Premium Navigation & Connected Services For Dummies

Greenfield · June 25, 2015

Okay, would appreciate some good basic help. I have owned my Premier for 8 months now and still have no idea what the premium navigation does (over the standard) or what the connected services do. I have created a log on with the Lexus Portal and gather that live traffic information can be down loaded which sounds
useful. Situation further complicated as I only have/need a basic Nokia telephone and have no desire for a smart phone so am interested in the various comments made about Giffgaff, MiFi, 3PAYG – are these all substitutes for having a smart phone? What does the WiFi do? Waiting outside a travelodge yesterday I notice the car found an unlocked WiFi signal but was not sure what to do with it!!

Any help or laughing would be greatly appreciated.

ganzoom · June 25, 2015

The 'connected' services for the Lexus system is very basic compared to the likes of BMW. The hardware works well, such as data streaming etc, but the software is about 5 years+ behind the competition.

It's not worth the hassle of setting it up.

DJP · June 25, 2015

I don't use the connected services much but:

I log on to the portal and send a destination to the car. Then when I get in the car I just download it into the memory and way I go. It doesn't save time in the sense that I still have to key in where I want to go, I just do it from the office/home rather than navigating the unfriendly Nav interface.
The Street view gives a google maps view of the destination and is pretty pointless
The parking icon tells you where the nearest car parks are and their availability. Never actually tested it but am sceptical about its accuracy.
The traffic alerts are supposed to pick up data from lots of sources and thus be more accurate on what's happening on the ground. On the very odd occasion I've used it I wasn't overly impressed.

Whether this is of any help I don't know!

rayaans · June 25, 2015

Premium nav also adds rear view camera which you dont get if you dont have the premium nav apart from on Advance versions. Even still, the Premium nav has moving guidelines whereas the Advance does not.

Premium Nav also has the ability to display a small nav screen along with other screens on the homepage unlike the standard nav which does not do this. Rumour has it that Lexus is developing an updated system for the IS which should be quicker and have less lags too.

ColinBarber · June 25, 2015

Connected services needs an Internet connection to obtain its data. This Internet connection can be either from a Bluetooth or wifi connection, therefore you need a device that provides this. A phone which provides data tethering, typically using Bluetooth, or a MiFi unit, which typically acts as a wireless hotspot. Many smartphones can offer either Bluetooth or WiFi.

WiFi typically uses more power so best to get a powered device. The advantage of wifi is you can have one device connected via Bluetooth for phone and a separate device providing data services if that is what you want. If you go Bluetooth then a single device has to provide both functions because only one device is able to connect to the vehicle at any one point in time.

DJP · June 25, 2015

I don't know if this is only with the premium nav as well, but on the F Sport when you move the speedo dials over there's a mini nav that comes to life there as well. I like that.

ganzoom · June 25, 2015

Connected services needs an Internet connection to obtain its data. This Internet connection can be either from a bluetooth or wifi connection, therefore you need a device that provides this. A phone which provides data tethering, typically using bluetooth, or a MiFi unit, which typically acts as a wireless hotspot. Many smartphones can offer either bluetooth or WiFi.

There's plenty of ways to connect your phone the car for data streaming. Only problem is where as BMW allows for Internet browsing, apps, spotify intergration, email etc once connected, on the Lexus you can do hardly anything. Apart from Google street view, which as my wife points out, you can just look out of the window :)

ColinBarber · June 25, 2015

possibly missing the point, you use it to look up a destination ahead of time not where you current are ;)

Greenfield · June 25, 2015

Many thanks for all the responses, as my cheap phone works well with the car Bluetooth system I'm reluctant to do anything that would upset this therefore do I need some form of powered WiFi device that interfaces between the car and the internet? and I guess this contains a SIM card and a monthly payment?

DJP · June 25, 2015

possibly missing the point, you use it to look up a destination ahead of time not where you current are ;)

I use it, once in a blue moon, to give me a visual of my intended destination. I'm never totally convinced it's 100% accurate but it is better than nothing. Although in fact it's not really, I've survived all these years without it!

Steve44 · June 25, 2015

Connected services needs an Internet connection to obtain its data. This Internet connection can be either from a bluetooth or wifi connection, therefore you need a device that provides this. A phone which provides data tethering, typically using bluetooth, or a MiFi unit, which typically acts as a wireless hotspot. Many smartphones can offer either bluetooth or WiFi.
There's plenty of ways to connect your phone the car for data streaming. Only problem is where as BMW allows for Internet browsing, apps, spotify intergration, email etc once connected, on the Lexus you can do hardly anything. Apart from Google street view, which as my wife points out, you can just look out of the window :)

BMW also charge a subscription for internet access and some of their connected services after between 1 and 3 years from first activation. Some of the forum comments from BMW users says it is crap too!

I can stream spotify and tuneinradio over Bluetooth using my phone. The ability to Google search for a hotel or new building from the Sat nav and navigate directly too it is good. It makes up for the poor search for POI's in the nav unit. The traffic updates are pretty good too, it is the same service/data as BMW use for their RTTI .

Overall, it is good for me and I make use of the features.

ganzoom · June 26, 2015

The actual functionally of the hardware is good. Hence I haven't even bothered to update the software.

But the actual software, interms of user interface, features is worse than my old BMW, and that was a 2007 car. My Leaf is about half the price of our Lexus. I can control several features of the Leaf from my phone, it'll read out RSS feeds, has better Bluetooth streaming setup than the Lexus.

Though to be honest every 'connected' service intergration in any car is awful compared to just using the phone. Yes it's illegal but 95% of the public (my self included) have looked at the phone time to time whilst driving.

Blisteringblue · June 26, 2015

Overall, it is good for me and I make use of the features.

Same here, was hampered a bit with poor quality data connection from giffgaff but now using 3 mobile and its excellent. Hardly any failed downloads.

OP, you will need similar to what I have to use the connected services.

I use a 3 Mobile MIFI dongle. This is basically a little device that houses a Data Sim card and turns it into a mobile Internet Wifi Connection the car uses for connected services. Think of it as a wifi network for the car. Plus passengers with Ipads etc can also use it on the move.

Mine just sits in the glove box permanently plugged into a 12v USB adapter and I swicth it on when needed.

I think I paid £15 for a 2nd hand Mifi (Mobile Wifi shortened to MIFI if wondering what it stands for) and I bought a 12 month (or 12GB) PAYG data simcard for £69.

I use it daily for traffic and make good use of the portal for sending trips to the car. Like Steve said the Google search is quite handy as I'm always looking for things on the move. Streetview is more a gimmick but I do look occasionally. OK Lexus are behind the times a little but it's the first car I've had with anything like this.

Ian J. Parsley · August 3, 2017

Just to come back on this one, I cannot get my Iphone to appear as an Internet connection in my new NX. Personal Hotspot is on, Roaming is on, it works correctly with an iPad but the car does not pick it up.

When I connect it via Bluetooth it says not all device profiles are supported.

Yet it worked fine (within reason) on my IS.

Odd.

JulesO · April 27, 2019

I seem to have problems getting it to remember my log in details - so although it is quite useful/interesting, having to log on to it each time I start a journey is a pain!

Solo Man · October 8, 2019

@JulesO I was going nuts with the same issue: selected "Available networks", selected my phone, input my password and then it worked, until I parked up and switched off. Start up again and there's no auto connection!!! However, the trick is to "Add a Wi-Fi Network" and choose your phone, select the authentication protocol (if you're not sure then connect using the "Available Networks" and password method and select "Network Details", it will show you the authentication protocol). Then put in your password and you're in business! The next time you fire up it'll connect automatically, although sometimes it may take a minute or so. Occasionally I have to disable then enable the hotspot on my phone, but that's inifinitely better than selecting networks and passwords. Good luck.