I have heard that the wireless in MyFordTouch is next to useless, but that hasn't stopped me from trying to associate with the networks at home and work. What has stopped me is that the password/passphrase entry screen shuts off input after 10 characters. This might have been useful in WEP days with a 10 character hex key, but the passphrases on my WPA2 enabled networks are well over 10 characters. I can't find anybody to report this bug to - didn't try to email Ford directly, since I figure the help will be on par with what I got from the @FordService twitter account: "The password character limit was set by the latest software design. This is normal."

This and the lack of SYNC Services for us Canadians makes me a little annoyed. Not in any way regretting having gotten the truck, but c'mon Ford, get your stuff together.

 

Hi Jay911,

Perhaps I can try to provide a little more depth to the Twitter response you received. We've gotten a lot of feedback from other tech-savvy customers regarding the nature of security with using a 10-digit passkey. The main reasoning is rooted in the system's intended use.

The Wi-Fi capabilities of MyFord Touch (MFT) were designed to be used with either a compatible mobile broadband device (via USB) or a Bluetooth tethering-capable smartphone. As part of this technology, MFT is also able to detect nearby hotspots. Although the password is capped at 10 characters, there is no expectation for customers to change their network security settings to accommodate the limit. This is because even if MFT is connected to another wireless router, there won't be any meaningful exchange of data without a browser - which MFT does not currently possess.

Then why include the ability to seek for nearby hotspots in the first place? This is a great question that I have limited ways of answering. Our team is not integrated with software engineering, where these kind of decisions are made. I know that many customers would like to be able to wirelessly update their software someday, but I can't really speculate if this will be added. I imagine the passkey limit will be readdressed if this is a direction engineering intends to explore.

Antonio

 

Thank you for that reply, that makes a bunch of sense. Admittedly it's hard to communicate that kind of thing in 140 characters, so I appreciate the response here.

MFT appears to have a lot of potential that's as-yet untapped, so I hope it does expand and get enhanced in the future.