Mobile Hotspot antenna and range

[Samson16]

Does the built-in mobile hotspot equipment have an external antenna and how does its' range compare to an iphone 13 inside the cabin?

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[Samson16]

Epic fail for that question...

 

[Davexxxx]

The 2 black boxes on either side of the rear of the roof are, to my knowledge, the antennas.

How they compare in power to a specific model of phone inside the cab is answerable but probably not common knowledge.

 

[Samson16]

The 2 black boxes on either side of the rear of the roof are, to my knowledge, the antennas.

How they compare in power to a specific model of phone inside the cab is answerable but probably not common knowledge.

Thanks! I'm wondering if on trips the Ford supplied onboard cellular hotspot setup is worth the monthly charge. I don't need to pay for myaccess features like remote start etc., and I am considering adding a cell booster to the vehicle but I do not want to drill holes in the cabin. Magnet mount antennas don't work for f150's either, so the service charge payment to avoid drilling and mounting things is worth at least checking out imo.

 

[bbene]

I've had very good results with the built-in hotspot. The main sell for me was that you could pay $200/year for actually unlimited data. You can't get that on any other portable hotspots or tethering on phones. My kids have tablets and are constantly streaming using the hotspot and it has been pretty solid. It's AT&T for the service, and they seem to have better coverage in some areas where my Verizon phone doesn't.

 

[Davexxxx]

No idea what it costs. We have a different carrier, with no data, or hot spot caps, so what advantage there would be for us, would be were we in a place where our carrier didn't have a signal but ATT did.

Depending on the pace and location of our travels at that time, it might be worth it. Then again ...

 

[UGADawg96]

If you're concerned about iPhone quality, you could get a Google Pixel. j/k lol

Remote start is free in the Ford app.

We just drove from JAX to RVA and back over this past weekend and my wife just used the hot spot feature on her iPhone to use her laptop on both drives without any issues.

I don't find value in the truck's hot spot.

 

[Samson16]

I'm probably just trying to talk myself into having one more gadget or gizmo to mess with during long drives lol.

Should have spent the money on a Lariat...

 

[Kidder]

I've had very good results with the built-in hotspot. The main sell for me was that you could pay $200/year for actually unlimited data. You can't get that on any other portable hotspots or tethering on phones. My kids have tablets and are constantly streaming using the hotspot and it has been pretty solid. It's AT&T for the service, and they seem to have better coverage in some areas where my Verizon phone doesn't.

This. We go to Kentucky a lot (13 hour drives) and I can use this unlimited data and not use up our phone data which always happen (my wife is a zen master at Bubble Witch or whatever those games are).

 

[Samson16]

I like the idea of my phone connected via carplay for nav, music, phone calls etc., and then our ipad air or laptop connected via the hotspot for streaming or whatever else we're interested in at the moment.

We have T Mobile as our service provider. Our data plan is unlimited, but I like having another service provider available just in case. It's fun to be over prepared now that I'm older lol.

 

[Davexxxx]

We have T Mobile as our service provider. Our data plan is unlimited, but I like having another service provider available just in case. It's fun to be over prepared now that I'm older lol.

For 200/yr. I may join you. I know for certain some of our travel plans out west will benefit from this.

https://myvehicle.att.com/#/ford/learn?country=US&language=en

 

[ColoradoHunter]

The hotspot works great IMO. I hunt the plains of Colorado where service can be very spotty. The best service for that area is T-Mobile which is my cell provider. Now that I have the hotspot with AT&T I have service virtually everywhere. My coverage area probably doubled with the hotspot. Even my hunting partners with AT&T cells connect to it so they have cell service.

Back east with the better cell service I'd be shocked if you didn't have 100% coverage with the hotspot.

 

[HammaMan]

I'm probably just trying to talk myself into having one more gadget or gizmo to mess with during long drives lol.

Just call ATT car services and tell them you want your unlimited plan back. They'll then ask you what plan it was and you tell them it was the $15/mo unlimited. You had to replace your lost card and it just canceled the service. They don't keep records and they'll put you on unlimited for $15/mo w/ auto billing. It's cheaper than yearly and if you do cancel your card, it will remain on for 2 months before being shut down.

During this process your car will have to be re-added to your ATT car account as if you don't have a paid or trial running, it deletes your car from it. Don't link this to any other ATT account. Your ATT car account should be its own thing for your vehicles only.

If you have a new car, tell them the car you traded in a couple months ago had it, and that's what you're willing to pay. This is social engineering. "I don't use it enough to really justify it" "I'm on a strict budget" --- Look in every transaction someone is sold something, you either sell them your bullshit or buy theirs.

 

[Samson16]

The hotspot works great IMO. I hunt the plains of Colorado where service can be very spotty. The best service for that area is T-Mobile which is my cell provider. Now that I have the hotspot with AT&T I have service virtually everywhere. My coverage area probably doubled with the hotspot. Even my hunting partners with AT&T cells connect to it so they have cell service.

Back east with the better cell service I'd be shocked if you didn't have 100% coverage with the hotspot.

Thanks for that!

 

[travisN000]

I like the idea of my phone connected via carplay for nav, music, phone calls etc., and then our ipad air or laptop connected via the hotspot for streaming or whatever else we're interested in at the moment.

We have T Mobile as our service provider. Our data plan is unlimited, but I like having another service provider available just in case. It's fun to be over prepared now that I'm older lol.

I also use T-mobile, via Google Fi (unlimited), but I pay for the in-built ATT hotspot, as the coverage in some remote areas is better. I will say that the trucks hotspot is mostly only useful inside the truck; its strength fades quickly outside the truck.. don't expect to sit at your campfire and use the hotspot unless you are parked very close by, or have just the right angle / position.

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