MyChevy App Key Fob

[abaiwadhwa]

I am trying to figure out when the key fob on the MyChevy App is supposed to be 'in range'. I tried a couple of times to 'precondition' the car in the morning from inside the house when the car is parked outside and the option does not become available. Car must not be more than 50 ft. away.

 

[EldRick]

The MyChevy app uses the internet to connect, including for the keyfob functions. I found the whole app fairly flaky on my SparkEV.
Try using the buttons on the actual keyfob - it should have great range - works for me from inside the house.

 

[abaiwadhwa]

Well..defeats the whole purpose. In fact, I did and still did not work. I ended up using the actual key fob to 'precondition' the car from the window. I thought the real benefit of using the App is when car is not in sight and one can not use the actual key fob.

 

[dandrewk]

Is it really shocking that the fob doesn't have infinite range? I'm not sure what you are expecting. If you are farther away, use the OnStar app on your phone or log into the website.

 

[phil0909]

Is it really shocking that the fob doesn't have infinite range? I'm not sure what you are expecting. If you are farther away, use the OnStar app on your phone or log into the website.

No, that was obvious. He's talking about the range of the smartphone app remote control functions - they are called 'key fob' but are not an actual fob, they are part of an app.

I have also found the app flaky, requiring restarting and force-closing more often than it should. I have not tried using the key fob functions from beyond 50 feet, but would agree if that's the limit it seems pretty pointless to even have the functions on the app.

 

[abaiwadhwa]

Is it really shocking that the fob doesn't have infinite range? I'm not sure what you are expecting. If you are farther away, use the OnStar app on your phone or log into the website.

Unreasonably snarky folks on this board ...ouch! Thanks for clarifying phil0909

 

[EldRick]

In a location where there's not much RF interference, the fob has a range of up to 100 ft. according to Chevy. My experience supports that.

 

[user 387]

Connect your car to your home Wi-Fi network. How to do it is in the manual.

It could be that if the car is inside a building it cannot talk to the OnStar servers where you phone is sending its commands.

 

[abaiwadhwa]

Thanks all. I will delete the link and relink to see if it works better.

 

[SeanNelson]

Is it really shocking that the fob doesn't have infinite range? I'm not sure what you are expecting. If you are farther away, use the OnStar app on your phone or log into the website.

No, that was obvious. He's talking about the range of the smartphone app remote control functions - they are called 'key fob' but are not an actual fob, they are part of an app.

Most apps operate via the Internet, in which case range shouldn't be in issue.

Or is there something in this app that attempts to communicate with the car via Bluetooth?

 

[user 387]

No, there is no direct app to car connection. Besides, Bluetooth is off when the car is off. The connection is through the Internet.

This is why I think the problem is that the car is not connected to the Internet inside a garage. This is why I suggested connecting the car to Wi-Fi, with which it will stay connected even after the car is turned off.

 

[EldRick]

Using MyChevy on a Mac, I've had a 50% or so success rate at connecting to my SparkEV. The fob is much more reliable.

 

[phil0909]

Most apps operate via the Internet, in which case range shouldn't be in issue.

I gather that was the source of the OP's disappointment. But I am seeing no range limitation - I used the android app, myChevrolet, to lock my Bolt doors from a thousand feet away tonight - no problem.

 

[Forman]

I use the myChevrolet app on iOS and have no problem pre heating my car from a distance. I've done it from a couple blocks away.

 

[devbolt]

In order for the pre-conditioning command to work via the MyChevrolet app, the car's OnStar system needs to have a good cellular signal. OnStar is using AT&T. If you have poor AT&T service in your area, it may cause delays in connecting to the car via the MyChevrolet app. I have poor AT&T service at my house, and sure enough, the MyChevrolet app has some delays in connecting, or fails to work. If I knew what phone number was associated with the car's OnStar, I could add it the AT&T microcell I have and get better service.

 

[user 387]

So has no one tried, except me, to simply connect the car to your home Wi-Fi? It work great.

 

[phil0909]

So has no one tried, except me, to simply connect the car to your home Wi-Fi? It work great.

Sure. I connected to home wifi. The app is still painfully slow. Typically takes 45 seconds to do anything - update status, turn on horn, lock or unlock doors, etc. My wifi is very fast, signal is strong. Any ideas why the app works so slowly? Do you get status updates from the android app in much less than 45 seconds?

 

[devbolt]

So has no one tried, except me, to simply connect the car to your home Wi-Fi? It work great.

I have connected it to my home Wi-Fi. I still get delays when connecting via the app. I suspect that the home Wi-Fi connection is not active when the car is off.

 

[dandrewk]

So has no one tried, except me, to simply connect the car to your home Wi-Fi? It work great.

Sure. I connected to home wifi. The app is still painfully slow. Typically takes 45 seconds to do anything - update status, turn on horn, lock or unlock doors, etc. My wifi is very fast, signal is strong. Any ideas why the app works so slowly? Do you get status updates from the android app in much less than 45 seconds?

You may think it slow, but compared to Nissan's version, it's lightning fast.

It's a bit more than a mere connection. When you send a command, it travels the cyber highway to some GM server. All credentials are checked, then the command is beamed back to your Bolt. All these connections take time before they handshake, with added latency from waking a slumbering car and waiting for it to connect with your home's WiFi or a cellular tower.

 

[phil0909]

It's a bit more than a mere connection. When you send a command, it travels the cyber highway to some GM server. All credentials are checked, then the command is beamed back to your Bolt. All these connections take time before they handshake, with added latency from waking a slumbering car and waiting for it to connect with your home's WiFi or a cellular tower.

Yeah, none of that should take anywhere near 45 seconds. This is 2017, and we're not using 300 baud modems. Perhaps 'waking' the car takes a long time, but then you would think issuing a second command would go much faster, since the car is already awake. But it is still just as slow. Not sure where the problem is in the system, but clearly there's something wrong.