Anyone understand exactly what the PCM telephone module is all about? I get the impression that it is a stand alone GSM phone that you can use a dedicated SIM card with.... as opposed to the typical Blue Tooth interface interface...

 

That's correct. It turns the car into a phone so to speak and requires separate account with the cell phone provider. Nothing to do with Bluetooth and your hand held cell/smart phone.

 

From the description,

Telephone module
The optional quadband GSM telephone module offers convenience and excellent reception. By inserting a SIM card directly into the PCM's integral SIM card reader, calls can be made using either the hands-
free facility or the optionally available cordless handset. Alternatively, the Bluetooth® capability of a mobile phone can be used to make calls through the SIM Access Profile (SAP).

From user experience,
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ne-module.html

Telephone module is also option for CDRplus (PCM without navi and hdd).

 

For a daily driver IMO a very nice, cheap option. I had it on my last 2 cars (both Audi) and I don't have it on my boxster and I miss it.
That is, if your provider supports dual (or more) sims on one number... (Not sure if every provider supports it) If not, than this option is useless I think. Don't see anybody take the sim out the mobile phone every time one enters the car
You could give the car a seperate number, but I think that is not very practical, since you always need to forward incoming calls to your car.

 

I agree with Suzy's point about the separate number. Moving the SIM card around would be a pain in the you know where. Here in Canada, with one of the providers (Telus, not sure if all have it) you can have your cell phone forward to a second cell phone then again to third phone. Right now most of my clients call me on the cell. They get me if it's on, if off or busy then automatically forwards to a second number of my choice (my office) where it either rings or if that line is busy goes direct to voice mail on my land line. Don't need voice mail on the cell phone. I know this works on multiple cell phones as I've had two cell phones stacked in this system before. Bit of a work around but would solve the problem. I wish I'd ordered the phone option now.

 

I think it's an old option that some people still cling to. Remember the 90s when people had their 'car phones'. It's reminiscent of that. Now that your cell phone can cover all your bases, I thinks it's something that can be forgotten. Much like the antenna option that was still available on the 997 configuration.

 

No, in the United States I'm not aware of any providers that allow more than one SIM card for the same mobile number. They seem to like to create dummy phone numbers even for data only accounts.. So getting yet another mobile account just for the car is highly undesirable..

But, What I was hoping was that it might be integrated data wise for the PCM online services. I would consider if was a data account. I already carry a 4G mobile hotspot with me for other purposes. So if that was how it was used I'd simply swap the SIM card in when I wanted to use the data services in the car..

Actually I'm not too sure the value of the online services anyway. If it is anything like the ones offered by Toyota (my wife's new Forerunner) I consider it a kludgy mess.. With Toyota you have to sign up and download an app on your smartphone. And then once you do that the toyota equivalent of PCM uses the data connection for a few relatively weak IMHO integrated apps (Open Table, kayak and stuff like that). In general if I have to go to all that trouble I might as well just use my iphone in the first place and not fiddle with a clumsy app integrated into the car). It's one of those things you set up, try once and then never use again.. because it is more trouble than it's worth.. So I'm hoping for something better in PCM, but I'm guessing it is similar.

 

But there is the Bluetooth SIM ACCESS PROFILE (SAP) if your phone and the car supports allows the SIM card in your phone to be shared temporarily (securely over blutooth link) with the car GSM phone... So the car doesn't require a dedicated SIM. But both the phones have to support it.. as there is some kind of secure data exchange between the two phones.

A look in wikipedia indicates that SAP isn't supported by iOS, but looks like a number of Androids do...

In looking on line supposedly Porsche PCM since 2008 supports SAP. So in theory if your mobile phone also supports.... then would be kinda nice since your mobile doesn't get involved other than it's SIM card is borrowed temporarily by the car..

What I'm not clear on is if SAP supports data and voice or just voice.. I think it should support either. but from the looks of it PCM and the telephone module only uses it for voice, and for any online services you still need the kludgy tethering/app thing with your phone...

 

I have it and I use it for convenience and because it gets slightly better reception than my mobile. It is phone only and as such voice and texts. I have used the SAP every now then but don't for the most part. I use a go phone card from ATT as the sim and copied my regular phone contacts over so that they are in the directory. Yes, you can forward your mobile over to the car sim and I do that if I am going on any kind of long trip. As I have mentioned before, for the price it provides convenience that I find worthwhile. I also don't have to worry about the mobile to car BT drops I get and that have been discussed in other threads.

 

Hmmm, maybe I will buy the phone module.. Not all that expensive and it would be nice to use the car antenna instead of the phone for better reception...