[wcs2229]

Have any Torontonians experienced spotty ConnectedDrive LTE service around the Toronto, especially in Scarborough?

It was fine for months since February when I bought my 2018 X1, but in the last 1 month or so, I have not been getting consistent service as indicated on the HU Main Menu, loss of RTTI, and no updates through ConnectedDrive app. Lately, it sometimes works, but more often does not work.

[wcs2229]

I went in for service and they updated the firmware in the car. They said it "may" help, but no guarantee because poor cell reception is "normal".

ConnectedDrive still dropped out/in on my drive home and I'll have to see what happens over time.

[kavatski]

Poor data reception is normal in the GTA was the explanation they went with? Wow. I wonder who BMW uses as a data provider, if it's allegedly normal for them to have problems. Never an issue here in Halifax, but we've only had the car four months.

If you still want to reach a larger pool of GTA BMW drivers to compare notes, my suggestion would be the BMW questions thread on RedFlagDeals.

[wcs2229]

I drove to/back from New York City just this past weekend (~1,600 km/1,000 mi). ConnectedDrive LTE on the U.S. side worked well consistently, even in rural areas, except for some blips.

[BMWZ4]

What does ConnectedDrive have to do with your phone dropping calls? I live in Toronto, my calls don't drop (on Bell network). Maybe you're suggesting the Bluetooth connection is dropping the call...try updating your mobile.

By the way, what mobile do you have?

[wcs2229]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

What does ConnectedDrive have to do with your phone dropping calls? I live in Toronto, my calls don't drop (on Bell network). Maybe you're suggesting the Bluetooth connection is dripping the call...try updating your mobile.

By the way, what mobile do you have?

Hello.

Th problem is not with my smartphone, which I do not even connect to the car. My smartphone also does not lose LTE connectivity across Greater Toronto.

As a subscription service, ConnectedDrive has its own LTE connection through a SIM card somewhere within the car. Without going through a smartphone, ConnectedDrive independently provides Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI), Concierge, SOS, Teleservice, vehicle tracking, remote lock/fan/horn/headlight flash, map updates, weather, news, Yelp, Wiki, Flickr, etc. It is not to make phone calls.

I can tell right away when ConnectedDrive LTE is lost when there is no RTTI (traffic does not show in Navigation), weather does not show up on the main menu (it may say "no connection"), no updated info in ConnectedDrive app on my Android smartphone, and none of the Yelp/Wiki/Flockr apps work.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by wcs2229

Hello.

Th problem is not with my smartphone, which I do not even connect to the car. My smartphone also does not lose LTE connectivity across Greater Toronto.

As a subscription service, ConnectedDrive has its own LTE connection through a SIM card somewhere within the car. Without going through a smartphone, ConnectedDrive independently provides Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI), Concierge, SOS, Teleservice, vehicle tracking, remote lock/fan/horn/headlight flash, map updates, weather, news, Yelp, Wiki, Flickr, etc. It is not to make phone calls.

I can tell right away when ConnectedDrive LTE is lost when there is no RTTI (traffic does not show in Navigation), weather does not show up on the main menu (it may say "no connection"), no updated info in ConnectedDrive app on my Android smartphone, and none of the Yelp/Wiki/Flockr apps work.

Ok so 2 questions: why bother and did you register it with the carrier

[wcs2229]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

Ok so 2 questions: why bother and did you register it with the carrier

Hello.

I find the ConnectedDrive feature VERY useful. In particular, RTTI tells me which routes to avoid when driving around busy Toronto traffic or on trips to unfamiliar cities. I use the ConnectedDrive app on my smartphone to map out stops/destinations on trips and send them remotely to the car, so they can be used in Navigation, and maps are updated OTA. I use the app a to remotely check information about the car (locked, gas, mileage, service intervals, etc.). There is peace of mind to have SOS in case of emergency and Concierge service to find hotels/restaurants. Lots of apps are available (Spotify, Pandora, etc.) that I don't currently use, but may in the future.

All manufacturers have/are/will connect their cars ... if you do not have it, then you may not know what you are missing. A lot of these features are available on your phones, but it was a hassle to mount my phone previously and work on a small phone touchscreen when driving. I would have like BMW to support to Android Auto, but they only have Apple Carplay.

There was no needed to register with a carrier. That was all done by BMW when I picked up the car and is valid across North America. I bought the car 1-year used, so had 2 years left included from the initial subscription, which did not cost me extra anyway. I intend to renew the subscription when it expires.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by wcs2229

Hello.

I find the ConnectedDrive feature VERY useful. In particular, RTTI tells me which routes to avoid when driving around busy Toronto traffic or on trips to unfamiliar cities. I use the ConnectedDrive app on my smartphone to map out stops/destinations on trips and send them remotely to the car, so they can be used in Navigation, and maps are updated OTA. I use the app a to remotely check information about the car (locked, gas, mileage, service intervals, etc.). There is peace of mind to have SOS in case of emergency and Concierge service to find hotels/restaurants. Lots of apps are available (Spotify, Pandora, etc.) that I don't currently use, but may in the future.

All manufacturers have/are/will connect their cars ... if you do not have it, then you may not know what you are missing. A lot of these features are available on your phones, but it was a hassle to mount my phone previously and work on a small phone touchscreen when driving. I would have like BMW to support to Android Auto, but they only have Apple Carplay.

There was no needed to register with a carrier. That was all done by BMW when I picked up the car and is valid across North America. I bought the car 1-year used, so had 2 years left included from the initial subscription, which did not cost me extra anyway. I intend to renew the subscription when it expires.

I use all those features...Spotify, RTTI etc...but my phone is commect d via Bluetooth. I guess I'm not fully understanding - I've never had my mobile connected to the in-car sim for cell signal boosting

[kavatski]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

I use all those features...Spotify, RTTI etc...but my phone is commect d via Bluetooth. I guess I'm not fully understanding - I've never had my mobile connected to the in-car sim for cell signal boosting

You keep mentioning your mobile phone, but as explained above, this has nothing to do with a phone. The car has its own mobile data connection, completely independent from your phone, that it uses to make many of the ConnectedDrive services work - like RTTI, weather, news, and the remote services in the BMW Connected app. If the car is having trouble connecting to BMW’s mobile data provider, those features won’t work properly. That’s the problem he’s having.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by kavatski

You keep mentioning your mobile phone, but as explained above, this has nothing to do with a phone. The car has its own mobile data connection, completely independent from your phone, that it uses to make many of the ConnectedDrive services work - like RTTI, weather, news, and the remote services in the BMW Connected app. If the car is having trouble connecting to BMW’s mobile data provider, those features won’t work properly. That’s the problem he’s having.

Actually the OP mentioned his calls were dropping, hence the reason I've been referring to the "mobile"....

No worries, no need to explain further

[kavatski]

He mentioned that ConnectedDrive was dropping out, not his calls, hence the discussion of the functions served by the car's data connection. At any rate, since he also said it worked fine while in the US, hopefully it's an issue on the data provider's side that they're able to get sorted.

[wcs2229]

Thanks, kavatski, as explained. I did not refer to phone or mobile in my first post, hence "spotty ConnectedDrive LTE service".

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by wcs2229

Yes, as kavatski explained. I did not refer to phone or mobile in my first post, hence "spotty ConnectedDrive LTE service".

My mistake