[yticolev]

Yes, a cellular connection is not free, but it is cheap now days for bulk contracts for IOT style devices.

Not free, but very, very cheap. So trivial that it would be a complete rounding error on Kia's books, and so trivial that they give it away for several years.

We are probably talking about a max of a couple hundred kB at best monthly per car, and likely a lot less.

 

[atc98092]

What you are saying about it costing some fee for communication makes sense.

I have a question for you, I know about cars but not so much about wireless communication.

Do these cars have a modem type of device in them? Can they be used as hotspots for jumping on the internet? I apologize ahead of time if these are foolish questions. I don't understand how they communicate wirelessly with smartphones etc.

Yes, they have some sort of 4G/LTE cellular modem, although I don't know which carrier they use. Most likely AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. But no, they don't offer a hotspot, as others do. The hardware to offer a WiFI hotspot probably isn't contained in the cellular modem, but maybe they do and it's something that Kia could enable (for a fee, of course). My daughter's Pacifica PHEV has a hotspot that works great for the kids to use their iPads while driving, assuming they aren't watching something on the built-in screens. I believe they pay $10 per month for some amount of data (I don't know how much), but I don't think they've ever exceeded the monthly limit.

Using the cellular connection in the car, it connects to servers maintained by Kia (or a 3rd party that Kia pays), and those servers maintain the logs for each car. With the app on our cell phone, we connect to those same servers and retrieve our specific car's data. So the app doesn't talk directly to the car. It goes through the servers, which relay the information between the two. Same with any commands we send via the app (unlock doors, reheat/cool the interior).

 

[Knightkat]

Just curious if anyone from Canada has the pricing structure for the UVO service? I just checked and we get 5 years free.

 

[donnak]

Yeesh, that's nuts. I'll pass on any of the non-free options. The only thing I really use is the battery monitoring when I'm charging which I assume is included in the remote charge / stop charge functionality. If not, that's what the ChargePoint app is for.

$225/year for remote climate? Yeah, no.

Has anyone tried the UVO skill or agents? Do they provide any additional functionality compared to the smartphone app?

I just bought a 2017 Optima. I am trying to get it set up but I'm not very tech savvy. What is the remote climate?

 

[atc98092]

I just bought a 2017 Optima. I am trying to get it set up but I'm not very tech savvy. What is the remote climate?

Remote climate is the ability to turn on the HVAC remotely and set the temp. On my car, this includes defrost, rear defrost and the heated wheel. It doesn't include heating or cooling the seats. And unless it's the EV model, turning on heat will start the engine, so you don't want to do that if it's in a garage.

Also, there's one annoyance when you use remote control. The emergency flashers will come on and remain on until you enter the car and turn the "ignition" on, or the remote HVAC times out. I think it has a 10 minute limit, but I could be mistaken on that.

 

[Mwoolco]

UVO in Mexico?
While driving in MX, UVO does not work but ATT, Verizon and T Mobile do.
Any ideas or experiences?

 

[IvoSan]

I've only got 1 year free

 

[Flying_Dutchman]

Here in The Netherlands we have 7 years for free.

 

[snellcathy1]

I won't be buying any of those services.

I have a cell phone.

Your cell phone can't heat or cool your seats. Also your cell phone can't call 911 if you are in a wreck and are unconscious.

 

[snellcathy1]

Here in The Netherlands we have 7 years for free.

That's it, I'm moving.

 

[jmurphEV]

Also your cell phone can't call 911 if you are in a wreck and are unconscious.

Not entirely true anymore. Google Pixels can. Apple was reportedly working on the feature as well and I know the iWatch has something similar. Nice thing is, it works in any car, no subscription required.

 

[deltasmith]

I didn't think the calling 911 feature was tied to UVO, but it is disabled by default (at least it was on my 2018 PHEV) and you need to enable it if you want to have it.