Standalone Wi-fi Setups

[Robert Flavor]

Hello everyone!

I really enjoy the wifi hotspot of my Badlands, but it has the unfortunate effect of not working while the car is off.

I would really like to have a consistent wifi hotspot as I'm looking to link my dashcam to the cloud, as well as just have the usefulness of wifi even when the car is off (very useful in certain situations for me).

Bronco community, I want to know:
- Do you use/have you ever used a standalone wifi hotspot?
- Did it work well for you? Any drawbacks?
- How did you configure your setup, and where did you put it in the vehicle? (pics appreciated)

Many thanks

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[thekingprawn]

I just use my phone. I switched to unlimited data a few years ago (I had 2 teenagers...) and haven't had an issue with it.

 

[JVteam]

I have the T-Mobile syncup which plugs into the car computer port. It does shut down 10-15 minutes after the car is off though. I use that for general wifi as it's just 4G. I use my phone for streaming and more demanding wifi needs.

 

[Feint]

Question: What's the benefit of having a wifi hotspot in your car? Is the signal reception better for the car because it has an antenna outside the car? I don't really have any signal problems with my phone in the car without a hotspot.

 

[brynamic]

Question: What's the benefit of having a wifi hotspot in your car? Is the signal reception better for the car because it has an antenna outside the car? I don't really have any signal problems with my phone in the car without a hotspot.

The reception is definitely better with the Sync hotspot than with a portable hotspot. I pay for it as I have two younger children without cell phones so it works great with their iPads. At $200/year for unlimited data it’s pretty reasonable road trip entertainment.

 

[brynamic]

Bronco community, I want to know:
- Do you use/have you ever used a standalone wifi hotspot?
- Did it work well for you? Any drawbacks?
- How did you configure your setup, and where did you put it in the vehicle? (pics appreciated)

Does the hotspot you’re considering have a battery? My concern would be that battery and extreme high/low temperatures throughout the seasons.

I would consider the devices designed to plug into the OBD II port, like the sync up mentioned above. All the carriers, the last I checked, offer something similar. Years ago I had a Zte Mobley from AT&T and it worked great for in car Wi-Fi. You could configure how long it ran after you shutdown the vehicle.

 

[Feint]

Hello everyone!

I really enjoy the wifi hotspot of my Badlands, but it has the unfortunate effect of not working while the car is off.

I would really like to have a consistent wifi hotspot as I'm looking to link my dashcam to the cloud, as well as just have the usefulness of wifi even when the car is off (very useful in certain situations for me).

Bronco community, I want to know:
- Do you use/have you ever used a standalone wifi hotspot?
- Did it work well for you? Any drawbacks?
- How did you configure your setup, and where did you put it in the vehicle? (pics appreciated)

Many thanks

After Sync3 powers down after you shut the engine off and it takes a while, if you hit the power button on your radio, it will power Sync3 back up for an additional 30 min (I think). Does this power the WiFi back on? Might be an easier solution than trying to modify the existing system somehow.

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