Firmare/Software updates?

[NocturnalEmber]

I really don't think there was a software update for the Performance because the the software version didn't change.

For the Sport, hmm, it'd probably be a trip to the dealer and a flash drive and leave you $200 lighter.

Any Sport owners know?

It's been two years for my car with no update (excluding maps that I don't use). I feel like the longer the car exists the less likely an update will appear.

I'm a Mazda guy at heart so while I can't say for sure how this would apply to Nissan, my partners Mazda 3 had about 7 updates for the infotainment in her 2015 Mazda 3, one of which was adding retroactive Android Auto and Apple Carplay, and some minor tweaks (The UI would alert visually when cross traffic alert went off with one update, for example.)

If someone is somehow able to get a hold of the files people could likely do the updates themselves sans dealer (that's what I did for the last two on the Mazda.) It wasn't that difficult, If you can update a bios you would likely be fine. Problem with that is finding someone to host them as its not something Mazda corporate liked having out in the open, so I doubt Nissan would either.

This is my first New/modern Nissan, so I honestly can't say what level of support they will have with updates to the infotainment but I wouldn't be surprised if they push some out for bugs/issues and maybe a feature update if we are lucky.

I might make an appointment at Nissan just for the hell of it and see if there's an update available for the firmware. I know we can get OTA map updates for performance owners, though I'm not sure if we can download OTA firmware updates for the head unit.

 

[bpeckham]

I'm a Mazda guy at heart so while I can't say for sure how this would apply to Nissan, my partners Mazda 3 had about 7 updates for the infotainment in her 2015 Mazda 3

Yeah, my wife's Jag (Aug 2023) is just a little younger than my Z, and it's probably received 5 updates so far. I think Nissan has bigger fish to fry right now, although Jaguar's not doing that great either.

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

Are you able to connect to your home wifi? That's how I update my GR86 and Forester.

Sport doenst have WiFi feature

Time to check in with my dealer

 

[OldGuy]

This is fun.

It needs a recovery via a USB stick.

The procedure calls for saving the existing map data to a USB stick, then using the Map Update Tool to download a map update that is then loaded into the nav system.

Unfortunately, the Z won't save any current map data to the USB drive, presumably because what's there is corrupted, so the Map Update Tool refuses to work.

I scheduled an appointment with the dealer to fix this. Meanwhile, Android Auto is a good substitute.

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

I read some where, not specific to Nissan, that when DIY firmware is done and something goes wrong. It is not covered under warranty

Let us know what the dealer did for you on correcting this

 

[OldGuy]

The map data problem started when an OTA map update was completed. Car was shut off and restarted and the error message appeared.

This was the dealer said:

Primary Concerns Analysis

• Concern
  Critical
  My Car Has A Problem Map Data Was Corrupted During Update. Attempts To Recover Using The Map Update Tool Are Unsuccessful Because The Current Map Data Won'T Save To A Usb Stick. The Dealer Needs To Load New Map Data Via The Usb Recovery Process With A Master Usb Or Something.
  Cause
  VERIFIED CONCERN. INSPECTED AND THERE ARE NO AV UNIT SOFTWARE UPDATES AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD. MULTIPLE TECHLINE CASES FOR CONCERN AS WELL. ALL RECOMMENDING AV UNIT REPLACEMENT. CREATED VCAT CASE FOR AV UNIT REPLACEMENT APPROVAL
  Correction
  RECOMMEND AV UNIT. VCAT CASE CREATED FOR APPROVAL

So they are filing an AV unit replacement with Nissan and if approved, they will put in a new AV unit.
Not really the expected solution, but as long as it works. I figured they would just save the map data from another Z and then load it into mine.

 

[bpeckham]

ALL RECOMMENDING AV UNIT REPLACEMENT. CREATED VCAT CASE FOR AV UNIT REPLACEMENT APPROVAL

Wow. That seems like an overly expensive solution. Not for you (unless you value your time), but certainly for Nissan (in terms of time and money).

 

[OldGuy]

AV unit was replaced today under warranty.

I did a Map Data Save to USB and was able to successfully use the Map Update Tool to update my local file and Canada. Everything was at the 2022.06 level and now the ones I updated are at the 2024.12 level.

I did have to re-pair my smartphone and the in-car WiFi

I caught the repair cost ($149), which Nissan will pay for.

Going forward, I will decline any OTA map updates and go with the USB method if any are offered.

 

[alienpoker]

I’m not really happy with the NAV/CarPlay - even though I have wireless CarPlay to my iPhone. It mostly works, but is so messy.

I tried Nissan’s “free trial” of WiFi hostsopt. My main concern is there are 2 networks:
Apple CarPlay broadcast as: CarPlay_a170
AND
MY-Z0493 (In my car, yours may be different)
The second is the WiFi hotspot which is really an AT&T cellular connection. It would cost $120/yr if I have an AT&T cell account, which my wife does. Double that if you aren’t adding to an existing AT&T account !

But you have to connect to one or the other.
One phone / iPad could be the CarPlay connection and the other could use the WiFi Hotspot. But I never got that far….

I have no idea why this needs to be overly complicated. And I was a nerd before there was a word for techy types.

The NAV / CarPlay software gets in a tangle when you change parameters and use different connections. I’ve even had it just give up & reboot itself after timing out from the connection menu twice.

The best solution seems to be just to use the CarPlay WiFi network if you have it. Or use wired CarPlay through USB, which is seems more reliable. Still buggy but mostly works.

You can’t use more than 1 Wifi from the same phone obv- so I have turned off the Vehicle WiFi Hotspot (AT&T network) part way through the trial. I cancelled it once it runs out.
I see no advantage to a Vehicle WiFi hotspot unless you are an SUV with a load of passengers all trying to stream videos / play games / work remotely while on the road. Maybe you have had a different experience.

I think I made a Zoom call from the Car’s Hotspot during the free trial once… but honestly it works as well using 5G+ from my phone.

Final thoughts:
You can use you iPhone’s built in Hotspot to connect your Car to the internet on the go… so it uses the phone’s 5G to get updates etc. That’s a zero cost option if you have an unlimited cell plan.

You can connect your Vehicle to prefer your home WiFi when you are in the Driveway / Garage. Which others have mentioned.

From what I can tell Nissan connect (and their services, MyNissan, remote lock/unlock, firmware and map updates) are independent of whether you sign up to a Wifi Hotspot or not.

tl;dr Nissan NAV / CarPlay software implementation is very messy.
You don’t need to pay for a “Vehicle Hotspot” as it provides no additional benefit. There are other solutions discussed in the thread.

 

[5amp5on]

hmmmmmm. Maybe it's a settings thing or maybe blind luck. My wireless CarPlay with iPhone has never glitched in the Z, and we have had the wifi hotspot in this car and several others too for years and have never had any issues. Well worth the subscription price if you road trip a lot. I have been able to fully operate my business in the passenger seat using the ATT wifi in the middle of nowhere with no issues sending emails, photos, spreadsheets etc. in the Z and other vehicles as well while my wife drives to our destination. It's great to take care of clients on the road just like I'm in the office. I'm able to operate two laptops and two cell phones on the ATT wifi network in the vehicle while the driver keeps theirs on CarPlay for Apple Maps.

 

[RobotAZ]

hmmmmmm. Maybe it's a settings thing or maybe blind luck. My wireless CarPlay with iPhone has never glitched in the Z, and we have had the wifi hotspot in this car and several others too for years and have never had any issues. Well worth the subscription price if you road trip a lot. I have been able to fully operate my business in the passenger seat using the ATT wifi in the middle of nowhere with no issues sending emails, photos, spreadsheets etc. in the Z and other vehicles as well while my wife drives to our destination. It's great to take care of clients on the road just like I'm in the office. I'm able to operate two laptops and two cell phones on the ATT wifi network in the vehicle while the driver keeps theirs on CarPlay for Apple Maps.

I’ve never understood why people don’t just use a phone as a hot spot if they want to use devices other than phones. It’s easier and free.

 

[alienpoker]

I’ve never understood why people don’t just use a phone as a hot spot if they want to use devices other than phones. It’s easier and free.

I think it’s that users don’t understand it. Another problem is how many devices can connect simultaneously. If you’re a ‘road warrior’ you might want 7-10 devices online. Your iPhone hotspot might support only 2. Depends on your carrier & how it’s setup up at their end. The iPhone doesn’t control that.

Your Vehicle Hotspot *will* support lots of devices (10?) and probably at 5G+ in most areas. Your iPhone might switch down to just LTE data, or the carrier will limit bandwidth to you during peak times. Especially if you aren’t unlimited data. For example, on a LTE hotspot, you might only get 360p streaming to work from a connected device. No bueno.

That’s my take- but I agree with you that for most people a Phone hotspot is enough. And zero cost, if you have an unlimited data plan.