Comment by aceazzameen

12 hours ago

They've become cell phones on wheels. I'm disappointed with what vehicles (and phones too!) have become.

13 comments

aceazzameen

Reply
taraindara  12 hours ago

I share the sentiment. I want a new car, but only if I can guarantee all telemetry is hard disabled. But I don’t have the kind of money to buy a new car and risk bricking it. Luckily I’m pretty handy, so I’ll have to keep my 2014< cars forcefully running as long as I can.

  • kevin_thibedeau  8 hours ago

    Disabling the antennas is the only way to be sure. There will typically be a coax connection that you can cap with a terminator. GPS can be merged with other radios you might not want to lose but suitable splitters are available.

    • petre  3 hours ago

      GPS uses a different frequency and a very weak signal. The antenna is typically separate from the others but it's very small <5 mm¹. It can be on the same board with other antennas with 3…4 cm separation between them. Also, we tested a GSM tracker and it still worked with a mismatched antenna. This was in Eastern Europe where cell tower power is quite strong. You have to completely remove the antenna and terminate its connection to be 100% sure. If you have coax cables with external antennas, you're lucky. The worst case scenario is when they're embedded in the infotainment system with amtennas and everything. This is also a cost cutting measure, so it's very likely to be used. The infotainment system is usually ideally placed under the windshield for undisturbed signal reception. But there is still hope to completely cover its back side and edges with aluminium foil tape.

      1. https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/gnss-chip-antenna-hooku...

      1 reply →

  • hdgvhicv  8 hours ago

    I have non concerns about having a built in button to phone emergency services. I don’t even mind if it auto rings in a crash. I’m even happy to provide position to the emergency service in the event of dialing them.

    Manufacturers use this capacity as an excuse to push more adtech penny and dime data abuse, knowing half the world will blame the government.