What is this connector for?

[Mike G]

Actually one side is primary and the other side is backup. TCU antennas.

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[Mike G]

And all OTAs download using the vehicle’s TCU. Not your home Wi-Fi. There have been a couple of extremely small OTAs (kilobytes) that required Wi-Fi for some reason, but so far nothing consequential has ever been downloaded as an OTA over Wi-Fi.

 

[Calvin H-C]

well we don't have At and T in Canada so it is a mystery how that can be!

Not trying to sound condescending, but haven't you ever wondered how FordPass can get info from your vehicle and send start and door lock/unlock commands when your vehicle is not on Wi-Fi?

It uses its cellular network to do this and doesn't cost you anything, at least not yet. It's set up to use AT&T in the US and Bell in Canada. It can also be used for Wi-Fi access in your vehicle, but that will cost you after the 90-day trial (if that is still provided). We enabled ours last November for a weekend trip into the US so we could avoid paying US roaming charges on our phones and it worked well. There was a data limit as well as the 90 days, but we reached the 90 days first.

After it was done, we got emails from both Bell and AT&T about signing up.

My Focus Electric has the same, but it came with a 3G modem which became obsolete a few years ago. Ford had a program to replace it where you bought the 4G modem (about CAD$400) and they covered the labour. I believe Lightnings have a 4G modem (someone correct me if that's wrong), so we can look forward to this when it needs replacement with a 5G model.

Here's something else to look forward to, or hopefully avoid... I ordered my modem early and got it replaced when it was available (March 2021). Problem was, the TCU software update needed with it had a bug that took away the ability of the vehicle to charge by schedule and have the climate ready when plugged in. The bug was fixed by November 2021, so those who waited missed this experience.

I kept contacting Ford about getting this fixed with no results. When Ford extended the modem replacement program to July 2023, the service bulletin specifically mentioned this issue to ensure dealerships use the correct TCU software. Still, there was no coverage by Ford for fixing this in cars that got the buggy TCU software. Finally, I paid a dealership ($160) to update the TCU this past spring and submitted the charge to Ford Canada.

Everything now works as it should, but I'm still waiting to hear from @Ford Motor Company.

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