Suggestions for Key Fob Improvements

[ishak]

I've been reading (and experiencing) some frustrations with the key fob: its limitations and the fact that it's prone to accidental activation. Here is my list of suggestions to improve the key fob commands. My goal was to 1) allow more functionality than is currently possible, including opening up the driver door, and to 2) prevent accidental pocket closings of doors with a use of a 2-step interaction (hold and wait for beep/flash, then click within 3 sec).

Here are my personal top 4 use cases and my proposed commands for each.

1. Get in the car to drive (i.e., open driver door): double-click-left
2. Get in the car with entire family to drive, or just a cool party trick (i.e., open all 4 passenger doors): triple-click-top
3. Park car, leave (i.e., close all doors and lock): hold-top, then click top
4. Put something in / get something out of the tailgate (i.e., open tailgate): double-click-back

Here would be the proposed list of all commands available. In general, double or triple click is open, and a hold and wait, followed by single click is close. I removed all single click and hold commands (prone to accidental activation). And yes, I removed remote opening of the charger port.

OPEN COMMANDS

• driver door: double-click-left
• passenger door: double-click-right
• left FWD: triple-click-left
• right FWD: triple-click-right
• tailgate: double-click-back
• frunk: double-click-front
• driver + front passenger door: triple-click-front
• both FWDs: triple-click-back
• all 4 (driver, passenger, 2 FWD) doors: triple-click-top

CLOSE COMMANDS (all required a hold until the car beeps/flashes, then click within 3 sec)

• driver door: hold-front, then click-left
• passenger door: hold-front, then click-right
• left FWD: hold-back, then click-left
• right FWD: hold-back, then click-right
• tailgate: hold-back, then click-back
• all 4 doors + tailgate & lock: hold-top, then click-top

Using these 3 patterns (single click, double click, and hold-then-click), there are many more commands that are unused, which maybe could be configured to do custom operations, defined by the user in the UI.

 

[CmdrThor]

I would prefer they leave it as is, but provide an option to not close doors on lock for those that accidentally click the lock button. I do not accidentally click it so would prefer to retain that functionality. I'm not at all interested in any complicated sequences of presses as detailed above.

 

[ishak]

Without changes to the fob's physical design (i.e., the buttons will stay very easy to depress in the near future) for those of us that keep the fob in their pocket and love the "close all doors and lock" functionality, there needs to be a safety against accidental closes given that the likelyhood is high it will activate in your pocket.

Not everyone needs to know all the commands, just the ones they use regularly. Muscle memory will help.

 

[vandacca]

I've been reading (and experiencing) some frustrations with the key fob: its limitations and the fact that it's prone to accidental activation. Here is my list of suggestions to improve the key fob commands. My goal was to 1) allow more functionality than is currently possible, including opening up the driver door, and to 2) prevent accidental pocket closings of doors with a use of a 2-step interaction (hold and wait for beep/flash, then click within 3 sec).

Here are my personal top 4 use cases and my proposed commands for each.

1. Get in the car to drive (i.e., open driver door): double-click-left
2. Get in the car with entire family to drive, or just a cool party trick (i.e., open all 4 passenger doors): triple-click-top
3. Park car, leave (i.e., close all doors and lock): hold-top, then click top
4. Put something in / get something out of the tailgate (i.e., open tailgate): double-click-back

Here would be the proposed list of all commands available. In general, double or triple click is open, and a hold and wait, followed by single click is close. I removed all single click and hold commands (prone to accidental activation). And yes, I removed remote opening of the charger port.

OPEN COMMANDS

• driver door: double-click-left
• passenger door: double-click-right
• left FWD: triple-click-left
• right FWD: triple-click-right
• tailgate: double-click-back
• frunk: double-click-front
• driver + front passenger door: triple-click-front
• both FWDs: triple-click-back
• all 4 (driver, passenger, 2 FWD) doors: triple-click-top

CLOSE COMMANDS (all required a hold until the car beeps/flashes, then click within 3 sec)

• driver door: hold-front, then click-left
• passenger door: hold-front, then click-right
• left FWD: hold-back, then click-left
• right FWD: hold-back, then click-right
• tailgate: hold-back, then click-back
• all 4 doors + tailgate & lock: hold-top, then click-top

Using these 3 patterns (single click, double click, and hold-then-click), there are many more commands that are unused, which maybe could be configured to do custom operations, defined by the user in the UI.

That solution sounds almost as bad as using Morse Code to operate the fob.

To open driver door: -.. .-. .. ...- . .-.
To open passenger door: .--. .- ... ... . -. --. . .-.
To open all windows: .-- .. -. -.. --- .-- ...​

 

[Chopr147]

Why does Tesla replace the key fob with each service maintainance? That's what the service schedule states.

 

[vandacca]

Why does Tesla replace the key fob with each service maintainance? That's what the service schedule states.

Tesla replaces the Key FOB batteries at each service maintenance. The batteries are expected to last one year. That reminds me, I meant to order new batteries from Amazon...

 

[CmdrThor]

Why does Tesla replace the key fob with each service maintainance? That's what the service schedule states.

They replace the batteries. They do that because the batteries don't last much longer than that. Some run down even sooner depending on where you keep your fob at night.

 

[Chopr147]

That makes more sense. I could not unserstand why they would replace the key fob. DUH!