Harman Spark?

[wanderin.pat]

I'm the guy who started the "Mobley Broke (?)" thread.  

I wanted to open a new thread because I ended up with a Harman Spark, which I finally got yesterday.  

I have a feeling that I'm not going to be real happy with it.  I didn't find anything in here about it. Thus, new thread. 

I left it unplugged last night , came outside, plugged it back in, and it didn't start working until I started driving!  I ran the engine for about 10 minutes just to see.  

So, I admit, I have not been exhaustively investigating this.  If anyone else has had experiences that they want to share, I'm interested. 

BTW, I still have the Mobley, but after paying ZTE $79.99 + tax, I can connect to it using 192.168.1.1 , but can't connect to the internet.  They wore me down.  I'm going to quit messing with it for now. 

Thanks in advance for any help/feedback, 

Regards,

WP

 

[wanderin.pat]

YouTube article about Harman Spark

I found this on YouTube.

Looks like it is not a Mobley replacement.  I may just call them back, and return it if I can.

 

[wanderin.pat]

I got one, and sent it back.  It only works while the engine is running, AND only starts working when you're moving .  Not much use to me.  I could probably find a way around it, but it was not worth the trouble.   

As of today, I got ATT got my original ZTE Mobley working again, so I am happy with this.  

Regards, 

WP

 

[B and C]

The Spark being tied to the vin code of the vehicle is a real limiting factor. Can't even move it to another car AFAIK.

Glad you got the Mobley going. Love mine.

 

[wayne49]

Saw this on the Mobley site:
"Your Wi-Fi connection is powered by your vehicle, and Mobley stays running as long as your engine does."
Is that not the same thing as the Harman Spark?

 

[wanderin.pat]

I believe that is what I said. My Mobley does NOT work that way.

 

[B and C]

The Spark cannot be operated outside of the OBD II connector in the vehicle it was installed in and only that vehicle, no others.  The Mobley was designed to work in the OBD II port but it only has two pins that work.  Those two pins are for power only, no smarts.  The Mobley can be plugged into ANY OBD II port and they sell adapters that power them when there isn't a vehicle present.  There is a vast difference in the two even if they sound the same.

This is why the Mobley has been in high demand with RVer's.  Plug into the OBD II port in the vehicle and when parked, plug a power adapter into it and use it anywhere.  The Spark cannot be operated this way.

 

[wanderin.pat]

..............

I was going to say, "Yeah, no poopy, I know!!!!!"... and then I realized that this is for others as well.  

So, yes, like you said, the Harman Spark APPEARS to be much like the ZTE Mobley, but actually is far less useful for boondockers.  IMO. 

Regards,

WP

ps... I think someone COULD reverse engineer what other circuits are hot on the Spark, and simulate that signal. Just seems like a lot of work.