How is Prime connected to the interwebs?

"FM"

 

Bluetooth, through the Entune Application on a cell phone.

 

It only needs to be on when you're in the car and the car is on.

 

On the Advanced, those features are done through a subscription to "Safety Connect", for which the car has its own connection.

 

It's free for the first three years on the Prime Advanced.

 

The Advanced has its own cell phone for Safety Connect (emergency response) and the "Advanced" Entune Apps (such as charge management, vehicle location, remote climate control). This phone is NOT used for the media Entune applications such as Pandora. For these, it uses a Bluetooth connection to the Entune application running on your smartphone, and thence to the Internet. The navigation system uses HD Radio data for traffic info, which comes over FM.

BTW, what are "the InterWebs". I know about the Internet. I used it when it was still a Department of Defense research project called "ArpaNet". I know about a popular service that runs over the Internet, which is called World Wide Web (www). But what is this "InterWebs" thing?

 

A surprising number of folks never gophered or kermitted, and think the web is all the network there is.
Gopher (protocol) - Wikipedia
Kermit (protocol) - Wikipedia

 

Maybe I'm out of date, but I don't think it does software updates. I think you have to go to the dealer for that. Usually "by invitation only".

 

There are a bunch of different software components. I believe that updates to the Entune media apps are done online, when you connect to the media apps (like on the first generation PiP). Updating the core display software is done at the dealer. Map data is now on an SD card, I think. My apologies if I have this wrong.

There are still lots of other Internet services in common use "under the cover", but they are usually either used internally (like DNS) or wrapped by an HTTP/HTTPS wrapper for the user interface. Thus, the misunderstanding of Internet = Web.

 

I am pretty sure (but not 100%) that they use Verizon. I am not sure which technology they are using. (CDMA/1x or LTE). Since they don't use it for media streaming, they only need voice and low-speed data for the telematics, for which CDMA/1x is just fine. Unless the cell phone is LTE-capable, it is going to have a problem after Verizon turns off its CDMA network, currently scheduled for December, 2019. AT&T has already stranded GSM-only devices.

 

^ Yup. Maybe @Prius Team could find out for us?

 

Unlike the at&t/T-Mobile 3G infrastructure, Verizon 3G (EV-DO) does not not support voice. It is data only (the "DO" in EV-DO). If you want want voice on Verizon, it is either CDMA/1xRTT or LTE.

 

When I talked to Toyota about a problem with our safety connect features, they said that it was Verizon, although I didn't ask if it was a CDMA or LTE connection. I should have asked but didn't think to. That said, last time I tried CDMA devices did not work in my front yard but LTE devices did, the car definitely gets and sends signals from my front yard so my guess is that it may be LTE given the horrible reception for CMDA in my yard normally. But it has been over a years since the last person was in my front yard fuming about their cell service not working on an office supplied cheap phone so who knows maybe Verizon updated some tower. My cell phones are ATT so can't really test out the theory.