Key Fob availability in Australia

[Zoltrix77]

So - question please for anyone that has a key fob.

I am keen on establishing a more traditional lock/unlock experience, as my phone is often in close proximity to the vehicle, and I am constantly turning Bluetooth on and off again to maintain vehicle security.

So what I want is the following: Push a button to unlock, push a button to lock, and the only other method of entry to the vehicle is to hold a key card to the door pillar.

So, let's say I buy a key fob, and pair it with my vehicle (MY RWD). Let's also say I delete my phone as a key for the vehicle. For safety, let's say I disable "Walk away lock".

Let's also say that I'm going to now leave Bluetooth turned on on my phone, so that when it's in the vehicle, I can still make and receive phone calls.

Are the above steps going to get me to the setup I am after? Or have I missed something, or possibly what I want won't work at all?

I'm not terribly unhappy with the setup as it is, but it gets a bit old having to micromanage Bluetooth etc to make sure the car is locked.

I have a key fob. Yes you can lock and unlock via the fob, but ultimately its still a Bluetooth proximity key. So deleting your phone key will still allow you to open the car around it. It is not the same as other manufacturers where you need to be within 500mm of the particular door and then press the button on the door to lock/unlock.

So unfortunately, it doesn't solve that problem. Perhaps one day Tesla might listen to us security owners and offer an UWB (Ultra Wideband Fob) and introduce a lock/unlock button on the car, but I doubt it. At least with UWB, you need to be EXTREMELY close, but that is for Model 3 Highland only.

There was an earlier fob that ONLY worked with the buttons, but that hasn't been available for years.

 

[cafz]

I am keen on establishing a more traditional lock/unlock experience, as my phone is often in close proximity to the vehicle, and I am constantly turning Bluetooth on and off again to maintain vehicle security.

How close are we talking? Are you aware that for the car to unlock, it's not enough for the phone to be in Bluetooth range (& connected) - the car measures time-of-flight so the phone has to be within about 2 metres of the car to unlock?

 

[Jules22]

How close are we talking? Are you aware that for the car to unlock, it's not enough for the phone to be in Bluetooth range (& connected) - the car measures time-of-flight so the phone has to be within about 2 metres of the car to unlock?

Tesla also have the added check to ensure that the phone has moved.

 

[Midnight Man]

How close are we talking? Are you aware that for the car to unlock, it's not enough for the phone to be in Bluetooth range (& connected) - the car measures time-of-flight so the phone has to be within about 2 metres of the car to unlock?

It's probably about 6 metres.

I wasn't aware that connected via Bluetooth =/= unlocked - I have been assuming that the distance I go from the vehicle before hearing the locking noise (double beep of the horn) is the effective unlock distance.

That is certainly at least 6 metres away in most cases when I use "Walk away lock".

Given this new information, it seems the only advantage then of the key fob is being able to tap to unlock or tap to lock on demand, and unlock truck or frunk or charge port without fiddling with the app?

 

[cafz]

I wasn't aware that connected via Bluetooth =/= unlocked - I have been assuming that the distance I go from the vehicle before hearing the locking noise (double beep of the horn) is the effective unlock distance.

I don't use walk-away-lock myself, but it sounds like it uses a longer distance for locking than for unlocking, which would make sense.

You can replicate the experiment I did not long after first getting my Model 3 - lock the car, place the phone somewhere it is still connected by Bluetooth but not close by, then try pulling the handles to unlock the car. I found the Bluetooth would connect 30m or more away, but the car would only unlock if it was within about 2 metres of the car.

 

[Vostok]

You can replicate the experiment I did not long after first getting my Model 3 - lock the car, place the phone somewhere it is still connected by Bluetooth but not close by, then try pulling the handles to unlock the car. I found the Bluetooth would connect 30m or more away, but the car would only unlock if it was within about 2 metres of the car.

I did exactly this experiment early on, and got similar results for unlock, but found Bluetooth connection died within about 10m, certainly if there were any obstructions (walls etc). YMMV.

The Tesla App might say your phone is Bluetooth connected to the car, but that does not necessarily mean someone else can unlock it. The phone has to be within a couple of metres for it to unlock.

 

[dronus]

Yolo

https://sos.asrg.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Zhongjie-Wu-and-Yuqiao-Yang_Presentation.pdf