Infotainment Uconnect System: Everything You Should Know
Posted on October 27, 2021
It’s 1991, your family is embarking on a driving trip from Toronto to Florida to swim in the ocean and go to Disney World. Your parents are in the front with packed sandwiches and you are sitting in the back with a book, stuffed animals and pent up excitement.
3 hours into the drive you are bored out of your mind, nauseous from reading while the car was moving and already sick of Eye-Spy. The weather is getting stormy but your parents keep driving because there is no way to check the weather report, find a place to stop or get in touch with anyone or any place to stay.
It is just incredible to think about how far we’ve come and what we now expect from our vehicles.
Researching cars nowadays involves more than just fuel efficiency, drivetrain, interior/exterior features and capacity specs – innovative technologies are being utilized to improve the driver experience and so learning about these is just as important (in some cases more important). The way you interact with your car, the intersection of automotive technological advancements, functionality and fun – here is your guide to all things infotainment:
Let’s start at the beginning – what does infotainment mean?
Like all the best name blends (Bennifer, Kimye, Brangelina), “infotainment” is a blend of two words that effectively explain what its purpose is: information and entertainment. The infotainment system, an interface of buttons, screens and voice command capabilities, centralizes the many systems in your vehicle pertaining to information and entertainment and connects you (and your smart phone) to your car to optimize your driving experience. Gone are the days where a couple of knobs to change the climate control or the audio system will suffice. Technology and connectivity is always at our fingertips with smartphones and now your in-vehicle infotainment system elevates that experience to your car.
Road trips will never be the same!
So what does the infotainment system do? Let’s dive in to some of the key features of the Infotainment system:
Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/RAM vehicles use the Uconnect platform – one of the very best in its class according to DigitalTrends.com. With various screen sizes available, your optimal experience is with the 8.4 inch touchscreen or the incredible, game-changing 12 inch screen available in select RAM trucks.
Entertainment:
- Satellite Radio through Sirius XM available – over 120 channels at your fingertips for all your music, sports, comedy, news and more – no more losing stations as you drive through the next town
- Uconnect Theatre allows you to connect compatible smartphones, tablets, gaming systems, digital cameras (and more) so your passengers can surf the web, watch a flick or play video games on their 10 inch touchscreens – Eye-Spy some great ways to entertain the whole family
- Bluetooth Streaming Audio using your compatible smartphone’s music – pair up to 10 smartphones! – listening to your favourite music no matter how far from civilization and without any wires, cassette tapes or CDs – amazing
- HD Radio (where available) lets you tune into even more AM/FM local stations with digital sound – less fuzz, more fun
Phone:
- Apple Car Play and Android Auto lets you use your smartphone through the centre console touchscreen and/or voice control to connect your Apple/Google Maps navigation and music – get to where you need to go, make changes along the way and have fun while you’re doing it.
- Hands Free Calling and Voice Text Reply where you can talk to who you need and even respond to text messages without ever taking your eyes off the road
Navigation:
- Uconnect Navigation available using sensor assisted GPS for the most accurate positioning – not even a tunnel can stray this navigation
- Sirius XM Traffic tells you about congestion before you get stuck in it – get to where you’re going the best route possible
- Sirius XM Travel Link keeps you informed on local weather, fuel prices and even sports scores and movie theatre options – know what you need to know about where you are from the car
And how does the infotainment system do it? You might ask. Along with touchscreen capabilities, you can use voice command to tell Uconnect what you want.
Like all technology platforms, your Uconnect software will need to be updated. How to upgrade the infotainment system? There are two convenient ways you can upgrade your software: (1) contact your trusted dealership, CarHub Service, to schedule an appointment where we can perform the upgrade or (2) grab your computer and complete the upgrade yourself. Check this out for a detailed video with step by step instructions to walk you through how to upgrade.
As the central hub of your vehicle’s entertainment and information, your unit is likely to need a good cleaning every once in a while – how do you clean the infotainment system? Electronics and glass products alike are best treated with microfibre for a clean that doesn’t scratch. You can spray some glass (or better yet, glasses) cleaner directly on the microfibre towel/mitt before wiping to aid with some of the more stubborn specks.
Gone are the days where bored and nauseous kids were told to settle down in the back seat because there were still 21 hours left of driving to do; when new radio stations had to be searched every hundred kilometres, if you could find any all; and how no matter the weather you kept on course so you could get to the motel you researched prior to call your family and let them know you were safe from the room phone. User friendly, intuitive technologies like the Uconnect infotainment system have enriched our lives and given us the tools for successful and fun driving experiences.
Eye-Spy, with my little eye, something I can’t wait to appreciate the next time I’m in my car.
-Sharon Pinfold-
Sharon has been in the auto industry since 2005 and has worked both in the Sale and Service Department of various New, Used, Domestic and Import brands.