[DenshiKenshi]

Very glad to see renewed / continued interest in some solution for this.

I would probably be most interested in a PPP mode driver development project for any one of the multiple commodity USB 4G/5G modems already available in the market. See mj131 and DrGER's exchange in this thread starting with post #62. Assuming both options to be technically viable, I would personally prefer some SD card software install hoopjumping to recognize an inexpensive (and in the event of failure, easily replaceable) dongle plugged into an AMI cable in my armrest, over disassembling my dashboard. 😊

That said, given what I've heard about previous community software solutions being pirated and resold for profit, I do understand where hardware is inherently a safer investment for its creator looking for a fair return on their efforts.

I would be interested in a drop-in hardware replacement, but realistically not for more than a couple hundred tops. I bought my A7 used about 18mos ago so I never "lost" the integrated functionality, it was just never there for me to begin with -- reviving stuff like the Audi app integration and in-car hotspot would be fun, but my phone mounted on the dash with bluetooth achieves most of what I need to (nav/POI, media streaming, hotspot tethering, etc) despite not being factory level integrated.

 

[Dan Devine]

@Dan Devine -- You should post this ask in the various Q5 Mk1 (8R) forums (e.g., Audizine, AudiWorld), since they sold the most units (in North America) and would be expected to have the largest user base. VW Touareg owners with RNS-850 systems (mostly in Europe) might find this interesting, too. --g

Thanks!

One of the reply posts mentioned working this as a PPP style connection to a separate modem type device which got me thinking...sometimes that's not a good idea
I started thinking along the lines of a Raspberry Pi type device with cellular modem shield. I'll investigate more, dig deeper into the above hacks, and report back.