Varieties, characteristic features and nuances of the choice of alarms with autostart

More recently, the autostart function was an unaffordable luxury for many car owners, at a time when one-way alarms were actively sold, and two-way communication was implemented on the most expensive and premium models.

But now autorun has become much more accessible. It allows you to combine the work of the security system with remote activation of the engine. This increases the level of comfort for the driver and eliminates some unpleasant moments associated with the need to warm up the power unit.

The main problem with auto-start alarms is that their current range is huge. In addition to ratings, when choosing a suitable model, it is important to understand what autorun is, what advantages it gives, what it happens, etc. All this greatly simplifies the choice of equipment that fully meets the requirements, needs and financial capabilities of each individual buyer.

What it is

Before choosing a good alarm for a car that is equipped with auto start, you need to understand the essence of this functionality and understand some of the features of the automatic start of the power unit.

In fact, such a security complex is based on a conventional car alarm with feedback or two-way communication. Both designations are considered correct. But in addition, the alarm provides a motor start function.

Buying an alarm with auto start, the driver will be able to start the internal combustion engine by simply pressing a button or even in automatic mode. In this case, it is not at all necessary to be in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle and get into the car. Such functionality increases the level of comfort, saves time and even protects health.

It's not hard to imagine a frosty morning and a car parked in the parking lot, in the garage or under the windows of the house. At the same time, he was severely frozen from the inside, oil and fuel thickened. It is strongly discouraged to start the engine and drive right away, since every cold start at low temperatures negatively affects the condition of the engine, accelerates its wear and tear and failure of the main components. And instead of getting into a cold car, leaving a warm house, starting the engine, being in the cold and waiting for the engine to warm up and the stove to work fully, you can simply press a button and the car will start to warm up without you.

As a result, while the car is warming up, you continue to have breakfast, get ready for your business. Then leave the house, get into an already warm car with an engine that has reached operating temperature indicators, and immediately start off. Depending on the specific car alarm model, the launch can be implemented in different ways.

Varieties of systems with autorun

For the first time, they started talking about the choice of car alarms with auto start in the mid-90s of the last century, when the serial production of such systems started. The first samples of such alarms could start the engine for a while according to predetermined algorithms. Japanese developers were the first in this direction. It was with them that the era of auto-start signaling began.

In practice, the equipment had quite a few impressive drawbacks. Namely:

• machines could create dangerous accidents, especially in the case of a mechanical box;
• there was no control of the moment when the engine starts;
• unintentional starts due to electromagnetic interference.

At the beginning of the 21st century, developers managed to make a huge breakthrough in improving autorun. As a result, they were able to cope with the problem of interference on communication channels, improved the encryption protection of management, and made the autorun intelligent.

When making a choice in favor of one or another alarm with feedback and an additional autostart, it should be borne in mind that alarms with an automatic start of the internal combustion engine are not actually classified and are not divided into any subcategories. Basically, they are distinguished by how the autorun is implemented. There are several options here:

• Remote manual control. This means that the start is carried out when the driver presses a special button installed on the key fob. This function is available in all alarm models, from the cheapest to the premium segment. Manual activation is considered basic. But there are other trigger modes that are not available on all alarm models.
• With a timer. It is also called an alarm clock. The bottom line is to program the automatic start of the power plant with a certain time. A useful mode for those who go to work every day at the same time. If you need to leave the house at 7:30, you can program the autostart at 7:15, for example. In 15 minutes of operation, the engine will warm up and be ready for a ride.
• By engine temperature. This mode is not available in all car alarm models. To trigger on the temperature of the internal combustion engine, an additional temperature sensor is required.
• Triggering depending on the temperature inside the passenger compartment. A common option for auto-starting the motor, which is in demand among motorists. The intelligent system reacts to temperature by a sensor located inside the car.

If you need to make the right choice of a good alarm, always equipped with auto start, and at the same time your car is equipped with a turbocharged engine, it is extremely important to pay attention to the presence of one more function. It is called a turbo timer and is used to automatically start the turbo engine.

Also, car alarms with auto start are distinguished by what type of communication is used to issue commands. Feedback or two-way communication for remote activation of the engine is realized through a radio channel or GSM communication. Due to the feedback, the driver receives information on the current state of all vehicle systems on a key fob, smartphone or other control device. And directly during the autostart operation, you can find out about the state of the engines. In case of a successful start, usually a message or graphic appears. This is how the driver understands that the engine has started.

The radio communication channel is still considered the most common and is used in most car alarms. Moreover, the radius of its action is limited. The driver can receive information from the car at a distance of no more than 2 km. And you can send commands at all at a distance of up to 1.2 km. In most cases, the range is limited to 600-800 meters. Under the influence of radio interference, which manifests itself most strongly in the city, in large parking lots and in industrial zones, the radius of the radio signal is sometimes completely reduced to minimum values. Often they do not coincide with the parameters declared by the manufacturer in the technical specifications.

In this regard, alarms look much more profitable, where feedback and autostart are implemented through the GSM channel. Here, the range of receiving and sending a signal is limited only by the coverage area of ​​the GSM operator.Given the current level of development of mobile communications, one can claim practically unlimited distances. But for such an advantage you will have to pay much more. For the use of GSM communication, a subscription fee is regularly required. Plus, initially, alarms with a GSM module are more expensive.

It is difficult to say exactly how much autorun is needed for work. The engine does not need to be warmed up for a very long time. And hardly anyone will start the engine if it is still a few kilometers to get to the car itself. Yes, GSM is excellent in other matters related to security, car protection, hijacking and other situations. If the car is always parked under the house or a few hundred meters from the apartment in the parking lot, ordinary radio communication is usually enough to remotely start the engine and warm it up before you enter the salon.

Also, more and more innovations are now appearing, consumers are becoming more demanding. For many, it is no longer enough to simply have an autostart of the engine. They want to be able to control the following processes remotely:

• turn on climatic equipment, warming up not only the engine, but also the interior;
• activate air conditioning or climate control;
• include heated seats;
• individually adjust certain parameters of the chair position;
• control multimedia devices, etc.

The more additional functions and capabilities an alarm with auto start has, the more expensive it will cost. Please note that not all functionality is justified in practice. Often, drivers buy complex security systems without using even half of the offered opportunities.

Recommendations for the right choice

Objectively, many car owners are interested in what kind of alarm with auto start is better for them to put on their car and why. You now know that autostart mode is actually an improvement or modification of the feedback alarm. That is, when buying, you should focus on the same criteria as when choosing a conventional alarm, which is distinguished by two-way communication.

You can take 3 key questions as a basis:

• budget;
• security capabilities;
• autorun.

Since you have to make a choice in favor of only one car alarm equipped with auto start, it is worth placing a separate emphasis on this function.

It is important for the consumer to know the following points:

• Methods of starting the motor used. You should not limit yourself to just starting from a button, since in some situations it is much more optimal and more rational to use an intelligent programmed start. Depending on your daily routine, you can turn on the engine by a timer or an alarm clock, depending on the temperature of the passenger compartment and engine. It is best when one alarm combines several of the most convenient methods just for you.
• Start-up tools. In fact, there is a launch from a key fob or remote control, as well as a more modern and advanced launch from a phone. Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages. But to say that they are somehow better or worse than each other is not necessary. Some car alarms are completely devoid of the classic key fob, and control initially involves the use of a smartphone. Here, choose the option that you think is more convenient and preferable for yourself.
• Signal encoding method. Conversational coding and the use of the GSM module are considered to be the most efficient. These are the most modern and efficient technologies that minimize the likelihood of theft.
• Protection when the engine is running. For certain situations, when the car is out of your field of vision, is located among many other cars in the parking lot, or is simply not protected from unauthorized access, then the alarm system must support the ability to autostart the internal combustion engine with active protection.

Dialogue type of coding with two-way communication is positioned as a modern and highly efficient solution. This is a full-fledged protection against intruders and auto-robbery attempts. Plus, this scheme reliably protects against the use of code grabbers.

Thinking about what kind of alarm is best to put on your car, so that it is auto-start, the distance of command transmission is considered an important issue. You can install the simplest system, but at the same time get an impressive range. Different manufacturers use different transmitters with specific operating parameters. Some transmit a signal over a radio channel at a distance of up to 2 kilometers, while others are limited to about 1 kilometer.

Moreover, it is important to understand that there are information signals, and there are control signals. In the first case, we are talking about the distance from which the alarm can send a notification about the state of the car over the radio channel. In the best models, with a line of sight, the signal is transmitted for 2000 meters. But the control signal and its range are much more important. He is responsible for the ability to send a command, that is, activate the same autorun. The maximum distance here is 800 meters.

But if the car alarm is equipped with a GSM module, the restrictions are almost completely removed. The team can be sent even to another city or even to another continent. The same applies to the reception of the information signal.

Budget plays a huge role in the choice. Not everyone can afford to spend over 10-15 thousand to buy a premium alarm. But it is the budget in the range from 10 to 20 thousand rubles that is considered optimal in terms of the ratio of price, quality and functionality. Anything that costs more than 20 thousand can be safely attributed to the premium category. Budget signals with auto start can cost 4-5 thousand rubles.

And the interesting thing is that on models of different price categories, autorun can work in about the same way. But such alarms will differ significantly among themselves in terms of security and protection capabilities. You shouldn't take autorun as a basis. Concentrate first on getting the right level of vehicle protection.

In addition to all of the above, motorists are required to know two more features. The first is a possible conflict between the autorun module and the standard immobilizer. This issue should be considered separately. The second feature is related to the gearbox used. Practice clearly shows that it is preferable to install autostart on cars with an automatic transmission, rather than on cars with mechanics. In order to implement a remote or automatic engine start on a vehicle with a manual transmission, you will first need to perform a number of actions. Namely, do not forget to turn off the gear and be sure to turn on the parking brake. Plus, on mechanics in cold weather, the engine starts more difficult, which is associated with too thick transmission oil. In this case, the driver cannot depress the gas pedal. For this reason, if the temperature is really very low, autostart may not work. In an automatic transmission, the lubricant is initially more liquid, and therefore there are fewer errors with automatic start.

OEM immobilizer problem

Quite often, when mentioning autorun, you can hear about such concepts as a standard immobilizer and an immobilizer crawler. This is a really important question to be aware of in advance.

If we talk about modern cars, sometimes even of the budget category, a regular immobilizer is necessarily installed on most of them from the factory. This is a special set of technical means that are aimed at protecting against unauthorized access to the motor. In fact, the device works in order to prevent an unauthorized person from starting the car and driving away.

There is a built-in chip in the car key to identify the car owner. If it is absent, it will be impossible to start the car. In the area of ​​the ignition lock there is a pump loop that reads the information from the chip.

When starting the engine remotely, which provides for autostart, the key itself is located far from the car. Without specific solutions, automatic launch will not work. There are 2 options for solving the problem:

• use a crawler with key available;
• use a keyless crawler.

In the first case, we are talking about an additional signaling unit, in which a duplicate of the chip itself or the entire key together with the chip is placed. This unit is installed in a vehicle and connected to the ignition lock, where the pump loop is located. The downside of this decision is that in fact you voluntarily leave the key in the car. If the hijackers find out about this, then finding the key itself will not be difficult. Even with various solutions aimed at protecting against unauthorized access and starting the engine, the presence of a standard key in the car significantly reduces the level of vehicle security.

And in the case of a keyless walker, the key is not used and does not need to be in the cabin. Here, the immobilizer bypass is implemented using software. Only when buying a security complex for a car, be sure to check if the crawler is compatible with your car.

The presence of autorun objectively gives a number of advantages. But you should not carry out the selection, relying only on the fact that there is an automatic and remote start of the motor. First of all, focus on the level of security of the machine.