Stories of your Model 3 phone-as-a-key FAILURES, give us a FOB, Tesla!!!

[Pkmmte]

Yes, now you're getting it. I don't want to have to haul my phone around with me constantly for every little thing, a smaller and lighter fob in my pocket that I never have to touch all day is what I want.

Phone > Phone + Fob

This is 2018. Hardly anyone goes around without carrying their phone everywhere nowadays.

 

[drawfour]

Phone > Phone + Fob

This is 2018. Hardly anyone goes around without carrying their phone everywhere nowadays.

This is 2018. I have a smart phone. I carry it with me everywhere. I want a fob.

 

[drawfour]

NO WE DON'T! If you want one bad enough, maybe Tesla will re program a Model S fob, and charge you the $400+ dollars they have always charged. Though the 3 isn't set up for a fob.
Most of us like the convenience of not having to carry around another device. Phone key works.

Please note that there has not been a single instance on this forum where people who want a fob indicated that they want ONLY a fob to work and that they don't want the phone to work. Your ability to carry only a phone would not change, if that's what you want. Also, yes, the Model 3 is set up for a fob - because it uses BLE, which is what the Model X and Model S use for their fobs.

 

[Runt8]

I want them to release a fob so these threads can die. Of course, when it ends up costing several hundred dollars we will then get new threads bitching about the price (which was one of the reasons Tesla did the phone key in the first place).

 

[AlexanderAF]

I want them to release a fob so these threads can die. Of course, when it ends up costing several hundred dollars we will then get new threads bitching about the price (which was one of the reasons Tesla did the phone key in the first place).

After the fobs, I’m sure we’ll get a “Stories of your Model 3 Bluetooth Radio FAILURES, give us a CASSETTE TAPE DECK, Tesla!!!”

 

[Runt8]

why are there so many people who hate people who want fobs like people who hate donald trump? please take time to actually listen and do not dismiss their concerns as if "they're doing it wrong". just because it works perfectly for you doesn't mean it doesn't for others, and it is not always because they're incompetent.

the fanboyism and trolls here, wow...

I don’t hate people who want fobs. I do, however, get annoyed at the same few people showing up in every thread bitching about how much they hate the phone key. Goes double for “he who shall not be named” who made a career out of complaining before he even got the car, bought it anyway, and now hates he fact that he has to carry his phone with him...

 

[Twiglett]

I don’t hate people who want fobs. I do, however, get annoyed at the same few people showing up in every thread bitching about how much they hate the phone key. Goes double for “he who shall not be named” who made a career out of complaining before he even got the car, bought it anyway, and now hates he fact that he has to carry his phone with him...

What worries about threads like this is that the vast majority of Model 3 owners are not in fact on this forum at all - and yet this thread subject proclaims to speak for everyone “Give us a key fob” - when the vast unspoken majority don’t care because their phone works fine.
I’m fine with a fob - as long as it doesn’t impact how my phone works as a key.
Given the fob hardware doesn’t appear to be built in already it may well be the case that a BTLE fob would compromise how the phone key works.

 

[Runt8]

What worries about threads like this is that the vast majority of Model 3 owners are not in fact on this forum at all - and yet this thread subject proclaims to speak for everyone “Give us a key fob” - when the vast unspoken majority don’t care because their phone works fine.
I’m fine with a fob - as long as it doesn’t impact how my phone works as a key.
Given the fob hardware doesn’t appear to be built in already it may well be the case that a BTLE fob would compromise how the phone key works.

I doubt there's any technical reason why a fob would affect the phone key - the hardware in the car wouldn't need to change at all. My concern would be if Tesla made a fob and then used it as an excuse to not fix problems with the phone key. "You're having problems with your phone? That's too bad - but for $199 you can buy a fob." I'd rather they put their resources into making the phone key as reliable as a fob.

 

[brianman]

I don’t hate people who want fobs. I do, however, get annoyed at the same few people showing up in every thread bitching about how much they hate the phone key.

That might be a fair point, but look at the title of this thread. This seems to be a good place for such discussion.

 

[egdeen]

I doubt there's any technical reason why a fob would affect the phone key - the hardware in the car wouldn't need to change at all. My concern would be if Tesla made a fob and then used it as an excuse to not fix problems with the phone key. "You're having problems with your phone? That's too bad - but for $199 you can buy a fob." I'd rather they put their resources into making the phone key as reliable as a fob.

Hmm, Bluetooth is not that reliable from day one. Device often don't talk to each other because of various reason. Older phone especially have more trouble communicating with the car because of the outdated Bluetooth version.

Although Bluetooth LE is much better then previous generation. However, it is still on 2.4 Ghz band, which mean it sometime may be jammed by Wi-Fi, or even microwave oven. The reliability get even worse when someone use older generation device. If a $50 key fob can improve the customer experience, why Tesla is not doing it? Tesla could just mail the key fob to us and let us pair it our self (if they don't have resources to do it).

 

[diamond.g]

Hmm, Bluetooth is not that reliable from day one. Device often don't talk to each other because of various reason. Older phone especially have more trouble communicating with the car because of the outdated Bluetooth version.

Although Bluetooth LE is much better then previous generation. However, it is still on 2.4 Ghz band, which mean it sometime may be jammed by Wi-Fi, or even microwave oven. The reliability get even worse when someone use older generation device. If a $50 key fob can improve the customer experience, why Tesla is not doing it? Tesla could just mail the key fob to us and let us pair it our self (if they don't have resources to do it).

If BT(LE) is so bad, then how would a fob help if it too is a BT(LE) fob?

It isn't readily apparent to me, but can we add multiple key cards ourselves or does the Service Center have to do it?

 

[egdeen]

If BT(LE) is so bad, then how would a fob help if it too is a BT(LE) fob?

It isn't readily apparent to me, but can we add multiple key cards ourselves or does the Service Center have to do it?

I guess it is more like a compatibility issue with old phone and phone's Bluetooth signal is more easily jammed.

"A Bluetooth receiver in a cellular phone can also be blocked by the cellular phone transmitter. Typical Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cellular phone transmitters output between one and three watts, but Bluetooth receivers are designed to operate with signals in the order of trillionths of a watt, or picowatts, so the receiver can be completely overwhelmed by the transmitter. Even in a best-case scenario, the GSM transmitter generates significant noise, which limits the range of Bluetooth communications."
What Will Block a Bluetooth Signal? | Techwalla.com

 

[Runt8]

Hmm, Bluetooth is not that reliable from day one. Device often don't talk to each other because of various reason. Older phone especially have more trouble communicating with the car because of the outdated Bluetooth version.

Although Bluetooth LE is much better then previous generation. However, it is still on 2.4 Ghz band, which mean it sometime may be jammed by Wi-Fi, or even microwave oven. The reliability get even worse when someone use older generation device. If a $50 key fob can improve the customer experience, why Tesla is not doing it? Tesla could just mail the key fob to us and let us pair it our self (if they don't have resources to do it).

Why would you assume it would be $50? Tesla charges somewhere in the neighborhood of $170 to replace the S/X fobs.

 

[AustinPowers]

First of all I’m not trying to be mean but let me say this… You own a brand new Tesla and you have a galaxy S5 old ass phone come on man get a new phone.

Not trying to be mean, huh?

What do you call "old ass phone"? I've got an S3 mini, which works a treat. I can phone, I can WhatsApp, I can listen to music, I can find out whether my trains are on time, I can play games, I can do anything I need with it. Why should I buy a new phone a throw away a perfectly working one?
Because a carmaker decides to get rid of a perfectly simple solution like a keyfob? I don't think so. I'd rather only use the keycard than get a new phone, but I'd still be ticked off because I can't for example open the trunk from the outside, something I can do with the fob on any car other than a Model 3. Sometimes Tesla is really annoying, trying to be different just for the heck of it. Nothing sensible about not offering a fob. It's the most annoying thing about the Model 3, and tbh I have not read a single review over here where the lack of a tradtional fob was not critisized - and rightly so.

 

[bhzmark]

Looks like there was an app that was running in the background that was causing problems.

This is almost certainly the solution to the suffering. It explains the variability amongst owners with similar cars and similar phones where some have problems and most it works flawlessly.

I suspect most problems can be fixed by:
1) carrying in front pocket instead of back pocket.
2) find and disable offending background app.

People who don’t want to help themselves with these solutions will continute to suffer their no-fob agony.

 

[EfficientWatts]

This is almost certainly the solution to the suffering. It explains the variability amongst owners with similar cars and similar phones where some have problems and most it works flawlessly.

I suspect most problems can be fixed by:
1) carrying in front pocket instead of back pocket.
2) find and disable offending background app.

People who don’t want to help themselves with these solutions will continute to suffer their no-fob agony.

or, just maybe,

a key fob

The reason people want a key fob is that so people don't have to think about ok i have to close this app, i need to have x version of hardware, I have to whitelist/blacklist this app, etc. etc. etc.

For every hardcore geek out there, we have Joe Sixpacks that wants to be able to get into their car and go and not worry about what kernel version of Android or iOS they're running.

That's one good thing about consoles (and to a lesser extent, apple), the variables are a lot less so things can be optimized/fixed with regards to issues. A key fob will be similar.

This here is the no true scotsman in a different form.

 

[bhzmark]

or, just maybe,

a key fob

The reason people want a key fob is that so people don't have to think about ok i have to close this app, i need to have x version of hardware, I have to whitelist/blacklist this app, etc. etc. etc.

For every hardcore geek out there, we have Joe Sixpacks that wants to be able to get into their car and go and not worry about what kernel version of Android or iOS they're running.

That's one good thing about consoles (and to a lesser extent, apple), the variables are a lot less so things can be optimized/fixed with regards to issues. A key fob will be similar.

This here is the no true scotsman in a different form.

Or maybe all they have to do is remove tinder.

 

[johndorian]

+1 for the fob. I have to toggle airplane mode on my phone every time I want to use the phone key.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

This is almost certainly the solution to the suffering. It explains the variability amongst owners with similar cars and similar phones where some have problems and most it works flawlessly.

I suspect most problems can be fixed by:
1) carrying in front pocket instead of back pocket.
2) find and disable offending background app.

People who don’t want to help themselves with these solutions will continute to suffer their no-fob agony.

If there are app compatibility issues, Tesla should discover these themselves and then inform the user. It should not be up to us to try and guess which of possibly hundreds of installed apps out of thousands (millions?) exist is the culprit.

Or, just make a keyfob available. Problem solved.

 

[iwannam3]

At a minimum the app's first task is to verify that the phone OS and bluetooth meet minimum specs to operate and list any apps that interfere.