robertlane Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 NEW FORD SYNC CONNECT TECHNOLOGY: OWNERS CAN LOCK, UNLOCK, START, LOCATE VEHICLE USING SMARTPHONE Building on SYNC®, Ford adds connected vehicle capability with new SYNC Connect, enabling drivers to access their vehicles using a smartphone app New Escape is the first Ford vehicle in the world with available SYNC Connect, helping owners interact with their vehicle from anywhere; technology debuts in the spring, allowing users to unlock doors, check fuel level, even locate where a vehicle is parked SYNC Connect comes with complimentary five years of service FORD SYNC FORUM - With SYNC® Connect, Ford is enhancing its connected car capability – now making it easier for customers to use by providing remote access to their vehicle features via a smartphone app. “New SYNC Connect provides convenience to Ford owners through an easy-to-use app,” said Don Butler, executive director, Ford Connected Vehicle and Services. “The technology helps you seamlessly integrate your vehicle into your lifestyle. Get locked out? Cold outside? Forget where you parked? No problem. Just use your smartphone.” SYNC Connect makes its global debut in the spring in the new Ford Escape, with other vehicles to follow. The app is connected to a built-in modem in the vehicle – allowing owners to remotely access features via their smartphones. Vehicle features SYNC Connect users can remotely access are: Lock and unlock Remote start, including scheduling a future start: You need to leave at 8 a.m., so you program a remote start for 7:50 a.m., then get in to a running, warm car and drive away comfortably and on time Vehicle status, including fuel, oil and battery levels, along with tire pressure readings Vehicle location – where your car is parked is displayed on a map Owners enable SYNC Connect through a two-step authentication process to protect personal information, confirming setup on the vehicle touch screen and on the mobile application. SYNC Connect plays a key role in Ford Smart Mobility – Ford’s plan to deliver the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data. The technology provides the next step forward in enhanced vehicle connectivity, and the foundation for greater capabilities in the future. SYNC Connect comes with complimentary service from Ford for five years. Now in 12 million vehicles globally, Ford SYNC is the industry’s first system to widely and most affordably offer voice-activated technology to control smartphones. New-generation SYNC 3 features fast performance, conversational voice recognition, smartphone-like touch screen, and easy-to-understand graphical interface for a growing number of Ford vehicles in North America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mssully Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 Will this capability be made available to 2011 models with sync? EVK and coreynola 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeygibson Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 I have a 2010 Focus, and the last update to Sync was in 2011. Will this work with mine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaJewel Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 Well Yay! I have a 2011 Fiesta Titanium manuf in Mexico, bought in South Africa. I still cannot get the last 3yrs of updates on Synch. Nothing works any more. Used to synch to my phone, now even that is dead. Every service check, I'm told I am up-to-date - for my region. Which is strange given that Ford is the top 3 seller in South Africa. Really, do things not work in Africa because it's Africa or because manuf can sell features it doesn't care to deliver? I love my car. Resentful on missing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dja681 Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 Will this work with a 2009 Ford Focus SE? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck kitchen Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 Will this capability be made available to 2011 models with sync? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgara Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) You need to have a (factory installed) modem in your car for this system to work. So for those with 2014 model cars or earlier, forget it, you're SOL. And even then, the modems are usually only available with the high-end tech packages. I have a loaded 2015 MKZ with the factory modem, and I can tell you that the Lincoln iPhone app works great! I love the remote start and lock features! I have a 2010 Focus, and the last update to Sync was in 2011. Will this work with mine? You're joking, right? Edited November 18, 2015 by tgara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeygibson Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 You need to have a (factory installed) modem in your car for this system to work. So for those with 2014 model cars or earlier, forget it, you're SOL. And even then, the modems are usually only available with the high-end tech packages. I have a loaded 2015 MKZ with the factory modem, and I can tell you that the Lincoln iPhone app works great! I love the remote start and lock features! You're joking, right? No, I wasn't. I received an email about a new version of the SYNC tech, something that Ford stopped updating for my model car within the first year of my ownership, and I thought maybe it was applicable. But thanks for being so welcoming. Boston_Pilot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Walsh Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 No, I wasn't. I received an email about a new version of the SYNC tech, something that Ford stopped updating for my model car within the first year of my ownership, and I thought maybe it was applicable. But thanks for being so welcoming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Walsh Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 Tgara, not very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXCL Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) No not nice at all! I'm an IT Director and consider myself a VERY technical person. I have a background in Electronic Engeneering and came through the ranks as a tech and Systesms Admin. There is no reason to assume it is impossible to support the feature. Perhaps you could purchase the modem as an addon from the dealer or even use the WiFi option for proximity use? (Yes, I'm fully aware that WiFi was only started in SYNC in 2011 vehicles, but again...could have been there but not enabled. Hey it was a usless feature in SYNC anyway. It didn't do anything in the last Gen. versions.) I know its unlikely, but the email from Ford would make people assume it is an "update" that many can get. If you want to be really picky, Ford has the details on what version of SYNC everyone in the forum has. They could easily have used it to notifiy only people eligable for the upgrade, thus making recipients believe they can get it. So in short... JoeyGibson - You had a very valid question that I'm sure many people will be asking. Tgara - You seem to know a bit about this, please use your knowledge for good not evil! Edited November 19, 2015 by AXCL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Littlejohn Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 I have a 2012 Ford Flex Limited and I have a factory installed modem as I have received every update. So I think 2014 is a bit off the mark. I would however like to know the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgara Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 No not nice at all! I'm an IT Director and consider myself a VERY technical person. I have a background in Electronic Engeneering and came through the ranks as a tech and Systesms Admin. There is no reason to assume it is impossible to support the feature. Perhaps you could purchase the modem as an addon from the dealer or even use the WiFi option for proximity use? (Yes, I'm fully aware that WiFi was only started in SYNC in 2011 vehicles, but again...could have been there but not enabled. Hey it was a usless feature in SYNC anyway. It didn't do anything in the last Gen. versions.) I know its unlikely, but the email from Ford would make people assume it is an "update" that many can get. If you want to be really picky, Ford has the details on what version of SYNC everyone in the forum has. They could easily have used it to notifiy only people eligable for the upgrade, thus making recipients believe they can get it. So in short... JoeyGibson - You had a very valid question that I'm sure many people will be asking. Tgara - You seem to know a bit about this, please use your knowledge for good not evil! Evil? Seriously? Grow up. If you think that post was “Evil”, you guys are no different than the whining infantilized students at Missouri, Yale, and Dartmouth who equate hurt feelings with assault and try to silence views they don’t like. Maybe the forum moderators could set up a Safe Zone where you can decompress, eat cookies, and watch videos of frolicking puppies after being traumatized by posts that offend you. Now, back on topic…. My 2015 Lincoln MKZ came with an embedded modem that lets it connect to the Lincoln Mobile app so I can do things like remote start, unlock the doors, turn on the A/C, etc. It was part of the tech package, and to my knowledge was available starting in 2015 model Lincolns. It appears that only recently Ford is making the same tech available on their lesser Ford vehicles (yeah, I said lesser. Get over it, it's true when you drive a Lincoln). See here: http://www.cnet.com/news/ford-announces-sync-connect-smartphone-app/ You can try, but my guess is that it’s not going to be trivial to add an embedded modem into an older vehicle. Yeah, it could be done in theory, but at what cost? I can tell you my modem is integrated with the Nav/GPS, the satellite radio, and all the Travel-Link functions, not to mention many of the mechanical systems in the car like the door locks and remote start. You're likely going to have a huge task in adding a modem in an older vehicle such that it will match the functions and capabilities of the current cars. It would be easier to just get a new vehicle. Bill Littlejohn, no, sorry, you don’t have a modem in your Flex. They were not available in 2012. merkurman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyFox Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Now, back on topic…. My 2015 Lincoln MKZ came with an embedded modem that lets it connect to the Lincoln Mobile app so I can do things like remote start, unlock the doors, turn on the A/C, etc. It was part of the tech package, and to my knowledge was available starting in 2015 model Lincolns. It appears that only recently Ford is making the same tech available on their lesser Ford vehicles (yeah, I said lesser. Get over it, it's true when you drive a Lincoln). See here: http://www.cnet.com/news/ford-announces-sync-connect-smartphone-app/ Well, whatever Ford put in your superior Lincoln, it's not the same tech, assuming that you actually have that feature of course. The article you linked very clearly states that this tech comes to Escape FIRST, and Lincoln will get it later. Your superior Lincoln from 2015 does NOT have Sync 3, and that's a required component for the new Sync connect. From the article: Sync Connect will launch with the 2017 Ford Escape, which debuts this week at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. It requires both Ford's latest infotainment system, Sync 3, as well as the aforementioned embedded modem, so it's not possible to retrofit the app to work with older vehicles. It will eventually make its way to Lincoln's products, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Roekle Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) This is all so funny to read all these comments. The Ford C-Max Energi, Ford Fusion Energi, and the Ford Focus Electric have had this tech since 2012 I believe. It's nothing new. They are just now adding it to non-EV vehicles. My C-Max Energi has the AT&T Embedded modem and I can start, lock, unlock, locate my vehicle all from my Smartphone, smartwatch, or the website http://www.myfordmobile.com Edited November 30, 2015 by Brad Roekle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricFan69 Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 With all of these apps, has does anyone have the findings of 'ethical hack' and other evidence of security hardening? The thing with a 'connected' car, particularly one where the connection can run the critical propulsion systems, is that it exposes the systems to 'net hacking. While QNX is a fairly secure OS, poor implementation of apps and add-ons can create exploitable security holes. VW (and several other European brands) have had a exploitable weakness in their lock system that allow relatively unsophisticated bad actors to bypass the security features. Here's hoping that Ford doesn't have a 'hole' as big as the FCA where a similar setup was used to remotely manipulate the vehicle. While that exploit was relatively limited and required a bit of effort, it remains to be seen whether similar exploits are hiding in the 'ever-connected' vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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