Starting the engine remotely. Remote engine start system: installation, price

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

Surely each of the motorists at least once thought about the fact that the engine warm-up was carried out without his presence, remotely. So that the car itself starts the engine and heats the interior, and you just have to sit on a warm chair and hit the road. Previously, this was considered an impossible task. But today, with the development of electronics, remote start of a car engine has become a reality. In this article, we will consider the features, functionality and cost of this equipment.

Characteristic

Car remote engine start is a two-way communication system. Thus, the electronic control unit of the internal combustion engine is constantly connected with the control key fob. The latter acts as an intermediary in this chain. It is the key fob that programs the operating mode of the system and controls all actions. In addition, smart electronics itself sends signals to the driver about the occurrence of any emergency situation. Or informs about the stage of execution of the launched task. All this is sent to the key fob's small LCD display in real time.time.

Also remote start of the engine can be carried out automatically. In this case, a timer on and off is pre-set on the key fob. This feature is basic and is present in absolutely all ICE remote start units.

Functional

Some alarms have the ability to automatically turn off the engine when an unauthorized entry into the cabin is attempted. However, only systems of medium and high price ranges have such a function.

But cheap alarms are not deprived of a variety of functionality. For example, a budget remote engine start module can inform the car owner about how much time is left before the final stop of the engine. In other words, the electronics, thanks to the presence of a countdown timer, tells how much time is left to wait before the engine reaches its operating temperature. Even on such key fobs there is a function of extending the warm-up - in this case, the engine stop will be delayed for some more time. How much the engine will warm up can be determined by both the driver himself and the electronics.

What cars can be installed?

Many motorists are wondering if the remote engine start alarm will work on their vehicle. Experts say that similar modules and systems can be installedon cars with completely different engines, be it an injector, aspirated carburetor or diesel. The type of gearbox does not matter either. That is, such an alarm will work both on the domestic "penny" and on the "Volvo" of the latest model. The only nuance that motorists note concerns the installation site on domestic cars. Smart foreign systems are very difficult to mount under the hood of old VAZ and Volg vehicles equipped with carburetor engines with mechanical suction.

Remote start engine hijacker's paradise?

Today in Russia there are many workshops involved in the sale and installation of such systems. However, as practice shows, many motorists do not trust these alarms, they say, they have low anti-theft properties. But actually it is not. Experts say that the anti-theft properties of any alarm system directly depend on the correctness of its installation. And this is especially true for systems with remote start. In order for it to work properly, you must follow the correct technology for its installation and configuration. Otherwise, this alarm can simply jam and disable all the electronics of the car. Therefore, you should not trust the installation of such complex systems to dubious masters.

If properly installed, the security capabilities of this alarm will be on top. During autostart, any opening elements of the car (be it doors, trunk or hood) remain under reliable protection. If you try to open them, the engine will stall andautomatically blocked, and the siren and key fob will certainly inform the car owner about what happened. Moreover, if the hijacker tries to steal the car on a tow truck (there have been such cases) or a tugboat, the motion sensor is triggered, and a siren starts to howl in the car. Of course, all this is transmitted to the key fob display, so the driver will always know what is happening with his vehicle.

But that's not all. If a thief tries to get into a running car through a broken glass, the car will immediately stall after it is removed from the handbrake. Or if an intruder presses any of the pedals in the cabin.

Can a car start on its own when it starts?

Often, drivers thought about whether the car would go on an independent trip if the driver forgot to take it out of gear. Theoretically, this is possible, but this factor only applies to vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. True, some alarm models are equipped with an option that warns this moment. Therefore, the risk of starting "in gear" is minimal here.

If it so happened that the car went without you without permission, several conclusions arise. The first is incorrect installation of the alarm. In this case, the unfortunate installer may have forgotten to put a block that turns off the system when the car is in gear. The second is the savings of the car owner himself, who did not want to pay extra money for installing this option.

Types of connections

TotalThere are two methods for connecting systems with remote engine start:

• Installation of the autostart block complete with alarm.
• Mounting the element offline. This unit installation method is used when the car is not equipped with an alarm system.

It is also worth noting that the autorun element works in two modes - remote and automatic. In the first case, the block is controlled by the car owner himself. Control can be carried out using a key fob or a mobile phone using an SMS or GPS command. In the second case, the engine is started using a timer. The latter has a pre-programming function, that is, the driver himself chooses the engine warm-up time and the desired temperature in the cabin.

What can be controlled from a distance?

Starting the engine remotely makes it possible to control the operation of the following elements:

• Ignition.
• Oil pressure sensor.
• Glow plug circuits (only applies to diesel engines).
• Tachometer (control of engine speed).
• Parking brake lever.
• Gearbox (informing the driver about the possible danger if autorun is turned on when the car is in gear).
• Speed sensor.
• Accelerator pedals.

Additional features

What else, besides warming up and controlling the above elements, can this alarm system do? There is practically no limit to the functionality of such systems. Everything depends only onyour financial capacity. Below we list a small part of the features that the driver can purchase for an additional amount:

• Anti-HiJack mode. Allows you to close all doors for a certain time (for example, when the engine is warming up).
• Volume sensor. It complements the shock response mechanism. The volume sensor is useful in cases where an intruder tries to enter the interior by breaking the glass or even cutting it silently (using a special glass cutter).
• Device for measuring the angle of the vehicle. This function informs the owner that they are trying to take his car out on a tow truck or want to remove the wheels by jacking it up.
• Arming delay. In other words, this function plays the role of glass and sunroof closers. Very useful in cases where the car enthusiast forgot to close the windows when leaving.
• GPS module. Thanks to this device, you can track the location of the car in case it is lost or stolen.

And what is most interesting, the more sensors, options and devices are installed, the more confidence that your car will not be stolen.

StarLine alarm review

StarLine remote engine start is one of the most common anti-theft systems with remote control. "Starline" is a system, the exchange of information between the unit and the key fob of which takes place via a digital data bus.

The motor can be controlled both manually and automatically. In the latter case, the remote engine start system itself will give a warm-up signal every 2, 3, 4 or 24 hours, or using a special GSM channel via a mobile phone. It is worth noting that the driver sets the time to start the engine himself, with an accuracy of up to a minute. Thus, setting the timer for 10-12 hours in the evening, you will be sure that by tomorrow the car will be warmed up and ready to hit the road. But how much time we lose to start the engine and wait until it “melts” to operating temperature … With the Starline alarm, all this will be a thing of the distant past. By the way, there are no installation restrictions here. The system works great on both new and used cars, domestic or imported.

Sherkhan alarm

Autostart through the SCHER-KHAN system also has many advantages. The alarm kit includes a block, a control module and a key fob communicator capable of operating at a distance of up to 1.5 kilometers. In the Sherkhan system, autorun is performed using a timer that can be set in advance for the desired time.

Also there is an automatic start function. In addition, the system has protection for the processor unit, is equipped with a shock and call sensor. The siren is installed in the engine compartment.

Remote engine start - price

Specialists say that qualityalarm can cost 5-6 percent of the total cost of the car. Now the cheapest options cost about 20-22 thousand rubles. How much does a quality autorun cost? The price of such systems ranges from 40 to 60 thousand rubles and more. This price is already with installation. One such system is AutoStart Webasto IT. It is designed to preheat the engine, which greatly facilitates starting in winter, as well as to warm up the cabin space. The engine is started remotely: via telephone, timer or automatically (when the interior temperature is lower than that set by the driver). It is additionally equipped with sensitivity sensors. All this greatly complicates theft and speeds up autorun. The price of such a system, together with the installation, is about 59-60 thousand rubles.