# Remote start w/ smartphone



## ss600r (Mar 8, 2009)

I have been looking for a basic remote start to work with a smartphone. I was planning on doing this for a christmas gift for the wife but I didn't realize the cost would be so high. Her car stays in the garage most of the time so I wasn't looking for anything but a basic set up.I just thought it would be cool that she could use her phone with it. I am stuck spending $400 or is there a more basic unit out there somewhere? I was hoping to stay in the $200 range.


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## spmpdr (Nov 5, 2009)

Have you tried seeing what apps are available on the phone? The way i did mine was on my android I searched" remote start car apps" then came across one made for my basic audivox prestige remote start /alarm .Then i called the manufacturer and got the rest of the info from the manual that you need for the app and it works great!!! I would search the apps available and see what kind of remote starts they support and go from there.Just my 2 cents


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## DMP23 (Jul 28, 2010)

spmpdr said:


> Have you tried seeing what apps are available on the phone? The way i did mine was on my android I searched" remote start car apps" then came across one made for my basic audivox prestige remote start /alarm .Then i called the manufacturer and got the rest of the info from the manual that you need for the app and it works great!!! I would search the apps available and see what kind of remote starts they support and go from there.Just my 2 cents


Can I have more info about this? Didnt know Audiovox had anything like that. Do you have the Car Link?....thats what I have, but dont know of any app that can use it.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I don't know if Audiovox still offers the old CL-100 anymore....it was setup so you could call a number and choose options from a menu ...I think the setup the OP is talking about is like the Autopage system, Viper (Directed) SmartStart and/or Compustar Drone. So far, the Drone has been horrible. The reviews I've read say it works about 50% of the time and less during peak hours. We've had problems with just about every one we've had to put in. 
(Service side issues).

I was looking into it for me, but it's been such a pain, I'm going to wait till they work it out.

Jay


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## Tao Jones (Oct 14, 2010)

I really wouldn't mess with phone/remote start/alarms until they work out all the bugs. I have a dronemobile/Compustar. I shouldve done more research, it was a very impulsive buy. I got it because of the range and also didn't want more fobs on my keychain. I figured it would be more convenient since I have my phone on me all the time. Well first off the app acts nothing like the 2 way fob. There are no status checks ( unless you pay the subscription fee of 120 a year ) The confirmation on the app has no audible alerts, theres vibrate, meaning you have to sit and stare at the phone after you send the command. And believe me, you're gonna stare because of the latency. Usually anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds. It doesnt work 100 percent of the times. 
The most convenient feature of remote starts is the pit stop feature. Being able to take the key out and still have it running is nice in the winter. Great for quick trips into a gas station. You can't do this with the phone. The drone module doesn't relay that command to the brain. ( confirmed by Compustar tech ) I don't know how other brands are but these are the things I didn't research and I regret buying this. The range is unlimited and it was actually useful in some instances when my girlfriend was driving my car. Other than that this piece is not very useful for my needs. If you want gps tracking then maybe yeah... But for convenience... Nope. It's a hassle. 


I'd do some more research if I were you. You could use that money on something else. The idea is still new and it'll improve. Let me be the beta tester... Heh. Ugh.


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## ak06wrx (Oct 29, 2010)

I have the drone mobile and it is worthless right off the bat I had issues didn't work at all when first installed needed a firmware update did that still 1 out of 10 tries didn't lock/unlock or start then updated the app on my phone now it works about 1 out of 5 tries


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## ss600r (Mar 8, 2009)

Maybe I should wait awhile before I got this route. Seems they sound great, but don't actually work great.


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## Tao Jones (Oct 14, 2010)

Yeah wait. It's not worth it for the amount of money spent. A regular 2 way remote with 1500 ft to a mile works fine.


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## ak06wrx (Oct 29, 2010)

Yeah I still like my compustar its just the drone mobile add on that sucks


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## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

I use mine (DEI Smart Start) nearly daily and it works about -honestly speaking here - 85-90% of the time. This is primarily due to owning a Blackberry and requiring me to log back in daily. iPhone and Android users do not seem to share the same problem. I install about half a dozen of em a week, so this is more from experience rather than guesses.


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## bassfromspace (Jun 28, 2016)

So is the Smart Start a DEI module that you add to an existing alarm setup?


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## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

Yes. Although there are also prepackaged setups. Technically speaking though - that is just packaging and the unit itself is a stand alone.


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## ak06wrx (Oct 29, 2010)

my drone mobile worked about half the time.last week I had a firmware update now it doesn't work at all


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## 1blualti (Mar 1, 2009)

so which is preferred to use if wanting to use the cell phone app along w/ the remote start? and which is preferred if just wanting a remote start/alarm??


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## jinstall (Sep 23, 2009)

I've installed several smartstart modules, and every one has had account problems, downed system, something on dei's end go wrong. I'm in canada, I don't know if it's a regional thing, 6spdcoupe is saying he's having a fair bit of success with them...

no experience with drone yet.

autopage has had a phone interface for a few years now called c3, no experience with them yet either, but I'm a fan of autopage, and they have been doing it longer than both the major ones. I'd check it out if I was sincerely interested.

personally I like the operation of the viper systems the best, but the cust. service from dei has seemed under par to me over the years...

compustar systems have vastly vastly improved recently, and I don't have any trouble with their current systems. but it looks like we have a negative review for drone...

I love the autopage setup and operation, however their brains are a little tougher to hide because they have connectors on all 4 sides, and their brains are square. Maybe i'm nitpicking  check out some c3 reviews maybe?


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

The C3 systems are MUCH more expensive per month.

The few Drone Mobile we've done work about 50-70% of the time.

Jay


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## Angrywhopper (Jan 20, 2010)

The DEI smart start module+alarm works very well. It's not cheap, but if you want something that works right, buy that.


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## nfrazier (Apr 14, 2011)

I personally have installed a decent amount of the SmartStart modules and they work, for the majority of the time. They are actually coming out with a new module which has GPS built in for numerous features (hotspotting, etc.)


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