Verizon Retrofits Vintage Legacy Vehicles With Smart Features

An anonymous reader writes: Verizon have released an after-market system called Hum that can bring 'smart' features to 150 million existing cars of various vintages going as far back as 1999. The system consists of an on-board diagnostic (OBD) reader plugged into the vehicle's OBD port and a Bluetooth-enabled device clipped to the visor. It's the presence of the ODB port that limits the maximum age of the car to 1996. Hum comes with an app, and enables features such as automatic accident reporting, roadside assistance services and the tracking of stolen cars. The service will cost $14.99 per month via subscription.

Comments

Just what I need for an old car!

[__aaclcg7560]

Another monthly payment on top of everything else. Thanks, Verizon!

Re:Just what I need for an old car!

[Anonymous Coward]

Another monthly payment on top of everything else. Thanks, Verizon!

Don't worry. You'll feel better when it's not Verizon offering you an optional monitoring service for a small monthly fee.

Soon it will be your auto insurance provider demanding you install this standard monitoring service that comes with your new insurance policy.

Of course, they'll sell this concept under the guise of making everyone safer and thus lowering insurance claims. Odd part is somehow this will cost you the consumer more in the end.

Re:Just what I need for an old car!

[ScentCone]

To say nothing about the ridiculous price. Especially for a service that's unlikely to be used in any given month. F'em all.

If it's not working all the time, it's not working. That's the whole point of these systems. A lot of what it offers (like, knowing where your 85 year old grandpa's car is when he's late coming back from golfing and not answering his phone) isn't useful if it's only online and using its SIM card and burning some bandwidth when the driver decides just that moment to turn it on. If $15 bucks for a mobile device's connectivity and use of their services is too much for you, just don't buy it. There are plenty of people who would like some OnStar-type services on a vehicle that wasn't factory equipped for it, and the cost of two sandwiches a month is simply no big deal.

Vintage, eh?

[ickleberry]

I thought a car would have to be 25 or 30 year old to be called vintage, and only a Subaru could be called Legacy. I suppose ye Americans are living in a faster-paced consumerist throw-away society. If it's not this year's model it's considered old.

Ask this: Will you accept liability?

[ameline]

Will they accept liability for any damages caused as a consequence of commands on the CAN bus originating from or passing through their device? If yes, put it in writing. If no, it's not getting on the CAN bus of my vehicle.

I drive an older car because it ISN'T smart

[Irate Engineer]

I have a 10 year old Honda Civic, base model, power nothing. I really am not looking forward to buying a new car as it seems they all have some Smart (TM) enabled tracking computerized bullshit that does nothing to enhance driving safety or performance, it just adds more shiny stuff to the sticker price.

I need a reliable set of wheels. Period. It has been my experience that adding computers to things does not make my life any simpler or easier, it simply adds a new layer of headaches.

Please, everyone, fuck off with the IoT shill - some of us don't want it or need it.