cyberdentist

Finally bought a 2012 CPO Audi A6 this week and was researching on data options for Audi connect.

Tmobile just announced this. Anyone had a chance to try this? I ordered my Data sim but don't have a 3G tablet to activate the sim. i am assuming that after the sim is activated for data only, it should work with Audi connect.

Tmobile FAQ

T-mobile FAQ (click on "View More Questions") http://www.t-mobile.com/landing/f...ID=4485850

You say customers get 200MB of free data so why do customers have to pay $10 a month?
Anyone who brings an eligible tablet to T-Mobile or purchases a new tablet outright is entitled to 200 MB of free 4G LTE data every month, regardless if they’re a current customer or not. Well-qualified customers with an existing T-Mobile line of service are also entitled to $0 down interest free financing in addition to the free data. Customers who don’t currently have a line of service with T-Mobile and want $0 down interest free financing on the purchase of a new tablet will be required to pay $10 a month in order to reduce the risk of fraud. This $10 a month charge is not connected to the free data, rather it is a part of the financing package.

After the free 200MB 4G LTE runs out, do you get free unlimited 2G?
In a nutshell, for free customers, there is no unlimited 2G after the free data runs out. For paying Simple Choice customers, there is unlimited 2G. But not for free customers.

Do I have to be on a plan or a contract in order to get the free data?
Directly from T-mobile FAQ (click on "View More Questions") http://www.t-mobile.com/landing/f...ID=4485850
In order to get the 200 MB of free Starter Data, you need to have an active Mobile Internet account with T-Mobile.
If you are a postpaid customer, you’ll need to have an On Demand data plan at minimum which is $0/mo. if you are a voice customer (after $10 line credit).
If you are a prepaid customer, you’ll need to activate a prepaid account. You do not have to a purchase data pass in order to access your free Starter Data. T-Mobile does not require an annual service contract.

Is the free Starter Data allocation throttled like other Mobile Internet plans and passes?
Directly from T-mobile FAQ (click on "View More Questions") http://www.t-mobile.com/landing/f...ID=4485850
No, the 200 MB Starter Data is capped. This means that once you have used it up, you have three options:
Upgrade to a Simple Choice Mobile Internet Plan that gives you more data each month. See our Simple Choice Mobile Internet plans page.
Buy an On Demand data pass.
Wait until you receive your next allocation of free data.

What devices are eligible for the Starter Data promotion?
Directly from T-mobile FAQ (click on "View More Questions") http://www.t-mobile.com/landing/f...ID=4485850
Most tablets compatible with T-Mobile’s network are eligible. This includes:
Tablets previously sold by T-Mobile
Tablets currently sold by T-Mobile
Tablets that are coming soon to T-Mobile that have been announced
Selected tablets that you may have bought for use on another carrier network.

Can I get $0 down and free data without being on a Simple Choice monthly plan?
Yes. Of course, all tablet customers are entitled to the 200MB/month free data for life offer. And if you’re a well-qualified voice customer on a Simple Choice plan you’re also eligible to get $0 down (EIP) even if you’re just on the free data. If you don’t have a Simple Choice voice plan you will need to be on a Simple Choice Mobile Internet plan or an On Demand Data plan for your tablet, in order to get $0 down.

s5blitzer

I would rather go see a dentist to have an bad tooth pulled than to figure what is possible with this T-Mobile workaround.

Seriously, I am interested to see what others say.

BigDawg

Waiting to take delivery of my A6 next week..What size is the Sim Card?? Full , micro, nano?

snagitseven

Ha. Yeah, this is one convoluted offer. I read it three times and still don't understand it. I question if it would even be a "free" stand-alone solution without buying something else or if the sim would even work at all with Audi Connect. We'll see if someone actually figures it out.

s5blitzer

Full.

DirkM

I just went through the process of getting the "free 200mb for life" which was a nightmare because nobody at t-mobile knows what plan or SIM to get.

Anyway, I ordered a nano SIM starter kit for On Demand broadband Internet which is $10 a month but t-mobile customers get a $10 discount which makes it free. The SIM came activated but my Verizon iPad Air could not connect to the Internet even though it showed t-mobile LTE with 5 bars. Turns out that the On Demand SIM has to be linked to a device before it starts working. The solution was to go to Settings/Cellular/View Account and set up a new profile (it didn't like the ID and password that I use for the my.t-mobile.com site). After creating the account and restarting the iPad I got the 200MB/30day MI Starter Data package which is free after the discount. The On Demand packages do not allow data usage at 2G speeds after the initial data is used up which means no data after the initial 200mb have been used. That being said, I haven't tried the nano SIM in the Audi yet (can't find my SIM adapter and don't want the nano SIM to drop into the MMI) but activating the SIM in the first place might be the issue. And the 200mb free plan is for tablets only.

t-mobile will not allow using a phone SIM in a broadband device which means an iPhone 5S nano SIM will not work in an iPad Air. But this seems to be limited to devices (IMEIs) that they know are broadband internet devices. I have a full size SIM that I use in an iPhone 3GS and that works in the Audi MMI. As additional phone line that's only $10 per month with 500mb high speed included, after 500mb it's 2G speed which is still as fast as AT&T as long as the area is covered by t-mobile. I also got a Mobile Broadband SIM which is $20/month - $10 discount = $10/month, good for 500mb highspeed and 2G after that. That's what I use in the MMI right now.

Maverick61

Yea, I have a couple of the free full size SIM cards I was able to get - just have not yet figured out how to activate them as I have no tablet they will work in.

I have an unlocked phone I could use to activate it but am worried that will tie the SIM to that IMEI and make it not able to sign up for the 200MB free per month

I would be interested if someone gets it to work activating the SIM in their tablet then moving the SIM to their Audi, especially as my initial Audi Connect just ran out. Not a huge issue for me as other than google maps, I never used Audi Connect - and right now I still have been able to have the google maps working fine (I assume mainly cached copies)

GotZillaR

I just received my full size sim and tried it. It said the device is not supported in some kind of internet browser. But on the screen, it does give me other options which I cannot remember. I'll try again after work.

snagitseven

Maverick, I'm surprised you didn't mention Google search. Since every POI available on the internet Google Map is also available via the online search, that is by far my most used feature of Audi Connect (the other features for me are gravy). The internal nav POIs are very limited by comparison and are static compared to the dynamic Google POIs (and will eventually become outdated unless you spend gpbs of money for Audi nav updates). In fact, the only time I use the internal POI search is for specific addresses.

Maverick61

Snagit - well, I guess typically I know where I am going so I do not have a need to do a POI search. And if I am in an unfamiliar area and want to find a restaurant, I prefer looking it up on my phone via Yelp so I can check out reviews, etc.

Really the only time I have used the POI was when it recently popped up as I was running low on gas. Now I was close to home so I obviously knew where the stations were, but I could see how that would be helpful if out of town somewhere. Then again, if out of town somewhere, I would fill up before I got down to under 15 miles to go in gas left