AT&T's New Gadget Will Put Wifi in Your Old Ass Car

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I had to laugh when they referred to vehicles newer than 1996 as an "old ass car."

AT&T just announced a new gadget called Mobley that plugs into your car’s on-board diagnostics port, and when you turn on the car, you’ve got a wifi hotspot. That means that it’ll work with most American models built after 1996. When you turn your car off, the Mobley turns off, so you won’t have to worry about charging a battery, like you do with other mobile hotspots.
 
Sounds like a pretty pointless device. The only scenario I can come up with that would make this useful is if you had a backseat full of kids eating cheetos and gummy bears while playing with iPads connected to the internet. Even then, ATT's laughably low data caps still make this pointless.
 
No way am i sticking anything into the obd2 port for wifi...

Talk about an easy hack plus data logging and such.
 
Probleminfected said:
No way am i sticking anything into the obd2 port for wifi...

Talk about an easy hack plus data logging and such.
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That's assuming it is even connected to any of the other pins on the ODBII port other than power. If it is, holy shit. I wouldn't touch it either. However, I doubt this thing does anything but use power and sense on/off of ignition so it doesn't drain battery when the engine is off (many cigarette lighter's still give power when engine off).
 
You can do this same damn thing right now with a wifi hotspot device that's USB powered that plugs right into your cig lighter.

I have an old 4G LTE Verizon hot spot that is charged via USB. I plug it in, turn on the hotspot, connect to it and off I go.

NOT ROCKET SURGERY.
 
That would be somewhat useful if the data rates were better. Unfortunately they are as bad as always so you may as well just add more data to your phone.
 
Bigdady92 said:
You can do this same damn thing right now with a wifi hotspot device that's USB powered that plugs right into your cig lighter.

I have an old 4G LTE Verizon hot spot that is charged via USB. I plug it in, turn on the hotspot, connect to it and off I go.

NOT ROCKET SURGERY.
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I think the only reason they are using ODB port is to turn it on/off with car ignition. Some car cigarette ports still give power when the car is off, possibly draining your battery and allowing people to connect to it when you leave. There are plenty of dumb people this product is aimed at, I just can't see enough people justifying the cost of this device for this to be a viable product.
 
Another way to look at this. How often do you use your OBD2 port? rearly, so why not plug something in that uses a port you never use and is out of the way. Plugging something into your 12V port (cigarette lighter) takes up a port that normally you want / need for your phone or other devices, plug puts the device right in the way of everything else.

So of all the places that the average person could easily get to, that one makes the most sense for me.
 
Exavior said:
Another way to look at this. How often do you use your OBD2 port? rearly, so why not plug something in that uses a port you never use and is out of the way. Plugging something into your 12V port (cigarette lighter) takes up a port that normally you want / need for your phone or other devices, plug puts the device right in the way of everything else.

So of all the places that the average person could easily get to, that one makes the most sense for me.
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Plus, the ODB2 port is always in a good spot so whatever you plug into it will jab you in the legs!
 
toast0 said:
Plus, the ODB2 port is always in a good spot so whatever you plug into it will jab you in the legs!
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I was going to say, unless this thing is smaller than 1" deep, it's going to protrude way too far. And even then, my newer car has a door that closes over the OBD2 port.
 
NickS said:
I was going to say, unless this thing is smaller than 1" deep, it's going to protrude way too far. And even then, my newer car has a door that closes over the OBD2 port.
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What us with everyone and their uncle wanting to plug into the obd2 port?

Even if they aren't collecting telemetry information (which I think everyone nerds to be skeptical of), you are plugging a device into a port designed to provide a diagnostic connection to your car's on board computer. If in fact there is any kind of data connection, I'd consider this a significant vulnerability waiting to happen with all of the car hacking discussion right now.

Also, these ports were presumably engineered for occasional diagnostic use. If you bump the connector with your knee and break it... your mechanic will love you the next time you go in for service...

My personal opinion is that a wifi access point in a car doesn't really make sense for most consumers. Better off using your phone as a Hotspot or have tablet devices capable of cellular data connection. I can see some use for an actual Hotspot device in a truck with a bunch of computer gear (scientific research, storm chasers, emergency vehicles).

Data rates are still too high for this to make sense. In a lot of cases, the data is shared between devices, so it's not like you get a cheaper rate because you are using a dedicated hotspot...
 
Steve said:
I had to laugh when they referred to vehicles newer than 1996 as an "old ass car."
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The oldest car I ever had was 7 years old when I sold it.

I don't see the point in trying to keep old cars running.

As I see it cars have expiration dates. Once they are 10 years old or have 100,000 miles or more, its time for them to be put out of their misery.
 
Canon said:
What us with everyone and their uncle wanting to plug into the obd2 port?
Click to expand...

It's simple really. It's a market.

Just about every car on the road has this port. Probably 99.9%(or greater) of the ports never get used outside of the mechanic checking a code. This means you have an extremely large potential customer base, due to the number of available ports. Cheap electronics are well... cheap to make. The public seems to still love the "cloud", "connected", and "internet of things"(and all sorts of other stupid buzzwords and phrases). Via dirt cheap electronic gadget, a port that's available and not used for much else, and a general public that probably wouldn't mind being able to say "my car is it's own wifi hotspot" or whatever as if that's some sort of luxury feature upgrade for their vehicle, you've got lots of potential customers willing to cram things into their obd2 ports.

It's the same reason people who didn't have any real need, went out and bought those obd2 bluetooth adapters so they can look at some gauges on their tablet/phone and feel like their honda accord or whatever is some fancy tuner car for 15 minutes(only to forget about it a month later)
 
Zarathustra[H];1041843419 said:
The oldest car I ever had was 7 years old when I sold it.

I don't see the point in trying to keep old cars running.

As I see it cars have expiration dates. Once they are 10 years old or have 100,000 miles or more, its time for them to be put out of their misery.
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I don't understand why everyone doesn't just lease a new sports car every 6 months like Steve Jobs did. Once your car is required to have a license plate, it's already too old.
 
Must be nice to be making all this money to buy a new vehicle every 10 years or new lease every 6 months. I still have a 1993 Sierra xc 1500, only issue with it is the starter is out, big whoop. Runs great still.
 
Soarin said:
Must be nice to be making all this money to buy a new vehicle every 10 years or new lease every 6 months. I still have a 1993 Sierra xc 1500, only issue with it is the starter is out, big whoop. Runs great still.
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well if you always get the car on a lease and wait for the 0 down promo you are good to go if you can pay the payment.
 
Soarin said:
Must be nice to be making all this money to buy a new vehicle every 10 years or new lease every 6 months. I still have a 1993 Sierra xc 1500, only issue with it is the starter is out, big whoop. Runs great still.
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You'd rather have money than a fancy car you can't really afford? You must be Canadian or something.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041843419 said:
As I see it cars have expiration dates. Once they are 10 years old or have 100,000 miles or more, its time for them to be put out of their misery.
Click to expand...
Not all cars are built the same way, a lot of Toyota compacts (e.g. corolla) can drive forever as long as you don't abuse them too much and do the regular maintenance on it. But yeah once that $1000 bill turns into a bi-annual schedule, to a monthly schedule you need to toss it.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041843419 said:
The oldest car I ever had was 7 years old when I sold it.

I don't see the point in trying to keep old cars running.

As I see it cars have expiration dates. Once they are 10 years old or have 100,000 miles or more, its time for them to be put out of their misery.
Click to expand...

If you think 100k is the end of a vehicle, you must be buying "American."

Buy yourself a nice Japanese car or something. Those don't get broken in till they hit 100k...

And just FYI, older cars are a *lot* cheaper to maintain than newer models if you know how to do pretty simple mechanical work. All the computerized crap in new cars is a nightmare to deal with on so many levels.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041843419 said:
The oldest car I ever had was 7 years old when I sold it.

I don't see the point in trying to keep old cars running.

As I see it cars have expiration dates. Once they are 10 years old or have 100,000 miles or more, its time for them to be put out of their misery.
Click to expand...

LOL..

1989 Honda Civic Wagon. Was given to me when it had about 180k miles. Put about $100 in it besides tires once and a clutch, drove it till it had 220k miles and then sold it because I had too many cars.

2005 Scion TC. Bought it new. Drove it 70k miles for work the first year I had it. Still have it and it is almost to 200k miles. Biggest problem I have had with it so far is the alternator went out once and the water pump went out once.

2007 Toyota Sienna. Just bought it a few months ago from a friend for a really good price. Has ~190k miles on it and runs and drives pretty much like new. No oil leaks whatsoever. Needed brakes, tires, and a few other minor things.

100k miles is just barely broken in as long as you take care of it.
 
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot said:
If you think 100k is the end of a vehicle, you must be buying "American."

Buy yourself a nice Japanese car or something. Those don't get broken in till they hit 100k...

And just FYI, older cars are a *lot* cheaper to maintain than newer models if you know how to do pretty simple mechanical work. All the computerized crap in new cars is a nightmare to deal with on so many levels.
Click to expand...

Vehicle registration and insurance is a whole lot cheaper as well.
 
why would anyone pay for a hotspot when every phone manufactured in the last 5 years can do this easily?
 
Zarathustra[H];1041843419 said:
The oldest car I ever had was 7 years old when I sold it.

I don't see the point in trying to keep old cars running.

As I see it cars have expiration dates. Once they are 10 years old or have 100,000 miles or more, its time for them to be put out of their misery.
Click to expand...


The consumerism is strong in this one. You will be of use when the plan is reveled.
 
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot said:
If you think 100k is the end of a vehicle, you must be buying "American."

Buy yourself a nice Japanese car or something. Those don't get broken in till they hit 100k...

And just FYI, older cars are a *lot* cheaper to maintain than newer models if you know how to do pretty simple mechanical work. All the computerized crap in new cars is a nightmare to deal with on so many levels.
Click to expand...

Nah,

I exclusively buy European. I've driven american and Japanese cars, but they just don't feel right on the road to me.

It's not that they suddenly DIE at 100,000 miles, but it starts getting increasingly expensive to maintain them, and one of my biggest pet peeves are vibrations and rattles in cars.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041843907 said:
Nah,

I exclusively buy European. I've driven american and Japanese cars, but they just don't feel right on the road to me.

It's not that they suddenly DIE at 100,000 miles, but it starts getting increasingly expensive to maintain them, and one of my biggest pet peeves are vibrations and rattles in cars.
Click to expand...

Cause you're buying European. They essentially turn to crap after 4-5 years. Known for performance, not for longevity. At least now. 10-15 years ago, European cars lasted.

I currently own 4 cars.

96 Impreza
98 Impreza
99 Impreza
00 Impreza

My 96 and 98 run fine, but are in storage. 99 has bad headgasket, which I'll be replacing soon. 00 works fine, but....race car. So I'm always replacing things on it, like tires, brakes, or suspension.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041843907 said:
Nah,

I exclusively buy European. I've driven american and Japanese cars, but they just don't feel right on the road to me.

It's not that they suddenly DIE at 100,000 miles, but it starts getting increasingly expensive to maintain them, and one of my biggest pet peeves are vibrations and rattles in cars.
Click to expand...

Not sure what kind of crap boxes you buy that suddenly get expensive to maintain after 100k miles. Euros are generally expensive after their first... 1 mile due to all the little things that break here and there (looking at you BMW). That being said, unless you're not maintaining them up until 100k, then they definitely don't explode with repairs suddenly.

But hey, to each his own.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041843907 said:
Nah,

I exclusively buy European. I've driven american and Japanese cars, but they just don't feel right on the road to me.

It's not that they suddenly DIE at 100,000 miles, but it starts getting increasingly expensive to maintain them, and one of my biggest pet peeves are vibrations and rattles in cars.
Click to expand...
I've had cars that turn to crap after 100k miles, and I've had others that are still great. Part of it is the quality of the car, part how you maintain it.
 
cyclone3d said:
LOL..

1989 Honda Civic Wagon. Was given to me when it had about 180k miles. Put about $100 in it besides tires once and a clutch, drove it till it had 220k miles and then sold it because I had too many cars.

2005 Scion TC. Bought it new. Drove it 70k miles for work the first year I had it. Still have it and it is almost to 200k miles. Biggest problem I have had with it so far is the alternator went out once and the water pump went out once.

2007 Toyota Sienna. Just bought it a few months ago from a friend for a really good price. Has ~190k miles on it and runs and drives pretty much like new. No oil leaks whatsoever. Needed brakes, tires, and a few other minor things.

100k miles is just barely broken in as long as you take care of it.
Click to expand...

Do your cars never need suspension work? I see stories like this all of the time and no one mentions suspension items.

Or maybe I'm just nutty and I'm not satisfied until I can go over washboard pavement with not a single clunk squeak or knock from anything suspension wise, so I end up replacing everything on older cars and no one else gives a damn.
 
Prod1702 said:
well if you always get the car on a lease and wait for the 0 down promo you are good to go if you can pay the payment.
Click to expand...

So paying to rent a car, but it's no interest so that makes it smart?... Leasing only makes sense for business vehicles where you write off the expense. Or people who like wasting money to have a new car every few years that they don't own.
 
McFry said:
why would anyone pay for a hotspot when every phone manufactured in the last 5 years can do this easily?
Click to expand...

Why do you have running water in your house when hand pump has been perfectly find for decades? It doesn't matter if you can turn your phone into a hot spot, it has to do with convenience. With a device like this, it will just be working. You get in your car, turn it on and then you are able to have anything connect to it. With a phone, you have to turn on sharing, then when you are done driving turn it back off. That takes time and effort, so the device is much faster. That said does everyone need one of these? No, but it still could be nice to have one for certain groups of people.

NickS said:
Do your cars never need suspension work? I see stories like this all of the time and no one mentions suspension items.

Or maybe I'm just nutty and I'm not satisfied until I can go over washboard pavement with not a single clunk squeak or knock from anything suspension wise, so I end up replacing everything on older cars and no one else gives a damn.
Click to expand...

This, "running" and running well are two different things.
 
Bought a used 1999 Ford Expedition a few years ago. Currently has 195k on it, still going strong, no major repairs needed.

Other car is a 2005 Chevy Impala LS. 165k miles on it, no major repairs needed.

With the cars paid off, I can save the money on a payment into a maintenance account. Since I can do some work myself, there's not much maintenance or repairs in a year over a long period that would cost me more than a year's worth of payments. It's economical, and I don't have to worry about my cars being hacked!
 
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