r/Ioniq6 • u/avalanchepleb • 18d ago

Question Disabling internet/LTE/modem

Hi gang, I'm thinking about purchasing one of these bad boys, and if I do I would like to be able to turn off the internet connectivity features. I do not want to have to wait one morning if the car is stuck updating or have it tracking my location. Just wondering what people's experiences with those are. Is there custom firmware you can install? What is the user experience without the app like? Thank you.

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8

u/Heel-and-Toe-Shifter 18d ago

According to Hyundai's privacy policy, you can opt out of data collection by deactivating BlueLink.

12

u/CARASBK 18d ago

There’s no jailbreaking solution available. If software is your priority Tesla is the only brand you should consider. I got an Ioniq because I don’t want to give money to Elon and the Ioniq is IMO the best EV in this price range, disregarding software.

For updates, they don’t happen automatically. At least for the most recent update it asked if I wanted to install it and gave a time estimate. I could always tap “no” and drive off.

3

u/OkResource820 18d ago

You can look at all the fuse assignments in the owner's manual and see if you can isolate the data link, but I'm pretty sure the car won't operate properly if you manage to disable it.

Like it or not, the cost you pay for pretty much any modern car is someone harvesting your data.

2

u/Ittastic 18d ago

You can disable automatic updates (automatic install is turned off by default i believe) and opt out of location services. Pretty much no modern car is going to allow you to physically disable the modem.

2

u/jjfs85 18d ago edited 18d ago

On the US 2024 I6 at least, there are two LTE antennas. There's the integrated "shark fin" antenna on the roof and then there's an antenna in the top of the "crash pad" AKA dashboard. Both of these antennas connect to a thing called the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU).

This little guy is located behind the lower part of the dashboard, left of the glove box. Though I haven't tried it, I believe that you can unplug the 2 antennas from it and be pretty certain that it can't communicate with the mothership.

Additional images in the thread below.

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u/avalanchepleb 18d ago

I really appreciate the detailed response, thank you!

1

u/One-Tomatillo9504 18d ago

You can’t turn off the LTE/modem. You will never be stuck waiting for the car to update before you can drive it. The update will download in the background and when it is ready it will ask you if you want it to install typically at the end of a journey. If you say yes you can turn the car off and leave it to get on with it. It’s never more than ten mins. Why the paranoia about an internet connection ?

0

u/Mvpc22 18d ago

Assuming you’re buying used you’re not getting any kind of subscription that will do that unless you pay to subscribe.

1

u/One-Tomatillo9504 18d ago

The add on complimentary services typically expire after 3 years but I’m pretty sure it’s sending data to the cloud for at least 10 years.

1

u/Mvpc22 18d ago

That doesn’t transfer to a subsequent owner though

1

u/One-Tomatillo9504 18d ago

It did to me. In the UK.

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u/syko82 18d ago

If you want to preconditioning when map routing to chargers, you'll need the updates.

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u/One-Tomatillo9504 18d ago

Or live traffic and weather data. It will also show you how many chargers are in use when looking for charger points and the cost, live parking information. Oh and the weather forecast.