[skip501]

Folks,

I am a proud new owner of a 2014 Ram Laramie with the 8.4AN radio. Much to my dismay, the apps feature of Uconnect is not available to Canadians. I knew this going in, having read posts from this forum. However, I am tech guy...and do tech for a living. I figured I might be able to come up with a work-around, much like I did with my 2012 BMW X5.

Unfortunately I am stumped. I understand why we can't get the Sprint service to work, but there is no reason why the Via Mobile app shouldn't work when tethering a data connection to the 8.4AN radio (and the 8.4A). In fact, you can download the app for Android by faking a US Google account. You can successfully tether your phone to the 8.4AN. You can even, through moparownerconnect, link your Pandora account to Via Mobile.

After doing a bunch of due diligence, I called Chrysler Canada. They provided case #25171553. Quite frankly, they didn't seem to care about this issue. I was told that our cellular infrastructure in Canada was this issue. This is a farce. We have the same technology here in Canada as the US...in fact, more modern as I don't believe that there are any legacy CDMA carriers left up here in the Great White North. The bottom line is that I was told that Canada wouldn't get Uconnect or Via Mobile until 2017. I was also told that no consumer in Canada will be able to talk to a Chrysler product manager or anyone else at Chrysler that may be knowledgeable of this technology and its applications.

What a disappointment. I still love my truck, but I think we Canadians should band together to start a petition, which I am happy to invest the time into doing and leading. We need to get an audience with someone at Chrysler. We need to be heard.

Based on the response to this post, I will decide whether to invest the energy to pursue this. Let me know if you are interested.

Warmest regards,
Skip501 (aka Paul)

 

[GTyankee]

Down here in the States, the APPS are controlled by Sprint Velocity
Last October Sprint Velocity & Rogers Communications made a Agreement that would allow Canadians to have the APPS

http://newsroom.sprint.com/presskits/sprint-velocity-connecting-vehicles-with-m2m.htm

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-rel...-sprint-to-bring-connected-cars-to-canada.htm

Everything that i have read has mentioned the summer of 2014 as being the target date

 

[canadian.bacon]

i coudn't care less for that service. it will be expensive and it will probably run through robbers, hence the " i dont care"...

 

[unlisted]

I'm very interested- if cost effective. If robbers is smart (which they are not), they will offer a (stupidly) cheap plan to allow someone who is a current rogers customer to share their data plan between their device and their vehicle.

(Hey, I can dream, can I not?)

 

[FeedMetal]

i gave up on this 2 months after having my 2013. Its a huge joke, and if available i will have to pay out the a$$ for the service just like the sat radio service. no thanks. not spending more money than i already have for something that should come free with the truck. pay extra for the sat service, pay extra for uconnet, pay for gas, pay for this, pay for that, pay the fee to pay, pay the fee to pay that fee that pays the next fee that you then get charged with this fee and that fee. no, no thanks, im done and have drastically given up.

 

[canadian.bacon]

it will eventually become free in a few years....but until then, the thing that pisses me off is that they don't allow the truck to tether into the data plan I already have on cell. Problem solved. Internet for all the apps you want and less hardware for them to implement and maintain. But hey, why would they do something FOR the customer if there is no money to be made out of it?

 

[unlisted]

it will eventually become free in a few years....but until then, the thing that pisses me off is that they don't allow the truck to tether into the data plan I already have on cell. Problem solved. Internet for all the apps you want and less hardware for them to implement and maintain. But hey, why would they do something FOR the customer if there is no money to be made out of it?

This forum needs a like button.. Also the above makes way, way too much sense.

 

[SShadow1974]

I want Android in the dash and cell tethering.

 

[skip501]

Exactly

it will eventually become free in a few years....but until then, the thing that pisses me off is that they don't allow the truck to tether into the data plan I already have on cell. Problem solved. Internet for all the apps you want and less hardware for them to implement and maintain. But hey, why would they do something FOR the customer if there is no money to be made out of it?

This is one of my points. There is an app called Via Connect put out by Chrysler that allows US owners to tether using their existing data plan and use that connection to enable apps versus the Sprint service. There is no reason for this not to work today in Canada. I have successfully tethered this app to the 8.4AN unit. The barrier is that it requires your Uconnect to be registered to the VIN of your vehicle. If they would just allow Canadians to register the VIN, we would have a working solution today. Google Uconnect Via Mobile for more information.

 

[skip501]

Let's keep this thread going... if I can get a little more interest, I can go to Chrysler with a story. I'm a pit bull... with support, I think I can get their attention on this matter.

 

[unlisted]

I just got an idea... Why doesn't someone contact Customtronix and ask them to build it as an option (or options) into their Customtronix RAX Jailbreaker software?

http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=174275

Kinda would kill two birds with one stone for us Canadians.. We wouldn't have to hassle Chrysler anymore, could totally bypass Robbers with service fees and we would also have far more features with the customtronix!

 

[canadian.bacon]

Let's keep this thread going... if I can get a little more interest, I can go to Chrysler with a story. I'm a pit bull... with support, I think I can get their attention on this matter.

LOL. Good luck with that. So far I am not impressed with them fixing stuff under warranty, but go the extra mile and do something else? Hell, they cant get their VIN website in order for the updates for the 8.4, I had to call in twice and email a few times till they finally manually added my VIN.
They cant get their main build website properly running and you want more stuff in uconnect? LOL.

I just got an idea... Why doesn't someone contact Customtronix and ask them to build it as an option (or options) into their Customtronix RAX Jailbreaker software?

http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=174275

Kinda would kill two birds with one stone for us Canadians.. We wouldn't have to hassle Chrysler anymore, could totally bypass Robbers with service fees and we would also have far more features with the customtronix!

^ they will play the "out of warranty" card next time anything happens to the unit.

 

[smc]

The real kicker is that Uconnect is made by RIM aka Blackberry. A Canadian company.

 

[canadian.bacon]

^ no, it is made by employees at Chrysler. It is BASED on QNX, owned (nor produced) by Blackberry.
QNX was here long before and it is a real gem. It is used in a lot of really important stuff.

 

[skip501]

Update

Folks, wanted to provide you with an update.

I have been harassing (haha) Chrysler on Twitter. Turns out that they aren't keen on CTV W5 or CBC Marketplace doing a piece on how the big US auto makers treat Canadians like second class citizens.

Apparently, I will be getting a call from a product manager tomorrow who actually knows how this stuff works. I am hoping to get the straight goods on what the problem is.

Lastly, I see that RAM is one of the members of the Open Automobile Alliance....OAA members are bringing Android Auto to vehicles. This would make uConnect redundant. Just hope the 8.4A and AN have the guts to run it.

Either way, I am pushing on to get some love from RAM/Chrysler to us Canucks.

 

[danmp]

It's always the same thing, Canada in second.

 

[namretsud]

It's just like the warranty differences for us north of the border. The US gets a tooth pick and the Canucks get a hydro pole with no lube.

 

[unlisted]

Apparently, I will be getting a call from a product manager tomorrow who actually knows how this stuff works. I am hoping to get the straight goods on what the problem is.

So... Did you get the call?

 

[Bushmaster]

it's just like the warranty differences for us north of the border. The us gets a tooth pick and the canucks get a hydro pole with no lube.

:shocked::lol:

 

[dizzle]

i believe that since we pay the same, if not MORE for our rams then the owners farther south, we should get a discount, as my window sticker suggests "features as equipped" my 8.4AN was just as much as everyone elses and yet i dont have the same features,

as above, i was smart enough to realize all of this prior to purchasing the truck but never the less.