Wifi hot spot

GregsFX2Ranger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Greg
Joined
Mar 19, 2021
Threads
8
Messages
557
Reaction score
771
Location
Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
2021 XLT 302A 4x2 Rapid Red Black Appear Package
Occupation
Management
We’re on an AT&T family plan that’s about 15 years old now. They’re trying hard to get us off it but... We’re paying $265 a month for unlimited and no throttling for 7 phones. So it works out to about $39 a month for each device.
the old legacy plans were hard to beat. That is why people have held on to them for so long!
Sponsored

 
OP
OP
Nathan289

Nathan289

Well-Known Member
First Name
Nathan
Joined
Feb 1, 2021
Threads
4
Messages
109
Reaction score
240
Location
9 Mile Falls, WS
Vehicle(s)
2020 ranger lariat fx4, 2019 mazda cx3, 1963 falco
Occupation
Leo
No better than Charter/Spectrum........... But if that's the only choice in your neighborhood.
We do have charter/spectrum here..
I also moved to an area that doesnt have comcast/xfinity.

I stream my tv now.. much better options available
 

D Fresh

Banned
Banned
First Name
Doug
Joined
Dec 10, 2020
Threads
20
Messages
6,282
Reaction score
13,543
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
'20 Lariat FX4, '17 FiST, '16 CX-5, '95 YJ
Occupation
Milkman
Comcast is now owned by AT&T ? Guess that explains it....

2263BDF7-9124-41E6-8059-AD5C2412C47D.gif
At&t BROADBAND merged with Comcast back in the early 2000s.

AT&T does not own Comcast and since then has established their own broadband presence.

Communications can be tricky, and that's coming from somebody who has worked in the industry.

Yes the truck's modem is slightly more powerful than the one in your phone. However, I personally have no need to be THAT connected in my truck.

"Ohh no, kids, your phone doesn't work?"

"Look out the window then."
 

dtech

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 10, 2020
Threads
33
Messages
2,363
Reaction score
5,234
Location
colorado
Vehicle(s)
Ranger Lariat FX4, chromed and forever damperless
Dying to know why the extreme animosity towards AT&T; I feel the same about Comcast.
After the dot com bust I took a job with AT&T - worst job I ever had and was hired to build an IT solutions practice and they didn't have a clue about how to support it. All they cared about was selling bandwidth .

When I 1st saw this thread I misread the title as "Wife hot spot" :crackup: just change one letter and it could become an interesting thread.
 
Last edited:

Augie81

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
May 29, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
524
Reaction score
1,958
Location
Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT FX4
its only a matter of time before this can be possible. I know there is an IMEI number assigned to the device therefore it has a phone number...and if it has a phone number then it can likely be transferred to another carrier. THE ONLY issue I see is getting to the actual "modem" to get the sim card out since most ATT devices are sim-card equipped...and that may be the possible issue...perhaps its hard-wired and no removable?
I don't think the modem uses a removable sim card. I got a little more curious about this topic and found this post on an F150 forum.

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/2018-ford-pass-t-hotspot-modem-verizon-440239/index2/#post6108282

According to that post it is all preprogrammed in.
 


GregsFX2Ranger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Greg
Joined
Mar 19, 2021
Threads
8
Messages
557
Reaction score
771
Location
Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
2021 XLT 302A 4x2 Rapid Red Black Appear Package
Occupation
Management
I don't think the modem uses a removable sim card. I got a little more curious about this topic and found this post on an F150 forum.

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/2018-ford-pass-t-hotspot-modem-verizon-440239/index2/#post6108282

According to that post it is all preprogrammed in.
Except carrier support shifted to AT&T.

From what I understand, the internal modem that communicates with FordPass, and transmits information to Ford is the same modem as the hotspot, but for the hotspot to be active, it requires a subscription.
 

port43

Well-Known Member
First Name
Tony
Joined
Dec 12, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
657
Reaction score
1,949
Location
Detroit Suburb
Website
childrescuecoalition.org
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger STX FX4, 2017 Lincoln MKX, 2008 Harley XL 1200N, 1972 Pontiac LeMans Convertible
Occupation
Secret agent, man
No better than Charter/Spectrum........... But if that's the only choice in your neighborhood.
Sorry to get off topic but I have had Wide Open West for the last 21 years and, while it's still a rip off because it's a cable company, I've been mostly happy with it to the point that I recommend it. I just dropped the actual cable and went with internet only (the highest speed they offer) and they gave me mesh Wifi for free. Now my innerwebs reaches all the way out to my garage in back so I can google how to fix things I am screwing up.
 

port43

Well-Known Member
First Name
Tony
Joined
Dec 12, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
657
Reaction score
1,949
Location
Detroit Suburb
Website
childrescuecoalition.org
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger STX FX4, 2017 Lincoln MKX, 2008 Harley XL 1200N, 1972 Pontiac LeMans Convertible
Occupation
Secret agent, man
After the dot com bust I took a job with AT&T - worst job I ever had and was hired to build an IT solutions practice and they didn't have a clue about how to support it. All they cared about was selling bandwidth .

When I 1st saw this thread I misread the title as "Wife hot spot" :crackup: just change one letter and it could become an interesting thread.
1618837787486.png
 

12Bravo20

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
444
Reaction score
1,137
Location
Missouri
Vehicle(s)
2020 Ford Ranger XLT FX4
Occupation
retired
I'll probably never activate the modem in my truck since I have unlimited data on my phone plan.

I have had AT&T for about 15 years now. It is about the only service that will reliably work where I live in rural Missouri. And getting the military discount helps with the cost.

There is something about the small town I live in. T-Mobile and Sprint phones will not get service inside city limits. People with those services have to go outside city limits to get reception. Even US Cellular has bad reception where I live and there is a US Cellular tower just outside of town.
 

dtech

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 10, 2020
Threads
33
Messages
2,363
Reaction score
5,234
Location
colorado
Vehicle(s)
Ranger Lariat FX4, chromed and forever damperless
Sorry to get off topic but I have had Wide Open West for the last 21 years and, while it's still a rip off because it's a cable company, I've been mostly happy with it to the point that I recommend it. I just dropped the actual cable and went with internet only (the highest speed they offer) and they gave me mesh Wifi for free. Now my innerwebs reaches all the way out to my garage in back so I can google how to fix things I am screwing up.
WOW is a name I've not heard for a really long time, sold them a bunch of IT gear back in the day (90s), you have to be one of their longest customers ever, surprised those guys are still around let alone an independent entity.
 
Last edited:

port43

Well-Known Member
First Name
Tony
Joined
Dec 12, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
657
Reaction score
1,949
Location
Detroit Suburb
Website
childrescuecoalition.org
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger STX FX4, 2017 Lincoln MKX, 2008 Harley XL 1200N, 1972 Pontiac LeMans Convertible
Occupation
Secret agent, man
WOW is not a name I've not heard for a really long time, sold them a bunch of IT gear back in the day (90s), you have to be one of their longest customers ever, surprised those guys are still around let alone an independent entity.
Back in the day the only thing available around here was Comcast or, if you had a phone line, Americast. I pulled all the phone lines when I bought my house and refused to give Comcrap a dollar so two years later WOW came to town and I've been somewhat happy ever since. They were out west (hence the name) but I think they've particularly grown in the midwest since we were restricted to one actual cable service. If I recall, there was a law change that denied a cable company from having exclusive rights to utility poles and that's when WOW showed up.
 

dtech

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 10, 2020
Threads
33
Messages
2,363
Reaction score
5,234
Location
colorado
Vehicle(s)
Ranger Lariat FX4, chromed and forever damperless
Back in the day the only thing available around here was Comcast or, if you had a phone line, Americast. I pulled all the phone lines when I bought my house and refused to give Comcrap a dollar so two years later WOW came to town and I've been somewhat happy ever since. They were out west (hence the name) but I think they've particularly grown in the midwest since we were restricted to one actual cable service. If I recall, there was a law change that denied a cable company from having exclusive rights to utility poles and that's when WOW showed up.
off topic but at the Fed level the Telecom Act of 1996 opened up the telco market to competition, broke up the AT&T phone monopoly, created regional Bell phone companies, has had mixed results because a lot companies have been acquired by others - like AT&T was by Southwest Bell. When I was at AT&T it was a disorganized mess, they struggled to deal with no longer being a monopoly, at one time AT&T even was allowed to own the wiring in your home, everything like a different color phone or a lighted phone was an extra monthly charge.
 

Matsterious

Well-Known Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
May 8, 2020
Threads
23
Messages
369
Reaction score
1,037
Location
Houston, TX
Vehicle(s)
2022 Ford Bronco Big Bend 2.7L Mid Package 4.27
I purchased 1 year of unlimited data for $200.00 + $0.69 state tax. Which is equal to $16.72 a month.

I’m with you. It is a little more than what I want to pay since I have data on my cellular phone, but it is very convenient and it lets my little girl watch videos on trips. I haven’t decided if I’ll renew next year.

One cool thing is that coverage is excellent. Even though it is ATT, I think it is under the same configuration as data backup systems for commercial businesses, which means it could be using a non-ATT network for signal, although you would never know it, other than to observe a lack of signal on another nearby ATT cellular phone.
Do you know if the modem stays on for 2 hours once the truck is turned off like the 12 volt outlets do?
 

LoneRNGR

Well-Known Member
First Name
John
Joined
May 8, 2020
Threads
11
Messages
472
Reaction score
856
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Vehicle(s)
2020 Ford Ranger XLT
Occupation
Systems Engineer
Do you know if the modem stays on for 2 hours once the truck is turned off like the 12 volt outlets do?
I believe that as soon as the head-unit turns off, so does the modem. So you would need the key in and switch to on for the WiFi to be available.
 

halligan1201

Well-Known Member
First Name
John
Joined
Jan 23, 2021
Threads
37
Messages
1,567
Reaction score
3,557
Location
Byron, IL
Vehicle(s)
2020 Ranger
Occupation
Emergency Management
Vehicle Showcase
1
Increasingly, handsets don't have the ability to use hotspot (or data at all) and be used for voice calling at the same time. The hotspot in the truck deals with that if it's an issue for you. It's also hard on handsets to be used as hotspots for long periods of time; touch one that's been used for a while and see how hot it is. I also think it's largely aimed at the business segment and families that turn it on for vacation and turn it off when they're done (with the hope they forget to turn it off for a couple months). I use my current vehicle's hotspot when I'm traveling in areas I know I might get crap coverage from Google Fi (ie, US Cell/TMobile/Sprint towers) because then I can switch my phone to WiFi calling and still make calls if needed. In my home region, Google Fi works great but heading west or north, it's only Verizon and ATT for large stretches so the vehicle hotspot helps deal with that once or twice a year. Not a feature that I use a lot now or plan to use a lot once the truck shows up but nice for certain situations.
Sponsored

 
 



Top