Is there any benefit of having WiFi…

…in your truck if you have a phone?

 

I have it. Slow As F. Pre purchased 2 year plan from at&t in the toyota app for $200 thinking i was going to connect my Binize wireless carplay to it to stream videos.. but it is ultra ultra slow. I just use my phone wireless hot spot now. Only reason you would need it is so your passengers can connect to your Truck's wifi to maybe check their emails.. not fast enough to stream anything.

 

My trucks new so it’s still for the trial for now. Since I travel often, now I don’t have to take a portable hotspot with me for business purposes. Convenient for that and that alone really but allows the hotspot device to stay at home with wife and kids so I’ll likely be purchasing the data plan to keep it. Works fine for me and what I need to do

 

ITs a benefit for people who have money burning a hole in their pocket.
It a way get rid of that money you no longer want.

 

I use mine actually since the plan I have actually saves me $ compared to the usage I would pay for on my phone plan.

 

NO

 

The craziest/scariest/saddest thing is the privacy rights you sign away for them to take your money. Read the fine print! NO is the short answer. Unfortunately, you also sign away those rights to use remote unlock etc..

 

The streaming (for my 3 streamers who ride around with me on road trips) and the hope AT&T’s coverage in certain areas of WA/OR may be better than my T-Mobile phone plan were reasons I considered it…

…but I never actually pulled the trigger so thanks for confirming thats it would be a waste of money (and another source of frustration).

 

Use to be a benefit with kids and iPads etc. now that they have phones I don’t even bother. We never even activated our free trials.

 

I just throw on the hotspot on my company paid phone

 

I guess I’m showing my age but I like listening to the radio.

 

I have it for my kids electronics and it saves data when streaming music (no unlimited data here).

 

NO.

Give the kids/wife a book or make them watch out the window.....or talk and keep you entertained when driving with a conversation.

No wifi here and I don't allow them to stream on road trips.

XM radio is as techy as I get in my Tundra.

 

Wow, you sound like a fun dad.

 

unlimited hotspot with verizon...no need for the truck to have it too.

 

Teaching social skills, conversation and learning to appreciate personal relationships, the wilderness and scenic places we go.....yup, I'm a terrible Dad as I drive my kids hours into the country to go fishing, kayaking, canoeing, camping and hiking.

They'd be way better off if I let them stare at their phones for the hours on end as we pass crystal clear lakes, rushing rivers, wildlife and not have talk to anyone or look outside.

Trust me, my kids won't look back in the years to come and wish they had spent more time on their phones or apps, instead of enjoying the great outdoors and having verbal conversations.

 

I have movie players for the kids but they only come out for 6+ hrs drives. Other than that I agree with everything you've said. Like we always tell our kids "It ok to be bored. You will learn to use your imagination and appreciate the world around you". There is no need to have a screen in your face 24/7.

 

This thread made me take a second look at the wifi settings in the toyota. Turns out that the truck puts out 2 wifi networks. 2.4GHz & 5 GHz. My devices were originally connected to the 2.4 GHz, and that is what was painstakingly slow. However after experimenting with the 5G network today, its actually surprisingly fast. Fast enough to stream netflix, youtube, etc.. sorry for any confusion. Speed would be adequate if kids wanted to connect and stream. But I'll leave that decision up to the parent lol. I feel a little better since i prepaid for the 2 year unlimited data plan with at&t. I think it was ~$200 at the time. It's not as bad as i thought. My bad for not realizing there was a 5g option. I originally just connected to the first network that said 'Toyota'

 

Thanks for double checking

 

Signed up for the trial since it sounded great… I use wireless CarPlay exclusively and it isn’t compatible with wireless CarPlay, making it completely useless for me. I may test it out again come hunting season for communication in remote areas but for now it’s been canceled.

 

It won't do you any good in remote areas. Works just like a cell phone. Unless there is cell service in the area.. its not gonna work nor will it provide any wifi hot spots. Good for wifi around town is all.

 

Maybe it’s just marketing but I thought I’d read that an antennae on a vehicle has enhanced coverage capabilities compared to those on a phone? I know I wouldn’t get great coverage but I’m wondering if I might be able to make a call using the trucks WiFi in a place where my phone may not get enough coverage to do so.

 

Wasn't aware of that. I plan on hitting some remote forest trails tomorrow that I know wont have cell service, so I'll keep you posted lol.

 

I’ll be curious to hear how it works. Thank you!

 

Has anyone done a comparison between tethering your phone and the truck wifi? My tethering is pretty quick. The ONLY way I would even think of paying for wifi in the truck is if the antenna was significantly better than the phone, to enable wifi coverage when the cellular signal is poor. And right now I don't need it anyway, so I never even considered subscribing.

 

Reporting back, the wifi was pretty much worthless in the forest. No cell signal, nor was the truck putting out a wifi signal. Only when I got to the very edge of forest on my way back home did i see one bar on the Tundra 2.4G wifi signal. Still had no cellular signal at this point. Tried sending a message via wifi, but didnt go through lol.. phone stated 'connected but no internet' because the connection was too weak. For reference this was around Mt Rainier National Park in Washington.

 

My Tundra WIFI is painfully slow. I did a speedtest and was getting between 12 and 15 Mbps. At the same time the hotspot on my 5g cell phone was getting 65Mbps. Tried to surf the web with my iPad and it was almost impossible. Watching a video in out of the question.

 

Thank you for the field report! I will pass on it for now.

 

Sounds like a pretty awesome Dad to me...