AT&T Wi-Fi Questions. | Subaru Ascent Forum

I’ve followed a number of threads that hit on this topic, but they end up talking about something else and never really answer the question. Sorry if I missed the answer in another thread.

Can my Ascent connect to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot? When I go to the Wi-Fi settings, the AT&T network doesn’t show up as a network I can connect to. When I use my phone, I can see the AT&T network.

What I’m trying to do is use the AT&T connection instead of the car having to use Bluetooth or a direct USB connection to the data plan on my phone. I mostly use Google Maps and Pandora and it would seem like a no-brainer if I could link it to the AT&T data plan.

So are the settings to do this somewhere other than Wi-Fi settings? Does the system automatically connect to Wi-Fi without having to configure it? Help is appreciated!

Your Accent has 2 types of WiFi connections, internal and external with corresponding menu items WiFi (External) and WiFi Hotspot (Internal) and it is easy to confuse them:

1. WiFi – It (the car) can connect its head unit to an external WiFi network only for the purpose of doing software and map updates. This type of connection cannot be used for entertainment, so no maps or Pandora. I’ve never tried using a public hotspot, just my home network and my phone’s hotspot and obviously you have to park while the updates are downloading. You will need to go to your WiFi settings to select a network and enter the password. It looks like someone had a problem a while ago connecting to a private network that didn’t have a password, so maybe public hotspots wouldn’t work. Again this is only for software and map data updates.

2. WiFi Hotspot (Internal) – The car can act as a WiFi hotspot for devices like phones and tablets in the car, but only through an AT&T mobile data plan subscription. The Accent then works just like your home Wi-Fi allowing devices to connect and access internet services like maps or Pandora.

If you’re already an AT&T mobile customer, you can add the Ascent to your plan as another phone, when we did this while traveling it was $10 a month. I believe it’s $20 for everyone else for unlimited data.

I hope this helps to clarify.