Always receive the latest traffic information, stream your favorite radio station and access your car from home. An internet connection in the car makes it possible. This is how it works
Digitization means that everything and everyone is somehow networked and communicates with each other: The refrigerator reports when the butter is empty, the washing machine can be controlled via an app - and the car is now also integrated into the big, wide world of data.
The car receives access to the information flow consisting of bits and bytes either via a smartphone, which is linked to the infotainment system of the car, or via its own SIM card, which is hidden in the shallows of the vehicle and even to the normal driver not so easy to get to. By the way: at the latest since the EU-wide mandatory e-call function for new cars (from March 2018) every new car has a SIM card and most manufacturers can use it for other online services either free of charge or for a fee .
Real-time traffic data is an online function from which many motorists have certainly benefited: minute-by-minute information on traffic jam lengths and slow-moving traffic is calculated from countless anonymously evaluated cell phone data - if, to put it simply, many cell phones are only at walking pace on a motorway move, the computer knows that there must be a traffic jam. In turn, the information gets into the car via the Internet line; the radio signal, which used to be used to transmit traffic information as a so-called TMC signal, is no longer sufficient for the amount of data.
In addition to the e-call function and real-time traffic information, the data line in the car offers other advantages: On the one hand, Internet access can be made available to fellow travelers in the form of a WiFi hotspot, so, for example, the children in the back seat can get away from them Conserve pocket money saved data volume. In addition, weather data, petrol station prices and current news, among other things, enter the car's infotainment system. In addition, the Internet connection enables even better networking with the mobile phone. If you enter an appointment in your online calendar, you can also see it in the car. Routes can be conveniently planned at home on the computer and sent directly to the car (where the current maps are of course always downloaded) and, last but not least, the great variety of music from online radio stations and other streaming services is available while driving. And of course the increasingly popular digital voice assistants - either Amazon's Alexa and Co. or in-house developments by the manufacturers - require continuous Internet access in order to answer all kinds of questions or to be able to turn on the heating at home.
You have control of the car via the Internet
If you are not in the car yourself, the data connection to the car enables you to check whether the windows are closed or the doors are locked from anywhere on earth. The auxiliary heating can also be easily switched on using a smartphone app, without having to worry that the classic remote control is out of range of the car receiver. It almost goes without saying that the vehicle can also send its location via the Internet and thus simplify the search in the event of theft.
The connection also gives the manufacturer the option of remotely updating the software. The so-called over-the-air updates ensure that the operating system is always up to date and that errors can be continuously eliminated. In this way, the customer can also be sold some delicacies that can be booked afterwards, such as certain lighting functions.
Interesting: Tesla installs the same battery in many of its electric models, but uses software to limit the usable capacity in the cheaper versions. The US carmaker made use of the over-the-air function during Hurricane Irma in 2017 and released the batteries of many drivers at no additional cost in order to make it easier for them to escape from the danger zone. However, the over-the-air updates are not entirely undisputed, security experts warn that bad guys could also make the interface their own.
