Bluetooth hands free set with coupling box and WLAN

Nick S · Sep 22, 2015

I am new to this site but very pleased with what I have learned so far. I'm just about to place my order for a new California Ocean and want to make sure I cover all options. I am thinking of the Bluetooth hands free set with coupling box and WLAN which I understand gives the option of wi-fi within the vehicle. Trouble is I have no idea how it works or if indeed I have understood correctly. I am thinking of quite a long trip through Europe next year and wi-if availability would be a much better option than 3 or 4G certainly from a cost point of view.
Anyone out there have this option? Or can anyone advise what it is and how it works? Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Octobus · Sep 22, 2015

Hi Nick S. I enquired about this option at the weekend with a dealer as I was also considering selecting it. As I understand it it the WLAN allows for Internet connection in the van (presumably utilising the radio screen) but it uses a mobile phone connection so will require and use data from the phone. Also it is only available if selected with sat nav. Personally I think it's a bit of a waste of money as I could just use the 3 g or 4 g on my iPad.

Nick S · Sep 22, 2015

beesto said:
Hi Nick S. I enquired about this option at the weekend with a dealer as I was also considering selecting it. As I understand it it the WLAN allows for Internet connection in the van (presumably utilising the radio screen) but it uses a mobile phone connection so will require and use data from the phone. Also it is only available if selected with sat nav. Personally I think it's a bit of a waste of money as I could just use the 3 g or 4 g on my iPad.

Thanks for your reply Beesto. If it uses the data from the phone or iPad then I'm not sure what use it is other than to use the sat nav screen for looking at the Internet rather than the phone or iPad itself. Like you hardly seems worth it.

MCh1777 · Sep 22, 2015

The only advantage I have found is that the connection speeds are faster than you get with an iPad in the Cali. I assume this is because the Cali 3/4g uses an aerial that is much more effective than a phone or iPad inside the vehicle.
Oh, one other advantage - my granddaughter was delighted to find the wifi signal so she could connect her iPod to the Internet.
On the T5 wifi was expensive and not worth it in my view. On the T6 it is a less expensive option but you still need a SIM-only contract.

MattBW · Sep 22, 2015

It may be considerably cheaper to just get a Mifi which will do the same job and you can take with you outside of the van. They are all reliant on a mobile signal (and sim) so for me a mifi does the same job for far less outlay. I even renamed the hotspot on mine to camper van wifi and it moves between my T25 and my Cali when needed..

Nick S · Sep 22, 2015

MCh1777 said:
The only advantage I have found is that the connection speeds are faster than you get with an iPad in the Cali. I assume this is because the Cali 3/4g uses an aerial that is much more effective than a phone or iPad inside the vehicle.
Oh, one other advantage - my granddaughter was delighted to find the wifi signal so she could connect her iPod to the Internet.
On the T5 wifi was expensive and not worth it in my view. On the T6 it is a less expensive option but you still need a SIM-only contract.

Thank you for your input MattBW all sounds very confusing for me. Bit behind with the times with all this technical stuff. Glad to here your granddaughter appreciates it. She probably knows more about it than me!! Looking forward to next year when we take delivery of our new Cali, can't wait. In the meantime I will be tuning in to all the great advice offered here. Cheers!!

Skylark2.0 · Sep 23, 2015

The wifi was already in ours. We bought a data only sim in Germany. The ariel on the top gets a really good signal. We use quite a lot of data! Our teenage son loves it. Currently paying £7 a month for it. Not sure it's worth paying for but we enjoy having it. Depends whether you want everything built into your van or lots of bits and pieces I suppose. It supports multiple users too which is great.

Chris H · Mar 22, 2016

so where do you put your sim? do you need a usb dongle of some sort?

Swissian · Mar 23, 2016

Chris H said:
so where do you put your sim? do you need a usb dongle of some sort?

The Wifi module has a sim slot for your sim card

Rhyddin · Mar 23, 2016

I have this functionality in my Audi and it is exactly as described above: it relies on a data signal generated by a sim which you insert in the vehicle (or, alternatively, in the case of my car, an android phone with RSAP capabilities) and then allows passengers in the vehicle to get a wifi signal for browsing.

Not sure about the Cali set up but, in quite a few vehicles, it also allows the nav system to access the internet for traffic or search functionality too, which is useful and the obvious advantage over Mifi, or other portable dongles.

The option definitely does not come with a built-in sim that provides data access at no additional cost. The only vehicle that I know which does that is the Tesla model S, which has free internet access from within the car for life.

Chris H · Mar 23, 2016

thanks I have this option on my t6 so just was wondering about it not sure how you tell if the coupling box is working or not to enhance the phone signal.

Chris H · Apr 2, 2016

I specked the wifi with coupling box but not sure if it ether works of its been fitted as not sure what I'm supposed to see might just be me being paranoid. Has anyone else got this option and if so does it look like my pic. the rubber base lifts up with nothing below it ?