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Old 04-06-17, 02:44 PM
  #16  
mjeds
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i would think by now we should be moving away from keys and into biometrics with smart phone tie in, I have it on my home and at my office.. no reason why it shouldn't be on vehicles as well.
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Old 04-06-17, 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by SW15LS
Me neither. Really silly IMHO. I want it to be smaller, they should be as small as a thin keychain at this point.
exactly. 15 years ago lexus key fob has all the buttons integrated. there is no reason why it has to be bigger now. imho it's just stupid to have all kind of display and gadgets on the fob itself. time for integration with the phone if anything. the fob should be small and light. when i first had my hands on the 2013 ls460 fob i was so puzzled...
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Old 04-06-17, 03:32 PM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by rominl
exactly. 15 years ago lexus key fob has all the buttons integrated. there is no reason why it has to be bigger now. imho it's just stupid to have all kind of display and gadgets on the fob itself. time for integration with the phone if anything. the fob should be small and light. when i first had my hands on the 2013 ls460 fob i was so puzzled...
Yeah, my 15 LS has that same fob. It's huge. I was out playing golf with some people and gave one of the guys my keys to go get his iPad out of the car and when he came back first thing he said was "why is that key so heavy?"
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Old 04-06-17, 04:41 PM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by mjeds
i would think by now we should be moving away from keys and into biometrics with smart phone tie in, I have it on my home and at my office.. no reason why it shouldn't be on vehicles as well.
I do not see biometrics to be replacement for key fob.
I can open and close car for anyone who needs to get something out of the car while sitting on a park bench using key fob.
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Old 04-06-17, 05:46 PM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by Oldfart
I do not see biometrics to be replacement for key fob.
I can open and close car for anyone who needs to get something out of the car while sitting on a park bench using key fob.
can't say I've ever had to do that, but as I said with a smart phone tie in..

I have a biometric lock on my home with a smart phone tie in, I can unlock my house door using my thumb print, a key code, or a physical key while at the door, or remotely though the phone app anywhere in the world.
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Old 04-06-17, 06:00 PM
  #21  
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I don't like the diagonal arrangement of the buttons. Looks like it would be weird to use if you have bulky fingers.
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Old 04-06-17, 06:34 PM
  #22  
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I don't think I've ever used the buttons...
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Old 04-06-17, 07:37 PM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by mjeds
can't say I've ever had to do that, but as I said with a smart phone tie in..

I have a biometric lock on my home with a smart phone tie in, I can unlock my house door using my thumb print, a key code, or a physical key while at the door, or remotely though the phone app anywhere in the world.
Anywhere in the world where you can get a cellphone signal, I assume. Look at this story of the Tesla owner who was locked out of his car because he drove out of range of a cellphone signal and could not unlock his car.

Relying on Tesla’s car unlocking app left one Model S owner stranded

The owner of a Tesla Model S recently found out that even the most convenient modern-day tech features have limitations. Ryan Negri was left stranded in a remote location about six miles away from his home when the smartphone application that replaces his electric sedan’s key couldn’t connect to the internet.

Negri explained he headed out in his Model S on a Saturday morning to take pictures of the snow in the mountains. He downloaded the company’s official app, like many Tesla owners, so he was able to unlock and start his car without the key. He made a quick stop, exited the car, and locked himself out. He couldn’t unlock the doors because there was no cell phone service in the area where he was parked. His phone was unable to load the Tesla app, and his car was unable to receive instructions.

A person Negri was with ran about two miles until she found service. She was able to call a friend who picked her up, drove her to grab the keys, and took her back to the stranded Tesla. With the key in hand, Negri started the car with no fuss and drove home.
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Old 04-06-17, 07:41 PM
  #24  
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^^ Merc E class uses the NFC chip on the phone so no signal is necessary.
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Old 04-06-17, 07:44 PM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Sulu
Anywhere in the world where you can get a cellphone signal, I assume. Look at this story of the Tesla owner who was locked out of his car because he drove out of range of a cellphone signal and could not unlock his car.


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cell or wifi- but as I said, still have the ability to do it manually. stupid not to have a manual override, even Lexus puts a metal key in the credit card smart key for such things. I carry no keys, not for the house, car, or otherwise. I carry my card clip with the Lexus Smart Card, and my phone.

I don't use my phone to unlock my house, but I can, I use the biometrics on the door lock, but in the event that it doesn't work I can still use an old fashion key, while I don't carry it, I have hidden in the event I need it.

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Old 04-06-17, 08:34 PM
  #26  
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Taking apart the 4GS keys shows how much wasted space is in the key. The circuit board is swallowed by so much plastic for apparently no reason..
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Old 04-06-17, 08:40 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by yardie876
Taking apart the 4GS keys shows how much wasted space is in the key. The circuit board is swallowed by so much plastic for apparently no reason..
That only goes to show even further that it isn't wasted space because the design was purposefully that size regardless of extra space inside.
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Old 04-07-17, 03:24 AM
  #28  
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Haha, that's funny.

Also in some extreme rare conditions, if the cell towers are down (e.g., bad weather).....And you need to drive the car but it shuts down due to NO SIGNAL??? That would be a BAD DAY for the driver. If that happened to me, I would jump into my old car with the manual key turn and GO!!!


Originally Posted by Sulu
Anywhere in the world where you can get a cellphone signal, I assume. Look at this story of the Tesla owner who was locked out of his car because he drove out of range of a cellphone signal and could not unlock his car.


Source
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Old 04-07-17, 06:35 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by lexusrus
Haha, that's funny.

Also in some extreme rare conditions, if the cell towers are down (e.g., bad weather).....And you need to drive the car but it shuts down due to NO SIGNAL??? That would be a BAD DAY for the driver. If that happened to me, I would jump into my old car with the manual key turn and GO!!!
As technology improves this becomes less and less of an issue. In urban areas I can't remember the last time I had no cell signal, save for in a very deep garage (which is a problem for a car).

Remember too that modern phones have other methods of connecting other than cellular signal. They have Bluetooth, RFID which is used for ApplePay, Samsung Pay etc.

Having a phone key option at this point is very viable. I wouldn't say it should be the only option yet.
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Old 04-07-17, 07:04 PM
  #30  
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I know I will get flamed but the fobs are a PITA and a key with open/close door and trunk buttons are sufficient for me.... The idea of not being able to start the car when a fob battery fails is bad enough. Owners getting locked out of their expensive cars is a tragedy (albeit Lexus "hides" a key in their fobs to unlock the car but that does not always lead to getting it started).

I can take an older style fob battery failure and manually still open the door and start the car but losing a cell phone signal in a basement garage and can't get into your car and drive off seems a bit ludicrous .......
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