StormRune

Intro
When I recently bought a used 2017 991.2 the dealership failed to provide me with any information about how to hook up the online capabilities of the car. I assume with all-new cars the dealers do a good job of helping with this, but I figure with more used 2017s coming around now there might be more of us in my position. I typically would have gone back to the dealer and had them help me directly, but I bought the car out of town and didn't want to go back just for this.

Being that it wasn't nearly as easy to find concise information on all of this as I initially expected, I've decided to start a thread describing where to find information on these and how to enable them. I understand that some of this may be different for the 2018 models, but other than the SIM card difference I think it should be very similar.

Two Online Systems
Not including Apple Play, there are two other systems in the 991.2 that use online connectivity. They use two separate cellular connections and services, both active in the car at the same time. The names are confusingly similar but here they are:

Porsche Car Connect - This system allows you to remotely access the car and information about the car from a smart phone and an Apple Watch if you have one. It does not require any sort of cellular contract. This system is actually operated by Vodafone and does not require a separate cell phone contract, that is included in the cost of the services.
A pretty summary of features can be found here: https://www.porsche.com/usa/connect/facts/#car-connect. One thing that I see on my Apple Watch that isn't mentioned here is a button to enable Valet mode from the watch. I'll have to experiment with it to see what it does and report back.

This system requires you to sign up on a Vodafone-hosted site. Once signed-up, they will provide you with an authorization code that you have to take to the dealer who has to enter the code at the dealership (with a PIWIS I assume). The Austin dealer was kind enough to do this for me for free even though I bought the car elsewhere. Nice!

You can sign up for the service here: https://pcc.vodafonetelematics.com/cwp/login.do. They were kind enough to provide me with a year of Remote Services for free. I don't know if the prior owner didn't sign up for it so I'm the first for this car, or if it is free for a year for each new owner. I'll probably add the safety services (automated call-for-help in a crash) for a fee to help protect me on my early morning back country road jaunts. They do have combo pricing if you look at the "detailed price list" at the link I provided.

Porsche Connect Plus - This system provides online services inside the car itself with some ability to provide updates from a web portal or smartphone app.
A pretty summary of features can be found here: https://www.porsche.com/usa/connect/facts/. It also includes enabled of the WiFi hotspot in the car.

While you can do some of this via tethering to your smart phone if you have a Connect Plus services contract, you have to rebind the connection to your phone each time you start the car. This is a bit annoying. If you choose to add a SIM and activate the service with AT&T, then that is automatic every time. (Another Rennlister has info on using it with Google Fi, look for this thread if that appeals to you).

Typically this is done through Porsche and uses an AT&T SIM and service . Apparently my car came with the Connect Plus features still active from the prior owner (until August), but with no SIM. If you need to add a SIM you cannot do it directly at an AT&T store or online. You have to either get the selling dealer to give you the package and bind the SIM to your VIN, or you can call Porsche and they will overnight you the package after they verify your ownership via checking the VIN against some personal info. The dealer that sold me the car gave me their contact info, although they told me that he could have done it for me.

To call Porsche Connect services and get the SIM, dial 1-800-PORSCHE (767-7243). At the menu select option 3 then option 2. They will guide you from there and you should have your SIM the next day. It will include instructions. Basically, you go to a special AT&T site (https://myvehicle.att.com/#/Porsche/learn). Under the Sign Up option there, it will ask you for the SIM number and some other info and you'll end up with 3 months free service with a 3GB cap. They said this is available to both new and used car buyers... although I'd guess you have to buy the car through Porsche to get this for a used car.

The current AT&T part of the pricing after three months is $10/mo if you have a mobile share plan with them subject to the data limits of that plan, $10/mo for 1GB with no existing plan, or $20/mo for unlimited data. The cost of the Porsche connect services is separate.

Too keep this long first post shorter, I'll include some screenshots I've taken of some of the various screens in later posts.

StormRune

Porsche Connected Car Screenshots (Not everything shown, the smudges are where I blur out the display of my license plate number)
Smartphone Screens




The circle tries to show your maximum potential range if you drove straight to an edge.




Only "Fill Info" pressures are shown, the app does not appear to provide absolute pressures. That works best for me though.


If a car has retracting mirrors, a control for that apparently shows up here too. Otherwise you can only Lock the car, it seems you cannot unlock it here. You do get visual indications of things you've left open. I've tested that it can show the engine cover, frunk, windows, doors, and sunroof. Here I popped all of those open so they'd show up in the graphic.





Note that "horn" actually doesn't beep the horn but sounds a couple of second warble from the same speaker that the door lock sound mechanism makes. Normally street names are visible but I blurred those out in this screenshot.





If you do set a GeoFence, it is done using a box as shown here. Only boxes aligned to the lat/long grid appear to be supported.


Apple Watch Screens









Only the window and sunroof left open here.


I can find nothing online explaining what "valet on/off" setting specifically does, so I'll try that soon and post the results. It appears to be a recent app addition for the watch only.

2FAST455

achtung6

Thank you. I'm about to get my 2017 991.2 and this info is of great value.

StormRune

There's not a lot to show for the Porsche Connect App on the smartphone. There is a misc settings screen I don't bother to show.

It might be the easiest way to enter Navigation destinations for the car though, especially if you want to enter them before getting in the car.


This gives you an idea of the available services it can interact with.


Cutely enough, the app appears to look up how your car is configured and gives you a somewhat correct image for it. This has all the correct color and wheels for me, but doesn't show the PSE correctly.

StormRune

I also took a photo of the PCM screen in the car with the PCM set to use Google Earth Maps in 3D with POIs shown. When navigating an unfamiliar area, I think this is pretty handy since you readily see not just the roads, but the routes through the parking lots and paths behind buildings. If you are looking for a POI you get a better idea of what the area it is in looks like.

StormRune

Here's the list of services for Porsche Connect as shown on the web portal. Notice that the first three have configurable settings. (Really... do we need a Twitter feed on a car's screen???).
I've experimented with a couple of these and some only allow you to see a summary when moving. You have to stop to see the detail. I even question the summary as being a bit much from what I see... but I'm trying hard not to turn this into a judgement of the features thread.

2001f4s

Stormrune that is really helpful, thank you. Like you, I bought a used 991.2, and the dealer did give me a SIM card, but I have not had a chance to install it, nor was I clear on the functions of the Car Connects Apps. Your post will really come in handy.

drgek

All good info, but as a caveat it is different on 2018 cars, which no longer use an ATT SIM card and can no longer be connected to your phone hotspot. There is a built in SIM card; Porsche Connect (or Connect Plus) services are then purchased through the website.

subshooter

Great post and you cleared up some questions for me. But, how does Porsche Car Connect communicate with the car without a cell connection? Blue tooth does not have the range.

subshooter

I had a ATT SIM card in my 2018. Granted the car was built in June 2017 so maybe there was some carry over from MY 2017?

drgek

Certainly possible; my Targa 4 GTS was built in 11/17 and does not use the SIM card (which my 2017 Targa 4S did.)

tstafford

I'm curious, what aspects of this do folks find most useful? I've not used it at all because I'm pretty in to CarPlay.

StormRune

Sorry I wasn't clear. Porsche Car Connect is also using a cellular data connection but it is one you do not have any direct visibility to. It is different than the AT&T hosted one that you use the SIM in the PCM for. And just through coincidental events I am certain of this. Here's why:

I had been looking into how to get these services and had gotten the code for Porsche Car Connect after signing up on the Vodafone site. I had figured I'd have to wait to activate it until I installed a SIM in the slot. However, I was at the dealership for another reason a week before I got around to requesting the SIM and asked the service advisor about entering the activation code. He offered to do it right then. Once it was done I've been able to do all of the Porsche Car Connect functionality even without a SIM in the slot. It was only yesterday that I got the AT&T SIM and added the Porsche Connect Plus functions.

So the bottom line is the car has two independent cellular systems for the two different functions. I don't know what carrier(s) Vodaphone uses for its services but they just include it as part of their service so you never see it.

Gordon Shumway

And now the 2018 has three possible independent cellular systems for three different functions. The Vodaphone system for Porsche Car Connect, Porsche Connect Plus services that can only be used through the embedded SIM, and the vehicle hotspot capability that requires a separate user plug-in SIM. Pretty straightforward and integrated system.