How can I tell if I have bluetooth +

[tigermad]

Hello

 

My car had bluetooth + as an extra. Its a Elegance model. How do I tell if I have it? I read it comes with a cubby hole to put your phone in for a better signal. Does the shark fin aerial come with it or is that standard with an Amundsen stereo?

 

The reason I ask and don't know is that is was an extra on a pre ordered car that someone else ordered.

 

Thanks

[kalpat]

My Elegance has Amundsen & you need a shark fin for the GPS signal. Bluetooth + wasn't standard on mine, so unless they now come as standard I suspect it was ordered by the dealer if it was a stock car or the factory put it in by mistake. Not unheard of for people to get more than they ordered. Was your car an order or one the dealer had on stock?

+ yes there will be a cubby box for your mobile if it's bluetooth +

Edited 11 June, 2014 by kalpat

[Shermo]

Should be an area in front on the gear stick where you can put your phone, its got like a rubber bottom and you can close the lid.

 

The shark fin is for the GPS, but perhaps also used to boost the signal although I believe that it is using the back window same as the antennae for the radio?

[tigermad]

The person who has placed the order before me had it as an extra, along with Golus wheels and LED taillights. I picked the car up yesterday and wanted to make sure I had the extras. Don't know why they cancelled their order but glad they did so I could get the car much quicker :-)

[tigermad]

Should be an area in front on the gear stick where you can put your phone, its got like a rubber bottom and you can close the lid.

 

The shark fin is for the GPS, but perhaps also used to boost the signal although I believe that it is using the back window same as the antennae for the radio?

Cool I have it then, thanks :-)

[pipsyp]

Gather the cubby in front of the gearlever is more or less the same, but has a phone symbol on the lid whereas cars without it dont have the symbol.

Also cars without nav but with Bluetooth plus have the sharkfin antenna for external GSM connectivity...therefore if you ever see a car that has no nav bit the antenna id deduce it has bluetooth +

Know on the mk2 whilst the sharkfin always looked the same there were several different versions each with different capabilities (gps, gsm, dab and a combination of). Not sure on the mk3 whether there is a common antenna just only the connections required are wired in.

Edited 11 June, 2014 by pipsyp

[tigermad]

Gather the cubby in front of the gearlever is more or less the same, but has a phone symbol on the lid whereas cars without it dont have the symbol.

Also cars without nav but with Bluetooth plus have the sharkfin antenna for external GSM connectivity...therefore if you ever see a car that has no nav bit the antenna id deduce it has bluetooth +

Know on the mk2 whilst the sharkfin always looked the same there were several different versions each with different capabilities (gps, gsm, dab and a combination of). Not sure on the mk3 whether there is a common antenna just only the connections required are wired in.

Didn't notice a phone symbol on mine. Just the compartment with the rubber mat and a sliding cover :-(

[pipsyp]

Didn't notice a phone symbol on mine. Just the compartment with the rubber mat and a sliding cover :-(

Believe its etched into the front right of the lid. Its possible your car does not have it. Way to tell if in an area of poor coverage the phone signal "should" improve when in the box.

[bouff34]

Didn't notice a phone symbol on mine. Just the compartment with the rubber mat and a sliding cover :-(

Which is exactly what I have - and I definitely don't have Bluetooth +.

 

Are you sure the salesman didn't refer to Bluetooth (which they all have) as opposed to Bluetooth +???

[pipsyp]

Little bit naughty if theyve missold it to you on that basis and made you pay for the option, probably just dealer negligence and not intentional on their part however.

If its a big deal to you ask Skoda UK to confirm it as they'll be able to tell from the build info they store on each car, if it doesnt and you've paid for it go to the dealer and ask for a refund on the Bluetooth +

I actually dont think you are missing out on much only boosted signal, it offers no other functionality. Voice control was supposed to come with it but all UK O3's apart from S spec cars come with that anyway.....and its useless in any case!

[tigermad]

It is definitely supposed to have it. It was an £180 option

 

Said Bluetooth plus voice control £180.

 

Actually just checked it. There is an embossed bit in the mat inside that I think has a keyboard and bluetooth symbol on it. Very dark in there though.

Edited 11 June, 2014 by tigermad

[pipsyp]

It is definitely supposed to have it. It was an £180 option

Said Bluetooth plus voice control £180.

Actually just checked it. There is an embossed bit in the mat inside that I think has a keyboard and bluetooth symbol on it. Very dark in there though.

Ah OK may be on the mat and not the lid, thought it was on the lid.

[niggle]

Ah OK may be on the mat and not the lid, thought it was on the lid.

 

Yes, it's on the mat.  There are no markings on the lid of the compartment.  Sounds like it has been fitted.

[andyvee]

The mat is embossed with a picture of a phone.

 

It shouldn't be dark in there as it should be illuminated by an LED when the dash lights are on?

[Neily03]

The shark fin is for the GPS, but perhaps also used to boost the signal although I believe that it is using the back window same as the antennae for the radio?

 

Bluetooth+ uses the sharkfin, so with bluetooth+ and no satnav you still get the sharkfin.

[chelon]

This is interesting. I've just taken delivery of a new Octavian and there appears to be no paperwork telling you exactly what the car comes with.

 

There is a voice control button on the steering wheel but nothing happens when you press it. Reading the manual doesn't appear to help, so no way of knowing if it's faulty or not enabled or what...

[Sheldon.Cooper]

Believe its etched into the front right of the lid. Its possible your car does not have it. Way to tell if in an area of poor coverage the phone signal "should" improve when in the box.

It's got nothing to do with boosting the phone signal, if coverage is poor, coverage is poor.

 

It increases the power of the bluetooth signal from the headunit so the phone uses less power for that connection which increases battery life.

 

Seeing that bluetooth works upto 10m away, putting your phone in a cubby hole 10cm from the headunit in a standard car makes no difference to keeping it in your trouser pocket.

[Sheldon.Cooper]

I actually dont think you are missing out on much only boosted signal, it offers no other functionality. Voice control was supposed to come with it but all UK O3's apart from S spec cars come with that anyway.....and its useless in any case!

It's not useless, it keeps you entertained for at least 5 minutes (until you realise it's totally and utterly useless).

 

"navigate to home" .....  calling bob

"radio on" .... deleting phonebook.

 

Not sure what dialect they test voice recognition with but it's not British, English.

[Shermo]

Only used the voice once so far "call Donna" and after a bit of thinking it did eventually call my girlfriend Donna. Haven't tried it since to see if that was a fluke though.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[Neily03]

It's got nothing to do with boosting the phone signal, if coverage is poor, coverage is poor.

It increases the power of the bluetooth signal from the headunit so the phone uses less power for that connection which increases battery life.

Seeing that bluetooth works upto 10m away, putting your phone in a cubby hole 10cm from the headunit in a standard car makes no difference to keeping it in your trouser pocket.

Rubbish! It's got nothing at all to do with Bluetooth, bluetooth+ boots the phone signal by using the using sharkfin antenna on the roof.

[Dodgy]

It's got nothing to do with boosting the phone signal, if coverage is poor, coverage is poor.

 

It increases the power of the bluetooth signal from the headunit so the phone uses less power for that connection which increases battery life.

 

I am fairly sure you're complete wrong there, happy to be proved wrong myself, though!

 

The cubby hole in BT+ equipped cars has an inductive loop that channels RF from outside the car to inside the car. If your phone is in the cubby hole, you will see a bar, two, maybe three bar improvement in signal strength. Additionally, do a speed test in a marginal area, for instance I might get 2mbps on my drive, put the phone in the cubby and suddenly well over 10mbps. And this is not a one off test, it's repeatable every single time.

 

The Bluetooth+ works well, it's just a stupid name, it leads to be people like your good self assuming it's got something to do with Bluetooth - it hasn't'.

[Neily03]

I am fairly sure you're complete wrong there, happy to be proved wrong myself, though!

The cubby hole in BT+ equipped cars has an inductive loop that channels RF from outside the car to inside the car. If your phone is in the cubby hole, you will see a bar, two, maybe three bar improvement in signal strength. Additionally, do a speed test in a marginal area, for instance I might get 2mbps on my drive, put the phone in the cubby and suddenly well over 10mbps. And this is not a one off test, it's repeatable every single time.

The Bluetooth+ works well, it's just a stupid name, it leads to be people like your good self assuming it's got something to do with Bluetooth - it hasn't'.

Spot on.

[Dodgy]

Probably a good chance that Mr Sheldon.Cooper has been told all that by a confused salesman

[andyvee]

Exactly, bt+ gets you the induction loop which links to the sharkfin antenna. Nothing to do with BT, or the rear window.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

[pipsyp]

Indeed thats why Bluetooth + cars get the Sharkfin, its just wired for GSM. It probably has active hardware that boosts the signal gain on signal recieved outside of the car and pumps it into the car via the loop in the cubby, range will be limited hence why it probably doesnt work unless you place the phone in the cubby.