Urge Tesla to add 4G/LTE

You may be waiting quite awhile...

Remember, for now Tesla is proving free 3G service to Model S owners in the US. Tesla probably got a good deal from AT&T and perhaps got a guarantee that the 3G network will continue to be available for a certain number of years. 3G works fine for Model S nav, in my experience. Tesla may not be in any hurry to change it. I don't see why you would postpone a Model S purchase because of that. But to each his own...

I wouldn't hold up buying the car over that. I've been using 3G in the Model S for two years and it's fast enough for what you need. You're not steaming video in the car so looking places up with the NAV or streaming radio works fine. Sure I'd like it faster but not for some $30/month fee or whatever they might charge.

One if not all the major networks have already announced that they're starting to shut down their 3G networks, converting them to LTE. So, I too am mystified that Tesla hasn't updated its communication chip. It's been reported here that it's on a daughter board, so not likely to be a engineering problem.

I added a 4G hotspot for $10/month. Sure it speeds things up sometimes, but if feels like processing speed is the bigger limitation.

Question for you guys...

If Tesla called you up and offered to replace your 3G hardware for 4G hardware for free however from that point forward service would no longer be free ($20 a month minimum ATT data plan) or you could stay free on 3G for life, what would you do?

R²B said:

Question for you guys...

If Tesla called you up and offered to replace your 3G hardware for 4G hardware for free however from that point forward service would no longer be free ($20 a month minimum ATT data plan) or you could stay free on 3G for life, what would you do?

Click to expand...

I'd ask about coverage. I value a larger covered area over speed.

I'd stay on 3G. The amount my family spends on cellular communication every month is already insane for what we get. I'm loathe to add another monthy fee.

The 3G modem is almost invariably upgradeable ni some capacity--- otherwise the lifespan of the car would be severely impacted with an eventual 3G turndown. Building any connected tablet today without 4G ready antennas would be unwise. The carriers like to drop older cell technologies by local market segments where they perceive they can force upward migration, and the Tesla needs to have coverage everywhere.

I would not be surprised if the modem was 4G capable, but software limited to 3G to curtail metered data expenses for now.

Does anyone know specifics about the modems used on different builds of the Model S?

$10 a month would be fine. With no video streaming the data usage is minimal. Of course if they ever allow the car to before a hot spot for mobile devices in the car that changes and price would go up.

I believe the 2015 Volt is 4G which means on this one comparison, as pathetic as it sounds, the Volt is better equipped. My 2014 is 3G on Verizon and the app delay is frustrating. I think sooner rather than later they will announce 4G for marketing reasons if nothing else.

I think the next opportunity for upgrade is with the rollout of the X. Hopefully S will get LTE radio and a new processor. The processor is the real bottleneck now. I tethered to my LTE connection and it did not make much difference to actual speed. Map lag and web browsing were equally bad.

Get a Model X, 4G LTE, will be there.

I'm waiting for SpaceX's yet-to-be-announced satellite internet. I believe that all Tesla cars will be provided global high speed coverage from this system. Rear seat streaming video will be supported (speculation/seems like an Elon type idea).

There are some photos of the modular 3G board in this thread: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/show...M-card-located?p=608327&viewfull=1#post608327

Here are the specs for the AR8550 module:

Model No AR8550
Category 3G Module
Manufacturer Sierra Wireless
Chipset Qualcomm MDM6200
Form Factor LGA
Dimensions 40 x 40 x 4.12 mm
Technologies HSPA+,HSDPA,EDGE,GPRS,GSM
Dload Speed 14.4Mbps
Upload Speed 5.76 Mbps
Freq bands
GPRS/EDGE 1900/1800/900/850 MHz
WCDMA 1900/1700/850 MHz
Temperature -40 º C to 85 º C
Certifications CE, GCF, FCC, IC, PTCRB
Interfaces Audio, USB, UART
Voice Support PCM,Analog
GPS Support Yes
Automotive Yes
Software
With Online Module Tester application, test AR8550's features such as voice call, data call, SMS,network selection, signal quality, phone book, http,error reporting,device info,gpio control,device info,AT commands etc.


As you can see, it supports a 14.4Mbps download speed under HSPA+ (HSDPA), but this mode does not appear to have been activated by Tesla. Note that this module supports embedding of the SIM. The fact that the photos of the Tesla touchscreen showing this module (provided in the thread mentioned in post #16 above) has AT&T imprinted on the label leads me to believe that the module Tesla uses has the embedded SIM.

Actually, there is a SIM card on there so one could potentially change the sim ... But getting it working on a new APN, I'm not sure how that would work....

R²B said:

If Tesla called you up and offered to replace your 3G hardware for 4G hardware for free however from that point forward service would no longer be free ($20 a month minimum ATT data plan) or you could stay free on 3G for life, what would you do?

Click to expand...

I would be happy with free 3 G in the car for the next decade.

ratsbew said:

I'm waiting for SpaceX's yet-to-be-announced satellite internet. I believe that all Tesla cars will be provided global high speed coverage from this system. Rear seat streaming video will be supported (speculation/seems like an Elon type idea).

Click to expand...

Interesting speculation. That may well turn out to be true...

Then why indicate AT&T on the module. The data sheet indicates the module can have an embedded AT&T or T-mobile sim. Could the external sim slot be provided for use in other markets?