I could, one additional question while we’re here:
What about using a USB cord? If I connect the phone with USB, does CarPlay no longer need WiFi, Bluetooth, or any wireless connection at all? I would think so - it should let go of those connections, meaning the phone would then connect to the AT&T Hotspot because the wired connection delivers CarPlay to the car. That is NOT what happens. When in the car with the phone wirelessly connected to CarPlay, I plugged in the USB cord and waited a minute or so. Then I tried to connect to HomeWiFI, and got the same warning message, and the same outcome. It was as if the USB was not connected at all, a situation which also makes no sense to me.
I realize Tesla avoided this mess by simply not dealing with Apple and CarPlay – but I also feel like this is not rocket science and it should be eminently fixable given Ford has surely paid Apple a large sum for CarPlay rights.
Can anyone in the Forum help explain the wireless networks in the Mach-E? I may be an engineer, but I’m not a Software/EE or Wireless Comms engineer, and it makes no sense to me. If this has been covered somewhere, I haven’t seen it – please point me to the thread? Thanks!
I have FordPass v3.26.0 running on my iPhone XR (iOS 14.7.1, Verizon Wireless) and I’ve gotten the dealer-installed PAAK update.
WiFi Connections:
I have the AT&T wireless in-car hotspot, so when parked in my driveway I have 3 wireless networks my iPhone can connect to:
- HomeWiFi (5ghz Netgear mesh)
- HotspotABCD (AT&T hotspot; “ABCD” varies by car, I presume)
- PROJ123456 (Mach-E “projection” network, in-car only? “123456” varies by car, I presume)
- 12345MachE (“12345” varies by car, I presume) I think this is the PAAK connection.
- “BigRed” (the car name I entered during in-car setup) I think this is the SYNC4 bluetooth link)
If I then try to connect the phone to either HomeWiFi or HotspotABCD, I get a dialog saying “Disconnect CarPlay with SYNC4? Joining the network “xxxxx” will end CarPlay” – which indeed it does – except within a few seconds PROJ123456 takes back the WiFi connection, CarPlay resumes, and my phone reverts back to LTE Cellular.
Can anyone explain? Why does connecting to WiFi (external = internet access) break a Bluetooth connection (BigRed/SYNC) and disconnect CarPlay? CarPlay needs both Bluetooth and WiFi? Plus, the phone shows BigRed/SYNC4 is not connected while CarPlay is active. Is that a fluke of iOS?
Is PROJ12345 WiFi the actual link to CarPlay on the Mach-E? Is using both Bluetooth and WiFI the only way to do this interface, or just the easiest way to engineer it?
Are there settings on the phone or MME that I need to configure so my phone can do CarPlay and external WiFi simultaneously? Or is the phone actually using the AT&T Hotspot WiFi through CarPlay without indicating a WiFi connection?
I could probably mess around for a while and figure this all out, but I’m hoping some of the experts out there can save us confused Mach-E owners from hours of frustration.
THANKS!
If I could, one additional question while we’re here:
What about using a USB cord? If I connect the phone with USB, does CarPlay no longer need WiFi, Bluetooth, or any wireless connection at all? I would think so - it should let go of those connections, meaning the phone would then connect to the AT&T Hotspot because the wired connection delivers CarPlay to the car. That is NOT what happens. When in the car with the phone wirelessly connected to CarPlay, I plugged in the USB cord and waited a minute or so. Then I tried to connect to HomeWiFI, and got the same warning message, and the same outcome. It was as if the USB was not connected at all, a situation which also makes no sense to me.
I realize Tesla avoided this mess by simply not dealing with Apple and CarPlay – but I also feel like this is not rocket science and it should be eminently fixable given Ford has surely paid Apple a large sum for CarPlay rights.
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