WLAN client connection works. WLAN hotspot works and devices can connect to it. But devices connected to Hotspot can't connect to internet.

[<geeky stuff] ipconfig reveals that the default gateway option is not supplied by the DHCP server in Columbus. [/geeky stuff]

 

 

 

I have picked up my new Superb yesterday and struggled with this as well, but your remark about the default gateway let me to a work around: If you manually change the gateway address to the same address as DHCP Server, i managed to get it working, I got an internet connection on my device connected to the Skoda hotspot, i did this as well with my android phone as my Windows 10 laptop.

 

The fact that the default gateway is not given by the Skoda Hotspot, is definitely a bug, that Skoda should fix.

I don't see the need for the car to be a  hotspot? If your phone connects to the internet why bother about the car ? You would not be able to see internet content on the built in screen ion the car anyway.....confused.com

I don't see the need for the car to be a  hotspot? If your phone connects to the internet why bother about the car ? You would not be able to see internet content on the built in screen ion the car anyway.....confused.com

 

You are assuming that the phone can be a hotspot and that the phone package can handle the extra data usage.

 

I lack a phone that can be a hotspot but would like internet access for the ipads/iods and laptops/tablets so the SIM is invaluable

You are assuming that the phone can be a hotspot and that the phone package can handle the extra data usage.

 

I lack a phone that can be a hotspot but would like internet access for the ipads/iods and laptops/tablets so the SIM is invaluable

Sorry but I am not following you? Wha tsim do you refer to? My Superb does not have the facility of a built in sim..IF you have a hotspot phone which most are now a days, then why the need for  a hotspoy in the car....confused.com....

You said you couldn't see why the car should be a hotspot if your phone already connects to the internet.

 

In my case I have no phone that connects to a hotspot and my model has the SIM card slot in the Columbus so that the wireless devices connect to the car's hotspot and then the hotspot links through the SIM to the internet.

 

In effect the car is acting as a phone.

I picked up my new Superb LnK a week or so ago (Black with a reversing Camera as the only options) and wanted to set up the WLAN to share the Internet to my kids To keep the quiet on long drives but couldn't find a good explaination of how to do it. Like the other posts this really is quite confusing and I don't really see the point other than allowing more connections via wifi in the car and perhaps downloading updates to the system over the air (although I have not done this yet as the car is new) apologies if this has already been done but as I say I couldn't find it anywhere.

So here we go:

1. On your phone enable the hotspot so that you are sharing it's wifi. I have an iPhone 6s Plus for reference.

2. In the car press menu on the physical buttons

3. Scroll to the settings icon and press it

4. Find wlan on the settings options and select it.

5. Select WLAN again and you will se a list of available networks.

6. Select your phone e.g. Craig's iPhone 6 Plus.

7. Now enter the password from your phones screen using the cars on screen keyboard. This essentially forms your outbound connection to the Internet via the wifi on your phone. You now have Internet connectivity for the car.

8. Connect another device that you want to share your cars outbound connection. I used a shield K1 android tablet which has no SIM card of its own for this. If you have not done so already enable the wifi hotspot as follows.

9. Select WLAN again and this time select mobile hotspot. Ensure that there is a tick in the mobile hotspot box.

10. Now select hotspot (WLAN) settings.

11. Select the security level: WPA2 provides the strongest security

12. Note the password in the network key (you can type your own if you wish but make it as hard to guess a possible and random chars are much better than words)

13. Now click store.

14. From another device e.g. My sons tablet connect to the Skoda hotspot. The name is displayed as SSID:Skoda_WLAN_xxxxxx where xxxxxx is a number.

15. Enter the password displayed under network key on the Skoda screen into the tablets wifi connection

16. Your tablet will now have an Internet connection bridged by the car through to your phone.

17. On the tablet Navigate to the bbc website (apparently there are also other sites available on the web ). It should pop up in all its glory and allow you to surf away to your hearts content.

It is really counter intuitive initially but makes some sense after I have written it down. I hope that this helps to demystify the non premium I.e. No SIM slot in the car.

This also works with it plugged into the USB and using CarPlay from the phone. You will need it plugged in as the battery will drain much faster this way.

I have found it to be temperamental so turning off the tablet wifi until the phone connects first may be a good idea.

I hope that someone can replicate this and confirm that the instructions work. Loving the car so far. Good build quality and good engines. No complaints so far except that this was far more difficult than it needs to be. Oh and I can't decide if I should have the LED ambient lights green or blue

Please feel free to post any corrections if I have made a mistake or omission.

Why would you connect your son's tablet to the car and the car to your phone? Why not just connect any devices like your son's tablet to your phones hotspot?

Maybe I am missing something but I can see what proxy through the car adds?

Because you use the cars antenna.

Edited 7 November, 20169 yr by Rustynuts

What does it add? Not a lot from what I can see but other people may have a use for it. Since we have paid for it, we may as well know how to set it up and use it.

 

It will not use the car antenna in this configuration, though.

The Bluetooth module connects to the roof mounted phone antenna and your phone connects to the bluetooth module by Bluetooth. This means the 4g (or 3g or whatever) signal is much better than connecting to a mobile with it's antenna inside a faraday cage.

Similar to others I have followed those instructions but unfortunately I can't get Internet on the tablet. It all connects together fine but no Internet :(

Tried today and it works well for me

15 minutes ago, micloi said:

Tried today and it works well for me

What sort of phone/contract are you on? I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 on Three with 4GB personal hotspot allowance. I wonder if it depends on this... 

One Plus 2 on Vodafone

drewellis,

 

Haven't done any of the above but just to help you a little, in case causing an issue and add my bit.

 

I'm with three and they had a limit to tethering, but if you use a VPN i.e., tunnelbear that i use, you can use as much tethering as you like through VPN, hope ok putting in here but thought might help, I'm a technician so can help with IT in here but know nothing about cars lol.

 

11 hours ago, flogdnaloop said:

drewellis,

 

Haven't done any of the above but just to help you a little, in case causing an issue and add my bit.

 

I'm with three and they had a limit to tethering, but if you use a VPN i.e., tunnelbear that i use, you can use as much tethering as you like through VPN, hope ok putting in here but thought might help, I'm a technician so can help with IT in here but know nothing about cars lol.

 

Thanks for this, I'll give tunnelbear a shot.

 

I too work in IT, I'm a corporate cloud engineer so should really know what I'm doing but the truth is, networking has always been my weakness!

Do you think it depends on the build date/software of the car?

 

Mine works and it is Oct 2015.

How about other people's cars?

 

Oh, and in IT also here, and photography

Edited 11 February, 20179 yr by micloi

I'm not sure when mine was built but it's a 16 plate...

 

It's disappointing really :( what's the point in the feature if you can't get on the internet with it...

makes me wonder if it's just me doing something wrong but I've followed chaughan's instructions

 

Tbh Android Auto adds a layer of confusion to me, I wonder if the phone needs to be plugged in via USB for the wifi to work or just connected via hotspot?

And in either case, I wonder if they interfere with each other...

 

I might try disabling android auto / bluetooth completely and trying the wifi again. Will update you on how I get on.

I reset my Columbus to factory settings and retried the WLAN, didn't work unfortunately...

Also upon doing some research into Three's client tracking, VPN apps like Tunnelbear don't get around the Tethering usage metering :(

 

I'm going to keep trying with this, so far I've only tested it on our Surface tablet so I'll try an iPad or another phone at some point, see if it's just the Surface causing issues

OK, so had a quick play with this when I picked the car up in May 16. I had no use for WLAN and after a frustrating 1.5hrs of trying (with my Samsung S4) I could not connect to the internet!

 

Fast fwd to 1 week ago; now that I am back living in the UK again, and have a sensible mobile Data allowance (for peanuts in comparison to what the Germans offer for tripple), I tried again.

 

So, cars WLAN on, home (house) WiFi in range, it connects, I turn car WLAN Hotspot on, connect my phone/tablet (whatever to it) but no internet connection!??? Que much head scratching and useless fiddling with settings on everything as I am no techy when it comes to networks!

 

I then think on it, remember that I wasted £85 on the Smartgate option and try that root.... What a mistake! It doesn't like my phone so refuses to play nice. It wouldn't connect to the car whatever I did, WiFi direct or via Android Auto. I then tried my mates S7 Edge to no effect.

 

I then thunk some more on it and decide that my ageing phone might be at fault instead (or Samsung's pants software). So root my now past it S4 and install CyanogenMod on it. I try again with Smartgate and it connects first time. I try  to run the Skoda Apps, but as Smartgate is only letting my phone mightconnect to car but not the car to the phone (more than I ever got standard), I high on gave up!

 

Than an fortunate chain of events occurred. I locked myself it of the house but had the car keys. I tried again, all WiFi, via Smartgate etc to no avail until ii downloaded layers Columbus manual. A lot of reading, confusion and a bit more trial and error and somehow I got Smartgate to work (as in it linked to my phone one way at least) by activating *turn on mode without mobile data".

 

I then tried updating the App (or the Smartgate module, the App isn't clear) and if hung forever....but did eventually confirm something was updated! (I believe it was the cars Smartgate module)

 

Immediately, my phone connects to Smartgate and the car to phone for the first time. The two Apps i would us work so happy there as well. I then turn back to the issue by original poster, how to use the Cars WIFI hotspot when connected to your phone or another network.

 

Well, as I'm sat outside home I try again. Car linked to homes WiFi, cars WLAN hotspot active and my tablet (not phone) connected to cars WLAN... Im not expecting anything and do get the response, linked to network, no internet connection from my tablet. I then tried to browse a webpage and wowowowow, it worked! (Tablet still said no internet connection but it worked!)

 

So, as conformation, when sat in Port of Dover the other day waiting for the boat, I connected the cars WLAN to its free hotspot, turned my phones data off and tried linking through the cars WLAN to the web. It worked. I've since tried it in a McDonalds car park via its free speedy O2Wifi hotspot and again success.

 

I do not have the premium WiFi, the plain bargain bucket WLAN is all I hav. I have however discovered its value especially when considered next to using your mobile as a hotspot instead. In the UK that makes sense, but when travelling in EU, if you link your cars WLAN to all the motorway stations free WLAN (where offered), you can get irregular updates to your mobiles for free as you go.

 

Its better than bout, but its a use. Apologises about length of message, i got carried away, just how it helps someone somewhere.

Thanks for that, it's useful as my car is kept on the drive and is in range of my home wifi, so it gives me another method to have a play with. Perhaps I might find that the issue is with my Samsung S7.

 

It sounds like updating your Smartgate app was the thing that triggered it to all work? Unless I've misunderstood which is entirely possible, I've not had much sleep this weekend (I work on-call, eurgh)!

 

If so, I might still be screwed as I don't think my car has Smartgate

No smartgate here either but works ok so maybe it is the Samsung or your internet provider?

2 hours ago, drewellis said:

It sounds like updating your Smartgate app was the thing that triggered it to all work? Unless I've misunderstood which is entirely possible, I've not had much sleep this weekend (I work on-call, eurgh)!

 

If so, I might still be screwed as I don't think my car has Smartgate

 

I think clicking the update button when inside the Smartgate App (& connected to Smartgate network via WiFi direct = half the circle is green) actually updated the cars Smartgate device. I think that's why the update took forever to complete over 3G, it wouldn't do it via my WiFi!

 

The phones App was up to date straight from Play Store, and I do think Samsung's own UI had something to do with it not working first time around. That is probs to do with my 4 year old phone's software and version of Android and not all Samsung's devices. 

Well I managed to get it working! But with the car tethered to my mrs' work iPhone on O2. When it's tethered to mine it doesn't work :(

 

I found an option in my Samsung hotspot settings called "enable WiFi sharing" which sounded like it would get it all working but that didn't work either. 

 

I'm going to contact Three to see if they can help me with it, perhaps it's a network restriction. 

Yet another update: I called Three and tried to explain my situation. Im not sure they understood but talked me through how to completely reset all my phone's network settings.

 

After all that hassle it still won't work :-(

 

I guess I'll have to live without it!