which RF path/equipment does Bluetooth use - car or phone?

[04ctd]

my wife is babysitting in a "dead zone" for AT&T.

her iPhone will not work for voice. she can get some texts, but it's crappy and not reliable, and of course, they do not have a land line phone.

if she goes out & sits in the Yahoe, does the SUV use the phone to physically transmit & receive the Radio Frequency data,

or does it use the roof top antenna to send & receive RF?


I think bluetooth just loops the audio in & out from the phone to the OEM radio, and has nothing to do with the RF path or reception quality.


we are at the point our free trail of Onstar is over, just trying to decide what to do.



I assume that if you pay for the OnStar cellular service, and use OnStar to make calls, it would use the car's eqpt, and it would have different reception, depending on which cellular carrier OnStar is tied to in your area.....but does it switch? like AT&T is crappy around here, and sprint has NO 4G coverage in South Carolina...though they are not publicizing it...

 

[ChevyFreak]

I think bluetooth just loops the audio in & out from the phone to the OEM radio, and has nothing to do with the RF path or reception quality.

I assume that if you pay for the OnStar cellular service, and use OnStar to make calls, it would use the car's eqpt, and it would have different reception, depending on which cellular carrier OnStar is tied to in your area.

^You are correct in your thinking. Using the bluetooth in the vehicle does not actually improve reception. It is merely using the mic. and speakers for the audio. The signal/reception on your phone is the signal/reception you get.

OnStar is in fact different, and will use the equipment in the vehicle. The phone/cellular feature will have varying reception depending on where you are at and which cell tower(s) it is picking up. Obviously, actually contacting OnStar via the blue OnStar button or red emergency button on the rearview mirror uses a satellite connection, which is much more reliable.