The Internet of Things (IoT) is growing every day. The grouping and interconnection of devices and objects through a network is a growing reality and even our car can be connected to have certain functions. Vodafone knows this and that is why it is launching CarConnect, its connected car solution. CarConnect was included free of charge in the Vodafone One Hogar Ilimitable 4.0 package, if you contracted it before August 12, 2021, but it was later decommercialized. Now come back and do it for everyone, regardless of the operator you are.
CarConnect will be available to Vodafone customers and also to other operators at a monthly cost of 2.5 euros and its services include GPS location, Wi-Fi, alert notification through messages and calls, vehicle status and personalized offers.
What is CarConnect?
The connected car is a new way of getting the most out of our vehicle thanks to the new connectivity options and this is specifically what the Vodafone CarConnect service offers us. All we have to do is connect a device to the OBD (On Board Diagnostic) port of our car.
OBD Installation
It is a standard in all vehicles built from 2003 onwards, so it is practically the only requirement to enjoy a connected car. However, Vodafone limits the list of compatible vehicles a little more: “it is compatible with any fuel or hybrid vehicle manufactured from 2005”.
Vodafone’s CarConnect device is 72 millimeters high, 50 millimeters long and weighs just 85 grams. Its battery is 180 mAh.
CarConnect is on sale today for customers of any operator. Vodafone customers can purchase it in physical stores, in the web store or through their My Vodafone account. They will have a discount in the price, since they can buy the CarConnect and Vodafone Smart SIM pack integrated into the device in cash for 36 euros, to which the 2.5 euros subscription must be added each month. In case of payment in installments, it would cost 4 euros per month for 24 months (96 euros in total).
For customers of another operator, it can be purchased free in physical stores and in the vodafone eshop for 59.90 euros plus the monthly subscription of 2.5 euros, which you can pause or cancel at any time.
Advantages and benefits
CarConnect is a device that allows you to stay connected to your car, control it, and know its GPS location through your mobile at all times. In the absence of a GPS signal, it uses Wi-Fi and a mobile network to send its location. In addition to its live position, you can see the history of the routes made during your trips.
Vodafone CarConnect Services
It can be very useful in case of theft or to have better control over the use of your car, since you can also define safe zones and receive warnings if your car leaves them when it shouldn’t. Have your children gone to a party when in theory they were going to the library? Hunted. Depending on the make and model of the vehicle, in some cases it is advisable to use an OBD extender cable in order to hide the device.
As usual in these connected car solutions, we will be able to enjoy an Internet connection in the car and WiFi to connect from other devices so as not to have to consume data from our rate. In this case, it has a WiFi network for the car that provides a connection to all the members of the vehicle that has 10 GB per month and the possibility of connecting up to 5 devices simultaneously.
Lastly, it will allow you to synchronize your mobile with your vehicle to establish alerts about breakdowns or upcoming revisions.
Car Connect App
The device is associated with the CarConnect mobile application, from which all its functionalities are managed and controlled. In the app we will be able to know some indicators such as the exact location of the car, devices connected to the Wi-Fi network, etc.
CarConnect will collect information on a series of parameters such as sudden acceleration/deceleration, unexpected turns or the time spent driving over the speed limit to assess how the user drives, assigning a driving score, DriveScoring, which could be used to offer you personalized offers from fuel and maintenance, to restaurants. This score, for example, could be used to obtain insurance bonuses if it is shown that you are a good driver and use the car correctly.
