Anyone considered changing modem from 4g LTE to 5g?

[Busterfriendly]

So I use the built in AT&T cellular modem / hotspot a lot for my kids, costs like 20 a month or whatever. I was curious if anyone has found a method for upgrading the modem from 4g to 5g to get better data speeds?

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[Bonnie6G]

Following

 

[grayshadow]

Following

At the top of the thread there is a blue box that says “watch”. That’s a much better feature to use to track a thread.

you can be notified with any updates and it stores the thread in your “watched” thread category in case you need to locate it again in the future.

 

[Bonnie6G]

At the top of the thread there is a blue box that says “watch”. That’s a much better feature to use to track a thread.

you can be notified with any updates and it stores the thread in your “watched” thread category in case you need to locate it again in the future.

Right, I’ve done that, I’m just mentioning it in the thread to let others know that more people beyond the OP is interested in this topic

 

[mikedege]

It will be years until 5G is out to the masses. Just wait, or it is a waste of $$$.
Current 5G as sold is really rebranded 4g+, not actual 5G. Remember when 4G came out, and it really wasn't actual 4G until 4GLTE came out? Same thing....

Mike

 

[Busterfriendly]

It will be years until 5G is out to the masses. Just wait, or it is a waste of $$$.
Current 5G as sold is really rebranded 4g+, not actual 5G. Remember when 4G came out, and it really wasn't actual 4G until 4GLTE came out? Same thing....

Mike

Thats probably extremely accurate. Still interested in it though

 

[North7]

You're talking about the built-in 4g modem, correct?

It's built-in.

It's not upgradable like buying a new cell phone.

 

[JaxGtc]

If I isolate my iphone 13 to what is listed in the top corner as 5g, I get download speeds in the 42 Mbps range. The Bronco LTE is about 40 Mbps. Both are ATT. They look to be pretty similar, lending credence to the theory that it might be branding of the service. That said, it is pretty nice for the kids to jump on the bronco instead of hitting my phone's hotspot.

 

[Busterfriendly]

You're talking about the built-in 4g modem, correct?

It's built-in.

It's not upgradable like buying a new cell phone.

I was more or less thinking of replacing the board (modem).

 

[TX-Hans]

I have to ask why? I get it's cool but unless there is some special application at issue, 4G is more than adequate for a car Wifi hotspot to feed the kid's ipads, laptops, etc. I use the 4G hotspot in my Escalade to power two Chromecast with Google TVs feeding into the two 12 inch OLED screens in the back and no one has ever complained about throughput. Only complaint is if we go through an area that has no cellular and there are a number of them out in the mountains. I think 5G would be overkill for most car streaming applications. Now, if we get to the point that cars are more autonomous and push the tech to the next level we should really already be at, then ya...real/true 5G is going to rock our worlds in terms of data rate exchange.

 

[Busterfriendly]

I have to ask why? I get it's cool but unless there is some special application at issue, 4G is more than adequate for a car Wifi hotspot to feed the kid's ipads, laptops, etc. I use the 4G hotspot in my Escalade to power two Chromecast with Google TVs feeding into the two 12 inch OLED screens in the back and no one has ever complained about throughput. Only complaint is if we go through an area that has no cellular and there are a number of them out in the mountains. I think 5G would be overkill for most car streaming applications. Now, if we get to the point that cars are more autonomous and push the tech to the next level we should really already be at, then ya...real/true 5G is going to rock our worlds in terms of data rate exchange.

Fair enough.

 

[North7]

I was more or less thinking of replacing the board (modem).

Modems are highly integrated devices into their host vehicle. They could be a board, a module or a separate chip mounted on the circuit board of one of the onboard systems. The control and security software is highly integrated as well.

Once you figure out what hardware to upgrade, you will then need to hack the software and security system. If you are successful, you will have disabled your Ford Pass subscription, vehicle updates and Hotspot account. Other than that it should be easy.

Or you could just buy a stand alone 5g Hotspot for the kids for $6.95 per month.
https://www.att.com/buy/connected-d...e-mobile-hotspot-router-512gb-steel-gray.html

Others attempts:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1611873-on-board-modem.html

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/onboard-modem.4098/

 

[Busterfriendly]

Modems are highly integrated devices into their host vehicle. They could be a board, a module or a separate chip mounted on the circuit board of one of the onboard systems. The control and security software is highly integrated as well.

Once you figure out what hardware to upgrade, you will then need to hack the software and security system. If you are successful, you will have disabled your Ford Pass subscription, vehicle updates and Hotspot account. Other than that it should be easy.

Or you could just buy a stand alone 5g Hotspot for the kids for $6.95 per month.
https://www.att.com/buy/connected-d...e-mobile-hotspot-router-512gb-steel-gray.html

Others attempts:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1611873-on-board-modem.html

Thanks!

 

[North7]

Thanks!

I just added one more link as well.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

For those of us who expect to keep our Broncos for a very long time, not being able to upgrade the modem could be a significant concern. I believe that 3G is already in the process of being phased out, and soon, any device that depends on it will become inoperative.

How long will 4G continue to be supported, before it meets the same fate?

I have to seriously hope that Ford thought ahead enough to provide some way to upgrade the cell technology in these vehicles, so that they can continue to work with existing networks as older networks get phased out.

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