Google Earth Thread

[paulrstaylor]

Was it a 2011 build or a 2011 registration? In any case, my guess would be that it was a coincidence that the networks changed their spectrum usage around the same time.

Hazzy Days can do the radio swap, I think. Mine was covered as the car was approved used and they had no choice, they don't have a US style replacement scheme and their "computer says no serviceable parts in the 5f" approach doesn't suggest they see it as an option.

[Glync]

Glad I found this thread I thought mine was b*ggered too!
I read a few issues in the states but not much in the uk
Mine just says restarting and sticks there
Let me know if anyone gets theirs sorted and what to do if and when we need to do anything.
Cheers Glyn

[GlynH]

Even when this Google Earth issue is resolved those of you who use Google Street View you'd better brace yourselves.

Apparently Audi & Google have a licensing issue and so Audi will be dropping support for it probably sometime in 2018 across the whole Audi range not just the A8/S8.

You heard it here first!

Petition time methinks although Audi don't usually take any notice of their customers here in the UK unlike those in the US it seems <sigh>

At the very least they should offer the option to charge for using it so those of us who would like to continue to use it can do so but I'm not holding my breath.

Reminds me of the days I was waiting patiently for them to offer full postcode search for the D3...

-=Glyn=-

[Markr]

Hi Glyn(H),

Mine is a 2015 and I have 3G working fine as second SIM. I have a free Three SIM in mine which gives 200mb per month absolutely FOC.

I connect my phone for voice calls, and have elected that is uses my smartphone to make all calls, so integral SIM is purely for data.

Thanks
Mark

[GlynH]

Hi Mark(r),

Friends of mine have 2013 and 2016 S8's and they both have 3G working fine as well.

Could be that mine is an older car with an earlier 5F unit but when I spoke to the previous owner he told me that he used to get 3G with a GifGaf SIM prior to the MMI being updated by Audi.

The Master Tech has his own GifGaf SIM for that very purpose and he definitely can get 3G/4G in a car parked outside the showroom but in my car it still only shows 2G.

They had mine in all day yesterday and went through the update procedure again in case something didn't take properly the first time round but to no avail. They now have a technical query outstanding with Audi Germany for a resolution.

Mind you I compared a friends S8 with 3G to my A8 with 2G and the speed was abysmal with his 3G showing 1.35/0.05Mbps with a ping of 142ms vs. my 2G showing 0.13/0.03Mbps with a ping of 263ms according to SpeedTest by Ookla.

Pathetic really...pity there isn't a 4G upgrade option available for the '8

I put an O2 4G SIM in the car from an older iPhone 5S that I no longer use and when in the car use this for calls also as it has much better performance than the EE SIM in my iPhone 6S using the external antennas.

In fact if I remember I divert my phone to the car when on a journey but then I have to remember to take divert off when I step out of the car which is not as easy as it sounds...for me anyway!

-=Glyn=-

[paulrstaylor]

Originally Posted by GlynH

Hi Mark(r),

Friends of mine have 2013 and 2016 S8's and they both have 3G working fine as well.

Could be that mine is an older car with an earlier 5F unit but when I spoke to the previous owner he told me that he used to get 3G with a GifGaf SIM prior to the MMI being updated by Audi.

The Master Tech has his own GifGaf SIM for that very purpose and he definitely can get 3G/4G in a car parked outside the showroom but in my car it still only shows 2G.

They had mine in all day yesterday and went through the update procedure again in case something didn't take properly the first time round but to no avail. They now have a technical query outstanding with Audi Germany for a resolution.

Mind you I compared a friends S8 with 3G to my A8 with 2G and the speed was abysmal with his 3G showing 1.35/0.05Mbps with a ping of 142ms vs. my 2G showing 0.13/0.03Mbps with a ping of 263ms according to SpeedTest by Ookla.

Pathetic really...pity there isn't a 4G upgrade option available for the '8

I put an O2 4G SIM in the car from an older iPhone 5S that I no longer use and when in the car use this for calls also as it has much better performance than the EE SIM in my iPhone 6S using the external antennas.

In fact if I remember I divert my phone to the car when on a journey but then I have to remember to take divert off when I step out of the car which is not as easy as it sounds...for me anyway!

-=Glyn=-

Okay, I dug back through my emails and notes.....

The early versions of the 5f unit were fitted with a Telit UC864-E-AUTO radio interface. It is a UTMS (3g) interface, but only at a single band 2100Mhz.

2g, 3g, 4g and even 5g can all operate at different frequency bands, most mobiles support a wide range of bands for each technology. This means that the network operators can turn bands on and off without affecting the service, due to local licencing regulations, to avoid interference or as has happened more recently to allow for newer technologies to be used on certain bands.

GiffGaff don't have their own network, the are a MVNO using O2's network. My suspicion is that O2 have turned off 3g at 2100Mhz and now use that band for 4g, which is of course fine for devices that can switch bands but useless for us!

Later 5f units were fitted with an alternative chipset which supports multiple bands at 3g - hence they work fine.

Outside of the US (where I suspect they needed to fix for legal reasons) Audi won't admit that the mobile radio interface can be changed, "no serviceable parts in the 5f unit".

However it is possible to change the mobile radio interface, but finding one with the correct connections and form factor (80 pin molex, single antenna) is difficult and you will probably need to be good with a soldering iron or rely on adaptor boards if you go this route. HazzyDays quoted me about £250 +VAT to do this (to 3g).

I also found reference to some other possible options which could even achieve LTE speeds, but to be honest I stopped looking when Audi finally caved in to the logic of "no serviceable parts in the 5f unit" means you need to replace the 5f unit under warranty then - or I will reject the car, which only worked as I had bought it as approved used.

Good luck

[paulrstaylor]

A quick google search confrimed that o2 (which is the GiffGaff network) launched LTE services on 2100Mhz in September this year..... to do so they must have retired 2100Mhz for UTMS (3g)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...orks_in_Europe

Indeed it doesn't look like there is any UK operator still using 2100mhz for UTMS, so if you have the older chipset in your 5f you are foobar really.

Oh and I should also mention, that it is likely that 3g will be fully retired to make way for more 4g and 5g, but 2g is likely to stick around for longer.

[paulrstaylor]

But some good news, whilst earth was broken still this morning it was working again just now

[Glync]

Yes mine came back on at lunchtime

[paulrstaylor]

GlynH - My 5f replacement was as follows:

Originally Posted by Original unit

Address 5F: Information Electr. (J794) Labels: 4E0-035-6xx-5F.clb
Part No SW: 4H0 035 670 P HW: 4H0 035 670
Component: H-BNT-EU H48 0798

Originally Posted by New unit

Address 5F: Information Electr. (J794) Labels:. 4E0-035-6xx-5F.clb
Part No SW: 4H0 035 654 B HW: 4H0 035 670 C
Component: H-BNT-EU H43 1034