Remote Start for Car Makers Improved by Sprint

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Sprint Velocity

Corrected: Sprint now offers a faster remote start response time, when a customer auto starts his car from a smartphone.

Through a new enhancement to ts Sprint Velocity service offered to car makers, when a remote start command is issued from a phone, it can be executed in 20 to 30 seconds, where previously the command took about 1.5 to 2 minutes to perform, said Bob Johnson Director of Development for Sprint.

Remote door lock/unlock also is now “instant” rather than taking about 60 seconds to complete.

The new speed is achieved through the addition of IBM technology that allows the Sprint system to handle millions of commands to the car from remote devices like tablets and phones.  The new Sprint system with IBM’s technology was announced Wednesday and is called the Sprint Velocity Service Bus.

In addition to speeding up commands to the car, it also enables over-the-air updates so consumers don’t have to bring the car to a dealership to update maps for the navigation system, for example.

So far, Chrysler is the only car company to use the Sprint Velocity service, although remote start from a phone is offered by car makers including BMW, General Motors, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, according to IHS.

Chrysler’s Uconnect Access system also provides other advanced services including remote door lock/unlock and remote engine horn (to locate one’s car),  in-car WiFi hotspot, voice texting, and stolen car recovery.  It’s a paid package at $19.99/month after a 6- or 12- month trial. It’s available for vehicles with Uconnect 8.4A and 8.4AN radios, including the 2013 Ram 1500, 2013 Viper, 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.  In the future it will be available on the 2014 Ram 1500, 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2014 Jeep Cherokee, and 2014 Dodge Durango.  The vehicles must be equipped with factory installed remote start as well.

Separately, in June GM announced it will make remote start and remote door lock/unlock from a smartphone a standard feature on many 2014 vehicles models for a five year free period.

 

Source: Sprint, IBM

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