# Venting the windows....from the vehicle - would be nice.



## Garlan Garner

It would be nice if there was a way to vent the windows from the screen inside of the car - along with the option to vent the windows from the app. 

Strange they didn't put the venting option on the screen.


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## JasonF

That subject line was a bit confusing...I thought it involved some way to yell at stupid drivers from inside the car.


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## Garlan Garner

JasonF said:


> That subject line was a bit confusing...I thought it involved some way to yell at stupid drivers from inside the car.


ok I changed it.


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## FRC

I suppose that pushing 4 buttons individually is too taxing?


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## Garlan Garner

FRC said:


> I suppose that pushing 4 buttons individually is too taxing?


No...its just that the vent function on the app lowers all 4 windows down to a perfect height with one simple push.

Thats almost impossible to do with all 4 windows using separate buttons. <---- try it - how long does it take?

To Tesla: The function exists.....just make a button on the screen for it.


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## GDN

Such a minor thing that I figure isn't worth it to most. The venting function is designed well. I'm sure there is some design consideration to keep window control off of the screen since there are dedicated buttons. What are the chances you really want to drive around with the 4 windows down 3/4"? You've likely 99.99% chance already got the phone in hand and or nearby, pretty simple to use. 

This truly is still one of the things I like best about Tesla. They don't include redundancy. They don't clutter the screen with something you already have access too.


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## sduck

You don't have a ton of physical controls available. Embrace the ones you have. Learn to love those window buttons.


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## JasonF

Garlan Garner said:


> Strange they didn't put the venting option on the screen.


It's not strange at all. There doesn't appear to be a sensor that tells the car how far the windows are down, so it's based on a guess, and not an entirely reliable one. While that's usually good enough if you're using a smartphone app, when you're inside the car you would think something was broken.


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## Feathermerchant

So pull out your phone, open the app...


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## bwilson4web

I would prefer that when my windows are left open to vent, the car would close them when it starts to rain. Normally, I use the "vent" function on the iPhone App.

Bob Wilson


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## GDN

bwilson4web said:


> I would prefer that when my windows are left open to vent, the car would close them when it starts to rain. Normally, I use the "vent" function on the iPhone App.
> 
> Bob Wilson


The cool part about this - is it doesn't matter if they are just "Vented" or all the way down. If they are open and you hit that button it will close them !!


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## JasonF

bwilson4web said:


> I would prefer that when my windows are left open to vent, the car would close them when it starts to rain. Normally, I use the "vent" function on the iPhone App.


You mean the same rain sensing that never turns on the wipers when it rains?


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## skygraff

Feathermerchant said:


> So pull out your phone, open the app...


Not unless you're in park.

I've been suggesting a change to let the app work while in drive and/or adding a UI option on the screen (maybe touch the top/window of the little car).

Without a sunroof that opens to vent, getting just a little fresh air while driving highway speeds or raising the windows to a vent position (uniformly) when it starts to drizzle is a real process. One touch would be the safest way.

By the way, ever checked your energy usage when you turn off the HVAC fan and crack the windows a little? I've seen dramatic reductions.


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## Garlan Garner

JasonF said:


> It's not strange at all. There doesn't appear to be a sensor that tells the car how far the windows are down, so it's based on a guess, and not an entirely reliable one. While that's usually good enough if you're using a smartphone app, when you're inside the car you would think something was broken.


The vent function on the app isn't a guess. It works perfectly.

Why would the same button on the screen be a guess?

Just put the button for vent next to the "fold mirrors" button. How hard would that be?


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## Garlan Garner

skygraff said:


> Not unless you're in park.
> 
> I've been suggesting a change to let the app work while in drive and/or adding a UI option on the screen (maybe touch the top/window of the little car).
> 
> Without a sunroof that opens to vent, getting just a little fresh air while driving highway speeds or raising the windows to a vent position (uniformly) when it starts to drizzle is a real process. One touch would be the safest way.
> 
> By the way, ever checked your energy usage when you turn off the HVAC fan and crack the windows a little? I've seen dramatic reductions.


I'm in park.

I'm exiting the car.

Some people's phone is deep in their purse.

All I want to do is to hit a vent button on the screen to do the same thing that the app does.

OR for those with just too many buttons on their screen.....make it a voice command. It doesn't matter to me if they make it a button or voice.


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## iChris93

Garlan Garner said:


> I'm in park.
> 
> I'm exiting the car.
> 
> Some people's phone is deep in their purse.
> 
> All I want to do is to hit a vent button on the screen to do the same thing that the app does.
> 
> OR for those with just too many buttons on their screen.....make it a voice command. It doesn't matter to me if they make it a button or voice.


I think @skygraff meant the app does not work unless you're in park.


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## JasonF

Garlan Garner said:


> The vent function on the app isn't a guess. It works perfectly.


This is based on my best reverse engineering guess (I don't have the tools @JWardell has, so he might lend better insight with CAN signals) from testing the close/vent feature in my garage.

It's actually _easier_ to design the app so both buttons are visible all the time. So why does it swap? Because if you open one window, the car has to be able to detect which of the four windows is not in the vent position and move it there precisely. I don't think it's capable of doing that; I think instead, it has to start from closed, and then pulse window-down for 1 second. It does know if the window is "not closed", because if even one window is open fully, you get the "Close" button instead of "Vent".

So I believe the logic works like: If closed, allow Vent. If not closed, allow Close. It doesn't need to know where the windows are to do that.

If you're inside the car and/or driving it, that behavior looks like it malfunctions more often than it works, because you'll question why you can't vent the windows while you have one of them open already.


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## JWardell

Ye of little faith. Tesla peppers every little part of the car with sensors and software figures things out that aren't directly sensed. Position, current, duty cycle, even window motor temperatures exist for each window. There's an entire CAN message dedicated to the numerous window states.

As for the internal vent button, I have four, they're just on the door not the screen! Rarely do I want to vent all the windows the same anyway, especially when on the highway to avoid buffeting.
I've only used window venting once a few weeks ago, simply because tesla added the feature at the beginning of the winter, and now we are on full on pollen season. I look forward to using the vent feature in the app along with finally washing all the orange off my car soon.


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## JasonF

JWardell said:


> Ye of little faith. Tesla peppers every little part of the car with sensors and software figures things out that aren't directly sensed. Position, current, duty cycle, even window motor temperatures exist for each window. There's an entire CAN message dedicated to the numerous window states.


When I first got the Tesla in 2018 I had the "sometimes the windows are a little bit open" bug. I tried to remember to always nudge them all up before going inside at work, because I'm in Florida, home of the sudden and violent downpour rainstorm. But sometimes I would be inside at work and hear heavy rain on the roof, and hope I remembered to nudge the windows closed, because by then it would be too late.

I suspected the car had at least the ability to tell if a window is open or not. So at that time, I sent a suggestion to Tesla to add the ability to close all windows to the app so I don't have to run outside in the rain to check. I didn't expect the "vent" feature, just a button to make sure the windows are closed. The current feature is better, because it does seem to know if any windows are open, and you can see it at a glance when it's only offering the "Close" feature.

I'm certain I'm far from the only one who suggested it, but it was kind of cool to see a suggestion of mine make it in.


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## Garlan Garner

Everyone, just add the same function as the app. In the car.

It doesn't have to be re-engineered or re-invented. 

That's all.

All of the programing and logic has been done. Its extremely simple.

Whatever logic the app button has....just add a button on the screen to do the same thing.


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## JWardell

JasonF said:


> When I first got the Tesla in 2018 I had the "sometimes the windows are a little bit open" bug. I tried to remember to always nudge them all up before going inside at work, because I'm in Florida, home of the sudden and violent downpour rainstorm. But sometimes I would be inside at work and hear heavy rain on the roof, and hope I remembered to nudge the windows closed, because by then it would be too late.
> 
> I suspected the car had at least the ability to tell if a window is open or not. So at that time, I sent a suggestion to Tesla to add the ability to close all windows to the app so I don't have to run outside in the rain to check. I didn't expect the "vent" feature, just a button to make sure the windows are closed. The current feature is better, because it does seem to know if any windows are open, and you can see it at a glance when it's only offering the "Close" feature.
> 
> I'm certain I'm far from the only one who suggested it, but it was kind of cool to see a suggestion of mine make it in.


There are a ton of ambient temperature sensors in the car. They were all there with early builds. But I'm confident most were ignored for a while. 
Just like me, Tesla built the hardware, and left the software to be figured out in the future. I would argue they really didn't even dial in the motors until recently when we got one pedal driving, extra acceleration, better cold weather regen heating, etc. That took an extra two years.
And they STILL aren't using the interior camera.

In other words, they didn't pay much attention to the windows till enough folks like you complained. 
As I can see, there are ~6 window positions in the message, so perhaps they don't have precise position in percent, but they can probably tell within an inch. Obviously they have played with windows a few times as they changed how they worked in cold weather.
But that's what is so great about Tesla. They have a TON of stuff to work on and improve, but they do improve every little thing eventually...and you don't need to buy a whole new car to get it.


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## skygraff

Anybody ever try the voice command "close windows?" It comes back with something like "windows unlocked." Think it's a child safety thing but doesn't appear to toggle; maybe that's my load.

Anyway, yes, port the app function to the UI as OP suggests. But, if not too much trouble, remove the park restriction.

<off_topic_rant>
Why do so many app functions require location and/or internet connection when low power BT would suffice?

We can close the windows from 1000 miles away even if somebody's fingers might be in the way (yes, it's supposed to stop) but not if we're lying in the back car camping way out of cell range.

In the meantime, we can't trigger homelink unless location services are on (and using cell battery) even though garage doors have safety systems and, again, low power BT range is pretty much the distance from which homelink will function. Oh, and that's still not necessarily line of sight.

Ditto for summon.
</off_topic_rant>


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## Garlan Garner

JWardell said:


> There are a ton of ambient temperature sensors in the car. They were all there with early builds. But I'm confident most were ignored for a while.
> Just like me, Tesla built the hardware, and left the software to be figured out in the future. I would argue they really didn't even dial in the motors until recently when we got one pedal driving, extra acceleration, better cold weather regen heating, etc. That took an extra two years.
> And they STILL aren't using the interior camera.
> 
> In other words, they didn't pay much attention to the windows till enough folks like you complained.
> As I can see, there are ~6 window positions in the message, so perhaps they don't have precise position in percent, but they can probably tell within an inch. Obviously they have played with windows a few times as they changed how they worked in cold weather.
> But that's what is so great about Tesla. They have a TON of stuff to work on and improve, but they do improve every little thing eventually...and you don't need to buy a whole new car to get it.


Wow...nice positive post. Excellent.


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## rrolsbe

Garlan Garner said:


> I'm in park.
> 
> I'm exiting the car.
> 
> Some people's phone is deep in their purse.
> 
> All I want to do is to hit a vent button on the screen to do the same thing that the app does.
> 
> OR for those with just too many buttons on their screen.....make it a voice command. It doesn't matter to me if they make it a button or voice.


Living in a arid climate I use the vent feature very often during the summer months. I would use the vent feature way more often, when driving around the city below 45MPH, if there was an onscreen or voice command. The only problem using a voice command is it requires the car to have cell data service to process the voice command. I am not sure why all voice commands have to be processed through the mother ship over the internet? Last time I went hiking neither my cell phone nor the car had cell service so the only way the vent feature could work is if there was a onscreen button. I agree with an earlier post, trying to use the window buttons to vent all four windows to an ideal vent position is a real PAIN! If the windows went down to the proper vent position with a quick tap of the door control buttons, that would make it easy and you would not need to open all four windows. Closing the windows automatically when it rains or have an optional sentry mode to close would be frosting on the cake.


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## bwilson4web

rrolsbe said:


> The only problem using a voice command is it requires the car to have cell data service to process the voice command. I am not sure why all voice commands have to be processed through the mother ship over the internet?


Which version of hardware and software?

Thanks,
Bob Wilson


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## Garlan Garner

rrolsbe said:


> Living in a arid climate I use the vent feature very often during the summer months. I would use the vent feature way more often, when driving around the city below 45MPH, if there was an onscreen or voice command. The only problem using a voice command is it requires the car to have cell data service to process the voice command. I am not sure why all voice commands have to be processed through the mother ship over the internet? Last time I went hiking neither my cell phone nor the car had cell service so the only way the vent feature could work is if there was a onscreen button. I agree with an earlier post, trying to use the window buttons to vent all four windows to an ideal vent position is a real PAIN! If the windows went down to the proper vent position with a quick tap of the door control buttons, that would make it easy and you would not need to open all four windows. Closing the windows automatically when it rains or have an optional sentry mode to close would be frosting on the cake.


Cellular service?

To open the glove box? Are you sure?


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## garsh

Garlan Garner said:


> To open the glove box? Are you sure?


He's talking about voice commands. All voice commands require an internet connection currently.


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## Garlan Garner

garsh said:


> He's talking about voice commands. All voice commands require an internet connection currently.


Thats what I meant as well. There is a voice command to open the glovebox.

That requires an internet connection?


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## garsh

Garlan Garner said:


> That requires an internet connection?


Yes. * ALL* the voice commands require an internet connection. The speech is currently uploaded to Tesla's servers for processing. That's why it takes so long for the car to respond to voice commands.

Google has been doing "voice assistant" stuff for many years, but only recently (2019) were they able to create a neural net small enough to run locally on a phone for this purpose. I would imagine that Tesla will someday do the same.



garsh said:


> https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/next-generation-google-assistant-io/
> ​_To power the Google Assistant, we rely on the full computing power of our data centers to support speech transcription and language understanding models. We challenged ourselves to re-invent these models, making them light enough to run on a phone._​​_Today, we've reached a new milestone. Building upon advancements in recurrent neural networks, we developed completely new speech recognition and language understanding models, bringing 100GB of models in the cloud down to less than half a gigabyte. With these new models,* the AI that powers the Assistant can now run locally on your phone. *This breakthrough enabled us to create a next generation Assistant that processes speech on-device at nearly zero latency, with transcription that happens in real-time, even when you have no network connection._​​


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