Comment on Sounds like Haier is opening the door!
helenslunch@feddit.nl 8 months agoFrom any practical standpoint, this makes so much sense.
Sometimes my Tesla fails to unlock for some reason and I have to disable my VPN and then stand next to it like a God damn idiot for 10 seconds while it calls it’s servers in fucking California to ask it to unlock my car.
The issue you are experiencing likely has nothing to do with the VPN. Network connectivity is not needed to unlock the car. I have been in places with no cell phone signal and it still works.
I do sometimes experience the same issue you are. If I wake up my phone, then it works. So it may be working for you not because you disabled the VPN, but because you woke up your phone and it then sent out the bluetooth signal to let the car know you were nearby.
When I have the VPN on I get nothing a “Session Expired” notice for several months at a time.
It’s a bit of both! Certain commands to the car can be done locally via Bluetooth OR via Tesla servers. The tricky bit is that status always comes from the server. If you are on a VPN that is blocked (like I use NordVPN and it is often blocked) then the app can’t get status and as long as it can’t get status it may not even try a local command. It’s unclear to me under what circumstances it does local vs cloud commands, and it may have to do with a Bluetooth LE connection that you can’t really control.
When you don’t have service, or you’re on VPN, it may be worthwhile to try disabling and reenabling Bluetooth. I have had success with this before. If you’re using android, it seems like the widget also uses Bluetooth, so you could try adding the widget to your home screen and using that. You can also try setting the Tesla app to not be power controlled, so it never gets closed.
Either way, there’s a definite engineering problem here that feels like it should be fixed by Tesla. But I can at least confirm that, even in situations with zero connectivity, you should be able to perform basic commands like unlock and open trunk without data service.
I think it could definitely be possible to do locally, and I wouldn’t want a car where I have to connect to servers to connect to it. But I am also not sure I want a car that can be opened with a command on the car itself. The code to access your CAR being stored locally on the car itself, with no server side validation, does seem kinda scary. It’s one thing for someone to manage to get into your online login where you can change the password, it’s another for someone to literally be able to steal your car because they found a vulnerability. It being stored locally would mean people would reverse engineer it, they could potentially install a virus on your car to be able to gain access. Honestly, as a tech guy, I don’t trust computers enough to have it control my car.
It already unlocks locally over Bluetooth.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 8 months ago
As if I needed yet another reason to never ever own a Tesla.
My car has this crazy technology in it: You can stick the key in the door and twist and it’ll unlock. Even if the network is down or the battery is dead. Arcane, right?
Alto@kbin.social 8 months ago
Anyone buying a Tesla at this point either knows they're buying a shit car purely for the status symbol, or they're a rube. Fools and their money and all that
helenslunch@feddit.nl 8 months ago
Well that’s incredibly presumptive, judgemental and simply untrue. They’re incredibly pragmatic and well-rounded.
Alto@kbin.social 8 months ago
My friends base model kia soul from 2013 has has less issues with gaps in the body and awful craftsmanship than the two model 3s that are in my family.
BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Hahahahahahajaja
Found the rube
AbidanYre@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Are they even a status symbol at this point? At least where I’m at they’re a dime a dozen.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 8 months ago
Haha yeah there are other, more reliable methods but the “phone as a key” is also super convenient when it works properly, which is most of the time. It just would be a lot smarter if it worked locally.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 8 months ago
…Or if there were an alternative option that didn’t rely on software and electronics is my point.
Cars have had electronic remote keyless entry for decades. It’s not new. Some of them even have phone apps that duplicate that functionality. No one but Tesla has been stupid enough to remove the keyhole, though.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 8 months ago
I understood your point. My point is those electronics make it more convenient to use. Would I appreciate ALSO having a physical unlock mechanism? Sure.
As does Tesla.
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
I will be driving my 03 1.8t 5mt Jetta into the ground, thank you very much.
SoleInvictus@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Hell yes! My sister-in-law has your same year but the diesel version and that thing is a champ. It’s rated at 45 mpg on the highway but she typically gets 50+, even with nearly 200k miles on it.
I had a 2004 1.8t Jetta for 12 years but I swapped it for a Prius. I love the Prius features and fuel economy but I miss how damn quick that my Jetta was, plus I loved the interior color scheme.