Range for connecting to M3 using app (e.g., to turn on climate)?

[carlsonjd11]

What range should be expected when trying to connect to the car? I get the “last seen xx” until I’m about 100 yards of the car when outdoors and a much shorter distance when I’m indoors. Both my phone and the car have a few bars of cell service. For example, I can see my car though my office window about 100 yards away, and it won’t connect. Just keeps spinning, which makes it impossible to turn on the climate unless I exit the building and walk into the parking lot.

Is this normal? I’ve had the car since September, and I assume it’s always had this issue. I’ve only notified in the last two months since I’ve started trying to turn on the climate remotely.

Both the app and car have the most recent updates (around Christmas time). I’ve rebooted the car by pressing the scroll wheels in and closed out and reopened the app on the phone.

For what it’s worth it seems to work fine at home when the car and phone are on the same wifi. Then again, I’m always within probably 20 yards of the car. Maybe I’ll try walking a block or two away and trying. I looked into submitting a service request, and the option is a mobile service. I just can’t get a weekday to work in their 4 hour blocks. Maybe I’ll trying just driving up to the Tesla store and talking with them.

 

[father_of_6]

Unlimited... they both connect to cellular networks.

This can take a bit of time if the car is sleeping or the signal is weak.

 

[father_of_6]

They can also communicate over Bluetooth. So Bluetooth and the Internet (via cellular and/or WiFi).

 

[E90alex]

They can also communicate over Bluetooth. So Bluetooth and the Internet (via cellular and/or WiFi).

I believe the Bluetooth functions are limited to opening and closing (eg same things you can do with a key fob). Can’t start preconditioning via Bluetooth.

But yes it can sometimes take several minutes to connect to the car over the internet if it has been asleep. Once the app connects to the car over the internet you can control the functions from anywhere in the world.

 

[carlsonjd11]

Okay. Thanks, all. So, I should just plan on pulling up the app several minutes in advance of when I want to start the climate?

 

[GtiMart]

That shouldn't be necessary. If all works well it only takes a few seconds for the car to wake up and accept commands, if it is sleeping. When it doesn't work fast you can try killing and restarting your mobile app, that will make a second attempt. I sometimes do that when it's not ready after 10-15 seconds.
Sometimes there's not much you can do, when the car has poor cellular connectivity, say in a parking garage.

 

[E90alex]

Okay. Thanks, all. So, I should just plan on pulling up the app several minutes in advance of when I want to start the climate?

I start to open the app and try to connect 10-15 minutes before I’m about to walk out the door.

If you leave at consistent time everyday you can also just set the preconditioning schedule in the app or car for that location as well.

 

[E90alex]

That shouldn't be necessary. If all works well it only takes a few seconds for the car to wake up and accept commands, if it is sleeping. When it doesn't work fast you can try killing and restarting your mobile app, that will make a second attempt. I sometimes do that when it's not ready after 10-15 seconds.
Sometimes there's not much you can do, when the car has poor cellular connectivity, say in a parking garage.

It’s never that fast unless the car is already awake (eg sentry mode is on). It can take a few minutes and several tries of force closing and opening the app if the car is truly asleep.

 

[GtiMart]

Mine systematically sleeps both at home and at the office. Takes 10-15 seconds, not minutes, to wake up. When it takes longer it's because cell connectivity is poor. It is almost instantaneous when the car is already awake.

 

[carlsonjd11]

For what it’s worth, it connects pretty much right away when I’m home and on wifi. Everywhere else, it takes forever, unless I’m on spitting distance of the car and then it connects right away, too.

 

[Ravire]

I’ve had sentry mode off the past few days and it does seem like the car takes longer to wake up from sleep. I’ve had sentry mode on for like a year straight though so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[android04]

If your app doesn't connect to the car right away, try going into the Controls section and flashing the lights. Might have higher priority to wake up the car more quickly, then you can turn on the climate control.

 

[android04]

If your app doesn't connect to the car right away, try going into the Controls section and flashing the lights. Might have higher priority to wake up the car more quickly, then you can turn on the climate control.

Actually, instead of flashing the lights try unlocking and then locking the car from the app first. Then if the car wakes up you can turn on the HVAC. I have the same issue once in a while where my car doesn't wake up and this sometimes works.

 

[XPsionic]

Unless the car's cell service connection is weak and spotty, all the user needs to do is open the app and tap the climate control icon while the car is still in the wake up process. The climate ON command will be executed by the car once it has cell internet service.

When the car is asleep, the user opens Tesla app, it sends a SMS to the car as a command to wake up. High voltage contactor closes and the car wakes up. Cell tower internet is pinged and the car is now able to be controlled via app. It all takes about 10-20 seconds.

You don't need to close and open the app or do anything else tricky. You don't need to open the app and wait for the car status to be updated. Just tap the climate control icon, the command will be queued and executed once the car is awake. You cannot speed up the process for waking up the car unless you have sentry mode on or if the car is already awake for whatever reason.