Living in New England Remote Start systems have become a necessity! Remote Start systems will turn your vehicle's engine on so you can warm it up on cold days, melt snow on snowy days, and cool the car down on hot days. 

 

There are three types of remote start systems, with various options with in each type. The three types of systems are Smartphone systems, 2-way systems, and 1-way systems.

 

Smartphone Systems:

Smartphone systems allow you to start your vehicle through an app in your phone. There are Cellular Smartphone Systems and Bluetooth Smartphone Systems. Cellular smartphone systems provide unlimited range, you could start your vehicle from California if you wanted to! As long as your vehicle and your phone have 4G / 5G signal you can connect to your vehicle anywhere in the U.S. If your phone does not have 4G / 5G signal, but your vehicle is in a location that does, if you can connect your phone to a wifi or hotspot then you can still communicate with your vehicle! Cellular Smartphone systems do have monthly fees because it is utilizing a cellular network. Bluetooth systems do not have any monthly fees because it does not use a cellular network, it communicates via Bluetooth. With a Bluetooth Smartphone system you connect your phone to a fob and then the fob sends the commands to the vehicle. Your phone must be with in Bluetooth range of the fob, which is typically 30 feet. The fob has the potential to reach up to 1 mile of range ( See Remote Start Range below ).

 

2-Way Systems:

2-Way systems are Remote Start systems that use a 2-way remote. 2-way refers to the functionality of the remote. With a 2-way Remote Start system you will never have to guess or hope that your vehicle started! The 2-way remote sends a signal to remote start the vehicle and when the vehicle has started, the vehicle sends a signal back to the remote to give you confirmation of the vehicle starting. The 2-way confirmation gives you the peace of mind to know that your vehicle is warming up or cooling down for you! There are two types of 2-way systems, LCD and LED. LCD remotes have an LCD display to show you with pictures that your vehicle started as well as give you the remaining run time. LED remotes have no screens and use LED lights to show you the 2-way confirmation. Both the LCD and LED 2-way systems have speakers inside of the remote to provide audible tones of the 2-way confirmation for true audio & visual experience!  

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1-Way Systems:

1-Way Remote Start systems can not connect with your phone and do not give you any confirmation of the vehicle starting. 1-way Remote Start systems are still a great way to turn your engine on, but you must be able to see the parking lights of your vehicle to know that it has started. 

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Remote Start Range:

Why is there so many different ranges for remote start systems and why does it matter? When not using a Cellular Smartphone system it is very important to pay attention to the range of the remote start system you choose! The truth is that 90% of the time your remote start system will not work from the ranges the systems claim. When Remote Start systems are tested for range, they are tested in areas that have no interference. The reality is that we are always going to see interference in our daily travels. We are always fighting two type of interference, physical interference and airborne interference. Physical interference is literally anything between you and the vehicle. For example a wall, trees, other vehicles, buildings, etc. Airborne interference has to do with signals being transmitted through the air. For example Wifi, Bluetooth, radio, electromagnetic fields, etc. The more range your Remote Start system can reach the better your starting capabilities will be! Our recommendations for range is think of the furthest distance you will be from your vehicle on a daily basis when needing to remote start it, then make sure your Remote Start system can reach 3X times that distance. For example if you need to reach 300 feet of range, go with a system that can reach at least 900 feet of range.

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All of the types of Remote Start systems we described will provide the benefit of turning your engine on.

To determine the best system for you, evaluate your daily parking situations

and determine how convenient you want your remote start to be!

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Below are some pictures of remote start remotes! Enjoy!