3G+ MMI - Tethering Data from a mobile and WAP activation

DIY/TECH/INFORMATIVE
#1

I’ll be adding to this as I go:

Some of this is my work, most is gathered from other sources.

Currently, anyone with a 3G+ MMI system (found in B8’s, Q5’s, A7, A6 etc.) are expected to pay for a separate data plan (via front loaded SIM) for access to Google maps and general online content that the MMI offers…things like news, wikipedia, online POI lookups, weather, fuel etc. Besides having to pay for this separate data plan the GSM radio in the 3G+ units are on a horrible 1700MHz band that only Tmobile (in US), Wind Mobile (in Canada) and few other smaller carriers use for 3G service.

Also, it should be noted that some markets (like Canada) are sold 3G+ MMI NAV units without a SIM slot and therefore are not able to access the Google maps and other online content. These MMI units are also “without” the onboard WAP for wireless streaming and data sharing. The truth is that all the hardware and software (for google) is present and just deactivated by Audi.

Activating Green (hidden) Engineering Menu:
Module 5F set channel 6 in adaptation to value 1 (reboot MMI)
To access click MENU and CAR simultaneously
Activating By Script: https://db.tt/uJDOAwoE

Tethering

Below is the procedure to breakaway from the separate SIM architecture and start tethering data from your mobile phone via its hotspot. Here is the design that is working in my wife’s Canadian Q5 3.0 that doesn’t have a front-loaded SIM. I’ll be reconfiguring my retrofitted 3G+ unit (with SIM) in my Avant in the coming weeks.

http://imageshack.com/a/img28/9999/b4kk.jpg

(phone doesn’t have to be iPhone)

I’m using this successfully in the Q5 with firmware version (HN+_US_AU3G_P0566). The understanding is you required at least 530 but you can also upgrade to the latest (0715) using an update CD (VAG part no. 8R0906961CL). Keep in mind that these are NA MMI versions and Europe/Asia are on different software/hardware streams. This DIY is NA centric.

Parts:

  • AMI MMI to USB Type A Female Adapter Cable (Audi or Ebay)
  • USB 2.0 Mini Adapter Hub (any cheap passive hub will do if you use the TrendNet below…due to power)
  • *Trendnet TU2-ET100 or D-Link DUB E-100 (rev A4 or B1) USB/Ethernet Adapter
  • TP-Link TL-MR3020

*TrendNet is the preferred choice since the power consumption is considerably lower and will allow all the parts to be USB bus powered off the AMI port.

Connect as shown above
Turn on the WiFi hotspot on your cellphone
Configure the TP-Link to “WISP” and connect it to your WiFi hotspot.

In the green (hidden) engineering menu under /config set “Install Fair Mode”. This will enable the dhcp server and DLinkReplacesPPP via USB. Under /diagnose/coding/internal_modules_1+2 deselect all the “online” choices.

Download the following script to change the resolv.conf on the MMI: https://db.tt/nOZnPSpS

-unpack to the root of a blank SD card formatted FAT
-edit the run.sh script and change 123.123.123.123 to the IP of your TP-LINK LAN interface (make sure your editor doesn’t add in any strange characters during the editing procedure)
-plug it into the MMI 3G and follow instructions
-reset the MMI

Under Navigation > Settings > Map View you will now have “Google earth” as an option.
If you’ve configured the TP-link and phone properly you will be pulling down content via your phones data over the hotspot.

#2

iPhone/Android for Hotspot

The specific version of the 3020 I have wouldn’t work with the iPhone on the TP-link firmware. I also tried flashing to the most recent TP-link firmware with the same result. Mine is hardware version 1.9 which is considered “V1”. I believe there is also a V2 version so make sure you have the correct version before you flash:

openwrt firmware was the answer:

http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-mr3020

Here is the link the latest version (current when this DIY was posted):
http://downloads.openwrt.org/attitud...fs-factory.bin

The easiest way to do it is to download that file and flash upgrade using the GUI tool. Also, I believe I saw something about it being safest to do it while in WISP mode (using the switch on side).

WARNING: Flash upgrading to non-factory firmware is potentially dangerous and can brick your WAP. There are ways to recover but they will require a certain amount of know-how to complete.

After the install you can connect using Luci (GUI) at 192.168.1.1. You should change the LAN network to 192.168.0.0/24 (or any other RFC1918 address space) before provisioning for your MMI. Also, it won’t save a config change until you set a password.

Keep in mind that it’s waaaaay more powerful but perhaps not as intuituve for some users if you don’t have network experience.

#3

WAP: (not required for data tethering)
If your 3G+ MMI currently has the WAP option disabled you activate with the following:
Green (hidden) Engineering menu
/diagnose/settings/WLAN_Settings enable WLAN Activation
/diagnose/settings/tel_settings enable NAD activation and NAD operation mode
reboot
WAP options under Media
You can enable Wifi music/internet radio streaming with “Audi Music Stream” app from UK iTunes App store (not sure about Android)

#4

SAVE for future entry

#5

Great stuff man, I may have to look into this.

#6

Let me know if you need any help.

#7

Thanks for this post cory, very informative and thorough… This has intrigued me since I got my car…
Unfortunately for me, AT&T (my Provider) charges for personal hot spot, I asked my bill would come up $20.00 a month… You can pre-pay AudiConnect for 30 months in advance for $450 and it comes up to $15/mo… so it becomes counter-productive for me :frowning:

Nobel Idea though!

BTW Do you know of a definitive source for: MMI How-to’s Q&As etc?

#8

^ yeah, too bad about the hotspot fees. This is probably more of a benefit to people that don’t pay extra for that feature and/or people in countries that have the units without SIM slots.

#9

I just switched to a shared family data plan, it opened up personal hotspot for free and I was able to save $100 per month.

Used to pay $330 per month for five phones, two unlimited and three 3mb. Our average usage was 10gb per month so I doubled it at 20gb to create headroom.

Ordered the hardware to do this, now just waiting for it to arrive. I’m mostly just interested in updating the cache on google maps.

With two Audi’s that have MMI 3G+ there is no way I am giving T-mobile $$ for slow data.

#10

Just a question regarding the WiFi tethering approach and using the “Audi Music Stream” app:

Is there a way to get it to work when the device with the app installed is being used as the WiFi hotspot?
I ask because in my experience, you cannot use your device’s WiFi client when the Hotspot function is enabled.
This is a problem since the AMS app requires a WiFi connection to the the MMI’s Hotspot.

I’ve personally been running the Wi-Fi tethering setup described in this thread for a few weeks now (thank you!), but still have not yet been able to use AMS since my phone’s WiFi is tied up providing the data connection to the TP-Link.

#11

Thank you, you post is great , I will try this on my Q7 mmi 3g and tell you about the instalation.

#12

Hello
I have a problem trying to edit the root.sh, in what folder is it ?
-edit the root.sh script and change the 123.123.123.123 to the IP of your TP-LINK LAN interface .
I have DB, utilis,screens,copie_scr.sh and run.sh… Which one to edit? Thank you

#13

it should be run.sh, not root.sh…I’m not sure where I had root.sh in my head :slight_smile: I’ll edit the original DIY, but currently I seem to have lost the edit priviliege.

#14

I had linked to the wrong script. URL fixed. New link should point to DNS.zip

#15

-unpack to the root of a blank SD card formatted FAT
-edit the run.sh script and change 123.123.123.123 to the IP of your TP-LINK LAN interface (make sure your editor doesn’t add in any strange characters during the editing procedure)
-plug it into the MMI 3G and follow instructions
-reset the MMI

i have tried the above but some how i do not get and instruction on the MMI .
any suggestion
software on my system HN+R_EU_AU_P0532

#16

Hi,

I have connected a 4G router to my dlink ethernet adapter and made all the changes in the green menu.

I can now see the google maps, which is great!

However, when I try and use the Online Search in the sat nav it comes up with a message telling me to connect my phone to the car kit or insert a sim. It gives me the option to modify my bluetooth settings or to cancel.

The same message comes up if a phone connects to the car’s hotspot.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Cheers

#17

First off I would like to thank you for a great find.
I implemented everything and for some time it worked as a charm. Now, I got vag-com cable and did some vag tweaks to the car (like windows up/down with key fob and some more). lately I noticed that when I enter destination in the nav, after it’s been calculated MMI hangs when Google earth is enabled only and I have to hard reboot it, as it gets unresponsive. If goole is turned off - it all works just fine. I don’t know if it has to do to vag.com tweaks, or something else…
still getting google map data on the navigation screen no problem. Could you please advice where to look and is it worth to take the car to the dealer with this problem?
I’m driving 2014 s4 by the way.

Thank you very much in advance.

#18

I was wondering if you found a fix for this issue? I just did the conversion to 3G+ in my US-spec 2012 S4 and like you- everything works well except for GE, which just lags the whole MMI. If I disable it- everything works great.

#19
#20

Is there also a way to reverse these setting after the mod. I assume it would involve a new script or do you just reset the MMI without the SD card in place?