toro1966

Hey guys - I am actually a pretty heavy IT kind of guy but I am confused by this smartlink thing. What is the difference between it and what I get with the Sync Connect/ Ford Pass app?

I haven't bought the smartlink but I don't think I need to. I have the Ford Pass App and I get the info for my truck on the app (odometer, tire pressure, miles to empty, location, etc). I also have wifi and signed up for my 3GB and three free months of AT&T. So what am I missing?

Is Smartlink only for those that don't have smartconnect?

Appreciate all of your time and I promise I have read several threads, but nothing that answers this simple question.

caperJ

Ford’s SmartLink dongle adds an LTE hot spot and smart features to older cars.

Rotordrew

What smart features exactly?

caperJ

The FordPass SmartLink, as its called, does a lot of the same things as those other available dongles. When plugged into OBD ports on model year 2010 to 2017 Ford cars that lack a modem, it adds an LTE hot spot, gives the driver access to information about the vehicle’s health, allows the car to be tracked, and makes it possible to do things like unlock or lock the car via a smartphone app.

All that information doesn’t exactly come cheap. The FordPass SmartLink will be sold at Ford dealerships starting in “mid-2018,” and costs $17 per month plus installation. (Ford originally announced the SmartLink OBD dongle at the beginning of last year, but rolled out access to it slowly as part of a trial program. This is the first time it will be widely available.)

But that monthly price doesn’t include the data for the hot spot, which is provided by Verizon. Ford says that customers will get one month or up to 1GB of data for free, whichever comes first, but after that, they’ll have to pay a monthly fee just like they would for any other data plan.

elptxjc

Mine is AT&T. The Ford app is just a gimmick to track every move you or your truck makes. Who the hell needs remote unlock, especially if you have the door keypad? I need to do a master reset to stop that, since I already erased that stupid app. If you close it, you need to start from scratch, and even then, it didn't recognize my VIN, but when input again, it said it was already an existing VIN. Gave up and erased it. Just need to reset my car to stop their free snooping. He he.

Ricktwuhk

No one has mentioned remote start.... Sync Connect or SmartLink for vehicles without Sync Connect, also gives you remote start.

nerdh3rd

iTrader: (1)

elptxjc

FIrst of all, it's TECHNOLOGY . And yes, I understand it perfectly, and I'm bashing it accordingly. At least in my truck, with factory remote start, and keyless pad, it's useless to me. I don't need to be reminded how much fuel I have left, or the tire pressure on my tires. But I guess for lazy people it's great technology. To each his own .

BierNut

As someone whom lives in an area that regularly sees 115°+ temps over the Summer months, I find the ability to remote-start the truck and get the A/C going and seats cooled while I am still in a store (outside of the key fob range) incredibly useful. Ford can track me for that convenience alone.

If that makes me lazy, so be it!

Unleaded