Open Vehicle Monitoring System

[Fuzzylogic]

You can also try to send a text/SMS message to the OVMS from your registered phone:

stat

If you receive a status message from the OVMS, it will also usually restore Iphone functionality within a few minutes without having to unplug the module.

 

[Slackjaw]

Sorry Mark, I missed this. I didn't mean things like "Charging Stopped", but the text messages being sent to the OVMS SIM card by the carrier saying things like "Your account has been charged $10". I do not have access to the iPad currently but I'll get a real example if it's not clear in less than a week. Thanks.

Not really sure what you mean by this. Do you want to say both devices get notified for charging stopped, but only one device for forwarded SMS messages? If so, no that is not possible.

We can turn on/off the notifications, per device (iOS Settings App). We can even turn on/off the sms forwarding feature (it is in the car bits feature). But, we can't selectively control which device gets which notifications.

OK, the penny finally, finally, finally dropped on this. I had to go into "Settings --> Notifications --> Open Vehicle", whereas I'd only been into "Settings --> Open Vehicle" and "OVMS --> Settings". As a non-iPhone user -- I only have an iPhone to use OVMS -- it's very unintuitive. Looks like even Apple can't design the perfect interface! Thanks for the patience.

One notification I get is that when I SMS (from my blackberry) the car with CHARGESTOP and expect it to stop charging, it doesn't, but at least it posts a message on the iPhone indicating that an incomprehensible SMS was received.

(Should CHARGESTOP work on OVMS firmware 1.2.0? I'm guessing my firmware needs updating. [edit: GPS works fine without password, so I have confirmed that I am using the correct registered phone])

 

[markwj]

Slack jaw, the chargestop command is 1.2.7.

Regards, Mark

 

[kgb]

You can also try to send a text/SMS message to the OVMS from your registered phone:

stat

If you receive a status message from the OVMS, it will also usually restore Iphone functionality within a few minutes without having to unplug the module.

Yep. Your car is not communicating with the server. Try unplugging the OVMS from the diag port and then plug it back in. That will reboot the OVMS.

I tried fuzzylogic's solution with no effect. I then tried PV-EV's solution, and after about a minute, it was working again... and after that I received the status from my SMS "stat" command. Thank you for the help guys. I feel kinda stupid for not trying a "reset." I thought it was a problem with the server (which is why I was bugging Mark). But now I know... I'll try a reset 1st before asking Mark for help. BTW, I know I said this before, but: Thank you Mark and everyone else who has worked on this project. I feel like this completes my car.

 

[smorgasbord]

Sorry to be chiming in late, but my order of unwedging is:

1) STAT
2) RESET
3) Unplug/replug

I haven't had to do #3 in a long time.

 

[markwj]

In the 1.2.7, there is still one known area where low cellular coverage (or other network issue) can cause a connection to not be able to be made - but that is very very rare. Bleeding edge github code has a fix for this, if anyone is experiencing it.

 

[hjr]

I checked ATT again and they no longer offer the 10c/minute plan that allows data transfer. The minimum plan that allows data usage is $25/month and then the same 1c/5KB as they had before. You can buy 50GB for $5 and that is the best deal for us OVMS users. They offer no data-only option. I also compared with Sprint and T-Mobile and their least expensive plans that allow data transfer are more expensive.

So if you want to use the wonderful and convenient smart phone apps then you are stuck with this rate plan since May of this year.

$360 a year seems too much for them to charge for this low data usage.
If you love the device and interface - and are not willing to use text messages only, we are stuck at $30 monthly. If you want to play you have to pay.

 

[markwj]

I checked ATT again and they no longer offer the 10c/minute plan that allows data transfer.

If you love the device and interface - and are not willing to use text messages only, we are stuck at $30 monthly. If you want to play you have to pay.

Have you checked the other AT&T thread here for OVMS? Others seem to be putting down $100 and getting a year's usage.

 

[NigelM]

@hjr: The plan you need is the 10c per minute plan pre-paid plan. It's on the AT&T website and what most of us have is a text package with 200 SMS per month for $4.99. You're never going to make voice calls so don't worry about the 10c per minute name.

Here's a screenshot:

 

[mpt]

If you go for that and buy $25 it last three months then re-ups automatically. You'll never run out of bytes so all in, best deal imo.

 

[PV-EV]

I'm on the ATT 10¢/min plan. I put down $100 in April and my balance is $61 after 2.5 months.

 

[hjr]

The $100 was a pre payment for the 1 cent per 5KB on the 10 cent per mintue planThey have stopped selling this plan since early May. ATT will honor older accounts begun before May, but you cannot get this plan. I am wondering if you have delivered any OVMS units to others in the USA since June and what they have done for accounts.

I was in HK a few weeks ago but had no time free... next visit in October will try to let you know so we can meet!

 

[hjr]

Hi Nigel - yes it is published but they will not sell it to you unless you had the 10cent plan before May... then you are grandfathered. It is typical of the rising prices of data plans in the US. Actually seems sleezy that it is advertised. Maybe it is stil offered in some states?

 

[dsm363]

I'm on the ATT 10¢/min plan. I put down $100 in April and my balance is $61 after 2.5 months.

Hm. You shouldn't be using more than $10 a month. Do you have some other features enabled?

 

[donauker]

Hi Nigel - yes it is published but they will not sell it to you unless you had the 10cent plan before May... then you are grandfathered. It is typical of the rising prices of data plans in the US. Actually seems sleezy that it is advertised. Maybe it is stil offered in some states?

Just ordered this plan here in PA.

 

[DrComputer]

I was able to go to a local AT&T corporate store last week and get a pre-paid SIM and put the 10c/min plan on the SIM without a problem. I already had a SIM for my OVMS and needed another for another project that I was working on.

I know I will sounds like a broken record again, but is there any news on an updated Android app that will fix the screen formatting problem?

 

[NigelM]

Hi Nigel - yes it is published but they will not sell it to you unless you had the 10cent plan before May... then you are grandfathered. It is typical of the rising prices of data plans in the US. Actually seems sleezy that it is advertised. Maybe it is stil offered in some states?

I'm out of the country for a few weeks but im willing to try and buy the plan for you from our local store when I get back.....PM me if you would like me to look into it.

 

[hjr]

I wonder if they are discriminating on a state-by-state basis. I will call AT&T with my vacation home address in Colorado and see if I get the same answer!

 

[Timothy]

I just checked with ATT and I am gobbling up money with the GPRS. Is there a way to easily turn the GPRS off and just leave the SMS working -- then to turn the GPRS (which is much nicer) on just when I am going on a trip? I really don't need GPRS when I am just doing my normal driving around at home.

There was one point where I had a dozen $0.01 charges in a one minute span in the middle of the night. Strange. And over 100 charges in a month--most $0.01 so no big deal--but a couple were $0.93--no obvious reason (to me, anyway.) And I was using the OVMS very little at that point in time so in some fashion it was doing this on its own.

Several SMS were forwarded to the iPhone app--talking about reserving a Zip car--which I wasn't trying to do. Apparently these don't use GPRS data, but it is annoying to have the phone ding when you are busy and don't want to be bothered. I had 4 of those today. Any way to block them? Or even read the entire message? I can see part of the messages on the iPhone notification center, but not the entire message. Any way to open them completely? I can't find them anywhere in my regular SMS messages folder.

 

[markwj]

Is there a way to easily turn the GPRS off and just leave the SMS working -- then to turn the GPRS (which is much nicer) on just when I am going on a trip? I really don't need GPRS when I am just doing my normal driving around at home.

Setting APN to '-' and resetting will disable GPRS. Or, in the car module, slide the gsm/GPRS switch to gsm.

There was one point where I had a dozen $0.01 charges in a one minute span in the middle of the night. Strange. And over 100 charges in a month--most $0.01 so no big deal--but a couple were $0.93--no obvious reason (to me, anyway.) And I was using the OVMS very little at that point in time so in some fashion it was doing this on its own.

If it was recent, can you eMail me the times of the big charges, and your vehicle id? It would be good to see why. I suspect that the ISP is charging for failed connections - net problems. I've heard of one other case of this.

Several SMS were forwarded to the iPhone app--talking about reserving a Zip car--which I wasn't trying to do. Apparently these don't use GPRS data, but it is annoying to have the phone ding when you are busy and don't want to be bothered. I had 4 of those today. Any way to block them? Or even read the entire message? I can see part of the messages on the iPhone notification center, but not the entire message. Any way to open them completely? I can't find them anywhere in my regular SMS messages folder.

You can either turn off ip notifications, or turn off just the SMS forwards. Both options are supported. Instructions are in the manual.