Choosing a SIM card for Avinox in Southern California

[jbodnar]

Hi Greg,

Which SIM cards would you recommend for a Crestline Bikes RS 181.2 bike with an Avinox motor in Southern California?

I added the Bosch Connect module on my Pole Vioma bike and it costs a reasonable $35/year.

 

[Greg Watts]

Hi Greg, Which SIM cards would you recommend for a Crestline Bikes RS 181.2 bike with an Avinox motor in Southern California? I added the Bosch Connect module on my Pole Vioma bike and it costs a reasonable $35/year.

Good news first, @jbodnar - unlike the Bosch ConnectModule, there's no Avinox subscription to pay.

Unlike Bosch, everything is included, and there's no need to subscribe to access the full range of features - your only ongoing cost is the SIM itself, which can easily undercut your $35/year Vioma setup.

What to buy: a cheap prepaid nano-SIM with a small data plan from a major US carrier (or one of their MVNOs). The data needs are tiny - remote control enabled: approximately 200MB per month, ride data upload enabled: approximately 200MB per month - so ~500MB/month covers it, and the cheapest prepaid data plans in the US run a few dollars a month. Given where you ride in SoCal, I'd lean toward whichever network has the best coverage in your actual riding zones rather than a specific brand - the bike's modem is only as useful as the signal at the trailhead.

Two things to avoid, straight from Amflow/Avinox support: • They do not currently support IoT SIM cards, and suggest avoiding roaming SIMs if you're riding long-term in one country - so skip the Hologram-style IoT offerings and travel eSIM-converted cards; a normal consumer prepaid SIM is the safe bet.

• 4G features are not available during data roaming, which is why cheap international roaming SIMs fall over.

Setup notes: the SIM installs behind the control display, then you enable Bike Connectivity (SIM) in the Avinox Ride app. If it doesn't connect first go, some configuration may be required - the APN settings are in the Avinox app under Cloud, then "Configure APN Settings". Not all SIMs play nicely; there's no official US-confirmed carrier list I can point to yet, so keep the receipt and be ready to swap if the first one sulks.

One caveat worth checking on your RS 181.2: the Avinox DPC100 Control Display (Global) does not support 4G connection - only the DP100 touchscreen takes a SIM. Swipe up on your display settings or check with Crestline which display yours shipped with before buying anything.

What it gets you once running: even with the system off, you can check battery level and location remotely, plus theft alerts and ride sync - genuinely more than the Bosch module offers, for less money. Hard to grumble at that.

 

[jbodnar]

Good news first, @jbodnar - unlike the Bosch ConnectModule, there's no Avinox subscription to pay.

Unlike Bosch, everything is included, and there's no need to subscribe to access the full range of features - your only ongoing cost is the SIM itself, which can easily undercut your $35/year Vioma setup.

What to buy: a cheap prepaid nano-SIM with a small data plan from a major US carrier (or one of their MVNOs). The data needs are tiny - remote control enabled: approximately 200MB per month, ride data upload enabled: approximately 200MB per month - so ~500MB/month covers it, and the cheapest prepaid data plans in the US run a few dollars a month. Given where you ride in SoCal, I'd lean toward whichever network has the best coverage in your actual riding zones rather than a specific brand - the bike's modem is only as useful as the signal at the trailhead.

Two things to avoid, straight from Amflow/Avinox support: • They do not currently support IoT SIM cards, and suggest avoiding roaming SIMs if you're riding long-term in one country - so skip the Hologram-style IoT offerings and travel eSIM-converted cards; a normal consumer prepaid SIM is the safe bet.

• 4G features are not available during data roaming, which is why cheap international roaming SIMs fall over.

Setup notes: the SIM installs behind the control display, then you enable Bike Connectivity (SIM) in the Avinox Ride app. If it doesn't connect first go, some configuration may be required - the APN settings are in the Avinox app under Cloud, then "Configure APN Settings". Not all SIMs play nicely; there's no official US-confirmed carrier list I can point to yet, so keep the receipt and be ready to swap if the first one sulks.

One caveat worth checking on your RS 181.2: the Avinox DPC100 Control Display (Global) does not support 4G connection - only the DP100 touchscreen takes a SIM. Swipe up on your display settings or check with Crestline which display yours shipped with before buying anything.

What it gets you once running: even with the system off, you can check battery level and location remotely, plus theft alerts and ride sync - genuinely more than the Bosch module offers, for less money. Hard to grumble at that.

There is a yearly subscription for Bosch (but the cellular fee is included), isn't there a monthly or yearly fee to use a SIM card for Avinox?

 

[Greg Watts]

There is a yearly subscription for Bosch (but the cellular fee is included), isn't there a monthly or yearly fee to use a SIM card for Avinox?

Fair question to pin down, @jbodnar - and yes, you've spotted the distinction that matters. There are two separate costs in play, and Bosch bundles them while Avinox doesn't:

• Bosch: you pay Bosch for the Flow+ subscription, and the ConnectModule has a SIM card connected to a wireless network - so the subscription is covering that cellular cost. One fee to Bosch, cellular included - that's your $35/year on the Vioma.

• Avinox: DJI charges you nothing - no platform subscription, all app features free. But the bike's modem still needs airtime, so yes, you pay a carrier directly for whatever prepaid plan you put on the SIM, monthly or yearly depending on the plan you pick. The "fee" just goes to T-Mobile/Verizon/an MVNO instead of to the bike brand.

What that actually costs in the US: US Mobile's pay-as-you-go plans start from $4/month with custom data options, and Tello runs similarly cheap plans from around $5 a month on the T-Mobile network. Both ride on the big networks - budget MVNOs rent space on the same towers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile use, so you're not getting a worse signal.

One honest footnote to my earlier "easily undercut" line: at $4 - 5/month you're looking at roughly $48 - 60/year before taxes, and US carriers often add service/recovery fees of a couple of dollars per line - so realistically it lands around your $35/year Vioma cost, not dramatically under it. Some MVNOs do annual prepay deals that get closer to $30 - 40 all-in. The real difference is structural: no lock-in, swap carriers whenever, and if DJI adds features they won't arrive behind a paywall.

So: same ballpark money, but you're renting airtime, not renting features.