DIY 2-way confirmation for 1-way remote start
12-03-2014, 11:27 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
DIY 2-way confirmation for 1-way remote start
I was going to wait until I completed this before posting and possibly even offer some up for sale. But I could use some brainstorming assistance.
The idea is to add a confirmation feature to the truck that will let me know when the engine has been successfully started... without springing for a 2-way system. This means it must be inexpensive to implement. The point is to supplement an existing 1-way system. So far, I haven't found any retail products that fill this niche.
My first plan was to use a wireless key finder such as this:
It works like a paging system similar to your cordless house phone. You attach a small key fob to your key ring which beeps when you press the button on the remote.
All you have to do then is to wire up the remote to a switched source of power in the vehicle and voila! Remote confirmation! Well it's slightly more involved than that but you get the general idea (actually I posted another thread hoping to get some help with this part).
So here's the problem. The range on these things suck. I was only able to successfully page the key fob from my driveway to the kitchen which is about 30' and through the front door which has a built-in window. Insufficient. The confirmation should ideally have a range equal to or greater than the remote starter's range (which is crappy to begin with but that's another matter). I need to either extend the range of the key finder or source a stronger transmitter/receiver. I thought about harvesting an old cordless phone but the IC board in those things is far too large for a key ring. I've started looking at individual transmitter boards which are cheap but obviously involve more work as I'd be building the device essentially from scratch. I'm hoping to avoid this until (if) I start building production units.
So... anyone have an idea on a cheap device I can try harvesting next?
Would anyone even be interested in such a device?
The idea is to add a confirmation feature to the truck that will let me know when the engine has been successfully started... without springing for a 2-way system. This means it must be inexpensive to implement. The point is to supplement an existing 1-way system. So far, I haven't found any retail products that fill this niche.
My first plan was to use a wireless key finder such as this:
It works like a paging system similar to your cordless house phone. You attach a small key fob to your key ring which beeps when you press the button on the remote.
All you have to do then is to wire up the remote to a switched source of power in the vehicle and voila! Remote confirmation! Well it's slightly more involved than that but you get the general idea (actually I posted another thread hoping to get some help with this part).
So here's the problem. The range on these things suck. I was only able to successfully page the key fob from my driveway to the kitchen which is about 30' and through the front door which has a built-in window. Insufficient. The confirmation should ideally have a range equal to or greater than the remote starter's range (which is crappy to begin with but that's another matter). I need to either extend the range of the key finder or source a stronger transmitter/receiver. I thought about harvesting an old cordless phone but the IC board in those things is far too large for a key ring. I've started looking at individual transmitter boards which are cheap but obviously involve more work as I'd be building the device essentially from scratch. I'm hoping to avoid this until (if) I start building production units.
So... anyone have an idea on a cheap device I can try harvesting next?
Would anyone even be interested in such a device?
