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!

[kheldan]

Just what older cars need: An add-on exploitable wireless security hole that you pay fifteen bucks a month for. Thanks, Verizon!

Re:Just what I need for an old car!

[GoodNewsJimDotCom]

Nothing makes an old car feel like a new car again quite like a monthly payment.

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.

Re:Vintage, eh?

[Penguinisto]

Thinking the same thing here... I don't consider anything made after 1980 to be "vintage".

Stupid headline had me thinking how they managed to stuff all of this into a 1963 Chevy II Nova SuperSport...

That Verizon?

[MiniMike]

Hopefully they didn't use the code from their tech dispatch system- I don't want my car to give me a two hour window for a drive to the corner store, and then miss it anyway.

So now even old cars can be hacked!

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope nobody retrofits bicycles... Otherwise everything is lost!

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.

Re:Ask this: Will you accept liability?

[ameline]

The can bus is directly exposed on the pins of the OBD2 port.

Vintage?

[rossdee]

"as far back as 1999"

Thats not vintage

A vintage car is one made between 1919 and 1930.
1918 and earlier then its a veteran
1931 to WWII and its post-vintage

Vehicles made in the latter half of the twentieth century may be considered 'classic' but certainly not vintage.

Two possibly useful features and one useless one

[srmalloy]

The accident reporting and roadside assistance features could be useful. As soon as these become readily available, though, one of the first things that a car thief would do is pull the dongle out of the OBD II port and throw it and the visor widget out the window, making it impossible to track the car. As a built in module, it works, because it's difficult for a thief to remove, but if it can be removed in 30 seconds without tools, it's worthless for tracking a stolen car.

Great, now old cars can get hacked too!

[gweihir]

I had a feeling those with cars that hackers could not take over at will may have felt left out. Ain't technology great?

Or you could...

[roc97007]

....buy a Torque (that's an Android app) compatible bluetooth ODB reader for around $20 with no recurring costs.

Re:Or you could...

[roc97007]

That's true, I was just proposing the solution I had personal experience with. The point is, none of these solutions require a monthly fee.

This is similar in my view to Comcast or whatever they're calling themselves these days trying to sign people up for a security system at an inflated price monthly price that continues ad infinitum, when you can *buy* the equipment and incur no recurring cost for less than a year's cost of the service.

Cable companies still seem to be locked into the business plan of "providing a service" for a stiff monthly fee for essentially doing very little besides keeping the lights on and maintaining the billing service. That really doesn't work anymore.

um, no thanks

[The Grim Reefer]

Hum that canÂbring 'smart' features to 150 million existing carsÂof various vintages going as far back as 1999

With all of the potential for malicious hacks in modern cars with "smart features", why would I want to introduce an attack vector into a car that's relatively secure? And pay fifteen bucks a month for it?

ELM327 + Torque Pro app

[Anonymous Coward]

You can buy a cheap ELM327 module that plugs into your OBD2 port. It can connect to your Android over Bluetooth, and then run the Torque Pro app. Very cheap, and a one time price, and gives you a lot of functionality that Verizon wants to gouge you for. It may not have some of the extra frills. But with these devices internet connected, what could possibly go wrong? Didn't somebody just demonstrate a hack of internet connected Jeeps?

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.

Re:Two possibly useful features and one useless on

[roc97007]

The accident reporting and roadside assistance features could be useful. As soon as these become readily available, though, one of the first things that a car thief would do is pull the dongle out of the OBD II port and throw it and the visor widget out the window, making it impossible to track the car. As a built in module, it works, because it's difficult for a thief to remove, but if it can be removed in 30 seconds without tools, it's worthless for tracking a stolen car.

Thing is, accident reporting and roadside assistance features can be had with any cell phone. And also some aftermarket in-dash radio/gps units.

Having these features as an add-on to the car would be convenient, if not for the monthly cost. It seems like Verizon is really reaching here.

Re:Not exactly novel

[mlts]

Or a Scangauge 2, which also plugs into the OBD II port, can be placed anywhere where its contents can be useful.

Of course, a generic Bluetooth OBD tool for $10 from Amazon + Torque is another solution.

As the above, none of the above require a constant connection, no cellular device, no monthly fees, and you can place it where you want.

Companies wanting to attach stuff to your ODB2 port for data mining is getting old. From insurance dongles which will ding you if you stomp hard on the brakes or have a long commute, to governments that want the data for real time odometer readings for "taxes".