iSMART not working when car in garage - GPS booster needed?

[LeClerjussien]

Hi, my iSMART app works well generally, but only once has it worked when the car is in our garage. I have good wifi signal in the garage, and according to my Google Maps app on my phone, I have a GPS signal there, too. But I am guessing that the GPS signal is too weak for the car's receiver. So, (i) does anyone have any other suggestions as to what the problem might be? (ii) assuming it is a GPS problem, can anyone recommend a GPS booster that will do the job? Thanks!

 

[siteguru]

Does the Luxury (Trophy) connect to home WiFi and use that for data connection? If not then it'll depend on how good a mobile data connection you get in the garage.

 

[Grriff]

The signal strength your car is receiving shows as vertical bars at the top right of the Home screen.

 

[LeClerjussien]

Does the Luxury (Trophy) connect to home WiFi and use that for data connection? If not then it'll depend on how good a mobile data connection you get in the garage.

Hi, thanks, yes, my Luxury/Trophy connects to the home wifi, which is fairly strong in the garage. Mobile data, on the other hand, is a lot weaker.

The signal strength your car is receiving shows as vertical bars at the top right of the Home screen.

Thanks for the pointer. I had not realised that one could determine GPS signal strength by cellular/data strength. That seems to be the issue - data strength is very weak in the garage, but a bit stronger outside, and I can get the iSMART app to talk to the car when the car is outside the garage. So I'll try to find a way to boost the GPS/data signal in the garage.

 

[YaR]

I'm pretty sure the app can only communicate with the car via mobile (and maybe bluetooth for some functions). I can park underground at work where I can use the wifi, but there is no mobile signal, and the app never works. It works just fine when I park in the upper, above ground level in roughly the same place.

 

[profdraper]

Hi, my iSMART app works well generally, but only once has it worked when the car is in our garage. I have good wifi signal in the garage, and according to my Google Maps app on my phone, I have a GPS signal there, too. But I am guessing that the GPS signal is too weak for the car's receiver. So, (i) does anyone have any other suggestions as to what the problem might be? (ii) assuming it is a GPS problem, can anyone recommend a GPS booster that will do the job? Thanks!

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[LeClerjussien]

I'm pretty sure the app can only communicate with the car via mobile (and maybe bluetooth for some functions). I can park underground at work where I can use the wifi, but there is no mobile signal, and the app never works. It works just fine when I park in the upper, above ground level in roughly the same place.

Thanks for confirming that. Good to know that's not just my experience.

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That's really helpful. Thanks. I live in the middle of nowhere in France, so looks like relying on other users of Apple or Samsung devices will be a non-starter. So I'll look into the GPS LTE device. The problem is that here in this part of rural France I am in a not-spot - my Samsung phone gets no mobile signal for a good 100 metre circumference. Interestingly, my car does get a weak signal - turns out that's how the iSMART app must have been working when parked outside - but that weak signal is almost negligible when in the garage. So I am not sure if that means that the GPS LTE device will not help either, but I'll look into it. I am assuming that the GPS LTE device is two-way, ie that it does not just send signals out about the car's location, but allows information to be sent to the car from the iSMART app (which is what I most need), but will look into that.

Thanks for confirming that. Good to know that's not just my experience.

Just to add an observation: Given that my phone receives no signal here, but my car receives a weak signal outdoors, I think that must mean that when the iSMART app does communicate with the car, the phone must be relying on 'wifi calling' capability, whereas since the car is incommunicado when in the garage, it must rely on mobile signal only. Would be great if SAIC/MG would develop wifi communication technology for the app in the future.

 

[olliewebb]

I would ask why you need gps in your garage, data I understand. But what is gps adding to this? The app works without it.

Surely up just mean 4G/WiFi?

 

[LeClerjussien]

I would ask why you need gps in your garage, data I understand. But what is gps adding to this? The app works without it.

Surely up just mean 4G/WiFi?

Ah, okay. That does help clarify things. When the app does not work you get an 'impossible to obtain GPS' message, which is why I focussed on GPS initially. If the issue is mobile data signal only, then I assume the GPS LTE device will not help with that, but rather I need to find a way to boost the mobile signal within my garage. Ofcom have got some advice on mobile network repeaters to help with that, and suggest that a professional is needed where the outdoor signal is weak (which is my case). So I'll see if anyone in France does that.

 

[olliewebb]

Ah, okay. That does help clarify things. When the app does not work you get an 'impossible to obtain GPS' message, which is why I focussed on GPS initially. If the issue is mobile data signal only, then I assume the GPS LTE device will not help with that, but rather I need to find a way to boost the mobile signal within my garage. Ofcom have got some advice on mobile network repeaters to help with that, and suggest that a professional is needed where the outdoor signal is weak (which is my case). So I'll see if anyone in France does that.

Mine works fine without GPS... so that's weird. Can you not connect the car to WiFi? That would be way cheaper and easier.

 

[LeClerjussien]

Mine works fine without GPS... so that's weird. Can you not connect the car to WiFi? That would be way cheaper and easier.

Hi, yes, it's got a strong connection to wifi, though I am not entirely sure whether it's the same wifi network as my phone (complicated set-up over a large space - there is obe router, but it's range is extended over two different electricity mains rings), so I was assuming therefore that the problem must lie with something else, eg GPS I thought at first, but now I am thinking it must be the mobile network. You are making me think that perhaps the car is on a different wifi network to my phone, and that if I could find a way to get them on the same network, that might also be worth trying. Thanks.

 

[olliewebb]

Hi, yes, it's got a strong connection to wifi, though I am not entirely sure whether it's the same wifi network as my phone (complicated set-up over a large space - there is obe router, but it's range is extended over two different electricity mains rings), so I was assuming therefore that the problem must lie with something else, eg GPS I thought at first, but now I am thinking it must be the mobile network. You are making me think that perhaps the car is on a different wifi network to my phone, and that if I could find a way to get them on the same network, that might also be worth trying. Thanks.

Doesn’t need to be the same WiFi as your phone, it’s an IoT service. Otherwise how it work away from your home?

 

[Grriff]

You need a mobile phone signal (as opposed to a GPS signal) for iSmart to work, hence the need to check the signal strength on the Home screen.
I'm unsure whether iSmart will work over the car's WiFi connection to your router, instead of the mobile network.. If you haven't done so, you will need to log the car onto the router by swiping the Home screen left, tapping Settings and then choosing 'Wireless Network'.

 

[LeClerjussien]

Doesn’t need to be the same WiFi as your phone, it’s an IoT service. Otherwise how it work away from your home?

Thanks. Then the issue must be the lack of mobile network signal.

 

[LeClerjussien]

You need a mobile phone signal (as opposed to a GPS signal) for iSmart to work, hence the need to check the signal strength on the Home screen.
I'm unsure whether iSmart will work over the car's WiFi connection to your router, instead of the mobile network.. If you haven't done so, you will need to log the car onto the router by swiping the Home screen left, tapping Settings and then choosing 'Wireless Network'.

Thanks. The car is on my home wifi network, with a strong connection. So I think the problem must be the lack of a mobile network signal.

 

[Rolfe]

I'm just wondering. Is it possible you are trying this when the car has already gone to sleep? The time seems to vary but most people report about 24 hours. After this time the car won't respond to the app even if all signals are fine. You need to unlock it manually to wake it up.

 

[LeClerjussien]

I'm just wondering. Is it possible you are trying this when the car has already gone to sleep? The time seems to vary but most people report about 24 hours. After this time the car won't respond to the app even if all signals are fine. You need to unlock it manually to wake it up.

Thanks for the thought, but no, I am trying the app immediately after parking the car.

 

[Rolfe]

OK, cancel that idea.

 

[mg4mc]

The car only uses the phone network for communicating when switched off. The WiFi is only active when the car is switched on.

I've never really seen the point of the WiFi connection myself, it only works if you're sat in the car outside your house steaming some music say. I think I'd rather sit in the house!

 

[Grriff]

The car only uses the phone network for communicating when switched off. The WiFi is only active when the car is switched on.

I've never really seen the point of the WiFi connection myself, it only works if you're sat in the car outside your house steaming some music say. I think I'd rather sit in the house!

I'm glad someone else can't see the point of the WiFi link. Perhaps it's for over-the-air updates