Audi connect

The brand uses the term Audi connect to refer to all applications and developments that network its automobiles with the Internet, the owner, the traffic infrastructure and other vehicles. The necessary hardware module here is the Bluetooth car phone online, which serves as a supplement to MMI navigation plus; it produces the online connection via a UMTS module.

Audio connect is controlled by the MMI terminal, multifunction steering wheel or voice control. Telephone and data transmissions are made via the roof antenna and are encrypted based on the WPA2 standard. All that is required to go online is to insert a data-enabled SIM card into the card reader. As an alternative, the driver can connect a cell phone directly via the SIM Access Profile.

The WLAN hotspot, one of the system’s integrated features, lets passengers connect up to eight mobile end devices to the Q5; they can then surf and email freely.

For the driver, the system offers customized services – including travel and weather information. At the www.myAudi.de website, drivers can plan their route on a home computer in advance, save it under their profile, then load it into the car before heading out. If desired, the driver can view the map with background aerial and satellite images from Google Earth.

An especially attractive service is Audi online traffic information – it displays data describing the latest traffic flow on the navigation map. If traffic is flowing freely over the selected route, it is shown in green; yellow indicates heavy or slow-moving traffic and red signifies a traffic jam. In this case, the service displays a text describing the traffic problem and recommends a viable detour.

The Audi system operates faster, more precisely and more comprehensively than conventional TMC and TMC pro solutions, and it also covers cities and country roads. Information for its database primarily comes from the hundreds of thousands of smart phones and navigation devices that are carried in vehicles and report their current positions to service providers at frequent intervals over the cell phone network.

A detailed picture of the traffic load situation emerges from the processed and anonymized data. Audi online traffic information is available in many European countries.

Another Audi connect service is the point of interest search, which can be operated by voice control. All the Q5 driver needs to do is select a destination and speak the desired object of interest – such as the name of a known restaurant. The voice command or “voice tag” is converted into a data packet that is sent to Google search engines. The responses appearing on the monitor in this example would frequently include the telephone number of the restaurant and other supplementary information. Then, all it takes is a click to make a phone call and reserve a table.

The Google Maps Street View function assists in local visual orientation. It gives the driver a 360-degree panoramic view of the street at the destination in advance. Google Maps Street View works closely together with Google Earth navigation functions.

Another function in the Audi Q5 is the smartphone app Audi music stream. It can be used to receive broadcasts from over 3,000 Internet radio stations, store favorites in a cell phone and play them through the MMI navigation plus system via the WLAN interface. The sound is output over the car’s audio system.

The equipment and data specified in this document refer to the model range offered in Germany. Subject to change without notice; errors and omissions excepted.