I have a 2013 A7 with Audi Connect. I paid for three years up front as it was billed as a "High Speed Broadband Internet Connect" with wireless hotspot, supports 8 devices, surf the internet while riding along, yadda yadda yadda.

Well, nothing could be further from the truth.

My model uses T-Mobile. I see that ATT is now an option on '14 models. Hhhmmm.

The problem is I can rarely if ever even stream simple audio. I use my iPhone connected to the Audi Wireless system and use various music apps. Several give me "broadband connected limited - poor performance may result" or some such similar warning.

It's easy to test the speed and I get 25 kB/s on an average day. Yes, you read that correctly. Half the speed of a dial-up modem, my friends.

The simultaneous speed of my ATT data connection (on the same iPhone) typically runs upwards of 1000 kB/s. I can stream that without any issue at all. BUT, I PAID for three years of the T-Mobile Audi Connect!!

When I first called Audi Connect, they of course turfed me back to the Audi dealer. My 15K mile service was upcoming, so no problem, I took it in. They said the system was fine (I already knew that) and gave me the phone number to Audi Connect.

I called Audi Connect again today and of course, being Saturday, not much was done. They took my number and said someone would get back to me. What could I do? It's Saturday!!

Anyone else with such poor throughput from T-Mobile?? I'm in an area (Tampa Bay) where their map shows EXCELLENT service.

I've checked the fine print (I'm a lawyer among other things) and of course, "High speed" isn't defined. Well, I suspect most anyone in the industry will tell you it IS NOT half the speed of a dial-up modem.

Anyone else with problems with their internet connect speed via their Audi Connect service?

 

I have been in contact with Audi Connect. They have sent me another sim card thinking the one I had may have had some problem with the connection. Initial testing reveals no significant change in speed. It's still incredibly slow and essentially useless for streaming audio.

I actually got 9 kB/s when testing it just now. That is entirely ABSURD!

Clearly there is an issue with T-Mobile and Audi Connect. I will keep working with them to see if it can be resolved but without a doubt, T-Mobile has the broadband ratcheted back to next to nothing for Audi Connect in the Tampa Bay, FL area.

Sure wish I knew this before I bought the A-7. This feature was something I really wanted.

I would avoid T-Mobile at all costs. Go with ATT - or AT LEAST check the downloads speeds BEFORE you purchase the feature. I have no idea if ATT is any better, but it can't possibly be any worse than T-Mobile.

..............Bob

 

Well well.

I finally spoke with someone at Audi who admitted there is a problem. I have no idea how widespread this is, but it appears either Audi or T-Mobile has their pants in a wad over some issue.

You folks with a smart phone, download the "Ookla Speedtest" app (it's free!), connect to your Audi wireless network and test the speed. Note you can set the results to read the speed in Mbps or kB/s.

Post your results here, what market you live in and whether you have T-Mobile or ATT (only a few of the latest models have ATT).

Something is afoot and I find it somewhat annoying. This feature was a major selling point for me and finding out I spent over $70,000 for this vehicle only to have this feature become a lemon is a bit disconcerting.

............Bob

 

We have a 2014 Audi S4 and we also purchased the full three-year T-Mobile package. The Internet speed is so slow that the service is essentially unusable. I really wish that I could get my money back. I'm not looking forward to going through the rigamarole of them saying maybe the sim card is bad, etc etc.

I noticed that there is a screen several layers down in the "Phone" menu that shows the connection strength of the service. I have seen it say everything from "weak" to "good" to "very good". I've never gotten anything beyond very good and don't know if there is another level. Anyway, i wanted to add that it doesn't matter WHAT this screen says--the service is the same, slow, less than dial-up speed--all the time.

 

the attached photo shows the kind of speeds i am getting.

 

I just picked up a 2015 A6 and it still has the T-Mobile SIM for Audi Connect.

From what I read, the LTE version via AT&T is only offered with the A3.

Even w/o LTE, I'm curious if an AT&T SIM card would work since it is the same underlying cell technology for the most part. Has anyone tried that?

 

Just purchased my 2015 A3 last night. Current ATT LTE speeds are around 40Mb/s.
I live in Charlotte NC which has seemed to have very high speeds compared to the rest of the country though.....
I haven't looked yet, but is there a data limit to the Audi Connect?

 

For LTE Audi Connect w/ AT&T, there is a data cap for the standalone service:

Audi and AT&T Announce Pricing for First Ever In-Vehicle 4G LTE Connectivity | AT&T

 

i finally found some literature describing the data cap....one thing AT&T has been unable to answer for me is the ability add this SIM card to my existing 15Gb month account and pay 10 bucks a month for that privilege or if I have to maintain the service through this 6 or 30 month pricing structure. They are supposed to contact me in a few days to let me know if i can purchase my own data on my existing family share plan......
i would only pay 360 for 3 years this way....... and i have the ability to "transfer" the service to another data only device if i leave Audi

 

Have you checked the T-Mobile coverage map? Your readout on the screen should show Google 3G. If it reads 2G, it's going to be very slow.