How do the Plug-in Hybrid smartphone applications (Charge Management, Remote Air Conditioning System, Charging Station Map, Vehicle Finder and Eco Dashboard) communicate with the Prius Plug-in Hybrid Advanced? At first, I assumed that the phone needed to have a Bluetooth connection to the Premium HDD Navigation system, but the photos shown on Toyota's web site (below) don't show an active Bluetooth connection on the phone (in addition, Bluetooth would severely limit the range that the applications could be used when away from the car). Does the phone communicate with an Entune server via the internet, then the Entune server communicates with the car using the Safety Connect cellular communication system? I'm trying to figure out if there are any range limitations between the phone and the car when using the applications to remotely turn on the A/C or check the charging status.
Those apps will only be available on the Prius advanced. The advanced has Safety Connect. That means the car has its own cell transmitter/receiver in the car like OnStar. You download the Entune software to your smartphone and the app basically connects with Toyota server and sends commands etc to/from the car. That's basically the gist of it real quick while typing from my phone.
There is no range limit because, as Paradox said, the car can be thought of as a cellular device. Have you seen the commercial where the girl is in the driveway with her friend and she calls her dad to borrow the car? He uses his phone to turn it on for her. If you pay attention, she's in the middle of the day while he's looking out the hotel window into nighttime. I'm not sure if they meant it this way, but it shows that he's not just away but far away. I'm going to be very (VERY) overly simple here. But think of it this way: the phone app simply sends a short message to the car. Think of it as a text message. And that text message says something like "Show SoC". When the car receives that message, it replies with "SoC=75". And then the phone app refreshes with an indication of 75%. Likewise, the phone app can send a text message that says "AC on" and when the car receives that message it turns on the A/C. Again, overly simplified but performed from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world.
Thanks for the confirmation. I was assuming it was using the Safety Connect system to communicate with the car, I was just confused when the Plug-in Hybrid Applications were listed under Entune in the list of features. Also, the Entune FAQs states: It sounds like Entune and Safety Connect aren't completely separate (at least in regards to Plug-in Hybrid Applications), but it looks like the two services require separate subscriptions after the trial periods expire. I'm not really clear on what services Entune provides with its subscription - it sounds like they are charging you for the ability to use your car's touch screen and audio system to access information that is freely available on the internet, using your cell phone for data access (which you already pay another company for). Has the cost for Entune (after trial period) been announced yet? Maybe some day Entune will have the option of using the Safety Connect cellular communications hardware to provide the data access, in place of a cell phone - this I can see paying extra for.
If you have an iPhone, you can already go to the apple app store and search for "entune" and download the app, its free. Of course the very first thing that is asked when you launch the app is "email address" and "password", so you won't get very far, but the app already exists, FYI. P.S. If you then go to "myentune.com" to try an register an account, you are asked for your first name, last name, email address, and VIN. That last one will probably stop most of us, until we have an entune equiped Toyota vehicle
literally . . . in fact, the Leaf EV's applications work through cell sites. I hate to think how much time I waste - checking on how my range/efficiency compares to others around the world. .
Has anyone found that paying for Safety Connect is worth the cost? I want the gadgetry, but it seems very expensive..
