nore03

Ok what the hell am i doing wrong that has my Acuralink not working? This might be a dumb question but do i have to have xm Nav traffic or Xm radio to use this feature?

Chas2

I have never been able to get it to work because it is dependent on a data connection from your cell phone. I have never had a phone that has a check mark in the Phone Data Connection box when you check the phone compatibility.

Follow the Hands Free Link through the Owner's Link website.

http://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/Operati...dsfreelink.asp

TampaRLX-SH

AcuraLink is simply a marketing name or the NAVI, Nav Traffic and Datalink.

Datalink allows the RL to transmit trouble codes to Acura (and potential responses from Acura), Recall alerts to the car and messages / reminders to service appointments made online via Ownerlink website (assumin your sealer is properly integrated into the OwnerLink).

Datalink is done via your cell phone. Many cell phones do not have data modems which are required for this capability. However many cell phones have Bluetooth and are compatible to the Hands Free Link in the car. Finding a phone AND a carrier that support BOTH technologies is the key to experiencing full AcuraLink capability.

As Chas2 refers, the HFL website will allow you to seek phone models and carriers that are compatible wth HFL (Bluetooth) and supports data (have a data modem). It can be tricky as you have to find the combination of carrier and phone model. Many carrier enable / disable phone model features depending on what their network supports.

Try first selecting your cell carrier...then see the models they carry and which have the data column checked. You will see an array of features supported / not supported by model and carrier. Batter level? Signal strength? It can be confusing.

Keep in mind newest model phones may still be in testing with Acura, and may be soon added.

I think foremost the HFL / Bluetooth functionality is the priorty. Some phones & carriers offer models with less than stellar Bluetooth capability. Do someresearch on your carriers' web boards to find models with good Bluetooth feedback from users. I am an ATT (Cingular) user and now have a Palm TREO 680. The Bluetooth link to HFL is not as bulletproof as was my RAZR V3. So it does vary from model & carrier.

The Datalink is rarely used (unless your RL throws a lot of trouble codes, or you make a lot of online appointments!) and is more of a novelty at this stage of the automotive technology game. I even find few techs who truly understand the system's capabilities and expected functionality.

jfprl

do you have to have a compatible phone to receive appointment reminders. i thought that was done through the xm receiver???
thought the datalink was just for sending??

ed111

There must be some Datalink functionality even without using a cell phone connection.

Soon after I purchased my '06 RL, I received some messages from Acura about various things. I believe they came in during the first 30 days of ownership. I don't think I've received any since, though.

I don't have a cell phone paired with the vehicle.

Chas2

Those are pre loaded messages that are supposed to help you get familiar with the car.

06 Manual Page 261:

Feature Guide

During the first 90 days of
ownership, one of 32 different
messages appears each day. These
messages help you to use and
understand the technological
features of your vehicle.

dwboston

I tend to agree that the feature messages are preloaded. I had to set up an AcuraLink profile for my 06 RL recently and began getting the new feature messages the next day. There has been no data activity on my linked phone in that timeframe, but I get a new message each day when I turn on the car for the first time that day. Plus the voice that reads the message is the male voice, which I thought was done away with in the latest Nav update.

TampaRLX-SH

I was having an indepth chat with my Tech who actually knows something about AcuraLink and the supporting hardware in the RL. It was enlightening, not only to me, but apparently to the folks at Acura. My Tech was diligent in tracing down why I did not receive my latest OwnerLink appointment reminder message to my RL. In the process he found out what and how the cell phone is part of the AcuraLink communication. Following is what he summized for me:

AcuraLink messaging is done via XM, not over cellular towers.

In most cases, the car can receive messages from the AcuraLink server, via XM signal, without a cell phone.

In some cases, the car may communicate to AcuraLink via XM, without a cell phone.

But the caveat is the AMOUNT of data to be uploaded to AcuraLink or downloaded to the RL (both via XM).

This is were a datalink capable Bluetooth cell phone comes into play. If the RL needs to report a trouble code and corresponding data to AcuraLink, that is too much information to pulse up via satellite (XM). So, that car passes the information, via Bluetooth to your datalink cell phone, which as a data modem, processes the data into small data packets foor the RL, which can be pulsed up to AcuraLink via XM.

In most cases, Acuralink messages are small, so they can be 'read' by the RL when received by an XM transmission. But should say, AcuraLink be sending a diagnostic to the RL, it would pulse info to the car, which when the RL 'sensed' a Bluetooth datalink capable paired phone, would use the cellphone to translate the packets into data the RL could display via the NAVI & VR (or apply the diagnostic).

So the RL and Acuralink upload and download data without the cell phone.
BUT the amount of information being transmitted (in either direction) MAY require translation via the data modem of a datalink capable cell phone. The Bluetooth is how the car connects to the cell phone to either process data packets from upload to Acuralink via satellite pulses, OR the reverse for inbound data packets sent to the RL, and needing translation (using the cell phone data modem) so the RL can display the info to the driver, or apply the data diagnostics.

*Whew*...still with me???

Now the flow of infomation goes to the in this hiearchy:

OwnerLink Online Data (appointments) sends to => AcuraLink (identifies car routing ID) sends to => XM (black hole) which sends to =>RL (for display, or translation by cell phone before it displays or reacts to data).

The reverse is similar except the RL only commutes up to the AcuraLink level. Ownerlink is strictly a front end user interface for downstream messaging to the RL for appointment reminders and profiling message / information categories the owner wishes to receive.

Now where can it go wrong?

If you do not have a datalink capable phone for the RL to 'translate' data packets for satellite pulse / transmission.

If the car is not in satellite / signal contact (it retries as data is held in a cache type state either at AcuraLink, XM or the RL until the transmission is passed from one to the other.

And the apparent problem my case identified was that the cache at either Acuralink or XM was not clearing, and therefore further messages were not being ferried along the pathway.

Apparently this was an eye opening experience that so few at Acura Tech support could either explain, or were aware of. The part that kills me is my Tech tells me that Tech Support was surprised he had an RL owner who not only utilized the AcuraLink features to full capability, but knew something was amiss to report and test it (using the Ownerlink Appointment reminder).

So, in diligence, Acura Tech Support is further investigating whether AcuraLink messages can be halted by a transfer between the communication pathway (OwnerLink / AcuraLink / XM / RL) should any one of those stages choke on a cache issue. The best we could currently determine is that OwnerLink did pass the appointment reminder to AcuraLink. AcuraLink did pass the message to XM. Now what is going on at XM??? That is the black hole (and likely the black hole for similar NavTraffic issues people have reported with 'RealTime Traffic' not being so real time').

Now after that long demo he gave me, and detailed explanation, I drove home to watch my NAVI reboot by itself, and a higher version Flash was then displayed on the diagnostics.

I must have asked too many questions....Big Brother is watching.

OK, I need a nap now.....

fkinder

I'm not believing this, there can be no way the RL has XM uplink capability.

Now Onstar (analog) is another matter...

TampaRLX-SH

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Saskatchewan's+link+to+Satellite+Radio+continues+t o+look+up:...-a0158961414


Try running a datalink test with your cell phone and the RL not in sight of a satellite (in a garage).

TampaRLX-SH

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/63...scription.html



The radio receiver outputs the multiplexed data signals including the broadcast information signals, broadcast signals, and dispatch broadcast signals. This output is coupled to a data demultiplexer that receives the multiplexed data signals. The demultiplexer has a first output for providing demultiplexed broadcast information channel signals and a second output for selectively outputting broadcast channel signals or dispatch channel signals, or simply dispatch messages, in accordance with control commands it receives. The second output is coupled to an output circuit which converts the broadcast channel signals or dispatch messages to analog audio signals for output to an audio transducer or to a memory in the case of data dispatch messages. It may also store the audio content in a memory for later recall by the user. The broadcast information signals output through the first output are coupled to an address correlator. The address correlator continuously compares the flow of data in the broadcast information signals to the previously stored dispatch ID codes stored in the receiver's memory.

In the event there is determined to be an equality between an ID code transmitted in a dispatch alert signal, that is transmitted in the broadcast information signals, and one of the previously stored dispatch ID codes, the address correlator activates a dispatch alert output which indicates the existence of the equality. A controller, coupled to the data demultiplexer, receives the dispatch alert signal and causes an audio channel demultiplexer to change states from demultiplexing the broadcast channel signals to demultiplexing the dispatch signals. On receipt of the termination field, or other events described above, the controller causes the audio channel demultiplexer to revert to demultiplexing the broadcast channel signals.

With respect to the transmission of dispatch messages, assignment of fleet ID codes and so forth at the uplink site, the insertion of such information differs little from the broadcast of any other information in the system. The data is gathered by a controller at the uplink site and is inserted onto the broadcast information channel or dispatch channel. The information may be fed to the controller by keying the data into a terminal or it may be communicated electronically locally or remotely through a data network. Those skilled in the art will realize various methods and devices can be used to assemble such data.

TampaRLX-SH

http://www.hondanews.com/search/rele...server&s=acura


The 2005 Acura RL introduces AcuraLink™ satellite communication system with real time traffic. AcuraLink™ allows for two-way communication between Acura and the vehicle, providing customers with the latest information specific to their vehicle. In cases where communication to and from the Acura Telematics server is needed, the owner's Bluetooth cell phone is used (once the owner has enabled its data-transmission function).

jfprl

I am having the same issue, not receiving appt reminders and also not seeing maintenance reminders in the nav screen. My dealer spoke with the tech line and they recommended replacing the acuralink unit. That is where it is now. I will let you know what happens. Although I am not sure how to test the system. Perhaps I can set up a bogus appt time.

TampaRLX-SH

Not sure what he means with 'the acuralink unit'. AcuraLink is not a specific piece of hardware, per say. It is a slick name for the interaction between The NAVI unit, HFL and XM. I suspect he is referring to the NAVI drive unit (DVD). But I suspect the issue is truly between the Acuralink servers and XM. Mind you so few people understand exactly how this system works (I am still somewhat puzzled) that Acura and XM are likely to say / do nothing if there is a communications issue in the AcuraLink service.

Although it does you no harm if they replace the NAVI DVD unit, it may be all for nothing is the RL's hardware is not the issue. It looks like they will just lay low until enough owners complain the service is not working, and being it is a complex integration, it is very easy for Acura to point to XM and vice versa, leaving the RL owner's dazed and confused. It is not a critical feature or service, but still Acura needs to stand behind it and offer up reasonable resolutions aside from ignoring it.

fkinder

Data transmission from the RL requires the use of a Bluetooth linked cell phone with functioning data-transmission capability.

The XM receiver in the RL has no transmission capability.

jfprl

The Acuralink module is another term for the XM unit. Also referred to as the XM HIP. The tech line claims the unit was not receiving the data. I am not sure how it interfaced with the maintenance minder but they claim it is all connected. The unit was replaced and unfortunately they did not activate it properly. I had to do that tonight through XM. You're right they do not understand the system(s).

Chas2

This is the most thorough explanation I have seen of this mysterious feature that never seems to work. Good job!