Columbus WLAN and data services

[xman]

Have you tried following the instructions in the owners manual?

 

Download your manual here

 

Choose the manual for your production date.

 

 

[drewellis]

39 minutes ago, xman said:

Have you tried following the instructions in the owners manual?

 

Download your manual here

 

Choose the manual for your production date.

 

 

I’ve tried, and it doesn’t work. 

 

The only bit I’m unclear about is in the pic I’ve attached. Obviously I don’t have the SIM card slot so no worries about that, but does the other bit mean I can’t have my phone connected to Columbus via Bluetooth at all, whilst using it as a hotspot for the Columbus to connect to?

[xman]

That seems straightforward to me.

 

If you've connected your phone using bluetooth with rsap (columbus uses your phones sim remotely, and phone/data signal is handled by columbus directly using its own hardware and roof aerial) then you cant try to connect to your mobile phone hotspot or home wifi.

 

Common sense.

 

There is on mine a checkbox somewhere that enables/disables the rsap profile, called something like professional profile iirc.

 

 

http://www.android-rsap.com/bluetooth-sim-access-profile.html

 

 

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM-Access-Profile

 

Some phones have difficulty with rsap, some iphones included. Somewhere on the forum I think I saw a list of non compatible phones, for amundsen or columbus.

 

Maybe an email to skoda customer care to ask if your car is compatible with the phone you are trying to use.

Edited 24 October, 2018 by xman

[JR RS]

2 hours ago, drewellis said:

Thanks. Can I ask what phone you have? And do you connect the Columbus to your phones mobile hotspot or just via Bluetooth?

 

I have a HTC U11, running Android 8.

 

1. I turn on phone's hotspot.

2. Columbus automatically connects to it via WLAN

3. I enable hotspot on the Columbus.

4. Tablets and other devices can now connect to the Columbus, with an active connection.

 

Steps 2 and 4 happen automatically.

If I don't do step 1, then the connected devices won't have an internet connection because the Columbus doesn't have an active connection.

Step 3 is set and forgot.

 

My phone is already connected via Bluetooth as soon as I turn the car on.  I activate the phone hotspot after 2-5 mins.

I don't use the Bluetooth connection for internet.

Edited 24 October, 2018 by JR RS

[drewellis]

22 minutes ago, xman said:

There is on mine a checkbox somewhere that enables/disables the rsap profile, called something like professional profile iirc.

Thanks for the info I’ll try it tomorrow with my Bluetooth off. I’ve looked for rsap settings numerous times on the Columbus but never found it, can you recall where it might be?

Mine was first registered in May 2016 not sure on the build date but I suppose these units could differ slightly 

[rtj70]

Look in the glovebox and at the DVD/CD head-unit. Does it have a SIM card slot because this was not standard until recently. If it does not have a SIM card slot between the two SD card slots then it cannot connect to and use a SIM in a phone over Bluetooth using the rSIM Bluetooth profile.

Edited 25 October, 2018 by rtj70

[JR RS]

26 minutes ago, rtj70 said:

Look in the glovebox and at the DVD/CD head-unit. Does it have a SIM card slot because this was not standard until recently. If it does not have a SIM card slot between the two SD card slots then it cannot connect to and use a SIM in a phone over Bluetooth using the rSIM Bluetooth profile.

 

correct - that is my understanding too.

 

rSAP will only work if u have the SIM version glovebox unit, assuming u have phone that is rSAP capable too.

not all phones can do the rSAP bluetooth profile.

[drewellis]

Thanks both, understood. As I don’t have the SIM card slot I will have to use the mobile hotspot method. I’ll try it this morning and report back 

[JR RS]

Columbus WLAN settings:-

- WLAN connected to my mobile's hotspot "HTC JR Hotspot"

- Columbus Mobile Hotspot = On

 

 

Tablet, connected to Columbus Hotspot "Skoda_WLAN_4e70ef"

 

 

Columbus showing there is one (1) connected mobile hotspot user on the wireless logo:-

 

Edited 25 October, 2018 by JR RS

[drewellis]

Well I tried it as per your tips and the instructions, and it doesn’t work. It must be faulty. I tried it both with my phones Bluetooth on and off. Also tried to update the system whilst it was connected to my phones hotspot

[syanide]

7 minutes ago, drewellis said:

Well I tried it as per your tips and the instructions, and it doesn’t work. It must be faulty. I tried it both with my phones Bluetooth on and off. Also tried to update the system whilst it was connected to my phones hotspot

Same here. I had phone connected via cable. Columbus connected to my phone's WiFi hotspot. God knows what Columbus can do with my phone's internet as I also get the above message.

 

I then also created a WiFi Hotspot in Columbus and wifey was able to connect. But alas....her phone said "Connected, no internet".

 

[drewellis]

Glad it’s not just me but it’s annoying because others on here who have no sim slot have got it to work 

[syanide]

Just now, drewellis said:

Glad it’s not just me but it’s annoying because others on here who have no sim slot have got it to work 

Would be interesting to hear from them and what they do with the WiFi Client aspect. Can't only be there to be able the then create a Hotspot....seems a bit overkill!

[flogdnaloop]

Ill have a play with this at weekend,

i have the Columbus etc, no sim slot.

im a technician so would hope I could do it but it sounds like it is causing issues.

[syanide]

1 minute ago, flogdnaloop said:

Ill have a play with this at weekend,

i have the Columbus etc, no sim slot.

im a technician so would hope I could do it but it sounds like it is causing issues.

I'm as geeky as they come as far as phones go too, and as it stands....it's sounds good on paper, but in practice it's different!  Happy to speak directly if you want to pm me when the time comes.

[drewellis]

Cheers all, hopefully we’ll get somewhere lol. How many engineers does it take to get WiFi working  I’m a secure cloud engineer and been trying to get this working for almost 2 years 

[flogdnaloop]

To be fair I haven’t even tried but will give it a go.

what was everyone trying to achieve, an update or just a Wi-fi hotspot for people in car or something else?

i am an mcse (was until it changed anyway.) and used to work for Apple so one would hope I would get somewhere if it’s possible but as an engineer one gets used to spending a lot of time going nowhere very quick 

[syanide]

7 minutes ago, flogdnaloop said:

To be fair I haven’t even tried but will give it a go.

what was everyone trying to achieve, an update or just a Wi-fi hotspot for people in car or something else?

i am an mcse (was until it changed anyway.) and used to work for Apple so one would hope I would get somewhere if it’s possible but as an engineer one gets used to spending a lot of time going nowhere very quick 

For me, I hate having options that I don't or can't use. So it's more of a principle for me! But I'd be happy to be able to do all my Columbus updates by connecting to my phone's data. That would be bliss. 

[flogdnaloop]

Cool,

lets see what I can do.

keep your fingers crossed lol.

i may need it by the sound of it.

[drewellis]

Yep same for me updates would be good, and I read somewhere that it connects the nav for better traffic updates etc but perhaps that’s a feature for the SIM card slot module. 

 

The wifi would be a nice touch too for passengers I guess

[rtj70]

All you need for the TomTom sourced traffic data is:

 

• An Internet connection for the Columbus system to connect to which could just be a hotspot on your phone - you do not use the WLAN feature for that.
• A valid licence/subscription to Skoda's Infotainment Online Plus services (not to be confused with Care Connect - Remote Access) - it is free for the first 12 months with a new car and then £45 per annum

You can check your subscriptions on the Columbus unit.

 

Note a full map update can be close to 30GB so it is easier and quicker to use an SD Card or USB drive and download them on a computer.

Edited 25 October, 2018 by rtj70

[drewellis]

1 hour ago, rtj70 said:

All you need for the TomTom sourced traffic data is:

 

• An Internet connection for the Columbus system to connect to which could just be a hotspot on your phone - you do not use the WLAN feature for that.
• A valid licence/subscription to Skoda's Infotainment Online Plus services (not to be confused with Care Connect - Remote Access) - it is free for the first 12 months with a new car and then £45 per annum

You can check your subscriptions on the Columbus unit.

 

Note a full map update can be close to 30GB so it is easier and quicker to use an SD Card or USB drive and download them on a computer.

Isn’t this on the new infotainment system (2017 onwards)? Mine is an older model with the older Columbus system (see my pic above of screen)

 

edit: there are no options anywhere on my Columbus for any subscriptions or online services 

Edited 26 October, 2018 by drewellis

[rtj70]

>> edit: there are no options anywhere on my Columbus for any subscriptions or online services 

 

So how do you think you'll get access to traffic data - on the newer systems it needs a valid licence for Infotainment Online Plus

Edited 26 October, 2018 by rtj70

[drewellis]

Yeah my car has the older Columbus system which doesn’t support the Tom Tom services, but not time wasting imo as the WLAN and hotspot features are still present due to the other benefits described by others earlier in this topic. 

[rtj70]

But you won't for example get the improved traffic data. That does not need WLAN and if that is what you're trying to achieve using a hotspot from the phone I think it is pointless. You could just connect everything up via the phone hotspot.

 

If you had the Columbus with the SIM slot for internet access you could use rSIM. That then uses the car antenna for it's connection to the mobile network. If you are using a mobile phone hotspot it's using the phone's antenna.