budrichard

I've had my 991.2 C4s for over a month now.
Dealer provides SIM card.
Porsche Car Connect (PCC)is provided by Cobra Telematics.
As correctly described in this Thread, there are three parts that cost extra for PCC.
I set up my account and chose the Security Package($219). Still have not received the bill.
Pain IN The A$$ to take Code provided by Cobra to Dealer and get Activation Code.
You can activate PCC on multiple devices but PCC maintains Portrait alignment for iPad usage.
Make sure you record both codes as I had to reacquire the Activation Code to set up my iPad for Porsche Car Connect also.
PCC works fine and as LOJACK is not available in Wisconsin, it's the best I can do.
CarPlay works fine but the requirement to keep the iPhone connected by a USB cable is a bit combersome. My Boxster has no PCM and I connect to a BueTrip wireless Blue Tooth. I have a T-Design iPhone mount and a power cable to the passenger side 12v.
So the setup is about the same. I would think a Dock could be provided for your phone!
Only problem with CarPlay is it has very few APPS, no APP Store and more importantly no WAZE!!!
Since the PCM is now standard, I had no choice as in my Boxster where I saved $$$ and used the BluTrip.
Given what I now know, if I had the abiality to chose, I would not pay extra for PCM and CarPlay.
I find the PCM voice activated by pushing the end of the turn signal stalk, works quite well.
As to whether PCM NAV, CarPlay Maps, WAZE or Maps on your iphone, it's really your preference. I've used all three at various times.
I prefer WAZE but PCM NAV is nice to look at.
What is really required is the multifunction wheel, a big improvement over my Boxster without!
-Richard

Jeffdehr

Thanks for the details. I'm going back to dealer for PCC activation tomorrow. If someone steals the car wouldn't they just need to pop out the SIM card to deactivate vehicle tracking? Seems too simple to me, I must be missing something. I know this assumes the thief must be familiar with Porsche vehicle tracking but taking out the SIM card can be done in less than 5 seconds while driving.

I agree about Apple Car Play. It's great for the apps it supports but the requirement to plug the phone in and the lack of Waze makes it very unattractive. I hope Waze becomes available but it's a Google product, not Apple so it's partially political. A wireless Car Play connection would be a huge improvement.

I believe Waze will soon be released for android auto.

Jeffdehr

Took the car back to dealer to install Porsche Car Connect. They did supply a SIM card from AT&T with 3 months / 3 GB of data. This SIM card can be used by the PCM system to get data for Google maps, traffic and on line POI search. It can also be used to create a wifi hot spot in the car for other devices (my daughter will connect her iPad to it). It also is used by Porsche Car Connect as the data link.

After the dealer activated PCC on the car and I installed the PCC app on my iPhone I found I received a free year of the "Remote Services" Porsche Car Connect feature. The "Safety Services" and "Security Services" features were not included in the free trial.

Look at pcc.cobratelematics.com for details of the 3 service levels if you're interested.

RichLA

My dealership has no idea how to do this.. went back and forth between sales and service. Called ATT and finally the dealer gave me the SIM card that they had all along.. blah !

But I am not getting an internet connection. ATT wants me to go back to the dealership.. Did any one need a PIN (PUK code) when activating the ATT sim?

ATT says the dealership should have called att at the time and been given the PUK to unlock the SIM.

anyone else deal w this?

ace37

I have a 997.2 GTS with the SIM card slot and am really unsure how it works. I have an ATT store right near the house and stopped by and asked the local reps there about getting a SIM for the car a week or two ago. They seemed to have no idea how it could work in the first place unless I wanted to add a new line for the car. I'll have to ask my dealer - I figured the ATT guys would know if anybody, but apparently that's not the case.

Can we purchase a second SIM that is associated with a cellular phone line and have PCM take priority in sending/receiving calls? (In what markets?)
If not, what is the real intent behind the service - just data only with the phone continuing to relay calls to the car via Bluetooth?

budrichard

After 3 months of ownership, this is my understanding of the 991.2 and SIM cards.
The Dealer supplies an AT&T SIM, it is used for data for NAV and other PCM functions. You get a year free.
Your phone supplies the signal via BlueTooth (BT) for phone calls via your Voice plan but uses the installed antenna, one can also access your Music via BT but the signal level is very low and there is a menu to boost that signal. CarPlay conection whihc is hard wire, powered USB, is mush better.
There is a second SIM which neither Porsche nor Telematics will discuss and correctly so for security. Removing the readily available AT&T Sim has no effect on Porsche Car Connect (not Porsche Connect) and you can still locate your vehicle, flash the horn and lights and security is active. You pay $219yr for the basic Security feature.
Since LOJACK is not monitored in Wisconsin, I have the Security theft feature.
So in summary, sitting in your 991.2 with your iPhone, the car has three SIM's with which to work, one hidden somewhere for Security, one supplied by Porsche and removable and one in your phone.-Richard
For the 997, I believe you will have to get the SIM card from your Dealer and pay upfront for the NAV service.-Richard

LCW

Just to clarify. The SIM card supplied by the dealer and installed in the dash provides only ancillary data to the NAV such as traffic flow, traffic information, Google searches and Google street view and it is your WiFi hotspot. If you remove that SIM, or don't want to pay for another data plan, the basic NAV will still work and you can use your own phone as a hotspot and connect the PCM to it.

@RichLA - the dealer is meant to supply and activate the SIM card. As I understand it, the dealer is meant to do the activation through a dedicated website.

ace37

Interesting -- Thanks!

budrichard

Well my 3 months ran out and Maps on my iphone would find a location because it was using the car WiFi Hotspot. configured the car so THE CAR uses my iPhone as the data connection.
As to NAV functionality, I don't find any literature that says NAV functions are any different whether supplied by an AT&T SIM data connection or from your iPhone AT&T data connection.
If anyone can point me to any literature that states there is a difference, please do so.
With good signal strength in the Chicago/Milwaukee area, can't see paying for two seperate data connection from AT&T.-Richard

reuben991

The dealer supplied ATT SIM can be activated here: http://att.com/porsche

BIGWORM

I was wondering what was using up my data. That's gay that we have to keep an active subscription for traffic.

budrichard

I'm going to stop in at an AT&T store and find out if the Sim can be 'tethered' to my iPhone.
No reason it can't that I can see.-Richard

budrichard

But of course that was not to be!
AT&T store cannot add your Porsche provided SIM card.
The guy I deal with at the ATT Store is very good and he found ATT.Com/Porsche which is AT&T's Portal for vehicles.
No problem, right just go home access Portal.
Problems abound!
Finally got a login and passcode ATT would accept, btw first time I found BOTH login and passcode are cap sensitive!
My ATT billing address in a PO Box and my bill is autopay to my AMEX account.
Could not get vehicle accepted, yesterday, over 3 hours with Porsche Customer Service and various ATT reps in threeway call, no resolution.
Today got voice mail from ATT asking me to try my physical adress for the Portal and gave me the Ticket #..
Worked! So now my vehicle and its SIM (actually ICCID #) are on Portal.
Note:ICCID is printed on SIM card.
When trying to link to my existing ATT account which has iphone, ipads, DSL, would not accept my ATT passcode.
Called ATT and asked to speak directly to tech support, got tech support, gave ticket #.
ATT asked for phone number of vehicle which I was never able to obtain but used ICCID and found vehicle! ATT rep gave me phone number of vehicle finally.
Close but not there yet!
ATT had to adjust Data Sharing Plan to 20 GIG at no additional cost and rework billing cycle.
Finally went to car, made sure I was connected to the Porsche WIFI with my iphone and called up a webpage on Safari.
Success!
BTW, asked about just purchasing a SIM and adding that and was told the SIM card you get from the Dealer allows specific traffic features that a non=porsche suppied SIM will not give you.
Don't know if a really believe that.
So far between the Porsche Car Connect Security activation and now the Data plan activation, I have spent hours of frustration.
Porsche Customer Service(Linda) has been particulalry helpful but she still has one customer with an outstanding ATT ticket from 8/1.
BTW Linda told me she used to work for ATT, so she does have a 'leg up' on Connectivity.
-Richard
ATT reps range from 'not a clue' to very helpful.

budrichard

Part 2
Porsche supplied SIM.
Had an opportunity to test features of NAV with and without SIM activated, when my 3 months ran out, switched to DATA for the car from my Iphone as a HotSpot.
Used Nav to go to Perfect Power in Illinois and NAV led me into completely blocked rail crossing.
WAZE, Apple Maps routed me correctly around the blocked crossing.
With Porsche SIM data plan activated today used Porsche NAV to calculate the route which was now shown routed around the blocked crossing.
Also showed detail on problem areas along the route.
So for the NAV, there is a difference between using the Porsche supplied SIM for Data and using your iphone as a Wifi hotspot for Data to NAV.
I'm tired and done for now.-Richard

Jeffdehr

Richard,
Thanks for all the info. I have a week left before my dealer supplied SIM reaches the 3 month mark. You saved me a lot of time and aggravation! Amazing that neither Porsche nor ATT really understands this yet.