Sponsored

Watching YouTube while connected to WiFi without Ford Streaming subscription?

starrtech2000

Well-known member
First Name
Jesse
Joined
Oct 2, 2023
Threads
16
Messages
96
Reaction score
46
Location
Colorado
Vehicles
23 Lightning Lariat ER 511a
Hey team. My ford streaming trial is expiring. If I connect the truck to my phone’s hotspot, will the streaming apps work or are they using this as an extortion scam and keeping you from using the streaming apps without paying them for the data plan?
Sponsored

 

3121

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 17, 2023
Threads
2
Messages
107
Reaction score
103
Location
SoCal
Vehicles
F150 Lightning Lariat
You can connect the truck to your phone's WiFi hotspot or any other WiFi as long as you are in park. All the Youtube and NBC apps will work without a ford/at&t subscription

FYI WiFi only connects when you are in Park. As soon as you start moving the truck disables the wifi connection. It won't let you watch Youtube in motion anyways so no real loss there.
 
OP
OP

starrtech2000

Well-known member
First Name
Jesse
Joined
Oct 2, 2023
Threads
16
Messages
96
Reaction score
46
Location
Colorado
Vehicles
23 Lightning Lariat ER 511a
You can connect the truck to your phone's WiFi hotspot or any other WiFi as long as you are in park. All the Youtube and NBC apps will work without a ford/at&t subscription

FYI WiFi only connects when you are in Park. As soon as you start moving the truck disables the wifi connection. It won't let you watch Youtube in motion anyways so no real loss there.
Awesome. Yes, this is only something I do while charging and bored.
 

invertedspear

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2023
Threads
16
Messages
1,123
Reaction score
1,554
Location
AZ, USA
Website
lightningcalcs.pages.dev
Vehicles
Antimatter Blue XLT (312A) ER, 2004 Jeep TJ
WiFi only connects when you are in Park
Is that for real? Like even for Alexa? I can see a short-sighted manager thinking WiFi is stationary, and totally forget about hotspots and phones, so coming up with the idea for that, but I would think an engineer would point out it's way easier just to leave it on and disable the apps that shouldn't be used in drive.
 

flypony53

Well-known member
First Name
Rodney
Joined
Nov 2, 2022
Threads
4
Messages
110
Reaction score
132
Location
Houston, TX
Vehicles
Ford F150 Lightning, Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model S
Anyone else have issues getting their truck to connect to their hotspot on the phone? I have been struggling with this off and on for a while.

The Lighting is the only device I have every had issues connecting to my hotspot. Everything else just connects.
 

Sponsored

hikinbengal

Well-known member
Joined
May 18, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
71
Reaction score
131
Location
Bay Area, California
Vehicles
Lightning Lariat ER, Outback, Jeep TJ, Audi A3
Occupation
Engineering Progam Manager
I
Anyone else have issues getting their truck to connect to their hotspot on the phone? I have been struggling with this off and on for a while.

The Lighting is the only device I have every had issues connecting to my hotspot. Everything else just connects.
If you have wireless Carplay on, you need to disconnect from the SYNC system on the truck. If I don't do this, the truck keeps connecting to my phone's Carplay and disconnects my hotspot.
 

flypony53

Well-known member
First Name
Rodney
Joined
Nov 2, 2022
Threads
4
Messages
110
Reaction score
132
Location
Houston, TX
Vehicles
Ford F150 Lightning, Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model S
I

If you have wireless Carplay on, you need to disconnect from the SYNC system on the truck. If I don't do this, the truck keeps connecting to my phone's Carplay and disconnects my hotspot.
Yep, I disconnect it, but still struggle to connect. I might just completely disconnect carplay from my phone and start over.
 

roddiaz1

Well-known member
First Name
Rod
Joined
Aug 30, 2022
Threads
4
Messages
186
Reaction score
108
Location
Pittsburgh
Vehicles
2023 Ford Lightning Lariat ER Carbonized Grey
I have a related question. When you order the AT&T cellular service that powers the truck’s own hotspot (actually turns the truck into a hotspot). How do you then get Synch to use said cellular service to access YouTube and the other entertainment apps? (Does my question make sense?).
I ask because I have failed to make that work. Is that because Ford doesn’t want AT&Ts broadband to compete with their own streaming service? Thanks!
 

TaxmanHog

Moderator
Moderator
First Name
Noel
Joined
Jan 19, 2022
Threads
169
Messages
12,106
Reaction score
12,728
Location
SE. Mass.
Vehicles
2022 Lightning Lariat-ER Max Tow & 2024 Harley-Davidson Road Glide CVO-ST
Occupation
Retired
Yep, I disconnect it, but still struggle to connect. I might just completely disconnect carplay from my phone and start over.
See if you have the ability on your phone to disable AUTO RECONNECT for the Lightnings PROJECTION ssid, doing so might impede SYNC / CARPLAY / ANDROID AUTO reliability but improve your experience broadcasting the phone hotspot to the truck and connecting to use Youtube.

I ended up buying the $10 a month entertainment service so the AT&T telematics channel is active for my Youtube and News apps on Sync, this makes the work around being discussed in this thread moot.

I did not buy the AT&T truck bound hot spot, I don't have much need for it and my wife would never use it and ironically doesn't enable the entertainment functionality, they want another few dollars out of your pocket, maddening I say..................
 

TaxmanHog

Moderator
Moderator
First Name
Noel
Joined
Jan 19, 2022
Threads
169
Messages
12,106
Reaction score
12,728
Location
SE. Mass.
Vehicles
2022 Lightning Lariat-ER Max Tow & 2024 Harley-Davidson Road Glide CVO-ST
Occupation
Retired
I have a related question. When you order the AT&T cellular service that powers the truck’s own hotspot (actually turns the truck into a hotspot). How do you then get Synch to use said cellular service to access YouTube and the other entertainment apps? (Does my question make sense?).
Yes it makes sense, they don't work together, they want more dollars from your pocket for the other service that enables YouTube, etal
 

Sponsored

invertedspear

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2023
Threads
16
Messages
1,123
Reaction score
1,554
Location
AZ, USA
Website
lightningcalcs.pages.dev
Vehicles
Antimatter Blue XLT (312A) ER, 2004 Jeep TJ
Anyone else have issues getting their truck to connect to their hotspot on the phone? I have been struggling with this off and on for a while.

The Lighting is the only device I have every had issues connecting to my hotspot. Everything else just connects.
I periodically have an issue using an iPhone as a hotspot with some device or another. I change the name of the phone (which changes the SSID of the hotspot) and then it works. I have no idea why. Give it a try and see if it helps.
 
OP
OP

starrtech2000

Well-known member
First Name
Jesse
Joined
Oct 2, 2023
Threads
16
Messages
96
Reaction score
46
Location
Colorado
Vehicles
23 Lightning Lariat ER 511a
I have a related question. When you order the AT&T cellular service that powers the truck’s own hotspot (actually turns the truck into a hotspot). How do you then get Synch to use said cellular service to access YouTube and the other entertainment apps? (Does my question make sense?).
I ask because I have failed to make that work. Is that because Ford doesn’t want AT&Ts broadband to compete with their own streaming service? Thanks!
I would guess that you can’t use the att hotspot for streaming because that would make no one get the streaming service.
Sponsored

 
 





Top