[dc30307]

agreed, but they are not allowing you to tether to your phone and use your phones hotspot ...

But why would you need to? I would presume the $149/yr would cover the trivial amount of data used to communicate with the car & turn things on/off.

 

[MurlinatoR]

Sorry for being dense... to get most of the functionality with the $149 Plus pkg, do we still need to pay extra for the VZ data plan at $25/m?

Yes, data is separate from the connect. Just like on a cell phone plan.

I may be misunderstanding things, but wouldn't the functionality of the Plus package work w/o the Verizon plan? You only need that if you want hotspot, correct?

There isn't really a need for the car to have wifi capability. Kia put it in 6 years ago when GM started blasting the airwaves with "wifi included". No one uses their car as a router.

 

[S2Hill]

One of the reasons is that the antennas built-in to the car are much stronger than a phone antenna. This article actually talks about it coming in very handy during their testing where two phones couldn't get signal but car had no issues.

The article also has a graphic for Kia Connect saying "up to" 5 years of complimentary services but looks like very limited services.

Kia EV6 first drive: 10 things I didn't know about the big 310-mile every-person sportwagon — Electrek

Kia flew us out to wine and “winding road” country to test the new EV6, which is coming a bit late to the US, as it’s been out for a while in its native Korea and Europe already. So that means I’ve had months to digest the information about the car, its characteristics, and its place in the...

apple.news

 

[Fender56]

Funny, but here in Denmark I have 7 years free Kia Connect on my EV6, which follow the car, despite how many owners it will have.
And ALL functions are free.

 

[SyaoranDC]

Still surprises me that Kia charges for their terrible app. I've seen it take 15 minutes for a command to be sent to my Niro EV and one day it just stopped working all day long.
Tesla's app is far quicker and free. I've never had a problem with it and it looks far better too. Also can use my own phone as a hotspot. Just another feather in Tesla's cap.

Remote lock and unlock should be in the lite version at a minimum.

 

[Granbaret]

Here in Norway it is like Fender56 says. 7 years free Kia Connect, I even reset my account and registered again which then gave me 7 new years from the date I registered. Seems bad that you have to pay a subscription for using some features on the app elsewhere.

 

[AlgarEV]

Yes, data is separate from the connect. Just like on a cell phone plan.



There isn't really a need for the car to have wifi capability. Kia put it in 6 years ago when GM started blasting the airwaves with "wifi included". No one uses their car as a router.

actually, it is highly useful for those of us who have to park in a place where cell service is minimal or missing… such as the second layer basement garage in my condo… Tesla uses this for OTA updates, IIRC

 

[AlgarEV]

actually, it is highly useful for those of us who have to park in a place where cell service is minimal or missing… such as the second layer basement garage in my condo… Tesla uses this for OTA updates, IIRC

to clarify - wifi would work with a powerline extender since electrical power at my parking space is same ‘circuit side’ as power in the living spaces… but cell service is essentially zero.

 

[DaveinNewEngland]

I think I'm still not understanding (I'm pretty tech dense). If we get the app's plus package for $149 so that we can set the climate control before we get to the car, do we also need a data package for that to work? I definitely don't need to use my car as a router for the passengers to have wifi, but I want to be able to tell the car to heat up or cool down 15 minutes before I get in it, and I certainly want to control charging from the app. Does any of that require a data package?

 

[alansh42]

No, you do NOT need the data package. The Verizon data package is for using the car as a hotspot, period. Kia Connect uses its own independent cellular service.

 

[Robocheme]

Yes, data is separate from the connect. Just like on a cell phone plan.



There isn't really a need for the car to have wifi capability. Kia put it in 6 years ago when GM started blasting the airwaves with "wifi included". No one uses their car as a router.

My OTA updates on my Y are handled through wifi. Won't the EV6 need wifi to handle OTAs?

 

[DaveinNewEngland]

Thanks, that's a relief.

Interesting question regarding how it will do OTA updates. Certainly no one wants to visit a dealership every time it needs an update.

 

[alansh42]

My OTA updates on my Y are handled through wifi. Won't the EV6 need wifi to handle OTAs?

The EV6 has built-in LTE cellular. There's no way to pair it to wifi. It will either use the mobile data, a USB stick, or a visit to the dealer for updates. The site update.kia.com has some files for non-US models, but nothing for the US yet.

 

[photo_michael]

Since the car can act as a wifi hotspot it could also connect to a wifi hub.

 

[avh]

The fact that I need to enable the WIFI hotspot every time I start the car is a big issue for me. If it would turn on automatically with the car and if I could use T-Mobile I would consider it. For now I will just enable the hotspot on my phone when kids want to watch YouTube and save $25/month.

 

[jburns]

This is BS. I would expect at the bare minimum that the $29/m would include some basic data plan even if it was limited. So now to use this we have to pay $29/m plus the Verizon data plan for $25/m? That is insane.

Actually with the way things are going it isn't insane—just a bit low class. If you want insane I give you this change in OnStar and connected services on certain GM vehicles.

"While these plans are currently optional on GM vehicles, a three-year OnStar & Connected Services Plan will be mandatory with the purchase of a new Buick or GMC vehicle going forward."Jul 5, 2022

How much is it you ask? The cheapest plan is about $950 and the top one is $1695 paid in advance at the time of purchase. I'm expecting some fireworks over this and half expecting them to backtrack.

 

[Nounours]

Does anyone know any details about the Verizon hotspot data plan? Is it also $25 for non-Verizon customers? How much data can you use before they start throttling? What happens when you drive out of range (roaming) or out of the country (Canada or Mexico)?

 

[Nounours]

Is there anyone using the Kia hotspot feature?

 

[dscoti]

Does anyone know any details about the Verizon hotspot data plan? Is it also $25 for non-Verizon customers? How much data can you use before they start throttling? What happens when you drive out of range (roaming) or out of the country (Canada or Mexico)?

IIRC, it’s $25/month for everyone, including Verizon customers. No breaks as it’s a wholly separate service. I don’t use it as my Verizon phone seems to get service everywhere. I don’t have kids that need wifi in the car and my plan has unlimited, un-throttled (I think) data with free hotspot. I just use that for my tablet and laptop when needed. I fully realize that won’t work for a lot of people/families.

When I have my Volt with OnStar, the OnStar folks tried to get me to subscribe to their data plan because “the car has a better antenna than your phone, so it receives better service”. Ok? I never found that to be true during the OnStar free trial, nor the Kia free trial.

YMMV

EDIT: I just looked at Verizon here and found Verizon users may be eligible for $5/month discount. Follow the link, but here’s a screenshot.

 

[OlivierEV6]

Has anyone played around with the hotspot trial (supported by Verizon), or even signed up to the paid version post trial? On mine, when connecting a tablet or Android device (MMB from Joyeauto), certain services or sites seem to be blocked. Devices connected indicate that they have Internet connectivity, I can do some browsing, but streaming in apps like HBO Max, Prime Video or Netflix don't work and Connection to Google Play services (and other Google login services) indicate a server error.
To me it looks like the connection filters these, but I am wondering if that's due to it being a trial which Verizon decided for some dum reason to limit, or if the limitation will persist on the paid service.
Any reckons?