Apologies if this has been discussed previously however those that have Audi Connect do you think it is worth the extra £300? Had some of the features in my previous 3 series so am considering adding to the spec though bimmer had an integrated SIM card.
Audi Connect
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As per my thread,I amnow interested in adding this to my tech pack, mainly for the Google maps. Not sure if I can as I don't think I have a SIM slot.
Just to be pedantic about this, you don't get google maps, if you have Connect.
The mapping is still provided by the mapping companies that Audi uses (eg: TeleAtlas/Navteq/HERE).
It just has a Google Earth and Street View overlay, if you have connect.
All traffic info, Connect or no Connect, comes from INRIX.
The mapping is still provided by the mapping companies that Audi uses (eg: TeleAtlas/Navteq/HERE).
It just has a Google Earth and Street View overlay, if you have connect.
All traffic info, Connect or no Connect, comes from INRIX.
Garreth64
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Personally if you're going for the Tech pack I think it is worth it for Google Earth and fast internet access, but I'm not bothered about the Facebook/twitter stuff.
You need to factor in the cost of a SIM card with a data connection as well though.
You need to factor in the cost of a SIM card with a data connection as well though.
As Garreth says really - if you're already spending £1500 for the Tech Pack, you might as well spend another £300 for Connect and it finishes it off nicely.
My personal take after two months with it:
The Google Earth imagery is quite cool but hardly essential
The online services like news/weather/petrol prices can be handy but personally I don't use them
Google searching is sometimes handy for finding things that the nav doesn't recognise
The online traffic seems far more detailed/accurate than just TMC
The Wifi hotspot is very useful for things like tablets (missus uses it with her iPad)
Ability to send destinations from Google Maps to the car via MyAudi is very handy
SIM-wise, I use EE 4G which are about £16 for 6GB/90-days
My personal take after two months with it:
The Google Earth imagery is quite cool but hardly essential
The online services like news/weather/petrol prices can be handy but personally I don't use them
Google searching is sometimes handy for finding things that the nav doesn't recognise
The online traffic seems far more detailed/accurate than just TMC
The Wifi hotspot is very useful for things like tablets (missus uses it with her iPad)
Ability to send destinations from Google Maps to the car via MyAudi is very handy
SIM-wise, I use EE 4G which are about £16 for 6GB/90-days
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No.
You've asked this very question before:
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/thread...di-a3-s-b-1-4-cod-s-line.228032/#post-2275137
I know this has all been discussed before but the fact remains that I get more detailed traffic info using Online Traffic than I do with TMC. I don't pretend to understand the technicalities, I only know that this is the case.
Maybe they both come from the same source but the MMI uses more of the information from the Online option for some reason?
My experience is different.
I've not seen any additional traffic information/data on a Connect car, compared with a non Connect car, side by side.
And even compared it to the INRIX database.
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/mmi-high-and-traffic-announcements.223199/#post-2224049
I've not seen any additional traffic information/data on a Connect car, compared with a non Connect car, side by side.
And even compared it to the INRIX database.
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/mmi-high-and-traffic-announcements.223199/#post-2224049
On the Audi Configurator,lt doesnt give you the option of "either" meaning... just the Tech Pack high or with Connect...so l have wasted another £300 on something i will never use or could, but will cost me ex amount for a data only sim
For £300 more, you get a pretty Google Earth Overlay with Street View.
Google Searching is handy.
And you can Tweet and Check-In Facebook your location directly from the car.
And yes, factor in the additional cost of running a data capable SIM.
Google Searching is handy.
And you can Tweet and Check-In Facebook your location directly from the car.
And yes, factor in the additional cost of running a data capable SIM.
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You read it on here. Internet Forum heresay at work again.
It's easily done. People think they get google maps and google traffic. They don't.
It's easily done. People think they get google maps and google traffic. They don't.
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Quoted from brochure
" Audi connect also includes Audi traffic
information online, which gives accurate real-time forecasts of the traffic situation along the chosen route. The traffic
situation can be displayed on the navigation map or Google Earth image. "
" Audi connect also includes Audi traffic
information online, which gives accurate real-time forecasts of the traffic situation along the chosen route. The traffic
situation can be displayed on the navigation map or Google Earth image. "
What does that prove?
"Audi Traffic Information Online" is provided by INRIX
Tech Pack non Connect also gives "accurate real-time forecasts of the traffic situation calling the chosen route" and dynamically re-routes accordingly.
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-re...st-connected-navigation-system-156311545.html
"Audi Traffic Information Online" is provided by INRIX
Tech Pack non Connect also gives "accurate real-time forecasts of the traffic situation calling the chosen route" and dynamically re-routes accordingly.
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-re...st-connected-navigation-system-156311545.html
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Is it maybe the case that the internet traffic is just updated quicker than the TMC traffic? So the same data, but the internet source appears to be better as its more up to date? Just guessing now lol
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No, you're not
The only way you can demonstrate this is to park 2 cars, side by side, once with Connect and one without. Which I have done
And no, I'm not going to that dogging spot with you again.
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No, you're not
The only way you can demonstrate this is to park 2 cars, side by side, once with Connect and one without. Which I have done
And no, I'm not going to that dogging spot with you again.
Or you could take a single car with Connect and enable/disable it and see if the information displayed changes.
You could, but I'm unsure if Connect cars get TMC Pro, as opposed to just TMC,
Tech Pack non-Connect gets TMC Pro, but TMC Pro isn't mentioned in relation to Connect.
It might be you get Connect in place of TMC Pro, but I'm not sure.
And the issue about switching on/off TMC via the MMI is that it isn't instant, the data is carried (in the UK) on the Classic FM carrier, its a low bitrate. So even if Connect did have TMC Pro - you'd have to wait approx 10 mins or so to be sure of getting the complete listing.
There's no way non-Connect cars would have a different TMC system to Connect equipped ones, it just doesn't make any sense. If someone has Connect but chooses not to use it or runs out of credit or has no data signal, for the car to fall back to an inferior TMC system than they'd have had without the Connect option would be lunacy.
I think it's perfectly safe to assume the TMC implementations are the same regardless of Connect and thus, if the online traffic shows more than the TMC does that would be fairly conclusive in my book. I understand what you're saying about the TMC signal on Classic FM but you could disable online traffic for a while, allow the TMC system enough time to accumulate all current issues, then enable the online traffic again and see if more issues show up. Of course they may do and simply be new issues that are arising and would be shown on TMC anyway but, if there's a sudden influx of new issues when the online option is enabled, that would be fairly suspicious I think.
Another alternative is to use the INRIX smartphone app to compare what it shows with the TMC system. If there are issues shown in the app which TMC isn't then that would also lend some credence to the theory that perhaps the TMC system only shows a subset of INRIX data.
I think it's perfectly safe to assume the TMC implementations are the same regardless of Connect and thus, if the online traffic shows more than the TMC does that would be fairly conclusive in my book. I understand what you're saying about the TMC signal on Classic FM but you could disable online traffic for a while, allow the TMC system enough time to accumulate all current issues, then enable the online traffic again and see if more issues show up. Of course they may do and simply be new issues that are arising and would be shown on TMC anyway but, if there's a sudden influx of new issues when the online option is enabled, that would be fairly suspicious I think.
Another alternative is to use the INRIX smartphone app to compare what it shows with the TMC system. If there are issues shown in the app which TMC isn't then that would also lend some credence to the theory that perhaps the TMC system only shows a subset of INRIX data.
You see, I don't think TMC is an inferior system.
There are far more places without 3G data coverage in the UK, than without Classic FM coverage!
I also don't automatically think its a fair assumption that TMC Pro is included with Connect cars - it could be that they have substituted one for the other, but we just don't know at this point. Why doesn't it specifically mention TMC Pro in the Connect information?
But yes, compare it with the Inrix App, but I've compared it to the full database, which I have access to, and I've not seen any variance.
There are far more places without 3G data coverage in the UK, than without Classic FM coverage!
I also don't automatically think its a fair assumption that TMC Pro is included with Connect cars - it could be that they have substituted one for the other, but we just don't know at this point. Why doesn't it specifically mention TMC Pro in the Connect information?
But yes, compare it with the Inrix App, but I've compared it to the full database, which I have access to, and I've not seen any variance.
See no reason whatsoever for Connect-equipped cars to not have TMC Pro. The fact that it's not mentioned in the Connect information supports this, i.e. Connect has no bearing on TMC at all, it's simply an additional service on top of it. If Connect "reduced" the TMC Pro system to basic TMC then I'd expect that to be mentioned.
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