How to Connect a GM Vehicle to the Internet

General Motors, and especially Chevy, is at the forefront of bringing 4G LTE internet into dashboards (learn more in this column.)

While other automakers are starting to offer this feature, most put the WiFi settings within the infotainment system’s Settings area.

Chevy’s way to connect is a bit different.

Use OnStar to access the WiFi settings.

On rearview mirror > press OnStar button > say “WiFi Settings” > settings appear on dash screen >
follow instructions

Here’s the OnStar site

Found in a 2016 Chevy Trax.

Security Reminder:

Connecting a car comes with a responsibility – never connect your car to public WiFi, and you are legally responsible for passengers Hotspotting off your car’s connection.

 

 

Apple’s CarPlay is Bundled with iOS 9

CarPlay – the software that allows an iPhone to talk with a car’s dash screen. It arrived in the latest update, iOS 9.

Go: Settings > General > CarPlay

And on the car side, it’s starting to arrive pre-installed in 2016 model year vehicles.

Be mindful when connecting your car to a mobile… ensure the phone is fully updated always, and if you even suspect it may contain malware, don’t connect.

 

 

OBDII Ports are About to Become All the Rage

With this year’s arrival of the connected car, you’ll soon start to see and hear all about OBDII… On-board Diagnostics, II is pronounced “two.”

OBDII – the mandatory port, found within 2 feet of all steering wheels, that’s used to access a vehicle’s computers.

Or, plug an internet-enabled device into this port, now you’re driving a “connected car.”

For more details here’s a blog post about them – OBDII Ports

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

It’s the mandatory-since-1996 port used to access the computer in your car, and we’re about to hear a lot more about it as internet-enabled devices start to flood the market and allow us to make any car a connected one.

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Also the 7th paragraph, which I filed under Predictions – we will all soon start locking our OBDII ports.

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

Turn your Car into a Library

The internet is arriving in our dashes this year, and a Canadian! company is the one (and only) to use it to stream audiobooks into our cabins. We speak with Sanjay Singhal, CEO of AudioBooks.com.

The streaming service will debut in Jaguar Land Rover, arriving this April 2015, with other manufacturers lined up behind them.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

The New York Times top 100 list is available, and includes The Hunger Games trilogy, 50 Shades of EyeRoll, American Sniper, and Gone Girl.

’50 Shades of EyeRoll‘… come ON that I got that printed. 

Tagging this post: a Keri Owned Phrase (23) 

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

Access a Car’s Computer via the OBDII Port

OBDII port – On-board Diagnostics. The II is pronounced “two”.

Each of the 16 pins outputs something specific:

(photo via Wikipedia)

Found within 2 feet of all steering wheels, OBDII ports became mandatory in 1996.

That’s my ’99 VW Jetta.

When you read about car hacking and it says,
“requires physical access to the vehicle”,
that usually means through this port.

Connect an OBD II scanner to see what’s up.

It gives back readouts that look like this.

How to read the codes:

1st character – indicates which system is having the problem.

B = Body C = Chassis P = Powertrain U = Undefined

2nd digit – identifies if the code is generic, or specific to a manufacturer

0 = Generic
1 = Manufacturer specific

3rd digit – indicates which sub-system is having the problem

1 = Emission Management (Fuel or Air)
2 = Injector Circuit (Fuel or Air)
3 = Ignition or Misfire
4 = Emission Control
5 = Vehicle Speed & Idle Control
6 = Computer & Output Circuit
7 = Transmission
8 = Transmission
9 = SAE Reserved
0 = SAE Reserved

4th and 5th digits – variable, and indicate a particular problem

My Jetta output a _lot_ of codes.

Which is why it failed its E-test, so hard, and is no longer on the road.

Couple this OBDII port to the internet,
and a whole new vertical in the auto industry is starting.

Example: Mojio is a (Canadian!) company that is soon launching a cellular-&-GPS device that plugs into this port. It will provide real-time engine analytics, share your car’s location with your contacts, analyze your driving style, and much more, because apps can be written for the device.

I predict insurance companies will use these, “pay only for insurance when you’re actually driving on the road! Imagine the savings!”… like that.