Choosing the Best Car Starter Remote

Under the hood, most remote car starters are very similar. Most brands offer two or three different controllers and allow the shop you work with to bundle those units with different remotes, providing varying levels of range and features. In this article, we partnered with the industry-leading remote starter manufacturer Compustar to explain the different options available to consumers. Here’s a simple guide to make choosing the best remote car starter easy.

Shopping for a Remote Car Starter

The shop you choose to install a remote starter is just as important as the hardware and remote you select. Working on modern cars and trucks isn’t as easy as it was decades ago. A modern starter needs to communicate with the engine management system, vehicle body control modules, and factory-installed security systems to function correctly. Making the proper connections and executing the correct programming are tasks best handled by an expert.

If you shop for the lowest-priced remote starter, the chances of issues down the road are exponentially higher than if you choose an expert shop that takes pride in professional installation.

Forego the urge to shop over the phone—visit retailers in your area instead. You’ll quickly get a sense of who is professional and who you should avoid.

1. Remote Start Range

The most significant difference between car starter key fobs is their range. Most modern factory-issued key fobs have a range of a few hundred feet. This means you can likely start your car from across a small parking lot, but you might not be able to start it from inside a store.

Aftermarket fobs range from 1,500 feet to three miles under ideal conditions. It’s better to think of these offerings as power levels. For example, the Compustar CS-925S starter system remote is rated to provide up to 1,500 feet of range. This remote provides two to three times as much power as a factory remote, often doubling or tripling the effective range.

Best Car Starter — The affordable Compustar CS925-S remote starter includes remotes rated for up to 1,500 feet of range.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, some remotes are rated for two to three miles. If you work in a large building, you’ll want the added power of these solutions.

2. Number of Buttons

Remote car starter fobs are available in two styles based on the number of buttons: one-button and multi-function.

One-button remotes are a good choice if you will continue to carry a factory remote that includes a trunk release button. The factory remote often serves as the vehicle’s key and is required to start the car or truck.

Multi-function remotes have four or five buttons that provide dedicated access to locking/arming, unlocking/disarming, trunk release, remote start, and auxiliary functions. The number of buttons on a remote doesn’t define its quality or range—only the number of functions you have access to.

3. One-Way and Two-Way Remotes

Another key feature to consider is whether you want a one-way or two-way remote.

With a one-way remote, you send a command to the vehicle by pressing a button. If the car is in range, the command will be executed. If you are too far away, nothing happens.

With a two-way remote, any command sent by the remote and executed by the vehicle is confirmed back to the remote. The remote will beep and flash an LED or icon to notify you. You’ll get confirmations for locking, unlocking, remote starting, and other features.

As a subset of two-way remote options, you can pick from LED or LCD visual indicators. An LED remote will have at least one, often three LEDs that flash to indicate when a command has been executed.

An LCD remote is considered the highest-end option. These remotes use a small LCD screen with icons to show what commands have been executed and the status of your vehicle. For example, a lock symbol on the remote confirms that the vehicle executed a lock/arm command.

4. Battery Type

All remotes require a battery to function. The most common type is the CR2032 coin cell. These three-volt batteries are compact, inexpensive, and typically provide more than a year of service in one-way remotes and many months in two-way remotes. It’s a good idea to purchase an extra battery when you buy the remote so you’re prepared when it wears out.

Many premium remotes have a built-in lithium-polymer or lithium-ion rechargeable battery. These remotes include a Micro-USB or USB-C port for charging. Under normal use, these two-way LCD units last three to five months between charges. Charging only takes a couple of hours and can be done from any powered USB port—even in your vehicle while driving. One tip: it’s best to limit the charge current to these cells. Using a 500 mA wall charger will maximize battery life.

5. Weather-Proof Designs

Some remotes, like Compustar’s flagship models, have a full IPX-7 waterproof rating. Basic remotes are typically water-resistant. If you’re prone to dropping your keys or leaving them in your pocket on laundry day, consider a waterproof solution.

6. Warranty

When shopping for a remote starter, it’s essential to understand the warranty coverage offered by your retailer and the hardware manufacturer. In most cases, the brain or controller is backed by a lifetime warranty. Additionally, these components should be reprogrammable if you plan to use the hardware in another vehicle with a new harness.

Remotes typically come with a one-year warranty, but premium options, such as Compustar’s PRO Series, offer a three-year warranty for added peace of mind.

Finally, don’t forget to ask about the warranty on labor or workmanship. Many reputable shops provide a lifetime warranty on their installation work, ensuring your remote starter continues to function reliably for years to come.

7. Smartphone Control Options

Another option is a smartphone control solution such as Drone. Drone works with an app on your phone that communicates with a small transceiver in the vehicle via the local cellular network. The app allows you to lock, unlock, remote-start, and control auxiliary features, and confirm commands within seconds.

There is a small monthly charge for the cellular service. Retailers can explain available features and service plans, including vehicle tracking and geofencing.

Note: Because Drone and similar services rely on the internet and cellular networks, always carry a regular key fob as a backup in case these services go down. You don’t want to be locked out.

Pick the Best Remote for Your Use Case

When shopping for a remote car starter, your Product Specialist should ask where you park your vehicle relative to where you’ll be when you want to remote start it. If you work in a large manufacturing plant, hospital, or warehouse, you’ll want a long-range remote. If you only start your car in the driveway, range is less critical.

The discussion should also cover features such as trunk/hatch/tailgate releases and power-sliding doors on minivans. Multi-function remotes are ideal for applications that require more than just locking, unlocking, and starting.

Giving your car or truck a few extra minutes to warm up not only makes your commute more comfortable but also allows the engine to operate with warmer coolant and oil, reducing friction and fuel consumption. A remote car starter also makes a great holiday gift—just make sure you pick the best remote for the recipient’s needs.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Compustar 2WG17 Remote Kit

Compustar was one of the first brands to allow consumers to choose a remote control package to accompany their remote start controller. Previously, we looked at flagship-level solutions like the PRO T13 and PRO R5. In this spotlight, we’re taking a closer look at the new and more affordable 2WG17 remote package. Let’s check it out!

What’s Included with the 2WG17:

The Compustar 2WG17 remote bundle includes:
A pair of three-button remote controls
A Drone X2/LTE module
An antenna with cable
A temperature sensor

Your authorized retailer can recommend the most suitable system controller for your vehicle. If you’re looking for full-featured performance, something like the CM-X is a popular and capable choice.

2-Way Remote Control

Taking a closer look, we see that the remotes included in this kit differ from each other. The primary remote, model 2WG17R-FM, is a two-way unit. It features three buttons, and three LED indicators located just above the top button. These LEDs confirm when a command like locking or remote starting is successfully received and executed by the vehicle control module.

The LEDs also indicate the remaining engine runtime when the vehicle is running via remote start:

All three LEDs flash when 100% of runtime remains
Center and right LEDs flash at 50%
Only the right LED (start icon) flashes at 25%

Don’t be fooled by the remote’s simple three-button design. Lock, unlock, and remote start are directly accessible, while advanced functions are handled through intuitive button combinations:

Trunk release: Press and hold the unlock button for 2.5 seconds
Auxiliary output 1: Press start, then double-press the lock button
Auxiliary output 2: Press start, then double-press the unlock button

These outputs can be programmed to control functions like sliding doors, tailgate glass releases, or additional lighting.

Using other button combinations, you can also control features such as siren chirps, shock sensor settings, valet mode, ignition-controlled door locks, passive locking, and turbo timer activation. This makes the remote highly customizable to fit your specific needs.

Compustar 2WG17 Remote Kit — The main remote includes LEDs to confirm when commands are executed using 2-way communication with the vehicle controller.

1-Way Remote Control

The secondary remote, model 1WG17-FM, offers similar core control functions but does not include 2-way confirmation LEDs. It’s a great backup remote or a simpler option for another household driver.

Both remotes feature up to 3,000 feet of range thanks to Frequency Modulation (FM) signal transmission. That’s enough to start your vehicle from inside a small apartment, office building, or even across a massive parking lot.

Another standout feature is that both remotes are water-resistant. It should keep functioning without issue if you accidentally drop your key fob in a puddle or snowbank. This durability adds a layer of everyday peace of mind and extends the lifespan of your investment.

Drone Smartphone Control

The 2WG17 package includes a Drone X2/LTE module for smartphone control. When paired with the DroneMobile app, you gain full access to your remote start system from virtually anywhere your phone has internet access.

You can:

Lock or unlock the doors
Start or stop the engine
Release the trunk
Activate auxiliary features

Whether at the office or vacationing in another country, you can easily check the vehicle’s status or control it. On the beach in Mexico and want make sure the doors are locked – it’s as simple a tapping an icon in the DroneMobile app.

GPS tracking is also enabled with a compatible service plan. If your vehicle is moved—say, loaded onto a flatbed—you’ll receive a notification. You can then alert authorities and provide your vehicle’s location in real time.

Retailers can walk you through the available service plans and help you select one that matches your needs.

Ready to Roll in Comfort

The included temperature sensor allows for automatic climate-related activation features. For instance, you can:

Automatically turn on the rear window defroster when starting the vehicle in cold temperatures
Trigger heated seats or a heated steering wheel

The product specialist helping to configure your system can tell you which factory features in your vehicle are compatible with these automatic activations. These small touches add significant comfort and convenience during extreme weather.

Add Comfort with a Compustar 2WG17 Remote Car Starter

Whether you live in Montana or New York and dread frigid winter mornings, or you’re in Florida or Texas and want to avoid stepping into a sweltering vehicle, a remote car starter from Compustar ensures your ride is comfortable every time you get in.

The 2WG17 remote kit offers high-quality, affordable functionality. It combines convenience, rugged durability, and peace of mind thanks to two-way command confirmation. It’s a smart upgrade for any vehicle.

For more information on the Compustar 2WG17 remote kit or any of Compustar’s remote car starter and vehicle security solutions, drop by a local authorized retailer. You can find a shop near you using the dealer locator tool on the Compustar website. Be sure to follow Compustar on Facebook, Instagram, and, of course, on YouTube to learn about the new technologies they bring to the market.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

What’s the Ideal Car Warm-Up Time with a Remote Starter?

Never in a million years did we think that the internet would debate the appropriate amount of time that’s ideal for a remote starter to warm up a car. Some folks believe that even a minute is too much, and others want the interior to be toasty and warm and are willing to let the vehicle idle for 15, 20 or even 30 minutes. Let’s talk about the physics of cold engine starting and why a little warm-up time can help get you on the road faster.

Engine Oil Science

There is a myth that whenever you start your car or truck, you inflict serious damage to the bearings, cylinder walls and piston rings because oil isn’t flowing. Modern engine oils are designed with adequate viscosity (thickness) and surface tension so they don’t completely drain into the oil pan when your car sits overnight or for a few days. Think of the fingerprints you leave on a stainless-steel fridge door. They don’t evaporate. That’s because the oils on our skin stick to the surface. The same applies to engine parts. If you want to test this, put a drop of cooking oil on your finger and touch a stainless appliance. That spot will be there until you clean it off with a degreaser.

If you put the car away for the winter and nothing moves for several months, there will be a bit of extra wear during the first start in the spring. However, so long as you drive your vehicle regularly, accelerated wear from starting isn’t an issue.

Modern engine oils include viscosity modifiers. An oil like 5W30 acts like a 5-weight oil at cold temperatures and a 30-weight oil when warm. The lower viscosity when cold helps it to flow better when it’s frigid outside. The W in the 5W30 stands for Winter. We got an email from a reader in mid-January informing us it was 49 below zero Fahrenheit near Edmonton, Alberta. It was 25 Fahrenheit in Anchorage! When it’s this cold, any fluid will have difficulty flowing. This doesn’t mean that you can’t drive your vehicle. However, it will take a while for the engine to warm up.

Ultimately, you’ll have to start your vehicle at some point if you want to go to work. So, a remote starter will give the engine a head-start in warming things up.

Transmission and Differential Warm-Up

Another argument against prolonged warm-up time is that the transmission and differential aren’t warming when idling. In the case of the differential, gear oil is usually 75W90 or similar in viscosity. After just a few revolutions of the driveshaft, every part in the differential will have a thorough coating. Just as with the engine, the lubricants don’t drain dry overnight or even after sitting for a few days or weeks. The oil coats the gear surfaces and the roller bearings. A colder, thicker oil provides more protection between gear surfaces. The only drawback to the differential being cold is that it takes more energy for the ring gear to move through the oil in the bottom of the case.

Most modern vehicles have a transmission cooler integrated into the radiator. Fluid lines from the transmission run up to connections in the radiator. A small heat exchanger might be in front of or behind the main core or a dedicated cooling channel and fins integrated between the engine coolant lines. Ultimately, once your engine is warm and coolant passes through the radiator, that speeds up the process of warming the transmission.

So if you don’t warm up your vehicle significantly, neither the engine nor the transmission will be warm. If you let the engine idle for a while, both will be warm. Worrying about one and not the other isn’t an argument against using a remote car starter.

Cold-Weather Driving

If it’s 40 below, you aren’t going to go outside, start your vehicle, then put your foot to the floor and drive off like Roscoe chasing Bo and Luke Duke. On the other hand, you don’t need to let your vehicle idle for so long that every fluid in every system is up to full operating temperature. The latter is a waste of fuel since it might take 10, 15 or even 30 minutes. Vehicles with physically larger engines take longer to warm up. A big V-8 engine has much more mass to bring up to temperature than a 1.5-liter four-cylinder. Idling is the slowest way to warm an engine. It’s not doing much work, so less heat is produced.

Suggestions for Engine Warm-Up Time

Here are our suggestions for an ideal minimum warm-up time for your car or truck. Whether you’re using a professionally installed remote car starter or are just sitting in the vehicle in your driveway, our benchmark for a minimum warm-up time is to wait for the engine idle speed to drop. When you start a fuel-injected car from cold, it typically idles between 1,200 and 1,400 rpm. The idle speed when warm might be 500 to 900 rpm. The coolant temperature sensors in the engine directly control the idle speed.

Go to your car or truck on a cold morning, hop in and start the engine. Listen to the engine speed if your vehicle doesn’t have a tachometer on the dash. Note how long it takes for the speed to start slowing down. This time can vary from five or 10 seconds on a warm day to a few minutes on a cold day. The speed dropping is a sign of some heat in the engine. Whatever the time it took is a perfect time to let your remote starter warm up your engine.

For us, we usually remote-start our vehicles just before getting ready to head out. We still need to put our shoes or boots on, get our coats on, and grab our keys, wallet or purse, and laptop bag. If it snowed, then we can brush off the vehicle and scrape the windows. Most of us have the rear window defroster, heated seats and heated steering wheel controls integrated into our remote starters. They’ll have time to warm things up if it’s below freezing. This is more than enough time for the engine to warm up. You can hop in and drive off.

As always, be gentle with throttle inputs and try to keep the engine speed down until the engine is at full operating temperature. Exerting extreme force on the engine when cold isn’t ideal. The gap between bearings and journals won’t have stabilized yet. These gaps, measured in the thousandths of inches, are small but are critical to maintaining a proper fluid (oil) film. Letting the engine warm up ensures that the appropriate film thickness is present for adequate wear protection.

Tips For Cold Weather Engine Protection

Here are a few tips to make starting your car or truck on a cold winter morning easier and more reliable. First and foremost, if you haven’t already, switch to a synthetic oil at your next oil change. Even with the same viscosity ratings, synthetic oils flow better than conventional oils at low temperatures. Do you want a thick syrup in your engine or a fluid that will provide excellent protection?

Make sure your battery has a complete charge. We’ve talked about battery maintenance at length. Invest in an intelligent charger to keep your battery topped up for those cold winter morning starts. Every battery loses some ability to deliver current when cold, so keeping yours charged and in good health is crucial. Proper maintenance with biannual or quarterly reconditioning will dramatically extend the battery’s life and prevent you from being stranded.

Turn off any electrical accessory you don’t need in your vehicle. Most modern vehicles have a computer called the Body Control Module that shuts down things like the heater motor or radio when you crank the engine. However, in many cases, some of these items are left on for convenience. If it will be very cold out, turn off everything you can think of when you park the car. Turn off automatic headlights, the radio and so on. This will reduce the draw on the battery when it’s trying to crank the engine. If a local specialty mobile enhancement retailer has added heated seats, make sure they’re off while the engine is cranking.

If it gets extremely cold where you live, invest in a block heater for your car or truck. These small heating elements are installed in the engine block and warm the coolant. You can use a timer to turn the heater on a few hours before starting the vehicle. Likewise, a battery warmer might be a good investment if it’s frigid. A car dealership can often add a block heater to your vehicle. Remember to use a heavy-gauge extension cord with the heater to optimize its performance.

Make sure you have a set of good-quality jumper cables. If you have trouble starting the vehicle or need to help someone else, good cables (4 AWG or thicker) that are nice and long (20 feet) make jumping a dead battery much easier. Most importantly, if your battery has died, you must recharge it properly. This means more than running the engine for a few minutes. Invest in or borrow a high-quality battery charger with a desulfation or reconditioning mode and let it run a complete cycle on the battery. It should take eight to 12 hours to charge a completely dead battery back to its full capacity. The desulfation feature will stir the chemistry in the battery and restore or improve its performance.

Warming Up Your Car Adds Comfort

So what’s the bottom line on how long you should let your car warm up? Technically, a minute or two will be beneficial and allow the parts in the engine to build up some temperature. Do you need to warm your car for 15 minutes? We don’t think so. That’s quite a while, and you could run into trouble with anti-idling laws in your jurisdiction. When it’s time to add some comfort to your vehicle on a cold winter morning, drop by a local specialty mobile enhancement retailer and ask them about having a remote starter installed in your vehicle. Your cold hands will thank you for it!

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Compustar EZGO-II

Hands-free proximity unlocking is a feature found on many new cars and trucks fresh off the showroom floor. The Compustar EZGO-II adds this convenience to your remote car starter or security system. Let’s take a close look at this unique keyless entry solution.

What are Keyless Entry and Proximity Unlocking?

A typical keyless entry system uses a key fob to unlock the doors of your car or truck. The key fob communicates with the electronics in the vehicle using radio frequency signals. In most cases, you need to press the unlock button on the fob to disarm the security system and unlock the doors. This keyless entry technology was a major upgrade from manually inserting a key into a door lock, as was common in the ’90s.

Compustar developed a fully hands-free unlocking solution when it launched the Compustar PRO T13 and R5 remote controls for its starters and alarms in 2021. That same technology is now available in the EZGO-II proximity unlocking system.

Proximity unlocking refers to the automated process of unlocking the doors of your car or truck as you approach the vehicle. As we found when testing the T13 and R5 remotes, when you are about four or five feet from the door, the system will automatically detect the remote in your pocket and unlock the vehicle. In most cases, the tailgate of an SUV or truck will also unlock to provide full access to the vehicle.

Once the last door is closed, the system will search for the EZGO-II remote. When it doesn’t detect the remote, it automatically locks the doors. If you remain around the vehicle for five minutes or more after turning off the engine, the proximity locking feature is disabled until a door is opened or the vehicle is started.

With a Compustar remote starter or alarm and the EZGO-II, looking for car keys is a thing of the past.

The EZGO-II Remote

The EZGO-II system includes a small antenna and a compact, square remote with a single button. In terms of features, it’s surprisingly similar to the T5 remote we mentioned earlier. First and foremost, the remote will automatically unlock your vehicle as you approach. This is a godsend if you are carrying groceries or have one of your kids in your arms. Sure, you still have to pull the door handle to open it, but that’s always been the case.

Next, the remote’s single button allows you to lock or unlock the doors from up to 150 feet away from the vehicle. A single tap sends a lock command, and double-tapping the button sends the unlock command.

Finally, if you hold the button for 2.5 seconds, the remote will transmit a start command to your car starter. Pressing and holding the button again for 2.5 seconds will transmit a stop command. So, if you are in your home and the vehicle is in the driveway, the EZGO-II remote provides enough range to start the vehicle remotely.

The EZGO-II remote has a small LED that indicates when it is within range of the remote car starter or security system controller.

If you need additional range, then upgrading your car starter or security system with the Drone smartphone-based control system is a perfect solution. So long as you have access to the Internet, you can lock, unlock or remote start the vehicle. With a premium service plan, you can also use GPS-based tracking to monitor the vehicle’s location and how it’s being used.

Compustar EZGO-II — If you need more range to control your vehicle, add the Drone smartphone control system.

How Does Proximity Unlocking Work?

If you are like us, then knowing how something works is as interesting as the features it offers. The EZGO-II system uses a communication system called Bluetooth Low Energy, or Bluetooth LE. The key fob transmits a low-power signal that can be picked up by the EZGO-II antenna mounted to the dash. If the signal matches the security pattern, the antenna sends a digital command to the remote start or security system controller in the vehicle. That module then sends an unlock command to the vehicle’s door locks or, in some cases, the body control module (BCM).

When you close the last door, the antenna starts communicating with the EZGO-II remote again. Once the communication stops, as would happen when you walk away from the vehicle, the antenna sends a lock command to the controller.

Bluetooth LE was designed specifically for applications like what we’ve described above. These systems can consume as little as one microamp of current when in standby mode. As such, a typical CR2032 coin cell can last for more than a year. Even when communicating, the current draw is well under five milliamps. This communication is brief, however – lasting only as long as the remote is near the vehicle and the engine isn’t running. Put another way, the remote only consumes relatively high amounts of current while you are approaching or walking away from your car or truck. Honestly, that’s pretty cool!

Upgrade Your Convenience System Today

If you have a Compustar, NuStart, or FTX-branded remote car starter, the EZGO-II should be a compatible upgrade. Your Firstech (the parent company of the above brands) retailer can provide up to two additional remotes—whether they’re the EZGO-II or a more conventional one-button or four-button unit.

If you want to unlock your car, truck or SUV by simply walking up to it, you can find an authorized Compustar retailer near you using the dealer locator tool on their website. Be sure to follow Compustar on Facebook, Instagram and, of course, YouTube to stay up to date with all the new products and technologies available from this award-winning company.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Vehicle Safety During Cold Weather Warm-Up

When the temperature outside drops, it’s common for car and truck owners to want to warm their vehicles before driving off. Unfortunately, thieves know this is a great time of the year to steal vehicles idling in driveways and parking lots. Let’s look at how a remote car starter can make it safe and convenient to warm up your vehicle and prevent warm-up thefts.

What Is Warm-Up Theft?

In what police call a warm-up theft, the most common scenario is where a thief would steal your car or truck that you’ve started with the key and left it running. With the key in the ignition, your vehicle is prime picking for someone to hop in and drive away in it.

A question we saw the other day involved vehicles with keyless entry and push-to-start ignition systems. The person asked whether their car was safe if they had the key fob in the house. Unfortunately, once started, if a thief can get into the vehicle, they can drive off. If you can lock the doors with your key fob once you start it, that’s a huge step in keeping the vehicle safe.

Remote Car Starters and Vehicle Safety

Unlike starting your car or truck with a key, remote car starters are explicitly designed to keep your vehicle safe until you are ready to leave. When you press the start button on the remote or a smartphone app, a message is sent to the remote start controller in the vehicle. The system will start the engine and monitor the brake and clutch pedal. You unlock the doors with the provided remote when you want to drive away. The next step depends on the vehicle. You’ll put the key in the ignition and turn it to the run position for cars or trucks that still use a key. Then you can drive away. Vehicles with keyless entry systems vary in their operation. Some require you to press the start button, but many allow you to drive off with no additional interaction.

While the car is running under the control of the remote starter, the doors are locked. This simple security measure ensures that it’s just as difficult to enter the vehicle as when parked. As we mentioned, the starter system monitors the clutch and brake pedal. If someone pushes either pedal without the ignition being on (with the key or with the presence of the key fob), the engine will shut down immediately.

Some vehicles need to unlock the doors during the starting process. This process typically takes a few seconds. The doors will lock again once the vehicle starts. Theoretically, if a thief knows you start your truck at 8:05 every morning, they could open a door when they unlock. However, they won’t be able to steal the vehicle as the system continues to monitor the clutch and brake pedal. You can’t put a manual transmission into gear without the clutch. Similarly, you can’t move an automatic transmission from the park position without pressing the brake.

Additional Benefits of a Remote Car Starter System

Aside from allowing the engine to start warming, other features in most vehicles can be active automatically. Most high-quality remote car starters include a temperature sensor. If the starter system detects that it’s around freezing, it can automatically activate the rear window defrost, heated seats and a heated steering wheel. If your vehicle doesn’t have heated seats, adding them to most vehicles is typically straightforward for a reputable specialty mobile enhancement retailer.

Another option for many remote starters is to upgrade the system with security features. These include sensors that monitor the vehicle for impacts, motion, tilting or glass breakage. If you are worried about someone stealing a set of wheels or your catalytic converter, adding a security sensor is a good investment.

The Importance of Remote Starter Range

Depending on where you park your vehicle and the distance to your home, you may need a remote starter system that offers a lot of range. The range is the distance between you and the vehicle. Higher-power transmitters in the key fobs provide more range. While outright distance might not be critical, the ability of the signal to penetrate through building walls is often an issue. A starter system that offers 1,500 feet of range might not have enough power to successfully transmit a signal to a vehicle in a parking garage. What’s more likely a problem is that you might not be able to start the vehicle in your apartment or an office building. A system with 2 or 3 miles of range is a better choice.

Two-Way Remotes Confirm Starter Functionality

Another consideration when purchasing a remote starter is to choose remotes with two-way operation. Conventional one-way remotes broadcast a signal to the vehicle. You have no way of knowing whether the signal was received and executed. Two-way remotes also broadcast signals, but they will confirm that the command was received and executed by beeping and flashing an LED or an icon on an LCD screen. You’ll never have to wonder whether the vehicle is warming up if you have a two-way remote.

Is There a Safe Way to Warm a Vehicle without a Remote Car Starter?

If you haven’t invested in a remote car starter, is there a safe way to warm up your vehicle? If you have to leave a key in the ignition, use a second set of keys to lock the doors. You’re still at a much higher risk of someone breaking a window and stealing the vehicle.

Choose an Expert to Install Your Remote Start System

When shopping for a remote car starter, look for a facility with the best products and services. Finding this will usually mean you won’t pay the lowest price. However, here are a few things to think about: The technician working on your vehicle should fully understand how the starter system integrates into your specific vehicle. They should be able to test the function of the wiring to ensure that it matches what the hardware is looking for. They should use reliable electrical connection methods so that the starter and vehicle remain reliable. The starter hardware you purchase should have a good controller and remote warranty. The remotes should be, at the very least, weather-resistant and durable.

The shop should start the client qualification process by asking about your vehicle’s make, model, year and trim level. They will likely need to see the key or key fob to confirm whether there is any anti-theft technology already in the vehicle. Next, they should ask you where you park the vehicle at home, at work, and when you’re shopping or out for dinner. Using that information, they can suggest a remote solution with enough range to ensure that the system will start every time. Think about it: What good is a remote starter if it doesn’t work when you’re at work? You can learn a lot about a shop by the questions they ask. Be sure to look at examples of their work on their website and social media.

Make It Difficult To Steal Your Vehicle.

Don’t allow thieves to steal your vehicle. Invest in a high-quality remote car starter to ensure someone can’t hop in your car or truck and drive away. Check out our Dealer Locator to help find a shop near you.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Shopping for a Remote Car Starter

1. Remote Start Range

2. Number of Buttons

3. One-Way and Two-Way Remotes

4. Battery Type

5. Weather-Proof Designs

6. Warranty

7. Smartphone Control Options

Pick the Best Remote for Your Use Case

2-Way Remote Control

1-Way Remote Control

Drone Smartphone Control

Ready to Roll in Comfort

Add Comfort with a Compustar 2WG17 Remote Car Starter

Engine Oil Science

Transmission and Differential Warm-Up

Cold-Weather Driving

Suggestions for Engine Warm-Up Time

Tips For Cold Weather Engine Protection

Warming Up Your Car Adds Comfort

What are Keyless Entry and Proximity Unlocking?

The EZGO-II Remote

How Does Proximity Unlocking Work?

Upgrade Your Convenience System Today

What Is Warm-Up Theft?

Remote Car Starters and Vehicle Safety

Additional Benefits of a Remote Car Starter System

The Importance of Remote Starter Range

Two-Way Remotes Confirm Starter Functionality

Is There a Safe Way to Warm a Vehicle without a Remote Car Starter?

Choose an Expert to Install Your Remote Start System

Make It Difficult To Steal Your Vehicle.

Customer Reviews

Subscribe to Our Website

Location

Find Us

Connect With Us

Services

Hours