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Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

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Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#151

Post by fc417fc802 »

themafia wrote: post #116
Animats wrote: post #62

How good a position can you get from GPS today in receive only mode? You can download and store Open Street Map for individual states. Map data doesn't have to come in over the air. That's not the problem. It's enhancing GPS with cell phone tower data that's the problem. That requires a cell connection.

GPS is exceedingly accurate compared to cellular signals on it's own. What it isn't is fast. So the "enhanced GPS" is mostly just proving satellite ephemerides so your GPS device can lock onto the overhead satellites faster. If your device has zero GPS signal then you can get ~100m accuracy from the cellular signals alone. If your device doesn't have "enhanced GPS" then you can get ~1m accuracy from the GPS signals a…

I think towers were historically already much more accurate than 100m in urban areas.

Note that this changed with 5G beamforming. The new towers have a much better idea of where you are. (My understanding (thanks to other HN commenters) is that technically it's possible to do beamforming without deriving precise 3D coordinates but that this isn't how it's done in practice.)

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#152

Post by fragmede »

bigfishrunning wrote: post #117
razakel wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cash handling isn't free, and for smaller businesses might actually end up being more expensive than accepting electronic payments.

If your margins are so razor thin that the cost of handling cash is significant, you need to raise your prices. Cash is legal tender -- not accepting it for in-person transactions is really shitty (maybe shouldn't be allowed?)

You can't go into a store with a gun and demand the cash out of the register if there is no cash.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#153

Post by leothecool »

bigfishrunning wrote: post #117
razakel wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cash handling isn't free, and for smaller businesses might actually end up being more expensive than accepting electronic payments.

If your margins are so razor thin that the cost of handling cash is significant, you need to raise your prices. Cash is legal tender -- not accepting it for in-person transactions is really shitty (maybe shouldn't be allowed?)

You can't even get coins counted for free at retail banks anymore. Cash handling is too expensive even for the place that ostensibly provides cash handling services to the general public.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#154

Post by s3p »

ComplexSystems wrote: post #140

The reason I think this is a bad idea is that it lulls you into a false sense of security. The article makes recommendations that seem thorough and sensible - keyword "seem" - but, as mentioned elsewhere here, there are other potential hidden sources of telemetry (in CarPlay and Android Auto), and who knows what else. For this kind of thing to succeed as a general lifestyle, you would need to invest an enormous amoun…

If you disconnect the modem, the car can't share any information by itself. In my opinion, that is a huge win.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#155

Post by bobro »

btbuildem wrote: post #132

There's a fortune to be made for whomever produces a car that has minimal features, and and electric-drivetrain with onboard gasoline generator. No screens, knobs and buttons, no assists. Extra fortune if you can licence designs and revive some of the old-and-loved classics with new safety features.

I think the problem is there isn't a fortune there. It would be a successful endeavor, but not something to rake in huge piles of cash. The kinds of leaders and investors who could pull off what you're describing are instead working where they can make multi-millions rather that multi-hundreds of thousands.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#156

Post by NewsaHackO »

bdamm wrote: post #134
lucisferre wrote: post #108

I have the same car and want to do this, but not for the reasons the author noted but because the GPS unit in the car is broken when paired with Carplay and has the wrong compass heading causing navigation to be completely useless. I have reported this to Toyota multiple times with videos detailing the problem and they have denied the problem and ultimately when faced with the evidence simply refused to fix it. I've…

Some brands take software very seriously. This isn't an "entire industry" problem. My experience is pretty small; I've owned the same Tesla Model 3 LR for the last 6.5 years, and the software has been pretty much solid the entire time. There was briefly a problem with echos when I called land lines using the bluetooth and my iPhone, but that problem eventually went away - not clear if it was because the iPhone change…

Yeah, this is similar to what I hear about Tesla's everywhere. While some members of the company leadership can be polarizing, the product itself seems very solid. Have been saving up for my first "good" car since starting my end-career job, really want to get a Tesla, but wish there was a hybrid option due to charger anxiety. Otherwise, would get one already.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#157

Post by fc417fc802 »

dylan604 wrote: post #137
4chandaily wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This would be the last time I used that rental car company. If they wanted to make more money from you, they should have just raised the price. That is disgusting.

There's only so many rental companies. It might look like there's a lot, but they are all pretty much a sibling company to a larger parent.

I've got a great startup idea - airbnb but it's for renting out your car. Nothing could possibly go wrong!

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#158

Post by arkadiyt »

brewdad wrote: post #105
arkadiyt wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's still a fuse for the DCM even in this car but: - It has an internal battery and will keep running for quite a while after pulling the fuse. This is a safety feature in case you get in a crash that disconnects the 12V battery - It will break your in-car microphone as discussed. Repairing that requires opening up the dash - That won't do anything for disconnecting the GPS antenna

GPS is receive only. If you've disabled the ability to send telemetry, there should be no reason to be concerned about the GPS antenna.

This is addressed in the blog :)

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#159

Post by maxwells-daemon »

lucisferre wrote: post #108

I have the same car and want to do this, but not for the reasons the author noted but because the GPS unit in the car is broken when paired with Carplay and has the wrong compass heading causing navigation to be completely useless. I have reported this to Toyota multiple times with videos detailing the problem and they have denied the problem and ultimately when faced with the evidence simply refused to fix it. I've…

I have exactly the same problem in my (latest-model) Honda Civic / Android Auto! I thought I was going crazy, I'm glad to hear someone else has the same problem.

The only fix I've found is to disconnect the phone and use its map standalone, just sending audio over Bluetooth. Maybe it's possible to get Android Auto or Carplay to reject GPS data from the car? I don't know...

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#160

Post by foobarian »

java-man wrote: post #13
foobarian wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You would be surprised how leaky RF can be and how hard to completely suppress. There is a reason things like anechoic chambers and test labs are very expensive.

Leaky - possibly, but we are dealing with the real world where you have plenty of background noise. The cell tower will likely fail to receive the signal.

That's just it - move in just the right spot where reflections combine in the right way, and it might be enough to get a ping. So the tracking would still be there just less reliable, with an unknown level of degradation. In the end you still wouldn't have any guarantees.
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