Sim card?

[Seasidenj]

I'm assuming the i3 has a 3g simcard? Anyone know where it's located? What carrier? Can it be upgraded to 4g?

 

[jadnashuanh]

I don't think that it's a dedicated SIM card...I think it's embedded, so getting a new one might require a new box, and then, not sure if it would then require coding, so you probably couldn't do it yourself. Don't' know for sure.

 

[TheMK]

It might be an eSIM card, which would be very hard to change, but the head unit/telecommunications piece is underneath the rear seat.

Take a look at this video for more info:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8OHW4QijUY


If you decide to take a look under the rear seat cushion, please report back. I'm interested in seeing what you find out!

 

[CharonPDX]

It is almost certainly not able to be upgraded to LTE, unless it's already really LTE, and BMW just isn't telling us.

 

[alohart]

What carrier?

It's been reported to be AT&T in the U.S.

 

[i3Houston]

4g alone would make the BMW connected app so much better!

 

[2019i3s]

This is an amateur question, please don't laugh...
I bought my i3 a month ago in Germany (where it had the full package of connectivity, concierge etc), and exported it out of the EU.
To my total surprise, the car is connected to the internet, suggesting that there is a SIM card, maybe e-Sim, somewhere (under the back seat?).
Now I am very used to pay for service that doesn't work, but it never happened before that I get something real without paying :roll:
What's the trick? Where the data is coming from and how come it is still working in a different continent? Will it keep working for years to come or at some point BMW will ask for a periodical pay (my car will turn 1 year old on Friday)?

Thanks!
Ron

 

[jadnashuanh]

Depending on the model year and the country, the connectivity is 'free' for some number of years. If you've moved away from the original marketing area, eventually, they may want to move the account to a local provider, otherwise, they'd be paying for roaming forever. Some of the functionality available is by subscription, so, when that account expires, to retain it, you'd have to start to pay. In my case, the basic functions are 'free' and I did not opt to pay for the optional extra functionality once it expired.

So, yes, the car does have an embedded SIM (not an actual card). Not sure if it's equivalent to an E-SIM, as it may not be reprogrammed, but the whole module would need to be replaced.

 

[Kpt]

It's been reported to be AT&T in the U.S.

I'm a new i3 owner (2017 model year) and was surprised to find out about remote features. I was so happy that I inquired about getting a personal eSim. I'm an AT&T customer and AT&T does offer the personal eSim - but for $20 per month. AT&T claims it will allow me to make calls even if I do not have my phone.

I LOVE the remote features. Does anyone know if purchasing the eSim will prolong their availability?

 

[Bat66]

Given that my i3 is a 2013 model, does anyone know if this is a 3G network technology or what technology it is, given that they are turning off 3G networks in the UK?

I've noticed a few times that the My BMW app can't connect to the car, and the signal disappears in the car's display. Given that my phone still had 4g and 5g coverage, this would imply that it could be only 3g hardware.

 

[EvanstonI3]

I'm a new i3 owner (2017 model year) and was surprised to find out about remote features. I was so happy that I inquired about getting a personal eSim. I'm an AT&T customer and AT&T does offer the personal eSim - but for $20 per month. AT&T claims it will allow me to make calls even if I do not have my phone.

I LOVE the remote features. Does anyone know if purchasing the eSim will prolong their availability?

You are not installing an eSim on this car. The SIM that is in the car is for data only and is tied to the VIN via the TCU (Telecommunications Control Unit) Any cellular data account belongs to BMW and they pay for it in bulk. It is not a personal account that you have access to.

 

[EvanstonI3]

Given that my i3 is a 2013 model, does anyone know if this is a 3G network technology or what technology it is, given that they are turning off 3G networks in the UK?

I've noticed a few times that the My BMW app can't connect to the car, and the signal disappears in the car's display. Given that my phone still had 4g and 5g coverage, this would imply that it could be only 3g hardware.

2013-2016 model years only have a 3G SIM. A handful of people in the USA managed to get them upgraded over a few years but that it all. The process involves a new TCU box with 4G sim and must be programmed to the VIN of the vehicle. You can't just buy one from a wrecked car and install it. It must be done by BMW because the activation and activity all go through BMW Servers. You don't communicate directly with the car via the App.

 

[Kpt]

You are not installing an eSim on this car. The SIM that is in the car is for data only and is tied to the VIN via the TCU (Telecommunications Control Unit) Any cellular data account belongs to BMW and they pay for it in bulk. It is not a personal account that you have access to.

The BMW app said I had to check with my carrier. AT&T said my car was eligible,. That is what my comment was based on. Maybe they were wrong. Have you tried it? I may try it as there is no contract.

 

[alohart]

I'm a new i3 owner (2017 model year) and was surprised to find out about remote features. I was so happy that I inquired about getting a personal eSim. I'm an AT&T customer and AT&T does offer the personal eSim - but for $20 per month. AT&T claims it will allow me to make calls even if I do not have my phone.

I LOVE the remote features. Does anyone know if purchasing the eSim will prolong their availability?

The availability of these remote features depends on the availability of a specific 4G data service, AT&T's in the U.S. When 3G data service was discontinued by AT&T in the U.S., remote features no longer worked. The current i3 telematics module knows how to contact BMW servers over a 4G data network.

I can't imagine that having a personal eSIM could have anything to do with remote features because we don't know how to contact BMW's servers, don't know the required password, and don't have the necessary encryption key, assuming that communications between an i3 and BMW servers is encrypted.

 

[alohart]

The BMW app said I had to check with my carrier. AT&T said my car was eligible,. That is what my comment was based on. Maybe they were wrong. Have you tried it? I may try it as there is no contract.

The My BMW app claims that our 2021 U.S. i3 is ineligible for a Personal eSIM, so I doubt that your 2017 i3 would be eligible.

 

[Kpt]

I have re-checked. My 2017 is NOT eligible, after all. In any event, starting the AC when leaving work on a hot Florida afternoon is very nice!

 

[mojo]

Given that my i3 is a 2013 model, does anyone know if this is a 3G network technology or what technology it is, given that they are turning off 3G networks in the UK?

Our collective understanding (I think...) in the UK is that this won't be an issue. The underlying mechanism for all of the remote comms is SMS, and that will continue to run over 2G when 3G ceases to operate. I don't believe there is any firm plan to turn off 2G in the UK, because a lot of remote telemetry appears to depend on it.

It would not be surprising to find that reliability drops (e.g. if a 2G tower transmitter fails, I doubt anyone will be in a hurry to fix it) but the BMW side of the service is pretty poor anyway, so maybe we won't notice any major difference...

 

[user 11767]

2G will probably be turned off in the UK in 2033. There's likely to be loads of devices rendered fully or partially useless then, my robot mower included!

 

[robthebold]

The underlying mechanism for all of the remote comms is SMS

How did you determine this?

 

[alohart]

The underlying mechanism for all of the remote comms is SMS, and that will continue to run over 2G when 3G ceases to operate.

Well, that didn't happen when 3G data service ended in the U.S. even though SMS was unaffected.

I don't know how various phone services work, but I'd be surprised if SMS is used between an i3 and BMW servers. An i3 telematics module establishes an Internet connection with BMW servers using a 3G (2014-2016 i3) or 4G (2017 and later i3) data connection just as a smartphone does when accessing the Internet over its data connection when WiFi isn't available. SMS messages aren't typically sent over the Internet but through telecom networks using its own protocols.