No. I do not have an option in the hotspot menu to disable hotspot.

 

The records are not even sorted according to date. [What a joke.] Will continue this on my office workstation omputer that has ECC main memory.
apo,ogize for mis-spell8ngs, as usual the phone's keys are small for the edges of my fingers.

 

Think we got our answer fellas! It seems reasonable that this is the answer, though I guess only GM could confirm 100%.

 

Disconnecting the antenna nor installing a dummy load will stop the data collection. The LTE connection still happens often enough while driving that the data gets through. I tried and am removing the dummy and reconnecting the antenna so the remote functions work again. GM gets the data either way.

 

perhaps use copper rfi foil. McMaster carr?

 

To block the signal I think the best solution would be a faraday bag or wrap….

Amazon and others sell Faraday bags to block your phone signal, laptop….. anything. So you can carry electronic devices without being tracked.

Using foil etc partially blocks the signal but you need something specifically designed to block the signal.

I’m still considering that but in the meantime I called Onstar, followed the instructions from other posts and had Onstar turn off SmartDriver then disconnect my car. They did exactly as I asked. No argument. No bullshit.

And I recorded the conversation in case they somehow change their minds or forget….

 

Properly sealed foil is about as perfect a Faraday cage as you can get... you just need to adjust thickness to suit signal attenuation needs. It's not that the mesh bags are better (they're not), it's just that the antenna system is so leaky, you need to wrap more than just the antenna (every wire and PCB from antenna to the LNA/filter).

 

Has anyone tried pulling the fuse, F34 as identified in this thread, to disable the telematics module? I personally don't use the builtin GPS, have no front lift, don't subscribe to any GM or XM services, or (as far as I know) use the car's own cellular or wifi systems, so won't miss any of these.

 

Google tracks your location from Android phones even if you "turn off" location tracking. That only turns off your ability to see it. Getting location data from every Android phone is how Google shows traffic data and uses it to create routes in Google Maps.

 

Some states have laws requiring L/N and other data brokers to delete your data without the above. So don't assume you can't request it.

 

Is that because Android phones are a Google product? On my iPhone, if I go to settings, for "Maps" , "Waze" , MapQuest, in fact any app I can choose whether the app has access to location data. Options include all the time, or never, or only while using. Of course I have to let it have access while using the app. Of course there are a whole list of items under "system services) that seem to use location service, that I can enable or disable. Interestingly 3 of them are iPhone Analytics, Routing and Traffic, and Improve Maps. Even those it implies I can specifically disable without turning Location Service off. This is nothing I worry about - just a curiosity. I have always assumed my phone is tracked (or trackable).

 

This. I was consulting with a fed. law enforcement agency about 45 years ago we had one of the big data brokers come in to show management all the data they could make use of. I don't remember if it was LN or one of the companies they've bought since then. Whatever, the amount of data they had way back then was staggering. With the internet, the data they have is orders of magnitude greater. They know who your college room mate was, everywhere you've ever lived and when, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. And some things you can't. And everything they know about you is for sale to anyone who wants it and can pay.

 

Yes, Google is a lot like Lexis Nexis in that it sucks in every piece of data it can glean from your use of its products. The difference is that it doesn't sell your raw data, it only sells access to you and other people in similar groups. Advertisers can say, for example, they want to target ads to Corvette owners. Google tells them "we can direct your ad to 150,000 known Corvette owners for x price." The advertiser never learns who those owners are. In that respect, Google protects your privacy better than many companies.

Android gives you the same options as far as apps go. But those are only for the app, not the operating system. Android OS is always tracking you. Even if you turn off the GPS receiver, it tracks you based on cell towers and known WiFi hotspot locations. Turning location off in an app doesn't stop Google (or Apple) from knowing where you are via the OS. I know Google does this no matter what you turn off. I don't know if Apple truly respects your choices to not be tracked, but I suspect you have to make sure you turn it off in every place the option exists to avoid it.

 

There hasn't been a thorough discussion of physically disabling the Corvette telematics on this forum. But at
https://imgur.com/gallery/n00QKnH
there is a "Step by Step Guide to Disable OnStar on a 2022 Chevy Bolt" in which the disablement method is to remove the antenna connections to the telematics module and terminate the connectors with 50 ohm resistors. In fact the author of that post even sells premade 50 ohm loads with proper connectors for the purpose.

However, at least in the Toyoto Tacoma, the simple disconnecting of the antennas will not suffice to stop data transmission. According to a couple of very lengthy and thoughtful strings (15 pages total so far) on a Toyota Tacoma discussion group, at
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/...module.794817/
and
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/...tennas.821649/
1) Considerable data is stored in nonvolatile RAM in the module--at least 6Gb--to hold at least a year's worth of data; the module save the data until it can be transmitted. It's not clear whether the data is erased thereafter.
2) Removing the antenna connections does not completely stop data transmission because the module can transmit/receive even if signals are very weak
3) Adding a 50 ohm load to the module output at the disconnected antenna terminals might not be necessary because the module itself may detect shorts or opens on the antenna ports to allow it to shut itself down to prevent damage;
4) Data can be transmitted even if both the module is wrapped in grounded aluminum foil and the antenna ports are terminated with 50 ohms.
5) One certain way to prevent transmission is to remove the SIM card in the module, which lets the module connect to the cellular network. However, that's not an easy project and these days it's likely that an electronic SIM is used, so the SIM data is in part of a nonvolatile RAM.
6) Another certain way to prevent transmission is to remove power from the telematics module, most easily done by removing the relevant fuse. Apparently in the Tacoma the only negative effect of depowering the module is that the Bluetooth microphone is lost (The telematics module takes control of the microphone so a driver can send a verbal SOS in case of accident). Possibly the effect in the Corvette would be the same, but I have seen no reports of the effects of simply removing the fuse in a Corvette on this forum.
7) The Tacoma discussion has a link to a device on Amazon that can be used to switch the fuse in and out of the circuit, so you only have to access the fuse box once if you want to occasionally restore the Bluetooth microphone.

Personally I find the Bluetooth microphone useful for telling my phone's nav system, through Android Auto, where I want to go. Owners of '24 Corvettes who are paying the monthly Google ransom can also use the microphone to control certain other functions.

Maybe readers of this Corvette forum can pitch in with their own research results and actual experiences.

 

Anyone more technologically savvy than I am think that something like this might be useful to try and shield the signal from the antenna for cellular transmission?

 

I think it has been fairly thorough, and nearly all of this has been discussed at one time or another (perhaps in more than one thread, however). The 50-ohm dummy load was never going to be a complete solution, it only severely reduces the transmitted signal power. As at least one person here (and obviously someone on the Tacoma forum) has seen, getting close enough to a cell tower is enough to allow that weakened signal to make it through. (Grounded) Aluminum foil also helps reduce signal power, but it won't drop it enough when close enough to cell towers.

I suggested an eSIM was likely being used, in which case the only real option is to remove power to the power amp (PA) and ground the output or cut the output trace. Since the telematics module is used for more than just sending this data out, removing power to the entire module is also not a best solution.

 

...damn. this has me strongly reconsidering my eray order. if all our known options only "mostly" stop the data transmission, im not sure thats enough to put things over the top, at which point its just made that much easier to start looking at other options such as the mercedes and bmw and this or that.

bummer.

i suppose the question then becomes exactly what else do we lose if one were to really, really completely block the antennas from transmitting?

 

It is relatively easy to find out. Based on the description in the Service Manual, the telematics module appears to be where the GPS processing resides. So, you will liklely loose GPS in the car, and also will loose the 4G connection and the capability to receive OTA updates. You will not get the "free" diaganostics.

The telematics module can be disabled by pulling the power connection from the box. The box is under the dash on the drivers side - it does not look like it is difficult to access. It is possible that with it powered down, it may set DTCs which prevent other things from working - that is why it would need to be tested.

To test this, you can pull a fuse that powers the telematics box. That same fuse will also disable the HUD. But for purposes of the test you can overlook that. If the test is successful, then you can disconnect the power at the box and put the fuse back in so you have the HUD. So. its fuse 34 behind the glove box. Power down the car first, and leave it set for a few minutes or verify that the Retained Power Accessory feature is inactive. Then pull the fuse. The reason for making sure its powered down is because there is a back up battery in the telematics module. Once it is triggered, it will continue to discharge until it is fully discharged.

 

thats interesting. so i guess the thing is; who wants to be the guinea pig =D

 

Someone send me the board with the power amp on it and I'll desolder it.