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It's definitely not. And I think the BMW ad is just a ham-fisted PR firm trying to find a visual way of conveying that you don't need a physical keyfob. I assum

by rconti 7y ago

It's definitely not. And I think the BMW ad is just a ham-fisted PR firm trying to find a visual way of conveying that you don't need a physical keyfob. I assume it works the same way Tesla's system does, but I don't know that for a fact. Wait, actually you apparently need a Samsung phone? It uses NFC? Okay, it's worse than the Tesla system. https://mashable.com/2018/02/26/bmw-digital-key-smartphones/ https://mashable.com/2018/02/26/bmw-digital-key-smartphones/

rconti 7y ago
Actually, the more I read about it, the more annoyed I get, and the more it proves my original point. There are valid critiques of Tesla forcing people to use bluetooth phone key functionality; especially when the Model 3 was new, it was pretty much a dumpster fire on Android; I assume this must have improved. But it works flawlessly on iOS (1 year and 18k miles later), and BMW's implementation is just so janky and horrible. Sorry for the ugly PDF link. You need a Samsung phone You need to pair the car with some app You have to buy Comfort Access on your car You have to pay $100 after your first year to use it You have to hold the phone or keycard up to the door handle. The one advantage it has over the bluetooth system is it apparently works with a dead battery on your phone. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=22&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjp0-CAk4jkAhViFjQIHQRgCiYQFjAVegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bmwusa.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fbmwusa%2Fconnected-drive%2Fpdf%2FGSG_DigitalKey.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2AicXaW9jRZKFJiXEnO84T https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c...
- rootusrootus 7y ago
  Yeah that does not sound terribly convenient. Trying to solve a problem that does not really seem to exist, probably because they feel like they need to keep up with Tesla in some way. I love new technology, but as someone who has to carry around a couple keys anyway, having a small fob on my keyring is not much of a burden, and the door unlocks when I touch it (provided the fob is on my person). Push button to start, never touch the fob, so using the phone the way BMW has it set up would be a step backwards in functionality. And of course they want $100. This is the same company that charges for Apple CarPlay. Sigh. I want to like BMW, but their recent history has been disappointing in many ways.
  - rconti 7y ago
    Yup. I bought a Golf R in 2015, after BMW brought the 3 series wagon (f31) to the US without a manual transmission for the first time. Honestly, a top-end Golf is nicer than the lower-end BMWs. The Golf had the fob-based touchless/keyless entry like BMW, and it worked flawlessly. Really loved it. (I now have a 2011 X5 with the same type system).
- slovette 7y ago
  It’s like that because it’s not BMW developing the tech and it’s likely not BMW collecting the recurring revenue. Mass market cars now-a-days are a Frankenstein of niche hardware and software firms stitching together an end product. This is one of the things Tesla has a hidden edge on. From my understanding, it’s all in-house. It does mean there’s two much going on at Tesla at once, which is why the short comings on quality I think. But it also means the only gap from now to domination for them is time. I LOVE BMW btw, owned several. But I’m not blind to the fact that most of the car isn’t BMW at all. And all those firms are trying to squeeze margins by reducing development time.

by rconti 7y ago

rconti 7y ago

Actually, the more I read about it, the more annoyed I get, and the more it proves my original point. There are valid critiques of Tesla forcing people to use bluetooth phone key functionality; especially when the Model 3 was new, it was pretty much a dumpster fire on Android; I assume this must have improved. But it works flawlessly on iOS (1 year and 18k miles later), and BMW's implementation is just so janky and horrible. Sorry for the ugly PDF link. You need a Samsung phone You need to pair the car with some app You have to buy Comfort Access on your car You have to pay $100 after your first year to use it You have to hold the phone or keycard up to the door handle. The one advantage it has over the bluetooth system is it apparently works with a dead battery on your phone. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=22&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjp0-CAk4jkAhViFjQIHQRgCiYQFjAVegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bmwusa.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fbmwusa%2Fconnected-drive%2Fpdf%2FGSG_DigitalKey.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2AicXaW9jRZKFJiXEnO84T https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c...

rootusrootus 7y ago
Yeah that does not sound terribly convenient. Trying to solve a problem that does not really seem to exist, probably because they feel like they need to keep up with Tesla in some way. I love new technology, but as someone who has to carry around a couple keys anyway, having a small fob on my keyring is not much of a burden, and the door unlocks when I touch it (provided the fob is on my person). Push button to start, never touch the fob, so using the phone the way BMW has it set up would be a step backwards in functionality. And of course they want $100. This is the same company that charges for Apple CarPlay. Sigh. I want to like BMW, but their recent history has been disappointing in many ways.
- rconti 7y ago
  Yup. I bought a Golf R in 2015, after BMW brought the 3 series wagon (f31) to the US without a manual transmission for the first time. Honestly, a top-end Golf is nicer than the lower-end BMWs. The Golf had the fob-based touchless/keyless entry like BMW, and it worked flawlessly. Really loved it. (I now have a 2011 X5 with the same type system).
slovette 7y ago
It’s like that because it’s not BMW developing the tech and it’s likely not BMW collecting the recurring revenue. Mass market cars now-a-days are a Frankenstein of niche hardware and software firms stitching together an end product. This is one of the things Tesla has a hidden edge on. From my understanding, it’s all in-house. It does mean there’s two much going on at Tesla at once, which is why the short comings on quality I think. But it also means the only gap from now to domination for them is time. I LOVE BMW btw, owned several. But I’m not blind to the fact that most of the car isn’t BMW at all. And all those firms are trying to squeeze margins by reducing development time.