Remote Has Short Range, Any Fix?

Move closer. Mine (non SKS) works from about 40 metres(130 feet) or more line of sight.

 

I'm curious why you would need to extend the range of the Prius Key FOB.

The car unlocks by just grabbing the handles, and locks by pushing the little black lock buttons on the car . . . all without even touching the key FOB.

Why would you, with any regularity, need to lock or unlock the Prius from a distance further than one's arm length?

The only time I ever touch the FOB is when I move it from table to pocket and back.

 

Likewise I never manually actuate my fob (that really sounds bad: I'm cringing right now wondering what Tony will do with that statement. )

Tom

 

Sometimes, in an unfamiliar place, it is nice to click your fob and hear your car beep/blink lights back at you. I'm thinking at the end of a long day in the parking lot at Sea World or Busch Gardens. Your car is saying "Here I am, over here."
My Prius....not so much.

 

I agree that the range is very short compared to my old Lexus ES. Sometimes I forget whether I locked the car or not, and it would be nice to check with the fob from far away.

Further, I think that limited range is a huge downside for the "panic button" feature.

 

Not sure if this will work on Prius.
Now don't laugh....
My SLK range was short,if you held the fob to your forehead it
gave a good 30' feet extra.
IT'S TRUE!!!!

 

you can also put it up to your throat and stick out your tongue... seriously.. it works...

it is really annoying though... super short distance

 

One of the girls at work claims that placing her (Honda) remote up to her chin extends the range.

 

Lifting it higher than your pants pocket regardless of where on your body you hold it will improve the range.

 

"I never manually actuate my fob"

I believe you Tom, I do. really.

 

Yup, my Prius has a very short range limit on the FOB. 20' if all is right in the world.
My VW is much longer for use of the remote fob, 200'.

 

As strange as it sounds -- it is true. I read somewhere that your head acts as an antenna. You can get 50% to double the range. Place the remote under your chin with mouth open.

Try it first, then start with the jokes ... :der:

 

OK . . someone use their head and try an antenna.

Anyone out there have a old DirecTV or Dish Network satellite dish in their garage? Grab it, place the key fob in front of the LNB receiver, point the dish at the car and click away. Most LNB receivers are not directly in the middle, so you may need to compensate by aiming low.

I'm guessing a quarter mile.

 

Yeah, I've got an old dish, but it doesn't fit in my pocket!

 

I tested my new 2008 a few minutes ago. Temp 75 F, humidity 73%, time about midnight.

I'm in a semi-rural area with 3 acre lots, so perhaps there is less interference here, although many local Ottawa Radio and TV stations broadcast from tower a few miles away.

My car is "Canadian base" without SKS. Car is 10 days old for me with 900 miles, so FOB battery should be newish.

With line of sight, I was getting reliable access up to 80 meters (260 feet). I ONCE got it through trees at 100 meters = 330 feet by using my forehead as an antenna... Couldn't repeat that trick though.

I don't know if Canadian frequencies or power levels might be different; they USUALLY (?) aren't for things like remotes etc.

 

You don't want the car and SKS communicating with each other over a longer distance than what Toyota designed.

Could you imagine the uproar from Prius owners when criminals figure out that Prii are basically unlocked if the SKS FOB is within a couple of hundred feet of the car?

At home, where I place my FOB is within 75 feet of the car. I would not be happy knowing anyone could just open the car.

Imagine a parking lot . . . the criminal watches the Prius driver walk away . . . and before the driver is a couple hundred feet away, the criminal is already inside the car and pressing the start button or looking for valuables.

Of course, this scenario doesn't prevent designing the SKS remote so the manual buttons from working over longer distances . . . but maybe the SKS technology prevents easy incorportation into the design of the FOB.