[xp84]

The answer posted with all the experiments is conducted with a 2009 GTI, which reminds me of my first car, a Jetta from a generation before that. Its manual included this helpful illustration of the full expected range of the remote:

https://imgur.com/a/1Pdfyg4

Yes, apparently they were only willing to promise it would work within about arm's length of the car! It wasn't that bad, but also it wasn't a heck of a lot better, either!

[mcv]

Short range isn't necessarily bad. Modern cars unlock automatically if you try to open the door while the keyfob is in range, so long range could mean someone could unlock your car while you're out of sight.

I don't know if that system uses the same range as when you press the button on the keyfob, but I have read about a hack (probably here) where thieves used a transmitter to extend the range of both the car and the keyfob to unlock the car while the owner is out of sight. That's easier to do the longer the range is.

[HnUser12]

I don't know the inner workings of the fob, but my car has a pretty long range when unlocking with the key fob click, but the automatic unlock without click(keyless entry) works only when I'm next to the handle. It doesn't work even if I'm at the back of the car and someone tries to unlock driver door.

[dtgriscom]

> Modern cars unlock automatically if you try to open the door while the keyfob is in range

Oh, no. Yet another reason not to buy a new car. (Hope it can be disabled in the preferences somewhere.)

Technology trying to guess what I want is almost never a good thing. It'll get it right 80% of the time, but that last 20% is a killer, and means I'll have to monitor it carefully all the time.

My aunt had an older Prius, and sometimes when she locked it and walked away it would still see the fob and unlock itself. She had to carefully sneak away from the car to make sure it stayed locked.

[eitally]

I had a 2001 GTI and it similarly only reliably worked within probably 25' of the vehicle. In contrast, my 2017 F150 fob works as much as 150-200' from the vehicle. I tremendously appreciate this, especially with remote start to warm it in the winter.

[fragmede]

If range is desirable, Tesla's, and I imagine other cars have this as well, have a cell modem and an app, so you can control it via the Internet, which is effectively infinite range. It's occasionally handy to be able to unlock the doors to let someone into the car from elsewhere in the world. Eg friend left their bag in the car but I'm not around to let them in.

[toast0]

My Ford has that. Just need to be sure to park in range of ATT 3g. (Well, I pulled the modem this weekend). They had replaced the 2g modem with a 3g modem in 2017... because networks turning off older signals was unfathomable.

[stef25]

Even cheap BMW had this over 5 years ago

[maccard]

My first thought was "I wonder if the car is to scale or the fob"

[chaorace]

Well, it's in a 3D perspective so we have the third option of saying that they're both to scale and that the perceived size difference is a forced-perspective illusion. In that case you could actually measure the distance depicted in the diagram, though I have my doubts about how accurate they bothered to make it!

[Hamuko]

Arm's length of the front bumper, but about 1-2 car lengths of the front door.