intelligent key fob range

OhioYJ · 04-19-2018, 05:54 AM

So not to bump a a dead thread, but this is the number one thread on Google, and the exact "problem" my 370 seems to be having. According to the FSM though, the super long range is abnormal. My car was the same way for a little over the first year. At work, even back in the lab which I can't even get cell phone signal if I leaned against my desk, I could set off "car alarm". It was actually annoying, as I've even come out to my windows down. When it changed all the sudden I immediately changed the battery.

Going through the FSM, they actually say the range is 31.5 inches from the door handles, and the hatch release, approximately. They do say range however will depend on ambient conditions.

Best I can tell from the FSM, the antennas, are just for the intelligent key function to tell where the key is. It appears the receiver in the center under the hood is the part that actually receives / handles the lock/unlock requests.

It does specifically say to use within 3ft of each door, should I just assume this is what I am stuck with now?

sp911 · 04-19-2018, 09:16 AM

is your phone also on you? that may reduce the distance.

vtec to vvel · 04-22-2018, 01:24 PM

Download the app and lock/unlock from your phone

OhioYJ · 05-17-2018, 08:39 PM

OK so first thing I tried was replacing the battery in my key. Note my car is a 2016. Then I tried the other key that has never been used and has never left my safe, same issue. So then I did some testing and found my car has a range of 5-6 feet from both doors, but is almost completely blind from the rear. Which led me to believe it was the rear antenna. The only other problem with my car is the outside door unlock button on the passenger door has not worked for some time. That button has not worked for some time, but its the passenger door so I've let it go. The rear antenna is cheap and easy to replace but if its not that its pretty much the BCM, so much to my dismay I scheduled an appointment for the dealer to look at it since its under warranty.

Dealer claims they put a new battery in the remote and (I only took one key to them) and all the problems went away. When I went to pick it up (two hours after dropping it off) I brought up the other key and sure enough even it worked. So either there is some truth in their batteries are fresher than Walmarts or they wouldn't come clean on what actually fixed it. I think its the latter... But at least it works.

vtec to vvel · 05-20-2018, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhioYJ

OK so first thing I tried was replacing the battery in my key. Note my car is a 2016. Then I tried the other key that has never been used and has never left my safe, same issue. So then I did some testing and found my car has a range of 5-6 feet from both doors, but is almost completely blind from the rear. Which led me to believe it was the rear antenna. The only other problem with my car is the outside door unlock button on the passenger door has not worked for some time. That button has not worked for some time, but its the passenger door so I've let it go. The rear antenna is cheap and easy to replace but if its not that its pretty much the BCM, so much to my dismay I scheduled an appointment for the dealer to look at it since its under warranty.

Dealer claims they put a new battery in the remote and (I only took one key to them) and all the problems went away. When I went to pick it up (two hours after dropping it off) I brought up the other key and sure enough even it worked. So either there is some truth in their batteries are fresher than Walmarts or they wouldn't come clean on what actually fixed it. I think its the latter... But at least it works.

You really went to the dealer to have a fob battery replaced?

It may be your car/keys, as I’ve used key fob batteries from Walmart to gas stations and usually have about a 25-feet range. In fact, I can park my car inside the garage on the 1st floor and my bedroom is on the 3rd floor and can hear the beep when I lock from my bedroom. Also, batteries do have a long lifespan for storage (ie new inside the package and not being used).

OhioYJ · 05-27-2018, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtec to vvel

You really went to the dealer to have a fob battery replaced?

It may be your car/keys, as I’ve used key fob batteries from Walmart to gas stations and usually have about a 25-feet range. In fact, I can park my car inside the garage on the 1st floor and my bedroom is on the 3rd floor and can hear the beep when I lock from my bedroom. Also, batteries do have a long lifespan for storage (ie new inside the package and not being used).

No....

So I believe I may have sorted out my problem. I have a ECUTek Bluetooth dongle in my car. This was not in the car when I took it to the dealer. Yesterday, repeatability every time I put that back in the car, it goes blind from the rear, and range sucks. Remove the BT dongle and it works fine. So I'm assuming the BT dongle is causing interference of some sort. I'm going to give it a few more days and see if it continues to work without that dongle.

Thundar · 06-17-2018, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhioYJ

No....

So I believe I may have sorted out my problem. I have a ECUTek Bluetooth dongle in my car. This was not in the car when I took it to the dealer. Yesterday, repeatability every time I put that back in the car, it goes blind from the rear, and range sucks. Remove the BT dongle and it works fine. So I'm assuming the BT dongle is causing interference of some sort. I'm going to give it a few more days and see if it continues to work without that dongle.

I had the same issue, the ECUTek bluetooth cut my fob range down to a couple feet. Unplugged the module and the range is back to 75 feet

OhioYJ · 06-17-2018, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thundar

I had the same issue, the ECUTek bluetooth cut my fob range down to a couple feet. Unplugged the module and the range is back to 75 feet

I had this discussion with ECUTek's support and they at first claimed they had never heard of it and should not be possible since they operated on different frequencies. I shipped my dongle back to Dynosty for testing on their shop cars. Who also replicated the issue, although not quite to the same drastic degree as my car, but the range was drastically reduced. The same was true for all the other bluetooth dongles they had in stock.

After this confirmation, I have reached out again to ECUTek asking if a firmware update that shuts this thing down when the car is off is possible. They are supposed to be getting with development to find out.

Ventruck · 05-20-2018, 04:39 PM

I've seen my range go from "across the street" (2-lane), to like 3 feet, accidentally washed the fob, and now it's back to "across the street".

04-22-2018, 01:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
vtec to vvel A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: 813 Posts: 3,942 Drives: 13 Z Rep Power: 502910	Download the app and lock/unlock from your phone __________________ Don't like what I post? Too bad. I really don't give a sh!t

05-20-2018, 04:39 PM	#9 (permalink)
Ventruck Track Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: California Posts: 785 Drives: '13 Sport+Touring M6 Rep Power: 22898	I've seen my range go from "across the street" (2-lane), to like 3 feet, accidentally washed the fob, and now it's back to "across the street". envisous likes this.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
[WTB] Intelligent Key Fob	AustynZ	Parts for sale (Private Classifieds)	1	01-21-2014 04:02 PM
Odd noise in 2-3k RPM range	mantella87	Intake/Exhaust	2	04-29-2013 02:06 PM
Mid range power	Z370Z011	Engine & Drivetrain	5	10-24-2012 03:26 AM
Intelligent Key question...	JAYNO20	Exterior & Interior	13	06-28-2012 01:09 AM
rim width range	AviatorTim	Wheels & Tires	2	11-05-2011 12:56 PM

04-19-2018, 05:54 AM	#1 (permalink)
OhioYJ Enthusiast Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Ohio Posts: 261 Drives: 2016 370Z Rep Power: 953	So not to bump a a dead thread, but this is the number one thread on Google, and the exact "problem" my 370 seems to be having. According to the FSM though, the super long range is abnormal. My car was the same way for a little over the first year. At work, even back in the lab which I can't even get cell phone signal if I leaned against my desk, I could set off "car alarm". It was actually annoying, as I've even come out to my windows down. When it changed all the sudden I immediately changed the battery. Going through the FSM, they actually say the range is 31.5 inches from the door handles, and the hatch release, approximately. They do say range however will depend on ambient conditions. Best I can tell from the FSM, the antennas, are just for the intelligent key function to tell where the key is. It appears the receiver in the center under the hood is the part that actually receives / handles the lock/unlock requests. It does specifically say to use within 3ft of each door, should I just assume this is what I am stuck with now?

04-19-2018, 09:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
sp911 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: central connecticut Posts: 259 Drives: 2012 370z gun metal Rep Power: 12	is your phone also on you? that may reduce the distance.

05-17-2018, 08:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
OhioYJ Enthusiast Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Ohio Posts: 261 Drives: 2016 370Z Rep Power: 953	OK so first thing I tried was replacing the battery in my key. Note my car is a 2016. Then I tried the other key that has never been used and has never left my safe, same issue. So then I did some testing and found my car has a range of 5-6 feet from both doors, but is almost completely blind from the rear. Which led me to believe it was the rear antenna. The only other problem with my car is the outside door unlock button on the passenger door has not worked for some time. That button has not worked for some time, but its the passenger door so I've let it go. The rear antenna is cheap and easy to replace but if its not that its pretty much the BCM, so much to my dismay I scheduled an appointment for the dealer to look at it since its under warranty. Dealer claims they put a new battery in the remote and (I only took one key to them) and all the problems went away. When I went to pick it up (two hours after dropping it off) I brought up the other key and sure enough even it worked. So either there is some truth in their batteries are fresher than Walmarts or they wouldn't come clean on what actually fixed it. I think its the latter... But at least it works.