I wonder what the power draw is? a tad worried my car wont start after longterm parking.
Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
51–60 of 86 posts
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#52Great comments everyone. We agonized about bluetooth. If we can get bluetooth into the mojio without affecting the delivery dates, we intend to include it in the current version - no promises right now though. That way, people have the option to go without a data plan as needed. Also, there's no data plan lock in to mojio so we are looking for ways where people can either add a device to their existing cellular plan or just pay for months where they need it. We are also exploring ways to offset data plan costs. If we can get a sufficient user base, we all get to enjoy the economies of scale.
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#53I wonder what the power draw is? a tad worried my car wont start after longterm parking.
mojio monitors your vehicle battery level and ignition state. It will go into a deep sleep state with only critical functions on (e.g. theft monitoring) if the vehicle is not doing much. If the car battery hits some critical level, it will send you an alert and shut itself off.
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#54Will we be able to modify the software running on the device? I sure as hell don't want information about my car's problems or GPS whereabouts, not to mention a detailed record of when I'm speeding, to be uploaded to "the cloud".
And of course -- the increasingly likely case that "the cloud" gets owned, the hardware devices get some kind of pushed software update, which then proceeds to use manufacturer specific commands to upload new firmware into my car and drive me off the road.
Blah blah. There're good reasons to be reluctant about hooking your car up to the internet and sending your data over yonder.
It looks like potentially nice hardware. Now let me do the software myself.
While you're at it, it'd be nice to just make the software open-source, so that tinkerers can tinker.
Lest I have to JTAG the shit out of the flash chip. Which reminds me to ask -- can you at the very least keep some JTAG or serial headers on there? Please?
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#55Worth noting since we're all supposed to be hackers, the connector hasn't changed over the years since '96 OBD II in the US, but there are several protocols and many vendor-specific subsets of interaction. Early "code readers" may not work on later cars despite having the same plug because the underlying protocol is different. It's easy enough to find out what the protocols are on wikipedia if you're interested. What's available greatly depends on the specific vehicle manufacturer but there is a minimum set of data including DTC's (diagnostic trouble codes) for all.
With manufacturer-specific details, there's an unbelievable amount of data and even commands and firmware download capability through that port. A decent PC-based system with specifics for your vehicle added-on is a worthy tool if you tend to do your own car repairs. Or at least you can go into the shop and tell them what part you need and know whether you're being quoted a reasonable price.
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#56I don't understand why it was designed to fit nicely in your hand, and why it was made with bright colors. #1. This thing will be under your steering wheel 100% of the time, so being able to hold it ergonomically doesn't make a lick of sense. #2. If one of your advertised functionalities is for recovery after theft, the last thing you want is for the thief to be able to spot the dongle and remove it. If I bought one,…
Those OBD II connectors in cars can be kind of a pain to plug and unplug, so it does need to fit the hand well, but your point about the bright colors is very good. I hope they consider something more discrete.
We are indeed. We intend to offer multiple colors and will allow users to choose a color if we exceed 5000 units.
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#57Will we be able to modify the software running on the device? I sure as hell don't want information about my car's problems or GPS whereabouts, not to mention a detailed record of when I'm speeding, to be uploaded to "the cloud". And of course -- the increasingly likely case that "the cloud" gets owned, the hardware devices get some kind of pushed software update, which then proceeds to use manufacturer specific comm…
Because of licensing and other issues, we aren't certain yet if we can make the firmware of the mojio open source. You can totally write your own apps against our cloud api. This is to abstract away vehicle idiosyncrasies from app developers. That said, we do want more savvy OBD experts to contribute to mojio.
As for your data, you can wipe your data from the mojio servers at any time. Only you can see the data and choose which apps get to see it.
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#58Considering the possibilities, I'm very much surprised that Google hasn't entered this space to supplement their traffic intelligence. Just look at the possibilities of the Torque Android app and this Mojio dongle to see how powerful it is. If Google came out with a bluetooth OBD-II dongle, they could integrate it into Google Maps/Nav and Google Now, both on Android and iOS. And you don't need an expensive cellular c…
I'm confused, how does getting the speed directly from the car improve directions and heads-up display of speed over getting the speed from the GPS unit?
It depends on a lot of factors, but with GPS there will always be lag and incorrectness. For inner-city driving, the GPS positioning might be really accurate but I doubt the speed calculation would be accurate, due to the constant acceleration, deceleration, and turning. The car's accelerometer will always be more correct.
Plus, my Galaxy S Vibrant has the worst GPS ever released, so I'm very frustrated with not having reliable navigation.
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#59Considering the possibilities, I'm very much surprised that Google hasn't entered this space to supplement their traffic intelligence. Just look at the possibilities of the Torque Android app and this Mojio dongle to see how powerful it is. If Google came out with a bluetooth OBD-II dongle, they could integrate it into Google Maps/Nav and Google Now, both on Android and iOS. And you don't need an expensive cellular c…
I'm confused, how does getting the speed directly from the car improve directions and heads-up display of speed over getting the speed from the GPS unit?
Speed readings obtained from a GPS unit is never going to be as accurate as the reading derived directly from the car, because GPS locations are only accurate to about 10ft (IINM).
Your car speed can be used in tandem with the relatively inaccurate location given by a GPS unit to give a better location reading. More info here: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Robotics/Navigation/Localizatio...
Re: Moj.io: Connect your car to the world around you
#60Will we be able to modify the software running on the device? I sure as hell don't want information about my car's problems or GPS whereabouts, not to mention a detailed record of when I'm speeding, to be uploaded to "the cloud". And of course -- the increasingly likely case that "the cloud" gets owned, the hardware devices get some kind of pushed software update, which then proceeds to use manufacturer specific comm…
Because of licensing and other issues, we aren't certain yet if we can make the firmware of the mojio open source. You can totally write your own apps against our cloud api. This is to abstract away vehicle idiosyncrasies from app developers. That said, we do want more savvy OBD experts to contribute to mojio. As for your data, you can wipe your data from the mojio servers at any time. Only you can see the data and c…
> we aren't certain yet if we can make the firmware of the mojio open source
Please do let me know when you find out. This is a very important factor for me and many others.
> You can totally write your own apps against our cloud api.
I think you might have overlooked the primary point of the post. Many folks don't want and don't trust the cloud. My coordinates, travel history, and vehicle information are my business and are not to be stored in the cloud.
> As for your data, you can wipe your data from the mojio servers at any time.
Except law enforcement.
> Only you can see the data
Except law enforcement. Except hackers. Except the other guy's insurance company's subpoena after an accident. And also, the point about remotely reprogramming the device to reflash my car firmware...
The point is -- many folks don't want to plug their car into cloud services.
> we do want more savvy OBD experts to contribute to mojio.
This is a difficult request when the platform is possibly going to be closed-source. Make it an open project, feel better when you receive funding for an open source project, and fuel good community innovation. Keeping it a closed "cloud api" platform stifles this. By the way, having an API doesn't mean things are "open", for whatever that word is worth now a days.
Anyway, I'd be interested to hear your plans for JTAG/serial headers, if you're going to be keeping the firmware closed-source.