Remote Range

[ekraus]

I don't have remote start except for on Ford Pass. If I am 20 feet from the truck it usually won't lock or unlock. Its really a crappy remote with such a short range. Is there any way to increase the range?

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[PNW_Ranger87]

I would start by replacing the battery in the remote. Most brand new vehicles have key fobs that have had the batteries in them for a while by the time they're delivered. Even a minor drop in voltage can greatly decrease the range of the remote. But the range probably won't increase much more than that, maybe 50'-75' I would think.

 

[ekraus]

50' would be great. I'll try it.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Sounds like either a fob battery problem, or there might also be too much other interference in the area. I've noticed that at the airport I work at, it depends a lot on where I park as to how long the range is, just because of how many other signals are flying through the air around here for aircraft safety and information.

But that being said, I regularly can get a good 300' of range out of my fob with clear line of sight. Especially nice in the winter where I can start the truck just as I'm stepping out the door after work and it'll have run for a minute or two already by the time I get to it.

 

[Msfitoy]

Hmmm...I've started my truck from inside of grocery stores...I can seemingly start my truck from hundreds of feet away when my truck is size of my thumb...

 

[ekraus]

So I am talking about in front of my house.From the front door to the truck is less the 20' and most of the time it doesn't work. My Nissan I can be so far away I cant see the lights flash.
I am told that if you have Remote Start on the fob its a different frequency and the range is extremely far. Had i known before I ordered the truck I would have opted for the remote start option.

 

[Msfitoy]

So you're having trouble with Ford Pass remote start? I've started my truck from Sweden a few months ago...verified it with my home security cameras lol. The remote start I was talking is with my key fob.

So I am talking about in front of my house.From the front door to the truck is less the 20' and most of the time it doesn't work. My Nissan I can be so far away I cant see the lights flash.
I am told that if you have Remote Start on the fob its a different frequency and the range is extremely far. Had i known before I ordered the truck I would have opted for the remote start option.

 

[ekraus]

Its the FOB. The remote pass works. I do not have Remote Start on the FOB. What I am talking about is Lock/Unlock

 

[Msfitoy]

Its the FOB. The remote pass works. I do not have Remote Start on the FOB. What I am talking about is Lock/Unlock

I see...

 

[Deleted member 1634]

So I am talking about in front of my house.From the front door to the truck is less the 20' and most of the time it doesn't work. My Nissan I can be so far away I cant see the lights flash.
I am told that if you have Remote Start on the fob its a different frequency and the range is extremely far. Had i known before I ordered the truck I would have opted for the remote start option.

Interesting. I hadn't considered that the non-remote start fobs would be so different that they wouldn't work as far. I guess my thoughts and theories still stand though. Albeit strange as there shouldn't be a bunch of interference between your house and the driveway.

Though, now that I think about it, there was one day at the grocery store where my fob wouldn't work until I was within 10' of the truck. A couple days later, same place, same parking spot, and it worked just fine. There could be some sort of interference nearby. Not sure how you would test for that though.

 

[Rviator]

It used to be that placing the FOB under your chin, when pressing the button, would increase the range as it effectively turns your body into a broadcast antenna. With the newer design frequencies I'm not sure if this is still effective as I don't need to use remote start.

 

[ekraus]

I thought about the interference issue but none of my other wireless devices have any range issues at home. As well lets say I cant find the truck in a parking lot (it happens when your an old guy). It's happened a couple of times so I tried to activate the alarm, the same issue crops up by the time the alarm goes off I found the truck because I am almost on top of it. My Nissan, it works very far away. I think it may be an issue that fob is a proximity fob. Say your truck is running, you stop put it in park, you get out and close the door, horn beeps and locks the doors. Not sure exactly how that works. Regardless its a pretty crappy scenario and I will probably look for an aftermarket fob and door lock interface.

 

[Sarge104]

I would first try a line of sight test in the open. Personally I've used my remote over 100 Yards. If you need to be within the fifty foot range I would replace the battery first. Out of line of sight I would take into consideration the fact what is between you and the truck, even when I can see the truck I cannot use the remote start at one of my local hospitals due to their glass make up.

 

[ekraus]

Line of sight? How about parked in front of the house 20' away.
I ordered another battery (duracell) just to get that out of the way.

 

[THLONE]

Are you talking about the remote "start" with your phone using ford pass or the remote "unlock" with your fob? My fob will unlock my doors from inside my house and sometimes accidentally in my pocket.

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