I have a 2018 F150 Lariat with the sync 3 / wifi hotspot. Has anyone found a way to keep the wifi hotspot active when the truck is off? My goal would be to use the hotspot while traveling and camping with my travel trailer; I'd like to be able to turn the accessory off and lock the truck but keep the hotspot active overnight instead of having to turn the truck on to activate it. I'm sure ford's intent is to prevent battery drain, and also prevent people from using it as a replacement for a wired internet connection at home.

I've only owned the truck for a few weeks now, and as I write this, I realize there might be other workarounds that I'll try when I'm in my truck again; I don't know if it will let you lock the doors from outside the vehicle with the accessory or ignition on (my last vehicle would NOT allow this; the fob had to be in the truck and the doors locked from the inside). I don't know if there's an 'auto power off' function on the accessory or if it can be disabled; I haven't left it on long enough to test it. Either way, the battery drain in accessory mode is way higher than the amount of power needed just to run a wifi hotspot and I'd like to just keep the hotspot on.

 

Nope, and battery saver would shut it off. Phone is a hotspot...

 

my phone *isn't* a hotspot because I have a grandfathered unlimited data plan without tethering. Activating the Ford hotspot would cover me the places I'd need a hotspot, and the hotspot being integrated with the truck would be more convenient than having to turn a separate hotspot on and off.....not to mention it would be cheaper than getting a new plan just for a portable hotspot.

 

When features in the truck are on, they drain the battery quickly. Years ago we thought nothing of blasting the radio while we washed and waxed. Do that today, and battery saver will kick in if you figure out how to keep it on more than 20 mins (turn truck off, pull key, turn radio on). Perhaps the hotspot will work with the radio? Display plus all electronics are a big draw. Once battery saver kicks in, a drive well past 30 minutes is required to charge it back up.

 

No doubt leaving the 'accessory on' will drain the battery relatively quickly- because it's powering a lot of high-drain things. That's why I'm looking for a workaround to just run the hotspot. Wifi hotspots are relatively power efficient; you could power your phone or a similar sized hotspot for weeks with a fully charged car battery. The hotspot components built into the f150 should be similarly power efficient , even while continuously sending and receiving data. The only question is if the wifi can be powered on without turning on the whole sync 3 system or other components that drain the battery more quickly. The cellular data module already stays powered up all the time (that's how the fordpass app can communicate with the truck), it's just the wifi access point that shuts down.

 

Just wondering if anyone has done anymore testing with this? I am planning on doing some extending camping over the next year and would like a backup hotspot.
If I put a battery tender or something equal on the truck and put it on accessory would the hotspot work for an extended time?

 

I'm interested in this as well.

 

Out of curiosity what do they charge for this service and which carrier?

 

Just thinking about finding fuse that runs the hotspot and run a jumper from constant power source

 

Don't have the wiring diagrams for the 2018, but I would be willing to bet it has no fuse, its probably controlled by the BCM.